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Old October 14, 2017, 02:20 PM   #1
Nathan
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AR15 values on Armslist...

I should be out mowing the lawn, but I thought I would look ar Armslist a bit.....

Then I thought maybe I can find a used AR15 barrel or build to part out clos to what I want.

What I found were listings like:
Custom AR15
Off brand cheap SS barrel with dimples 18"
Blocky looking billet no name lower
Off brand rail
BCM charging handle
Geissele trigger
SOPMOD carbine buttstock
Off brand nitride bcg
Burris PEPR mount
$200 FFP 4-14 scope

$1600 invested, will sell for $1400



This is a paraphrased rifle, but some premium parts plus mismatched low end parts and a $200 dimpled barrel don't make a build!


Sorry for the rant, but do you see lots of builds that miss the mark? I see lots that have a couple top dollar parts and a bunch of scrap for $750 to $2000!
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Old October 14, 2017, 02:56 PM   #2
stagpanther
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right off the bat--never heard of a 4 x 14 FFP scope for $200.
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Old October 14, 2017, 06:56 PM   #3
Nathan
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It might have been $280.... still, I wouldn't look through one under $600 for fear I might go blind!
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Old October 14, 2017, 07:18 PM   #4
Nathan
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Quote:
Custom AR-15 shoots 556 and 223, 16-inch carbine gas Barrel. Custom stock, six position from Israel with built-in 10 round mag. .....grip with storage and forward grip also with battery storage. $1500
IMO, a custom AR for $1500 has a name barrel, trigger and forearm at minimum.....just sayin'

Again, if it performs, who am I to say.


Quote:
...,,Monstrum
4-14x44mm 30mm tube First Focal Plane Mil-Quad reticle with matching Mrad locking turrets ($200)
Nope, it was $200, but $1000 for the whole gun!

Last edited by Nathan; October 14, 2017 at 07:25 PM.
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Old October 14, 2017, 07:42 PM   #5
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Sheesh. Maybe I need to ask more for my WOA barreled varmit build.
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Old October 15, 2017, 01:15 AM   #6
marine6680
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I'm trying to figure out how inexperienced builders... Who tend to be the ones putting these up for sale... Manage to find the no name parts, when the big names in online sales like Brownells, Midway, PSA, and the like, carry a range of stuff, most of it at least decent, with a recognized name at least...

Then I figured they were getting their parts from local gun shops, who were probably sourcing some questionable parts from local manufacturing, or the bargain list of the distributor.
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Old October 15, 2017, 04:13 AM   #7
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You can buy big-name expensive dogs too--I have more than once. Regardless of who makes them--the real thing that counts about parts is how much they stand behind them. I bottom fish on occasion for really cheap stuff and sometimes get lucky with great performance--but then I'm not too surprised when it's a dog. Top shelf stuff is a different story. I expect that to perform well.--and most of the time it does.

In regards to experience in building 'em--well, we all got to start some place. I've built dozens over the last 11 years--and truth is I'm just starting to learn how to make a good, well-tuned AR. Despite all the books, vids, Brownell's how-to's (which are excellent for first-timers, BTW, I still refer to these periodically) I learned stuff the hard way by making mistakes--and continue to do so.

But when I shoot a .5 MOA or less one-holer with one of my builds and the rifle functions flawlessly--with no "brutality" to the brass which I use to reload--now that's a feeling of pride that's hard to beat. Not easy getting there though.

Brass tell no lies.
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Last edited by stagpanther; October 15, 2017 at 04:18 AM.
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Old October 15, 2017, 09:37 AM   #8
Nathan
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I guess my point of this thread was nicely summarized by stagpanther. It is just 186 Locust Curve Dr part of the learning process...

Several things I see to learn from....
1) don't put a BCM Grip on a pile of low budget parts and then list your AR as having BCM parts and worth $1000 plus.

2) Come up with a problem, design a solution and build your design. This is what purpose built means. That means if you want a hard use gun, start with quality at the heart: barrel, BCG and optic.....finish with quality supporting pieces like a quality upper/lower, a decent forearm and matching stock. If you want a plunked, start with a plinker core and finish it up on a budget with good ergos and thought.

