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Posted: 1/24/2003 1:39:20 PM EDT
| I was looking around and noticed how much cheaper the kits are than the actual firearms. Is it really that hard to build one from a complete kit? Are there any special tools or books i would know? I was looking at the 24" bull barrel A2 at http://www.gunkits.com/kits.html. What do you think? Capable of being put together by a first timer? Also, wouldnt it be easier to buy a national match trigger and put it in while your building it in the first place? Thanks in advance. |
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Those kits look like they come with a complete upper, and then a lower parts kit. There is no lower reciever included, so all you would have to do is put the parts kit in a lower and slap the upper on, Piece of cake. You would have to include the price of a stripped lower into that cost though, so that may not be the greatist price. |
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Read this: [url]http://www.ar15.com/content/docs/assembly/lower/[/url] Then decide if you can build it yourself. Around here stripped lowers run $110+tax, so add that into your cost. Also keep in mind that a complete rifle comes with a warranty, probably a magazine or two, and sometimes a case. You also might want to check out the kits at [url]http://www.jtdistributing.com[/url]. |
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Greetings: Some Wisdom from another Build It Yourselfer: 1) You may save a few bucks...emphasize FEW. 2) If you buy a decent parts kit (say, from J&T for example) the upper is already properly barrelled..which makes the rest of the upper a piece of cake. Hardest parts on an upper, for me, are the proper assembly of the A2 Rear Sight Assembly, and the proper barrelling of the action. With a little shopping, you can find one or more distributors who do this part for you; It's worth the few extra bucks...trust me. 3) Many of us don't build because of the cost savings..we build it for the satisfaction of building our own rifle, knowing how everything works, knowing how to replace ANYTHING if it breaks, etc. 4) If you are reasonably mechanically inclined, then building this rifle will probably NOT be difficult for you. That being said, have: 1) A white sheet under you to find the front takedown pin detent when it gets away from you during installation 2) Eye protection because flying detents can REALLY hurt... 3) A copy of the USMC Technical Manual available here for free download...it will tell you all the specs and tolerances of the rifle you are building. Good stuff. After all that...happy building! Enjoy! Panz [bounce] |
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Yes it is well Worth it to Build up Your own, just did mine last saturday and what a Beauty, Its a J & T kit on a Brand new Bushmaster Lower, the J & T Kit is Superb, everything is Top Notch Quality Down to even the Packaging that it comes in, The BM lower too is Superb quality and Fit, I put the Lower together in a littlke less than 2 hours while wathcing TV. I saved $330 by building it myself , but the biggest Pay off is the Satisfaction of knowing everything about that Rifle , e.g. where everything is , what everything is and the Way the Whole thing Works. If you have a little time on your Hands Build your Own. I,m already thinking about my Second one. |
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I'll emphisise....EYE PROTECTION!!! I have a nice chip in my glasses where a detent would have blinded me, i have no doubt about that. I'm VERY glad i wasnt wearing contacts that day. that $330 you can save is good for about 1000 rds of SS-109 and about 6 USGI mags to fill with it |
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OK, new on this site so I have what may be a stupid question or 2... 1. What is the availability of a complete kit w/lower. I.E. Do I have to purchase seperate lower or can I get everything in 1 kit and assemble? 2. Can kits be shipped directly to my house or do I have to go through an FFL dealer? I am not a convict or restricted in any way from a firearms purchase but don't want to have to pay someone to recieve my mail and then have to do a bunch of on site paperwork. If #2 is no, then I might as well just buy a complete rifle. Thanks for the input. |
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Quoted: OK, new on this site so I have what may be a stupid question or 2... 1. What is the availability of a complete kit w/lower. I.E. Do I have to purchase seperate lower or can I get everything in 1 kit and assemble? I don't know of any kits that include the lower. If there ARE any like that, you'd have to purchase from/thru a valid FFL dealer, since the lower would be included. 2. Can kits be shipped directly to my house or do I have to go through an FFL dealer? I am not a convict or restricted in any way from a firearms purchase but don't want to have to pay someone to recieve my mail and then have to do a bunch of on site paperwork. Kits (from J&T, Model 1, etc.) are shipped directly to your door, since they don't include the lower receiver. You still have to buy the lower receiver from you local FFL, or if having it shipped to you, it must be shipped to the FFL for you to come pick up. HTH, -Gloftoe |
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Psy Warrior, On a AR the lower receiver IS THE Actual firearm you have to Purchase it as you would any Firearm that is through a FFL dealer as you have to fill out #4473 etc. When you Buy a Complete Kit you Get everything except the Lower Receiver. The lower receiver is the Registered Part with the Serial Number and is Registered with BATF as a Fire Arm, J&T does not sell Lowers But Bushmaster and Olympic sells Lowers through a FFL dealer, DPMS too. |
