The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - AR-15 Kit

tirod · January 6, 2014, 12:07 PM

Since the parts are purchased at retail, there's rarely any savings building your own. What you get is a choice of what parts you want, not what a maker chooses.

Buy the barrel assembled with the extension headspaced and pinned on, other than that, and I do mean to be emphatic, NO ARMORER'S OR SPECIAL TOOLS ARE NEEDED. Read the stickies on arfcom how to do it.

Case in point, installing the barrel nut. The point is to tighten it so that the gas tube will get past the locking teeth, and not strip the threads. It's NOT to torque it to a special value, which a torque wrench attached to a barrel nut adapter won't accurately indicate anyway. It can be done with a large pair of channel lock pliers if you don't care about marks on the nut, which are hidden under the handguard and delta ring anyway.

I wear a pair of bib overalls and a lumberyard hat doing it.

I paid $49 for a blem upper, $79 for a lower, the cost was still over $1000 even with an A1 stock and A2 handguard. The more parts you buy in a package the better, and the less shipping.

If you choose to change something later, you know how, and don't have to pay for more labor, either. Build the gun with a specific range and target in mind, and that will quickly pare down the huge number of items on the market to those that actually contribute to the goal. Be mindful, tho, that some things are sold because they can be, not because they return very much for the dollar other than cool factor and brag rights in owning the Brand of the Month.

In fact, you can generally rank how little they actually contribute by how aggressively vocal the fanboys are. The really good parts don't need a bunch of posers online to defend them. Just keep in mind that those who are sponsored in competition are not using go-to-war guns, they are exhibiting race gun parts for sale in exchange for gas money and ammo. Again, some parts are simply made because they can sell them . . .

January 6, 2014, 12:07 PM	#33
tirod Junior member Join Date: January 21, 2009 Posts: 1,672	Since the parts are purchased at retail, there's rarely any savings building your own. What you get is a choice of what parts you want, not what a maker chooses. Buy the barrel assembled with the extension headspaced and pinned on, other than that, and I do mean to be emphatic, NO ARMORER'S OR SPECIAL TOOLS ARE NEEDED. Read the stickies on arfcom how to do it. Case in point, installing the barrel nut. The point is to tighten it so that the gas tube will get past the locking teeth, and not strip the threads. It's NOT to torque it to a special value, which a torque wrench attached to a barrel nut adapter won't accurately indicate anyway. It can be done with a large pair of channel lock pliers if you don't care about marks on the nut, which are hidden under the handguard and delta ring anyway. I wear a pair of bib overalls and a lumberyard hat doing it. I paid $49 for a blem upper, $79 for a lower, the cost was still over $1000 even with an A1 stock and A2 handguard. The more parts you buy in a package the better, and the less shipping. If you choose to change something later, you know how, and don't have to pay for more labor, either. Build the gun with a specific range and target in mind, and that will quickly pare down the huge number of items on the market to those that actually contribute to the goal. Be mindful, tho, that some things are sold because they can be, not because they return very much for the dollar other than cool factor and brag rights in owning the Brand of the Month. In fact, you can generally rank how little they actually contribute by how aggressively vocal the fanboys are. The really good parts don't need a bunch of posers online to defend them. Just keep in mind that those who are sponsored in competition are not using go-to-war guns, they are exhibiting race gun parts for sale in exchange for gas money and ammo. Again, some parts are simply made because they can sell them . . .