I've decided the best way to celebrate inauguration day is to buy an AR style rifle. Since this is primarily for entertainment, I've also decided to build it rather than buy a completed rifle.
I have only a passing familiarity with the design, but am pretty skilled with my hands, having done a lot of construction (everything but brickwork comes out looking okay), mechanical work such as replacing clutches, driveshafts, transmissions, brakes, etc. on a variety of vehicles. I have done some minor gun work involving drilling and tapping a Colt Trooper for a scope using a hand held drill, making a new kid size stock for a 10/22 from a piece of rough sawn wood, making thumbrest grips for Ruger Mk I, making grips for a Trooper, polishing feed ramps on a 1911, trigger job on the Trooper and a Diamondback, etc.
So, here are my questions:
1) Do you think from that brief resume' that I have the manual skills to build one?
2) Is the lower the only part that is legally the gun and needs to to through a FFL holder if I order it?
3) Where is the best place to find an assembly guide?
4) My local shop has DPMS lowers for .22 caliber rifles, which is what I'm hoping to get before they run out. What about other parts? I've read the thread here about building one, but do you guys have a parts list or assembly guide here?
5) I have seen two complete guns in local shops set up for varmint or target shooting. One is new with a Bushmaster lower, fluted black barrel, non collapsing stock, steel fore end with crosshatching at about 20 diamonds per inch, $1250. The other has a DPMS lower, stainless bull barrel, stainless bolt, bipod, same fore end, same stock, same price.
If I want to make this gun capable of minute of groundhog shooting, how much should I be planning to spend?
Thanks, guys.
__________________ Teach
Taxpayers voting for Obama are like chickens voting for Colonel Sanders.
If you can assemble a swing or BBQ pit you can build a "sport utility rifle". You will probably spend 600- 800.00 on a good kit. Keep your eyes peeled, in these hard times, you can run across some good deals. I bought a whole rifle to start, got a great deal several years ago.
4) Midway USA has a great online parts schematic. Note that many parts are on backorder. THere are lower receiver parts kits, upper receiver parts kits, etc. that have all the parts you need, but they are hard to find. Gunbroker has them but they are expensive. The Brownell's vidoeo is awesome at listing things you need.
5) Those two are probably at MOA. If you wanted to replicate those start looking for the barrels and bolts/bolt carriers, but the AR platform is so good out of the parts bin that you'll probably be close with any free floating assembly and quality barrel.
Good luck with your adventure, but be forewarned - it is a horrible addiction.
__________________ I reserve the right to be wrong.
You well have no problem building your AR. If you piece an upper together be sure your headspace is OK. The Brownell's video's are really good, they well walk you through every step.
A 20-22 inch HBAR, flattop with a good scope well be a tack driver. Even the 14.5 barrels shoot very well.
__________________
Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.
Am I nuts for thinking I can made a wood stock for one? There is a lumber store near here that sells all kinds of exotic woods.
Will I need a set of "Go/NoGo" gauges for headspace?
This is going to be fun, I can tell that already.
The recoil spring and guide assembly on my 1911 is adjustable, letting me shoot all kinds of loads in it from just enough to get the slug out the barrel to seriously hot with absolute reliability of function throughout the entire range of power.
Is there a similar provision in any of the AR kits? Having that on the 1911 makes it real nice when reloading, and I do plan to reload for the AR.
P.S. I just read parts of JV101's thread. Should I buy a complete gun first and rebuild it, or start from scratch? I'm pretty confident the store still has the DPMS lowers for $200. I don't know if they have other parts or not. I have a whole lot to learn about the options I have to play with.
__________________ Teach
Taxpayers voting for Obama are like chickens voting for Colonel Sanders.
Building a wooden stock can be done and I have seen several on different forums. They are beautiful and add a nice touch to the Black Rifle. It is well above my woodworking ability so I won't even bother. The stock houses the recoil buffer assembly so you would have to drill a hole through the stock large enough to install the tube.
As far as the headspacing is concerned it wouldn't hurt to have a set of gauges if you are going to buy a barrel and install it to the upper reciever yourself. If you buy a rifle kit from say Model 1 sales or other places the upper reciever assy. comes pre assembled and headspace has been done at the factory. All you have to do is install the lower parts kit onto the lower reciever (which is easy).
They do make heavier springs for the recoil buffer but I have read that longer use will cause damage to the bolt so I wouldn't recommend it. They also make adjustable gas blocks where you can increase or decrease or even shut off the gas all together. There are so many options for these rifles and the pocket book and imagination is your limiting factor.
Good luck on your adventure and keep us posted on the outcome.
I saw an AR done up in fancy wood. It was really unique, I liked it, some thought otherwise. The gas tube would be a challenge because of the heat. Do a two piece fore stock like the M1A's and vent the top part.
__________________
Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.
That just dont look right. Google ar lower assembly for videos and you can watch one for free. If it takes you longer than 5 minutes to fully assemble a lower then i would be suprised. They are very simple. I would just buy a complete upper instead of getting a vise block for the action and then torquing the barrel and all. It is easier to buy a complete upper. I work on them all the time, gauges arent needed really. Only time i use them is LTI and PFI on them.
Okay, I have celebrated the inauguration of team BEOCH (Biden, Emmanuel, Obama, Clinton, Holden -- it helps if you think gangsta and pronounce it) by purchasing a DPMS lower, 2 30 round mags, and another 100 rounds of 9mm.
The lower was originally intended for use on completed .22 LR rifles, and is so stamped. I haven't decided what caliber to make it in yet, but am leaning toward 5.56 or .223. I already have a Ruger M77/22 in .22 Hornet and a Ruger #1 in .22/.250, so the .223 or 5.56 would neatly fit in the middle, and besides that's the original caliber. I'm of the age that saw the transition from the M-14 to the M-16 in 'Nam, so tend to want stay with a non-adjustable stock and the original caliber in honor of my friends who left either their lives or major parts of their bodies and/or personalities over there.
I'm sure I can find some very dark or black wood at Keim Lumber -- they even have orange or purple wood down there, unstained. I'm wondering about the weight of the wood furniture on the barrelled action, but I could also get "wood" that is actually laminated bamboo, which would also ring of Southeast Asia.
So anyways, I think I'll do this up right and get pics of everything as I go along, maybe put together a guide for this forum if you guys think it's worth doing. Plan to hear from me a lot.
Step 2 will be getting a book or two ordered.
Oh yeah, the guy at Fin, Feather, and Fur Outfitters said they still have about 20 lowers left out of the 50 they got in. They sold 4 today. You can find them on the web under their name, in Ashland, Ohio.
__________________ Teach
Taxpayers voting for Obama are like chickens voting for Colonel Sanders.
Het Teach, I recently finished up the most part of 2 partial builds. I found instructions in video & print format on the web. They were all a guy would need. I suppose a book or video would be helpful down the road.
I also took a little easier route by getting a complete Stag upper(3H) for one through ar15sales.com. The wait & even the price has crept up some recently. Mine took about 2 months. The 2nd will sport a custom 22" upper that I will also buy completed.
I celebrated the 20th with a little ice fishing & putting a stock & guts on the 2nd build.
Teach
