AR Sponsor
Posted: 12/4/2015 3:46:22 PM EDT
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Hello all,
I am completely new to the "black gun" world. I have grew up all my life shooting firearms and have recently gained an interest in an AR style rifle. After watching many videos on YouTube, I have convinced myself that I can build one of these from just a lower receiver. But, with a wide variety of parts and accessories for this platform I need recommendations on what works and what doesn't. Below I have a few things I would like on the gun and what caliber. I would like to keep the gun at around the 1200 dollar price range. -MUST be cambered in 5.56 -Free float hand guard -M4 style with around 16 inch barrel Any help is much appreciated. Thanks |
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Welcome!
Some additional information from you could help us with recommendations. What is the main purpose of this rifle? Plinker/Range Toy, Self/Home Defense, Competition, etc. What are the priority factors for this build? Budget, Accuracy, Reliability, Weight, Ruggedness, etc. Brand preferences? I think you get what I mean. That would help the guys on this board to make some recommendations. Brace yourself for the diversity of experience and options! There is a lot of information on this board and in the archives. As a non-team member you won't have all the search options but still will be able to find a lot in the different forums... Have fun |
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I'd mainly use the rifle for plinking and home defense. I'd like to just have a real reliable rifle, that will fire each time I pull the trigger. Being completely new to this I don't really have a brand presence but I've heard good things about Battle Arms Company for the two receivers.
I hope this helps a little more |
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I'm certainly no expert, but was in the same shoes a few years ago.
The best advice someone could have given me was to keep reading here. You can learn from everyone else's mistakes, and figure out your own tastes. Also, it helped a lot that I made a comprehensive list of everything I would need, including tools, before I even started buying parts. This helped with the budget, as well as making sure I had everything on build day. You can keep an eye out here for who has good deals, as well as the EE, to stretch a budget. Especially if you're patient. Everyone has opinions, and they're not always correct. Research thoroughly. |
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I'm a fan of Aero for stripped uppers and lowers.
Geissele is the most proven aftermarket AR trigger available, and come in a wide variety for many applications. Free float handguards are the way to go, just pick one you like the looks/functionality of. I have moved to keymod or mlok. And I like to spend a little money on the barrel/bcg combination and I usually try to pair manufacturers on those as well. It's definitely not what everyone does but those are pretty important pieces of this puzzle. |
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Based on your wants and budget, I would spend more money on a name brand barrel and BCG like from BCM, known for their reliability. Also spend a bit more on a good FCG. There are so many quality upper and lower receivers that fit your budget, you have many choices. There are a lot of picture threads that allow you to see the different brands of receivers and ff rails and how they all look fitting together, you should just research what looks good to you. Same thing goes with furniture and extras for the rail. There are many uppers without FA's but those tend to be a bit more pricey than a standard forged upper. Battle Arms Development receivers are very nice, but pricey compared to others and may limit your choices on things that have a lot of impact on reliability (barrel, BCG. FCG) for your budget.
Narrow down your choices, and post what you are comparing, and you'll get a lot of feedback on what people have built, used, and experienced. But making some choices to narrow it down would be a good. Set up a spreadsheet with all your choices with prices and start grinding through it. Honestly, this can be quite fun, but try not to get analysis paralysis (like I get). 
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http://www.rainierarms.com/rainier-arms-forged-mil-spec-upper-minus-fa-w-logo
And then go ahead and order a lower, barrel, and bcg from them, along with all the other little miscellaneous parts you'll need. Rainier arms is top notch. |
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$1200 can get you something pretty great. Aero Precision makes a great upper and lower receiver. Ballistic advantage makes a great barrel that guarantees sub MOA accuracy with match grade ammo for a price that very fair. Buy a BCM BCG and a nice trigger (I don't know if you prefer single or 2 stage triggers) but I personally prefer single stage, but many people like 2 stage. Go with an an adjustable gas block (odin works, Syrac, SLR) to optimize performance and efficiency.
EDIT: Schuyler arms usually has good deals. I haven't checked to see if he has restocked since black Friday, but keep an eye on his website |
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