AR Sponsor
Posted: 2/24/2009 7:20:56 AM EDT
| Hello, I'm Bob. I'm going to be building my first AR ever. I do have a small idea of what I'm going to get but I'm not 100% sure about everything. I know that I want a free-floating barrel, and I know that I want long distance so I want to have a barrel with a 1 and 7 or 1 and 8 twist to it. what else do I need to keep in mind when looking at parts for my AR this weekend *(gun show comin to town)*. Are there any other "crucial" parts that I need to look into getting for a long-range gun or am I looking at mostly just what I've mentioned? Also what should I stay away from and what are some good brands? |
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Will do, the gun show is tomorrow and we will probably be assembling them at my friends house over the week (winter break for us (we are college students)).
One question I DO have is what can I shoot out of a 1x7, a 1x8 and a 1x9 barrel. I know that the 1x7 and 1x8 are better for long range, and someone was telling me that a 1x8 is a good one for either long range or short range, but if I could get a little more information on them I would appreciate it. Also, if anyone can suggest parts before tomorrow still, I'd appreciate it. |
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well . . . got my parts. Just like you, I got what they had. It looks like a pretty good deal though. I got a 24" stainless free-float barrell that has a 1:8 twist. It has a 1" rail in front of the metal tube that covers most of the barrel (not sure what to call that thing) and it has a flat top. Not sure who manufactured the pieces but the man said they are mill spec. I purchased the whole upper pre-assembled, barrel and all. the lower of course isn't assembled but I have the pieces for that. I'd put it together myself but I'm afraid I'd break something or do it wrong. I'm going to wait until thursday when my friends dad (who has assembled at least 20 AR's in his life. He was in the presidents 100 in the marines (very good sniper)) gets back from trucking some stuff down south. He's going to help my brother and I put ours together, and he's going to help his sun fix whatever he screwed up when he's trying to put his together by himself lol.
*edit: I will post pictures of the parts later, when I get my camera out and charged |
For assembling your lower here's the link you want. Scroll down to the second post in the thread and click on the link for the video. It's a cool stickied thread at the top of this subforum. That video will show you exactly how to assemble your lower, step by step. It will also show you some cool tricks on installing the mag release and how to not send your detents flying through the air, never to be seen again. 
Don't be afraid to assemble it yourself. With that video, you should be able to assemble it yourself in 45 min. max. I built my first AR and using that video, it took me 25 min to assemble my lower. The video is only like 15 min. long so don't be worried about wasting an hour of your life watching something boring. Or you can try using the written instruction in that thread, but I find a video where I can watch someone do it A LOT better. Make sure to check out the function check part (not sure if it's in the video or just somewhere in that thread). It will/should tell you whether your assembly is safe to shoot. As for your parts. From what I gather reading your post, that 1" rail is the gas block. That "metal tube" covering most of the barrel is the handguard. On a side note, the hand guard can be replaced with a rail system in the future if you desire with minimal work. Lastly, from what I see, most parts are made "mil spec." So, if possible you might want to try and figure out who made them if you really want to know it's true quality. A post on this forum somewhere with whatever markings you can find on the parts might get you an answer on the manufacturer.
Enjoy the disease!  I recommend staying out of the majority of the subforums on this site. I made the mistake of venturing into some of them and each time money leaves my wallet.
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| hey, thanks for that link. I was going to assemble my gun today at my friends house, but he wussed out of it and said "I don't feel like it today, it will take too long" and I couldn't talk him into it. I don't have punches and he has more experience with the pieces of an AR than I do so he was going to help me, oh well, maybe tomorrow. Anyways, I'd like a link to the thread about the different brands if you know it, I looked around a bit but couldn't find it, maybe I just fail at searching though lol. |
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