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another AR question

saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited January 2012 in General Discussion
Can I buy just a lower, assembled, but with no grip or stock? Upper with no hand gaurds?

I ask because if I was going to get an AR, I would want to upgrade those items asap, so why buy stuff I don't want. I have not ever seen offerings like that. If I could afford it, I would just buy a gun already assembled like I want, but I can't afford it, and also it's not as much fun.

I'd like to buy a lower with internal parts. Then eventually get an upper, or parts for an upper. Then stock, etc.

Does anyone offer partial builds like that?

Comments

  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Which part do you have to get from an FFL?
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I was told today that the shorter barreled rifes..16 inch..have reliability problemms..the guy flat out said that shorter barrells cause more malfunctions...any truth to this in the ar-15/bushmaster rifles

    SUBMARINE SAILOR,TRUCK DRIVER,RUSTY WALLACE FAN AND AS EVERYONE SO OFTEN POINTS OUT PISS POOR TYPIST e-mail alisonandwalt@charter.net
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Since the big interest of late in the AR market I have a few questions that I would like answered. If I am correct the part that is registered is the lower receiver as in all other guns. So a person can purchase a lower and then build it up to a finished rifle by adding any type of aftermarket item the wish, from trigger assy. to barrel and stock. If a person does this is this what is commonly refered to a home built rifle? I believe that any manufacturers parts will fit together as long as they are from the same style of base rifle. Am I correct in my way of understanding this?? If so how does the value and function of a home built rifle compare to a genuine factory built rifle if all of the parts come from the same manufacturer. Or from multiple manfs.
    I currently have a pre ban sporter hbar that I really love but thought about doing the above mentioned to get another. Thanks.

    T67
  • hotshoothotshoot Member Posts: 4,227
    edited November -1
    http://www.ar15builder.com/

    Look out for the buy button, it has known to get me in the dog house once or twice, (or more), but I had a new gun, in the dog house with me...[:D][:D][:D][:D][}:)][:D]
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Looks cool, but looks like a kinda expensive way to go. I built up a total franken gun with the cheapest parts they had and came to $768 with no hand gaurds, grip, stock or mag.

    Am I doing it wrong?[:I]
  • redneckandyredneckandy Member Posts: 9,716 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by saserby
    Looks cool, but looks like a kinda expensive way to go. I built up a total franken gun with the cheapest parts they had and came to $768 with no hand gaurds, grip, stock or mag.

    Am I doing it wrong?[:I]
    Apparently. Last one I built was about $575 complete.
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by redneckandy
    quote:Originally posted by saserby
    Looks cool, but looks like a kinda expensive way to go. I built up a total franken gun with the cheapest parts they had and came to $768 with no hand gaurds, grip, stock or mag.

    Am I doing it wrong?[:I]
    Apparently. Last one I built was about $575 complete.

    Did you get all your parts from Brownells?
  • redneckandyredneckandy Member Posts: 9,716 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by saserby
    quote:Originally posted by redneckandy
    quote:Originally posted by saserby
    Looks cool, but looks like a kinda expensive way to go. I built up a total franken gun with the cheapest parts they had and came to $768 with no hand gaurds, grip, stock or mag.

    Am I doing it wrong?[:I]
    Apparently. Last one I built was about $575 complete.

    Did you get all your parts from Brownells?
    Nope. Gunshows. There is always a dozen tables full of AR parts and no shipping costs.
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    i have built many, all parts had same brand name, 600-650 , and a few above that price

    lower as you asked about, can be bought in parts for 175.00, put together inn 15-20 minutes with no real special tools, roll pin punch if you got it at most
  • tsavo303tsavo303 Member Posts: 8,913 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    look at del-ton and gunbroker.com!
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    i have built many, all parts had same brand name, 600-650 , and a few above that price

    lower as you asked about, can be bought in parts for 175.00, put together inn 15-20 minutes with no real special tools, roll pin punch if you got it at most


    What brand do you like to use? I also prefer to have all parts the same. If I was going really high end maybe certain parts would be considered "custom", but I am closer to the other end.
  • buckstarbuckstar Member Posts: 1,163 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by hotshoot
    http://www.ar15builder.com/

    Look out for the buy button, it has known to get me in the dog house once or twice, (or more), but I had a new gun, in the dog house with me...[:D][:D][:D][:D][}:)][:D]


    Hey, that's pretty cool... Besides having to build it yourself at an additional cost... Can't seem to find a way to select caliber though.
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by tsavo303
    look at del-ton and gunbroker.com!


