Building an AR-15

First, I apologize to my readers (if I actually have any) for the lack of posts lately. I've just had a bit of writer's block and couldn't seem to come up with anything worth writing about. Today, I'm going to try to cover the basics of what is involved in building your own AR-15. This could get a bit on the long side, but I'll try to keep it as direct and to the point as possible.

The first part you will want to purchase is the Stripped Lower Reciever. This is the part that has the serial number and is considered the firearm by BATFE. This means it's the only part you will need to actually go through an FFL dealer to buy. There are many many brands to choose from and to be honest, most of them are the same other than the logo on the side. I personally don't care for billet lowers because they tend to be overpriced and they leave less room for customization. Avoid the cast lowers because they are of poor quality. If you stick with a good aluminum forged lower from a reputable maker you should be fine. A couple to avoid are Vulcan and Hesse. They are rarely within spec and not worth the trouble. A few that are good and safe bets are DPMS, Stag, Rock River Arms, CMMG, Spikes Tactical, LMT, Bushmaster and Mega. I'd avoid Colt lowers because they use a non-standard pin size so it just adds a level of complication that is not needed.

Once you have your lower, you will want to find a lower parts kit. At the moment, that may be pretty tricky. It seems everyone is out of them. Stick to a name brand on this. I personally like the Rock River Arms LPK's, but Stag and LMT are also excellent. This is where the first customization starts. You can get different safety selectors, grips, trigger and hammer pins, trigger groups, etc... A lot of this will depend on what you plan to use the rifle for when it is complete. I can tell you what I chose, but that does not mean it is necessarily the best. I used a Rock River Arms Lower Parts Kit that included their 2 stage trigger group. By buying the upgraded trigger as part of the parts kit I avoided paying for parts that I was going to just replace immediately anyway. I also replaced the standard grip with a Magpul MIAD grip. However, if I had it to do over again, I'd use Magpul's new MOE grip since it is configured just the way I liked it and is much cheaper. I also bought the AA battery core for the grip so I could store batteries for a light or red dot sight. I upgraded the safety selector to RRA's star safety selector. I already had it installed on another AR and just really like the feel of it. I also replaced the standard trigger guard with the Magpul Enhanced Trigger Guard. This gives you the ability to shoot with gloves on without having to modify the gun. The last modification I made to the lower parts kit is that I replaced the standard trigger and hammer pin with KNS Gen 2 Mod 2 anti-rotation pins. There have been cases of AR's with heavy use wearing out the lower from the rotation of the pins during use. These pins prevent that situation and they look cool too.

The next thing you will need to decide on is the stock. If you plan to shoot High Power rifle matches, you will want to stick with a standard A2 stock. If this will be a self defense gun I recommend either the Magpul CTR or UBR depending on your budget. The new Magpul ACS might be a great option, but is has not started shipping yet. For a long range target rifle, the Magpul PRS stock is great. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a big fan of Magpul stuff. However, if they aren't for you, LMT and Vltor make excellent stocks as well. If you do go with a collapsible stock, do some research on how to properly stake the castle nut so that the stock stays where you put it during heavy firing.

Once the stock is attached, the lower half of the AR is complete. Picking an AR upper can be pretty tricky. This part is very much personal preference, but I'll give you some personal opinions that you can use as a guide.

1. Get a flat top receiver. Even if you plan to put a removable carry handle on it and never use optics, get the flat top. You never know when you might change your mind and that is a hard thing to change after the fact.

2. If you plan to use this gun for precision target work, get a stainless steel barrel. Otherwise, stick with chrome lined barrels.

3. Stick with a quality manufacturer. Good ones for uppers are BCM, LMT, Noveske, CMMG and Sabre Defense. Rock River Arms, Stag and Bushmaster also make pretty good uppers but some consider them a step below the ones I listed first. I'm sure there are others but those are the ones I feel confident in recommending.

4. Get a good quality Bolt Carrier Group from either BCM or LMT, but do not waste your money on the Enhanced version. Do get the Full Auto bolt carrier though. It has a bit more mass and is more reliable. Buying this part will NOT make your gun fuction full auto and it is not illegal to use.

5. Don't go cheap on the sights. There are a lot of cheap, airsoft quality sights out there. Don't use them. They will fail you.

6. If you decide you need a quad rail, don't go cheap on that either. I would say that YHM is the bare minimum, but you'd be better off with MI, GG&G, Troy or Daniel Defense. Larue Tactical also makes great stuff. If you don't need a quad rail, don't buy a quad rail. It is a lot of money for something that you don't actually have a need for. This same tip can be used for red dot sights. EOTech, Aimpoint and Trijicon make good stuff. Most of the rest is not worth messing with.

7. Avoid hanging too much "stuff" off your AR. It is meant to be a high speed, low drag fighting rifle. It is very easy to start buying red dots and magnifiers and lights and lasers and vertical foreward grips and backup sights and coffee makers and DVD players and turn a 7 pound battle rifle into a 15 pound boat anchor. If you don't NEED it, don't attach it.

8. Unless this will be for target use ONLY, make sure it has a 5.56mm chamber and not a .223 chamber. You can shoot .223 in a 5.56 chamber but you cannot shoot 5.56 ammo in a .223 chamber. With ammo as difficult as it is to find right now, don't limit yourself.

I hope this helped at least some. If you do some research on some of the forums I have linked on the right you can get a lot more specific info and ar15.com has some great instructions on how to actually put it all together. Good luck with your build. Your biggest challenge will be just finding the parts in the current market.

Stay safe out there... and watch your six.