Wanting to do my first AR build and would like to know your preffered vendors for buying parts.
I have a stripped lower but that is all, thanks.
I have a stripped lower but that is all, thanks.
Favorite Suppliers
- Thread starter gafferq2xl
- Start date
Brownells, I find their techs very helpful when a question arises and they have a great inventory.
Brownells is a great, but I try to avoid them only because I get charged sales tax on my orders.
MidwayUSA used to be good, but now they charge a ridiculous amount for shipping.
I only buy from PSA when they offer free shipping on orders > $50.
Rainier is my go to.
Don't be afraid to buy from the little guys either. I had a Magpul PRS shipped to my door for ~$190. Let me remind you that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here so you might hold off on buying too much. Happy shopping.
MidwayUSA used to be good, but now they charge a ridiculous amount for shipping.
I only buy from PSA when they offer free shipping on orders > $50.
Rainier is my go to.
Don't be afraid to buy from the little guys either. I had a Magpul PRS shipped to my door for ~$190. Let me remind you that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here so you might hold off on buying too much. Happy shopping.
BCM and Rainier Arms are two of the best parts suppliers. Rainier Arms also has a quality gunsmith service that can build out your parts picks for you. Between the two they cover so much of the quality parts market for AR's (if these two don't carry it, you don't really want to buy it) it makes little sense to buy elsewhere...
The recommendations above does NOT include custom barrels (Kreiger, Douglas, Lilja, LW, et al) nor optics and their mounts. You can buy very good barrels from BCM and Rainier, but go to the barrel makers for special needs. Ditto for optics and mounts, for more variety go to suppliers that specialize in these items, like SWFA, Liberty, CS Tactical, EuroOptic and others.
National Match parts and service for AR's is another specialized area, and outside the area being addressed.
The recommendations above does NOT include custom barrels (Kreiger, Douglas, Lilja, LW, et al) nor optics and their mounts. You can buy very good barrels from BCM and Rainier, but go to the barrel makers for special needs. Ditto for optics and mounts, for more variety go to suppliers that specialize in these items, like SWFA, Liberty, CS Tactical, EuroOptic and others.
National Match parts and service for AR's is another specialized area, and outside the area being addressed.
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Brownells, they might not have the best prices but they don't gouge and have most parts in stock. Top rate customer service as well.
Looks like you got all the good ones listed already. I have Mile High Shooting Supply local to me and they have become my go-to guys. Their website has some along lately so they are worth a look and they are a big SH supporter. Also I've had some really good transactions with 3rd Generation Shooting Supply also from SH.
PSA has some really good deals if you get their emails and you wait for them to run specials. Brownell's always has some coupon code available on the internet and is super fast with shipping. BCM is super fast with shipping. I've stopped buying from Midway for the most part because they changed their shipping and now use UPS Smart Post for stuff which takes a 5+ days for me to get anything and I'm only a couple states away plus the shipping seems more expensive now. They used to have USPS 1st class for light stuff and I would get it in 2 days, but that's not an option anymore, unless I'm just missing it. Rainier, PSA and DSG seem to take a while to get the order processed and shipped.
But for me the end all be all of a vender is Brownell's... They have the right combo of huge selection, most things are really in stock, their stock is accurate, they ship wicked fast, their shipping costs are fair, they have coupons, and the return policy is the icing on the cake. You can return anything for any reason at any time. No questions asked. Money back. You don't like it? Return it... You didn't use it... Return it... You used it and it failed... Return it...
While some people may feel they are taking advantage of a return policy like theirs, my feeling is they offer it for a reason and that's so I buy as much stuff from them as I can because I'm confident they will take care of me. I do return a far amount of stuff, but because I can, I think I buy about 50% more from them than I would otherwise. I used to be a big Midway fan but over the last few years Brownell's has totally won me over and they get a lot of money from me.
PSA has some really good deals if you get their emails and you wait for them to run specials. Brownell's always has some coupon code available on the internet and is super fast with shipping. BCM is super fast with shipping. I've stopped buying from Midway for the most part because they changed their shipping and now use UPS Smart Post for stuff which takes a 5+ days for me to get anything and I'm only a couple states away plus the shipping seems more expensive now. They used to have USPS 1st class for light stuff and I would get it in 2 days, but that's not an option anymore, unless I'm just missing it. Rainier, PSA and DSG seem to take a while to get the order processed and shipped.
But for me the end all be all of a vender is Brownell's... They have the right combo of huge selection, most things are really in stock, their stock is accurate, they ship wicked fast, their shipping costs are fair, they have coupons, and the return policy is the icing on the cake. You can return anything for any reason at any time. No questions asked. Money back. You don't like it? Return it... You didn't use it... Return it... You used it and it failed... Return it...
While some people may feel they are taking advantage of a return policy like theirs, my feeling is they offer it for a reason and that's so I buy as much stuff from them as I can because I'm confident they will take care of me. I do return a far amount of stuff, but because I can, I think I buy about 50% more from them than I would otherwise. I used to be a big Midway fan but over the last few years Brownell's has totally won me over and they get a lot of money from me.
I will be finishing another build next week. My suppliers have been midway, Brownells, palmetto state, pk, and I believe Natchez ss.
Favorite Suppliers
My favorite supplier includes my Mom. Dad is OK, but Mom is more generous and she makes me feel better about myself.
...Sorry: I know that someone is bound to take offense and flag the mods because their feelings got hurt, but I just couldn't resist lightening the mood here at AR15.com.
My favorite supplier includes my Mom. Dad is OK, but Mom is more generous and she makes me feel better about myself.
...Sorry: I know that someone is bound to take offense and flag the mods because their feelings got hurt, but I just couldn't resist lightening the mood here at AR15.com.
Those are the same ones i use. Plus Primary Arms when they have a item on sale for a good price.
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