    From what I've seen of Delton you can buy a whole gun from them for what the parts cost. Am I wrong?
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by saserby
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    i have built many, all parts had same brand name, 600-650 , and a few above that price

    lower as you asked about, can be bought in parts for 175.00, put together inn 15-20 minutes with no real special tools, roll pin punch if you got it at most


    What brand do you like to use? I also prefer to have all parts the same. If I was going really high end maybe certain parts would be considered "custom", but I am closer to the other end.


    dpms, cmmg, stag, and 1 rr
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by buckstar
    quote:Originally posted by hotshoot
    http://www.ar15builder.com/

    Look out for the buy button, it has known to get me in the dog house once or twice, (or more), but I had a new gun, in the dog house with me...[:D][:D][:D][:D][}:)][:D]


    Hey, that's pretty cool... Besides having to build it yourself at an additional cost... Can't seem to find a way to select caliber though.


    I was thinking that also. The cheapest I could get all the parts was over $800. That's not a deal. And that is totally mismatched parts. You can buy a whole gun already put together for that.
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    quote:Originally posted by saserby
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    i have built many, all parts had same brand name, 600-650 , and a few above that price

    lower as you asked about, can be bought in parts for 175.00, put together inn 15-20 minutes with no real special tools, roll pin punch if you got it at most


    What brand do you like to use? I also prefer to have all parts the same. If I was going really high end maybe certain parts would be considered "custom", but I am closer to the other end.


    dpms, cmmg, stag, and 1 rr


    Let me re-phrase. What would you recommend for a newbie to start with to keep in that $6-650 range. I think CMMG is out.
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    http://www.midwayusa.com/


    watch for sales, you can get complete uppers for around 400, add 175 for lower less stock , reg folder can be had for 50
  • redneckandyredneckandy Member Posts: 9,716 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Everything minus receiver $490 plus shipping. Add a $60 receiver and you are set.

    http://www.jsesurplus.com/riflekits.aspx
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Now that's what I'm looking for. It looks like I can order custom kits with the grips and such that I want. Very cool. Thanks redneckandy! I added to my favorites!
  • redneckandyredneckandy Member Posts: 9,716 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    On a side note CMMG is a company out of central MO. Dealt with them many times. Very good people to deal with. I have nothing but good to say about them. Internet prices are high but if you catch them at a show prices are more than fair. I had a firing pin break on one of their .22 conversions and they insisted on sending me a new one free. I just asked the sales lady if they had one with them I could buy.
  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If a rifle kit is what you want, I would look at Del Ton or J&T Distributing...


    Del Ton and J&T Dist offer options with their rifle kits that allow you to upgrade your stock, grips, barrel, sights, lower parts kits...and the options are priced lower than what you'd pay to buy those upgrades separately. For example, I ordered a 16" rifle kit with a 1 in 7 chrome lined barrel, M4 feed ramps, flip up YHM front sight, badger tac latch, RRA NM 2 stage trigger, Magpul CTR stock, and YHM phantom 5 flash hider for under $600. I doubt you could buy all those options separately for for that price.

    And you can add quad rails if that's your thing...I went with Del Ton because J&T didn't offer the RRA NM trigger, and that was a priority for me.


