Building my own AR???

[huntnphool]

5.7X28

[Straight Shooter]

The timmey is a great trigger I just put one in my AR an love it. U can get lowers for under a hundered if you look around then get a parts kit, stock, and upper u want.

+1  A huge improvement over the stock mil-spec trigger... and easy to install.  Also, installed JP Enterprises Anti-Walk trigger/hammer pins.  

[atomicjoe23]

Thanks for letting me know about the JP Anti-Walk trigger/hammer pins!

I can get a lower for <$200 from DPMS. . .and since I don't want the buttstock, pistol grip, trigger, and trigger guard the completes come from I won't have to take a bunch of stuff off. . .I'll just put the new stuff in as I can afford it. . .I may get the lower this month!

[atomicjoe23]

Know of anyone who makes fluted barrels for an AR-15 in 6.8 SPC. . .I know that POF makes them, but I don't know if they are compatible with a standard AR platform because of POF's different gas operation.

[atomicjoe23]

OK. . .I can also get a Yankee Hill stripped lower for $125. . .if I get a stripped lower I know you can get parts kit, but what parts would be good to upgrade if you were building from scratch?

[actionshooter]

 Most lower parts kits are the same, Most of the parts come from the same manufactures and they just put thier name on the package. I know for a fact you can buy about a 1/3 of the parts in an AR lower parts kit from Tacoma Screw. 
  J&S sports in Olympia has stripped lowers on sale for $90 various brands and you can get the lower complete with butt stock and lower parts installed for $200. Any of the lowers machined by Mega are good quality comparible with the big name brands (better than some). I have assembled several of the Mega lowers and have been very happy.
 Your best bet would be, get the complete lower and change out the trigger. You will have a really hard time buying a parts kit without a trigger.
 Olympic would probably make a fluted 6.8 barrel for you. J&S does custom barrels also, I don't really know anything about them though, they just started doing that.
 Take a look at www.ar15.com you will find an incredible amount of info there.
 I'm no expert, but I have built about 20 ARs for myself and friends and have owned a bunch in all varities.

[atomicjoe23]

Thanks for passing that info on. . .I'll check out J&S and the website!

[Mookie]

I have been thinking about building a 6.8 pistol, M&P lower, but what I cannot get over is that a 223, a round I have zero desire to own, complete lower is $500 but a 6.8 is well over $1,000. Just plain stupid.

I have been doing a lot of looking and studying about this, and the best place I have found for information is www.68forums.com

My reason for building a 6.8 AR pistol? ultra light weight deer gun. That or a 6.5 Grendel carbine.

[atomicjoe23]

I looked at the 6.5 Grendel also, but since it's based on the .308 would require the extra weight and cost of an AR-10 platform instead of an AR15 platform which is why I settled on the 6.8mm chambering.

Thanks for the link to the 6.8 forum!

[carpsniperg2]

i agree it can get very spendy building one, i am planning on just buying a r-25 in 7mm-08 goin to be a yote/bob/bear/coug/deer killiin gun for sure, well anything that gets in the cross hairs i can get one for 1400.00 and will be more than fine to 250 which i don't shoot over when calling anyways most are 100 yards 140g comined tec bullet 44 grains h380 lrm primer win or rem case let her eat!

[NataSS]

 

If you are going to build an AR the firs thing you need to do is set your budget.  You can end up with a rifle that you have sunk a small fortune into.

IF you are planning on on using this for hunting, regardless of of cal., accuracy is going to be of upmost concern.

I have built a number of AR's.  Next week I am placing my order for the optics and little bells and whistles for my LMT build.

I have heard DPMS, Rock River, Oly and Bushmaster mentioned.  I am not going to knock any of those but I will say they are "mid range" offerings as far as quality at best.  Sorry if I have offended anyone but thats my opinion.  And you have already mentioned POF, if you can afford that, you can afford anything the below manf. produce.