3) Put a matching optic or sights on your AR. Nothing hurts the heart more than a Kreiger barrel and a $150 tactical timmey scope in a $30 mount.
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Old October 15, 2017, 11:14 AM   #9
BigBL87
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Why spend all that money and cheap out on the barrel? You can get a guaranteed sub-moa barrel from Ballistic Advantage for under 200.
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Old October 17, 2017, 05:49 AM   #10
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I think a lot of them were pieced together during the ban from whatever someone could find in stock online or at a gun show for super high prices. It's the only way to have some of the crap they have on there.
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Old October 17, 2017, 08:19 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathan
$1600 invested, will sell for $1400
The idea that money spent on a common rifle is an "investment" could be part of a lie we tell ourselves when we buy a consumer good. Unfortunately, it leads some to unrealistic expectations when they come to sell. That isn't rue just on Armslist, but one does see it there a lot.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathan
Sorry for the rant, but do you see lots of builds that miss the mark? I see lots that have a couple top dollar parts and a bunch of scrap for $750 to $2000!
It's nice that some of you have built very nice rifles, but I will freely admit that I don't see the benefit of building with uniformly "premium" parts.

The two important parts for me are the barrel and trigger. Whatever one's preference in weight, profile and length, I never saw the sense in accepting a lower price in exchange for decreased durability and ease of cleaning. That people buy 4140 phosphate barrels is a bit of a head scratcher for me. The trigger doesn't have to be expensive, just tuned to my preference.

Beyond that, I go cheap. You might consider an aluminium free float tube "scrap" if it doesn't carry a price of a couple of hundred dollars, but it suits my purpose.
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Old October 17, 2017, 09:19 AM   #12
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You can ask for the moon and try to wait to see if someone is willing to pay that much for your product. You see examples like this all the time at alot of the online auction sites but selling for and asking for are usually two different prices. You can get a new Ruger or Smith &Wesson right now right for $499 with a warranty or trust some joker who cobbled together an ar out of spare parts for $1000? Now if this was pre elections you may be able to go price gouging but not now.
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Old October 19, 2017, 06:59 PM   #13
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Your $200 4-14FFP is probably from Primary Arms... that model has been around for a long time and is generally thought of as "the benchmark" cheap but reliable medium magnification FFP scope.

People currently trying to sell used AR15's are smoking good stuff... they're worthless.

I regularly see $45 Aero lowers and $60 PSA lpks with the MOE grip and ALG trigger. You can build a REALLY REALLY REALLY nice complete lower with upgraded grip, trigger, stock, buffer of choice, and extended takedown pins for $150. Bottom feeder uppers are in the $175 range, and nitride BCG's for $60. I've seen Ballistic Advantage barrels for $100 and lots of quality handguards in every size for $75.

For well under $500, you can really have the moon... unless you're a "Larue or nothing" kinda guy, then nobody can help you.
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Old October 19, 2017, 11:50 PM   #14
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Sometimes, hoping for the moon works out. It usually doesn't. But, sometimes...

A few years ago (yes, a different market then), I had a crap AR that I was only into for $270, including everything on it and a 30-round P-Mag.

Market value was accordingly crappy. I would have been lucky to get $250 out of it as a parts gun. It was that bad.

It took about a year of listings and I was honest about what it was; but I sold it for $350, and the buyer could not have been more excited to try his new toy.
(I never heard back about whether or not he liked it...)




The same goes for an old, tiny (8-foot) tent trailer that I had.
I bought it cheap, which turned out to not be cheap enough. And then my wife and I used it for a few years, eventually deciding that collateral damage was more than we wanted to repair. I did some "bandaid fixes" (not repairs, just "fixes"), and listed it on a regional classifieds site.

I was honest about condition, needed repairs, and the "fixes" that I had done, and even conveyed my opinion that it was really just an excellent (but thirsty) furnace wrapped up in crusty canvases and rotting wood.

However, I was asking what I had paid and, for the listing, took on the "persona" of the trailer to tell a fictional story about why everything was the way it was.

