First AR15, buy or build?

Hey there folks,
I'm about to get my first rifle but I'm also not in a hurry.
First I'm in California for at least the next year. But will be moving to AZ or CO.

Secondly (or thirdly) Do I build or buy? I'm more then capable and very patient.
Thanks for you guys time!

 

sorry. this place sucks anyway. you don't want to move up here.

 

AR15 and build it just the way you want... just like if you could mod your truck from the factory. You can certainly get a very good rifle for a great price from many shops but building it you will learn how it functions and how to work on it with a minimul investment in a couple specialized tools. Save the AR10 for your 2nd build...you wont stop at one. You will most likely use the .556 more than the .308 way cheaper to shoot.

 

Wrong

 

i tried

 

Don't worry I wont bring CA B.S with me. We go to CO yearly at least.

 

I kinda figured as much with going .556 first. Would you suggest going 80% or just get a decent lower(I don't know what constitutes as a decent lower)

 

Build it. It seems intimidating until you remember that you played with Legos as a kid and there are alot of great resources available online. It's an easy process, when you build your first rifle you can literally watch a YouTube video and just follow along step by step.

Make sure you have the following tools:

Torque wrench capable of up to 100ft/lbs
A good set of gunsmithing punches, I recommend Wheelers
Roll pin punches, I recommend Wheelers
A vice
A hammer with a nylon and hard plastic or brass side
AR armorer's wrench
AR specific upper and lower vice block


I would also recommend your favorite gun oil, and something more tacky like your favorite gun grease (can be really helpful holding pins and springs in the right place)

There are some specialty tools that you can get, but you'll get along fine with what is listed here.

 

Get a milspec lower. Don't get an 80% lower (you need to drill holes and finish the lower).

Anderson is good and cheap.

AeroPrecision make a number of products that are slightly more expensive, but are of a very high quality and include some features to make your build easier. Do a bit of research here.

FYI, AeroPrecision is a company that makes lowers for a bunch of other companies.

 

Building seems daunting to me simply because I dont understand what parts I need, how to choose the right barrel, or gas block or tube, or really what any of it means. Even after watching videos it's a lot of info.
but like I said I'm patient.

 

Ive built a number but never done an 80%...know some people that do but you can get a perfectly good mill spec lower for under $50 these days and not fuss with drilling any holes or milling anything...that is other than in the peoples republic of California...not sure what you have to do there. I've done a number with palmetto state armory lowers, they run specials all the time, and the fit and finish has always been good. You want something fancy check out aero precision, make some nice components, ive done a couple with their uppers and they are super nice and not outrageously priced.

 

You need to decide caliber and length.

Length will determine the length of barrel, gas tube, and handguard. It will also determine the weight of your recoil buffer. Other than this you can almost get whatever you want.

If you get a mil spec lower, all other parts should be mil spec as well.

https://ar15buildersforum.com/

Is a great resource for all of this information.

 

to add something relevant, this might be helpful.

https://www.itstactical.com/series/diy-ar-15-build/

 

I plan to use mil spec. 16in barrel. .556

 

I used to build ALOT of ARs, but have slowed down a lot lately. My last build was a rifle length 5.56 with APs "Desert Mad Dragon" builder set.. I have a box full of parts that I could probably put together a couple full builds with the exception of a couple pins, springs, and maybe a trigger group.

 

when you start researching, watch a few videos and you will see what is needed...its seriously not hard... the hard part is picking out what parts you want, there are literaly 10's of thousands options...

 

Watch this, it will help a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8sY5CQmlHI

 

Build a 15. 10s aren’t as uniform as 15s(dpms, sr20, etc.) all uppers don’t fit with all lowers, hand guards, etc. 308 is a hell of a good time, but the experience from building a 556 will make you’re 308 down the road that much better.

 

I'd go with the AR-15. Building is fun, there's definitely a feeling of accomplishment, and you might be able to get everything put together for cheaper than if you bought one off the shelf. Price everything out. There are plenty of good vendors online who you can buy functional uppers and parts kits from. You should also keep in mind when building or buying as to how much shooting you're going to be doing. If it's your first rifle of this type, I'd go for something more modestly priced.

 

Yeah, it is going to be my first AR. So I dont want to go nuts on price. I want to keep it close to the $800 mark

 

Don't forget to same $$ for a good optic...you can build a sweet rifle for $800 but to get even a descent red dot your probably about $160+

 

ar15.com is a great resource

 

I would build it the way you like, also determine if you want piston or gas, I went piston with my 15 and gas with 10, you have lots of options, turners having spring specials at the moment for lowers..

 

Aero Precision M4E1 upper and lower.

 

I haven't even started looking into optics yet. I was considering just running flip ups at first.

I will take a look at those!

See I didnt even know piston was an option.

 

As in I need to come collect from your parts bin right lol

 

You might also check out something like Palmetto State Armory. I don't know about now, but they used to sell builder kits. That might be a good choice for your first build.

My first AR was purchased as a complete rifle, but I wanted to change a lot so I pretty quickly took it apart. This is a good option to consider too.

 

I’ll join the “build-it” consensus. I built my first one and found it very fun and therapeutic, but I did it the easy way by building a stripped lower and then mating it to a complete upper. It still helped me better understand how it works and how to take it apart and fix or replace parts if needed. Plus, it’s a satisfying feeling when you take that first shot at the range knowing you built it.

 

Colorado is banning all AR15 rifles.

 

AR's are super cheap right now. Just buy one. You can get a Smith and Wesson M&P 15T for like 800 bux. I have seen others for as cheap as 579. I built a spikes lower up as a totally tricked out gun, doesn't shoot that much better than my stock 15T duty gun. Or what I would do is buy one, then buy a lower and start building one, then you have 2 and 2 is better than 1.