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Built my first kit in two hours with a little help holding stuff from my son. No problem at all and no special tools but did research heavy. oldAR15.com instructions was all I used with a few hints from these guys like duct tape to prevent scratches and careful of indent springs flying out. Small hammer, punches, needle nose, and screw driver. Like these guys suggest, I bought the upper complete and used J&T. Result one really cool rifle for $540 and a more complete understanding of what I'm shooting. |
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The cheapest way is to purchase it as a kit and stripped lower, not a complete upper, lower kit, & stock assy. Our base kit start at $434.95 (at least until Feb. 1), then add approximately $110 which gets you into a complete AR for ~$545. Add $15-$30 per mag for USGI 30 rd. mags (depending on condition). Jesse |
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The cheapest way is to purchase it as a kit and stripped lower, not a complete upper, lower kit, & stock assy. Our base kit start at $434.95 (at least until Feb. 1), then add approximately $110 which gets you into a complete AR for ~$545. Add $15-$30 per mag for USGI 30 rd. mags (depending on condition). Jesse That's the exact way same gear I did it. |
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Mine cost me $395 + Tax + NICS, etc...to build. The Parts Kit was from a Pre-Ban. I worked out a deal with someone who wanted to build up on a Pre-Ban Receiver. He found a Pre-Ban for a good price and then sold me all the parts (except receiver) for $300. New parts kits can be had for around $400. My intial plan was to go with the Tapco M16 kit and sell the M16 Specific Parts on E-Bay and buy AR-15 parts. I figured that would have come to $165 total given the price M16 parts fetch on EBay. But, Tapco sold out of the kits the day before I got paid... I paid $95 + 6/7% Sales Tax + NICS for my Receiver (Gunsmoke Enterprises). That was while they were on sale. I think they are about $110 or so now. Figure on paying $500 to build your own unless you run into a good deal along the way. [EDITED TO ADD] I modified the Pre-Ban kit for Post-Ban compliance. This involved removing the Bayonet lug and the last 1" of the barrel (20.5" --> 18.5") and sanding it down (for eveness) as best I could. |
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My 11 year old son and I built one for $525, not including NICS. We got a J&T kit at a gun show for $450 out-the-door, and a Century lower receiver for $75, because I bought 2. The Century lowers are cheap in price, but NOT cheap in quality. Little things like a sling, mags, and cleaning kit rounded it out, and were items we already had. The kit took around 45 minutes to assemble, by a family friend who has built many of them. The next one I build will be built entirely by myself, my son, and maybe my wife. I think she is wanting an AR( since everyone else in the family has one, including the oldest daughter..), and is talking about selling her Russian SKS to finance a carbine kit. |
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It took me a couple hours...which included hunting for detents which flew across the room. Only tools you should need are: 1) Flathead Screwdriver 2) Rollpin (Optional, But Recomended) 3) Small Rubber Mallet (1" or so in Diameter) 4) Detent Tool (Optional, But Recomended) 5) Dremel (Only Necessary if Bolt Catch Hole is too Tight. I.E. RRA LAR-15 Receivers) Fire Controls -- [b]Tools:[/b] None [b]Difficulty Level:[/b] Easy Buttstock -- [b]Tools:[/b] Flathead Screwdriver [b]Difficulty Level:[/b] Easy Bolt Catch -- [b]Tools:[/b] Rollpin, Rubber Mallet, and in Some Cases a Dremel. [b]Difficulty Level:[/b] Moderate Rear Detents -- [b]Tools:[/b] None [b]Difficulty Level:[/b] Easy Front Detent -- [b]Tools:[/b] Detent Tool [b]Difficulty Level:[/b] Hard Installing Upper -- [b]Tools:[/b] None [b]Difficulty Level:[/b] Super Easy Pistol Grip -- [b]Tools:[/b] Flathead Screwdriver [b]Difficulty Level:[/b] Easy |
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Quoted: DPMS sells complete kits including the lower receiver, catalog is on their web site. True enough. From the looks of them, those kits are COMPLETELY unassembled (upper is in pieces too), and that will require more specialized tools and expertise. Plus, at $699, what's the point? You can get yourself a complete rifle for that, and BOTH have to be bought thru an FFL, unless you can find one in a private sale (if your state allows that) -Gloftoe |
| Hey JT, So your kits contain all the lower parts, the bolt and carrier and charging handle, and the upper which is already assembled? So all i would need to do is buy the stripped lower and assemble it and then put the already assembled upper on top? That almost seems too easy. If this is the case you have a sale of another kit in the near future. |
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Tackdriver, the J&T kits are first class, as others on here have said, and a good value. They contain absolutely everything you will need except the stripped lower. I have built their kits and have helped others build them and have only good things to say. The upper is completely assembled and headspaced. Assembly time for the first one may be a couple of hours (no need to rush), and after that it's possible to put one together much much faster. When you order, specify the postban kit since you're buying a new lower. |
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Cykho: prices on the kits other than bull barrel kits will be going up $15, bulls will be staying the same for now. Tackdriver: As Imcoltsguy said the kit includes all your lower parts, buttstock assy., and completely assembled and headspaced upper half. It should take between 30 minutes to an hour to assemgble your first lower, once you know what you're doing and get the hang of it you can do one in roughly 5 minutes. Let me know if there's any other questions you have. Jesse |
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