James Fonteneaux
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Thanks!
Psychobilly Grendel
- Thread starter OrangeCat
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Varminterror
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My personal AR’s are all custom barrels - if you are planning a 12 month piecemeal build and a custom barrel is in that planning, then the barrel would have to be ordered no later than September, and earlier would be better. Frankly, since the barrel cost is the largest cost on the rifle, it might be a big bite for a single month.
The gas block should follow after the barrel order, such you’ll only know what size for certain after you have the barrel in play. Gas tube as well, and handguard, as the handguard will have to be of appropriate length and design to match your barrel choice. The handguard is typically another higher cost part, relative to the total rifle price, so you might want to plan your budget during each month accordingly.
Buttstock, buffer, and spring all have to correspond together as well, so it may also be good to settle on a buttstock you want, then source the buffer and spring thereafter (castle nut and receiver end plate as well, if you go carbine).
Personally, I generally prefer to thoroughly plan my builds, dictated by the specific application, compile an exact component list (I have an excel file which catalogs every rifle I build, with every individual part listed and accounted). Once the list reflects a complete rifle, and the total budget in hand, I order parts based on the barrel delivery time, then build once it gets here.
If you spend the time here to “assign” a monthly budget, you’ll see the disappointing reality of trying to spread it over a full year of months. There are a few high cost components in the mix, and a lot of cheap stuff. Say you wanted to spend $1200 overall, $100/month. Buy the lower in Jan for $50 as your commitment to building THIS rifle, add a $30 LPK and $20 grip. That’s $100 for Jan. Then save $100/mo for Feb, March, and order the barrel in April for $300. Save May and buy the $200 handguard in June. July’s $100 buys the upper and a cheap muzzle device. $100 in August for the adjustable gas block and tube. Save Sept to buy the $200 buttstock in Oct. Nov is your recoil assembly for $50, with $50 saved to go with December’s money towards the trigger. 12 months to build the rifle itself, so the only thing left is optics and ammo.
Considering that schedule - I would plan about $200 more along the way to get a better trigger, better muzzle device, better gas block, and handguard. And I’d save $35/month along the way for optic and mount. So given that thought, I’d plan on $150/month... I’d order the barrel in July, everything else in Oct when the barrel arrives, and be shooting it Nov and Dec, back billing myself the latent $300.
I made a very bad habit of piecemealing AR’s together on the side for years, ending up with a dozen incomplete rifle kits sitting in boxes, instead of having 6-8 of them completed, if I had made a more focused effort to get every part in place quickly to finish the build.
Only takes about an hour to assemble an AR. Makes my brain ooze out my ear to think about having half of my parts for more than 6 mos without simply finishing it off.
The gas block should follow after the barrel order, such you’ll only know what size for certain after you have the barrel in play. Gas tube as well, and handguard, as the handguard will have to be of appropriate length and design to match your barrel choice. The handguard is typically another higher cost part, relative to the total rifle price, so you might want to plan your budget during each month accordingly.
Buttstock, buffer, and spring all have to correspond together as well, so it may also be good to settle on a buttstock you want, then source the buffer and spring thereafter (castle nut and receiver end plate as well, if you go carbine).
Personally, I generally prefer to thoroughly plan my builds, dictated by the specific application, compile an exact component list (I have an excel file which catalogs every rifle I build, with every individual part listed and accounted). Once the list reflects a complete rifle, and the total budget in hand, I order parts based on the barrel delivery time, then build once it gets here.
If you spend the time here to “assign” a monthly budget, you’ll see the disappointing reality of trying to spread it over a full year of months. There are a few high cost components in the mix, and a lot of cheap stuff. Say you wanted to spend $1200 overall, $100/month. Buy the lower in Jan for $50 as your commitment to building THIS rifle, add a $30 LPK and $20 grip. That’s $100 for Jan. Then save $100/mo for Feb, March, and order the barrel in April for $300. Save May and buy the $200 handguard in June. July’s $100 buys the upper and a cheap muzzle device. $100 in August for the adjustable gas block and tube. Save Sept to buy the $200 buttstock in Oct. Nov is your recoil assembly for $50, with $50 saved to go with December’s money towards the trigger. 12 months to build the rifle itself, so the only thing left is optics and ammo.
Considering that schedule - I would plan about $200 more along the way to get a better trigger, better muzzle device, better gas block, and handguard. And I’d save $35/month along the way for optic and mount. So given that thought, I’d plan on $150/month... I’d order the barrel in July, everything else in Oct when the barrel arrives, and be shooting it Nov and Dec, back billing myself the latent $300.
I made a very bad habit of piecemealing AR’s together on the side for years, ending up with a dozen incomplete rifle kits sitting in boxes, instead of having 6-8 of them completed, if I had made a more focused effort to get every part in place quickly to finish the build.
Only takes about an hour to assemble an AR. Makes my brain ooze out my ear to think about having half of my parts for more than 6 mos without simply finishing it off.
JeeperCreeper
Member
My quick advice,
If you're doing Grendel, get a good trigger.
So get a lower parts kit that does not include the trigger.
And drop at least $100 on a drop-in trigger. I run POF, but there are plenty of affordable triggers in the 3-4# range
If you're doing Grendel, get a good trigger.
So get a lower parts kit that does not include the trigger.
And drop at least $100 on a drop-in trigger. I run POF, but there are plenty of affordable triggers in the 3-4# range
OP
OP
OrangeCat
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I can see the merits of getting it all at once and working it over together. But at the same time getting at least something once a month or two even if it's just some pins or springs or something would help keep me on task and give me a little sense of undeserved accomplishment.
I could also potentially take advantage of any sales that crop up or interesting parts that come across my radar. If I had a specific purpose for this I would probably plan accordingly but it'll mostly just be for yucks and probably on the cheaper edge of what most of us would do. But parts are inexpensive right now and if they are easy to work on I can always replace parts and upgrade that way.