Some nut job drove nine hours and spent over $250 in fuel, just to come look at the trailer. As we did our walk-around, and then went through repairs, fixes, set-up, take-down, and the trailer's problems and quirks, he told me, at least six times, that the only reason he was there was because he couldn't get the story out of his head. He wanted it.

He ended up paying just $75 less than asking price, and told me one more time that he knew it was a [crap] trailer, but that he came for the story.
I heard from him a few months later, after he had used it a few times. He loved that decrepit trailer, even though it was right on the edge of disintegrating, and could chug an entire 20-lb bottle of propane in a single night.


You don't always reach the moon, or even enter orbit. But, sometimes, it ends up being worth a shot.
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Old October 20, 2017, 12:59 AM   #15
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I have a colt LE 6920 OEM with ALG and magpul butt stock I had laying around, gi handguards....I'm into it for around $650.

I have a Daniel Defense with Larue MBT Trigger, All DD parts etc , handguards, surfire brake pinned , and troy sights I'm into for $1150.

These Frankenstein builds I see on the interweb...one thing about ultra customization is that if it is tailored to you , then it likely isn't perfect for someone else.
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Old October 20, 2017, 06:58 PM   #16
hdwhit
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Quote:
smee78 wrote:
You can get a new Ruger or Smith &Wesson right now right for $499 with a warranty or trust some joker who cobbled together an ar out of spare parts for $1000?
Exactly.

That's why I bought S&W ARs.

Quote:
We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located, among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are.
We know exactly where they are. They're mowing our lawns, diapering our children, cutting our meat, hanging our drywall, laying our carpets, and cleaning our motel rooms. We just pretend we can't see them because we like having all these services delivered cheaply by people who dare not complain lest they be deported.
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Old October 20, 2017, 08:07 PM   #17
kozak6
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I just had a look at Armslist for my city.

It's not very interesting. It looks like it's mostly low dollar AR15's being sold at at a couple hundred bucks profit. There are a couple mixmasters that looked ok-ish, maybe. The high dollar AR15's are entertaining. $1200 Aero Precisions and $2000 retro Colts.

However, with the current AR market glut, none of them make any sense at all unless you are concerned about paperwork.
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Old October 20, 2017, 08:13 PM   #18
OzeanJaeger
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AR15 values on Armslist...
Are usually twice what they’re actually worth.
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Old October 21, 2017, 03:12 AM   #19
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I just built my best over all AR for $990 including the PA 1-6x24 gen 3 and Aero ultra light mount ( so the rifle it self was about $650 ) . It's a total frankin gun with at least 8 different manufactures . It shoots just under moa with reloads ( maybe better I've only ran one load development with it ) and it's the softest and most steady shooting AR I've ever fired .

All that said , I bet I'd be lucky to get back what I have into it if I were to sell it . All my builds are purpose built ( NM service rifle , Light weight minimal survival , SD/HD etc etc and If I were to sell any I'd have to take the buyer to the range and let them shoot them while explaining why they are built the way they are . Meaning I'd actually have to "sell" them if I were to want anything close to what I've put into them , especially the way the market is now . No way just posting a picture and asking $1k is going to get it done now a days .
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Old October 21, 2017, 06:46 AM   #20
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Quote:
No way just posting a picture and asking $1k is going to get it done now a days .
Not exactly--you would be surprised how many people are seeking a "loophole" non-FFL transfer purchase. I get offers quite often on my builds when someone sees me shooting them or in transit to/from range. I'm not starting a political discussion here--but when I insist on a background check (for my own liability protection) that usually ends it.
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Old October 21, 2017, 07:51 AM   #21
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Quote:
Not exactly--you would be surprised how many people are seeking a "loophole" non-FFL transfer purchase.
This!!!!


i attend numerous estate auctions. There is this persistent myth that all guns bought from an FFL are "registered". Bubba will pay a premium price for an "unregistered" gun. i've seen mediocre condition Remington model 700 rifles with cheap scopes go for over $800.
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Old October 21, 2017, 03:58 PM   #22
CLC
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I get a kick out of Armslist! I find good deals but some people are asking absurd prices on used guns. Asking brand new prices on used common guns is actually kinda funny when you think about it. I use it mostly for the milsurps.
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