    $60 lowers are hard to find these days, but if you search you might get close. I got some PSA(Palmetto State Armory ) lowers back on black Friday for $49 each, $57 with ship, but that's because the FFL didn't charge me anything.
  • MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 14,158 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I gotta say that most of those parts don't have a trademark/logo on them. Some of the packages don't even have a name tag on them. Once installed, they're all same-same. Quite possibly all scooped from the same big bin at a subcontractors warehouse.
    I've put together(I don't like the word "built" since it denotes some amount of design IMHO)several AR rifles and carbines in the $400-500 range that are comparable to most anything on the market under $1K.
    You may have missed some good buys on lowers. Palmetto had some around $50 and I bought 5 from R-Guns @$56(?)in December. Unless you're a dedicated target shooter(in which case you wouldn't be going cheap)any milspec lower is suitable. The milspec trigger is usually not too great and is the one option I recommend.
  • CyclonusCyclonus Member Posts: 2,825
    edited November -1
    I still built mine cheaper than that and 90% of it was from this site. everything but a barrel and handgaurds from karrisguns 350$ a 24 inch barrel from model1sales for 185$ then came the add ons 2 45 round magazines from CTD 30$ a bipod I already had a scope from dicks at 80$ as well as rings another 25$ a laser .223 boresighter for 15. 2 other things I really didnt need removable front and rear sights 45$ from CTD although I got them before the scope which I am happy with its a field and stream 6-24 power with surprisingly clear lenses and came with free flip up lense caps. oh and I had to buy a full length gas tube for 15$ from CTD and a delta ring assembly from CTD for 10$ so I did build the base rifle cheap. I'm also pretty confident she will be a long range tackdriver despite the fact I've had it almost a year and still have yet to shoot it.
  • SWAT 50SWAT 50 Member Posts: 4,074 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Mobuck
    I gotta say that most of those parts don't have a trademark/logo on them. Some of the packages don't even have a name tag on them. Once installed, they're all same-same. Quite possibly all scooped from the same big bin at a subcontractors warehouse.
    I've put together(I don't like the word "built" since it denotes some amount of design IMHO)several AR rifles and carbines in the $400-500 range that are comparable to most anything on the market under $1K.
    You may have missed some good buys on lowers. Palmetto had some around $50 and I bought 5 from R-Guns @$56(?)in December. Unless you're a dedicated target shooter(in which case you wouldn't be going cheap)any milspec lower is suitable. The milspec trigger is usually not too great and is the one option I recommend.


    I thought so also till I saw an Armalite kit in the green box all MIM parts also, But the hammer and trigger were ground where it counts and it does make a difference.
  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a couple questions for you guys. First, can you explain the benefit of the 2 stage trigger? If I understand right, its a harder pull at first, then "sets" and is a light pull. Better accuracy. Right?

    Here's what I'd like. A good, reliable gun with pretty good accuracy that is fun to shoot . By fun, I also mean accurate enough that it's fun, rather than frustrating.

    I generally appreciate a good trigger. What do you recomend for a decent 3# ish trigger that's not too expensive?
  • buckstarbuckstar Member Posts: 1,163 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by saserby
    I have a couple questions for you guys. First, can you explain the benefit of the 2 stage trigger? If I understand right, its a harder pull at first, then "sets" and is a light pull. Better accuracy. Right?

    Here's what I'd like. A good, reliable gun with pretty good accuracy that is fun to shoot . By fun, I also mean accurate enough that it's fun, rather than frustrating.

    I generally appreciate a good trigger. What do you recomend for a decent 3# ish trigger that's not too expensive?


    The only 2-stage trigger I've shot was soft up to a certain point, where it stopped and any further movement could drop the hammer. It is intended to help the shooter make careful, aimed shots by giving a consistent reaction to a trigger fingers movements. It doesn't necessarily make the gun much more accurate on its own, it just helps the user be more consistent. Another aspect of an upgraded trigger pack is lock time (the time it takes to strike the primer after the trigger is tripped) since the gun is moving constantly.

    I think you will probably get better accuracy out of better ammo though and recommend that you try something that is not military surplus.
  • SpartacusSpartacus Member Posts: 14,415
    edited November -1
    quote:lower as you asked about, can be bought in parts for 175.00, put together inn 15-20 minutes with no real special tools, roll pin punch if you got it at most


    or pay $225 for a dpms lower with the lpk installed.
    of course, if you're wanting to build an ar, save the 50 bucks.
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