Definitely not the best practices way to go about it but it does help me afford it a little better and it's not a critical project. Worst case scenario I take a loss on selling a box of parts.
I do like the idea of having the lower done by mid year and trying to get a barrel though that seems prudent.
I could also potentially take advantage of any sales that crop up or interesting parts that come across my radar. If I had a specific purpose for this I would probably plan accordingly but it'll mostly just be for yucks and probably on the cheaper edge of what most of us would do. But parts are inexpensive right now and if they are easy to work on I can always replace parts and upgrade that way.
Definitely not the best practices way to go about it but it does help me afford it a little better and it's not a critical project. Worst case scenario I take a loss on selling a box of parts.
I do like the idea of having the lower done by mid year and trying to get a barrel though that seems prudent.
Varminterror
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Buying pins and springs independently is a surefire way to spend way too much on your rifle.
Buy one $30 lower parts kit, get your FCG pins with your trigger group, and be merry. When you piece them out, it’s easy to spend $80-100 completing your own LPK, instead of $30-40 for a kit.
Varminterror
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Equally - shipping costs on multiple orders can bite you in the ass.
James Fonteneaux
Member
True story. I try to order multiple parts at a time or take advantage of free shipping offers whenever possible. The rifle I posted earlier is an example. FWIW, I generally buy lpks whole and use what I need.
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OrangeCat
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That's actually why I was excited about Atwood's carrying parts I'm almost certain that they had a lower part kit and buffers kits and maybe a carbine buffer tube I forgot what trigger they had (black rain or something like that) there are probably other local stores that I'm sure have some stuff. Taxes but no shipping plus a lot of websites have started tacking on taxes Amazon has started calculating sales tax on some stuff. 
Gun stuff is also a product catagory that I very much like to see and handle before buying if at all possible. Something about ordering stuff online and my brain locks up. But I'll almost certainly have to get a barrel off the internet.
I guess we couldn't have expected that tax free Amazon would last forever but still annoying
Gun stuff is also a product catagory that I very much like to see and handle before buying if at all possible. Something about ordering stuff online and my brain locks up. But I'll almost certainly have to get a barrel off the internet.
I guess we couldn't have expected that tax free Amazon would last forever but still annoying
Varminterror
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Buying locally at Atwood’s, a national chain, not really a “mom and pop local shop,” means you’re paying sales tax, and most likely, paying elevated shelf prices for their overhead costs, which you wouldn’t pay when ordering online - so very literally, buying locally usually means you’re going to overpay for your AR.
If the price on Atwood’s shelf (surprisingly) beats the best prices you’re seeing online, including sales tax, then great. Otherwise, you’re falling into the pit they hope unwittingly folks will - buy it because it’s there and you can touch it.
If the price on Atwood’s shelf (surprisingly) beats the best prices you’re seeing online, including sales tax, then great. Otherwise, you’re falling into the pit they hope unwittingly folks will - buy it because it’s there and you can touch it.
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OrangeCat
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Yes that is definitely a part of my psychology. I'll check online of course but being able to handle it before I buy is very very irrationally comfortable for my squirrel brain.
BigBL87
Member
I usually avoid that trap but every now and then I admittedly break down and make the impulse buy because its there.
Realistically, with ARs there are very few things I personally would really feel the need/desire to handle in person before buying. Grip comes to mind, trigger if possible, maybe handguard? Stock maybe though usually you can get a good idea from pictures online. Optic would probably be another one but that's a whole 'nother story. The rest of it is usually a pretty known quantity and handling won't really tell you much, or at least more than you can read online.
All that being said though, to the OP, you do things the way you want to do them. It's your rifle, your money, your process. We can toss out all the advice in the world, but when it comes down to it what matters is that you are happy with the rifle and how you get there. If spending a few more dollars means you're happier and you don't mind it, you do you.
James Fonteneaux
Member
I would agree with this for the most part. For example, PSA was selling stripped, bare lowers awhile back for about $30. Add $25 transfer fee, now $55. I've seen savage AR lowers at Academy for around $70 to $75 transfer price no doubt included. Now in the example I posted earlier, I happen to like the Stag rollmark. (It makes it shoot 1/4 MOA better
) So I paid a little extra. Move up the echelon of manufacturers to Daniel Defense, JP, and so on and the prices go up.
Edit: I was typing this as a response to Varmiterror's last post.
) So I paid a little extra. Move up the echelon of manufacturers to Daniel Defense, JP, and so on and the prices go up.Edit: I was typing this as a response to Varmiterror's last post.
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OrangeCat
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I would agree with this for the most part. For example, PSA was selling stripped, bare lowers awhile back for about $30. Add $25 transfer fee, now $55. I've seen savage AR lowers at Academy for around $70 to $75 transfer price no doubt included. Now in the example I posted earlier, I happen to like the Stag rollmark. (It makes it shoot 1/4 MOA better
I did look a little and there was a lgs that is supposed to be especially friendly with people buying stuff online. I will have to go talk to them and see if that's a good route for me to go.
I do genuinely agree that stripped lowers are generally too expensive if you buy them from a brick and mortar store. If PSA wants to offer one with a rattlesnake type roller mark I would be much obliged, even no step on snek would be okay but I'm not picky on that front.
James Fonteneaux
Member
Just remember to have fun with it. Like BigBL87 said, it's your money and your choice. Varmiterror makes some excellent points and offers sage advice. I'm probably somewhere halfway along the path to where he is, maybe less in that as I build these things I'm trying to get smarter about doing it. In the end, you're the one who has to live with it, so build what you want. And save your extra stuff, 'cause there's a 99% chance you'll build something else.
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