Your upper reciever is where you want to spend the bulk of your $.  Take a look at:
www.noveskerifleworks.com
www.laruetactical.com (the stealth products)
www.bravocompanyusa.com
www.lewismachine.net

The Noveske rifles use the same material that is used in the M249 SAW barrels and thier barrels are a polygonal rifling like H&K uses.  The "7.5 diplomat barrel in 6.8spc is shooting just over 1moa and the 5.56 is at 1moa.  Keep in mind barrel legth when choosing your cal.  the 6.8 does better on a "16 pipe and the 5.56 is best at about "20.

Larue's stealth products are amazing pieces of gear.  the Larue OSR in .308 is getting SUB-MOA.  With point accuracy out to 900yrds.  You can get the same upper minus all the real hot rod stuff "somewhat" reasonably.

Bravo Co. is more of a combat tool but the longer barrels produce some serious accuracy.

LMT's monolithic rail platfrom is another piece of amazing gear.  One very nice thing is, that it along with the Noveske VIS systems allow you to do fast barrel changes.  2 bolts hold it in place.  You can have multiple barrels and swap what you want out for the desired job.

With all of these co.'s the important things are included in the cost of the rifle and not "options".  Chrome lined barrel, staked gas keys, shot peened bolts, etc etc etc.  Are included in the price where with other manf., they want you to cough up extra cash to make thier rifle "comparable".  The rock river, oly, bushey etc are good "entry" rifles for the new enthusiast.  they however, wont compete with the quality of these above mentioned places.

Now Oly is making some serious wild cat stuff.  A good friend of mine is using one of thier 25wssm's and its a real shooter.  However, something like that requires ALOT of specialty gear just to operate the rifle.  And ammo is not near readily available as other cal.'s.  now if you havea full reloading set up, that isnt so much of a worry.

I took my LMT out for its first zero on monday with Magpul MBUS (irons).  The very first 3 rounds out of it could have been covered with a dime with poop ammo.  I have yet to ever have a RR,oly or dpms do that.

Once you have decided on a good upper, you can save alot of money on lowers.  A lower, is a lower, is a lower.  Some are produced to better tollerances and some are prettier than others but they are essentially the same.  I usually run a MEGA Machine lower.  I have found that for the price the quality is very good.  I have never had mag sticking issues or or alignment problems when installing trigger groups.

If you want to see a work of art of a lower, look at the Larue stealth billet lowers.  Only downside to those is that the only way to get one is to buy a complete upper.

After making those 2 choices, the sky is pretty much the limit as far as options.  Like the old saying goes "The M4 SOPMOD, its like barbie for men".

[thinkingman]

you'll see alot more Rock River parts at Camp Perry than the names listed above.

The RRA two-stage trigger is considered the one to have-other than Giselle.
The guys that know what are more likely to drop names like White Oak armory.
For precision hunting, buy a decent lower and spend the $ on the upper.
All the accuracy is going to come from the barrel and the trigger....as long as you're feeding it decent ammo.
Don't get wrappped up in the staked-this and the shotpeened-that.
I would focus on the 6.8 and get the best barrel I could.
Or what I reaallly want is a 6x45....

[atomicjoe23]

Very informative posts guys. . .I just saw an article today for a LaRue upper on a Mega lower that was intriguing.

Good to know that I don't need to get spendy on the lower, but that I should on the upper. . .something I wouldn't have known.

Thanks!

[atomicjoe23]

Just popped onto LaRue's website and I don't think that $250 for a billet lower is bad. . .only $50 more than a forged unit from DPMS.

I could swing that no problem. . .

. . .the thing with this is that I'm prepared to spend a bit on this rifle, just not all at once. . .so a couple hundred here and there and I can build the rifle as I can afford it. . .still I should have one ready to go by next deer season, I hope!

[atomicjoe23]

Thanks for the links. . .that helped a lot. . .I like the billet upper and lowers from LaRue for sure and that is easily in my price range. . .the barrel and the rail systems is where it starts to get pricey for sure.