DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

shankster..

shankster..

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 11, 2004
3,089
55
North Idaho
#1
I have seen so many cobbled together AR15s recently that were clearly hack jobs it is pathetic. It is becoming more prevalent all of the time. Even in gun stores with used ARs many are hack jobs with mismatched parts assembled with a hammer and a pair of Channelocks. I have even seen some here on the Hide built by people I wouldn't buy a hammer from.

It gives the design a bad name and some rifles may even be dangerous. Barrel swaps? Screwing with the triggers? Some of these guns have been dryhumped by 2 or more basement hacks. Unfortunately, because thay are typically cheaper a noob will buy them.

I think it gives the design and the gun industry a bad name.
Too many rookies/noobs playing Legos with ARs these days.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BKSSNIPER
#2
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

This is why I build my own AR's with the proper tools. I know what I'm getting then. I'm fortunate that the AR's I have built run as well if not better than factory assembled rifles so far. Plus I know how to fix just about any problem that might happen down the road.

It's not rocket science to build AR's. Then again, I've seen some amazingly dumb things done by people and I could see them messing up these rifles in the fashions you describe (hammer and channel locks).

I give your rant a 6/10 because you don't seem mad and there's no curse words but you bring up a good point.
smile.gif


-X
 
#3
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

So what do you mean by cobbled together? Just mis-matched parts such as brand xyz lower and a cde upper?
It is pretty hard to fuck up ASSEMBLING a AR. Most people buy a stripped lower of a given brand , buy a LPK and put that together. then add a assembled upper and call it good.

I see nothing wrong with a DIY AR build. In fact depending on what style your after...a DIY gun will be much better then a "store bought" rifle. You can mix and match the best of the best parts.

Just my 2 cent worth.

Peace,Stan
 
#5
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

I agree with most of what Stan said, only thing to add is that there are many who do Fu#k up putting one together. I beleive that was the OP's point.

I dont see what one gets by being a (insert AR brand) certified armorer. They were intended to be modular but there are some things to consider such as headspacing, torque values and staking. fortuantly all of these things are easy to verify and easy to fix, provided you know that beforehand. Lots of new shooter do not know what they should be looking for and just as many new builders dont know either. Want to get serious about haggling a price on a used built AR...walk into the shop with some headspace guages
smile.gif


When an AR blows up in a guys face for whatever rason due to improper assembly the media will paint it as they see fit leaving out the details.
 
#6
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

Arch, you hit the nail on the head. That is exactly what I am talking about. The hacks and the problems they pose to unsuspecting buyers and the media issues when an improperly assembled rifle hurts someone
 
#7
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

The same can be said for damn near anything. Cars, computers, appliances, etc.

"Buyer Beware"

I built every AR I own. They really are not difficult to assemble and due to the design it only requires a couple of safety checks to make sure they are safe.
 
#8
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

well i will let you all in on a little secret...

all the folks building guns here, the ones that advertise and market HERE on this website, utilize off-the-shelf-components....
 
#10
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Anchor Station</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I agree with most of what Stan said, only thing to add is that there are many who do Fu#k up putting one together. I beleive that was the OP's point.

I dont see what one gets by being a (insert AR brand) certified armorer. They were intended to be modular but there are some things to consider such as headspacing, torque values and staking. fortuantly all of these things are easy to verify and easy to fix, provided you know that beforehand. Lots of new shooter do not know what they should be looking for and just as many new builders dont know either. Want to get serious about haggling a price on a used built AR...walk into the shop with some headspace guages
smile.gif


When an AR blows up in a guys face for whatever rason due to improper assembly the media will paint it as they see fit leaving out the details. </div></div>

Anchor,

I'm set for now but I have thought about buying replacemant parts beyond spring and pin kits. I often see references to keeping spare bolts, which makes enormous sense, but little mention of ascertaining the correct headspace dimension of the spare before slapping it in.

Are we talking simple Go/No Go guages? And if so, exchanging those not fitting with the manufacturer for those that will, or is there another way of being certain they are built to spec. for one's rifle before that first trigger press?

Jeff
 
#11
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

For milspec AR's go/no go's will work fine. I have only once seen with my own eyes a bolt not pass. Bear in mind I tend to keep with "name brand" parts, so may fly by night outfits out there now who know what you will get if not carfull.

For "match" type barrels I wouldnt reccomend throwing in just any off the shelf bolt. Only match barrels I have owned were Noveske and they come with the matched bolt which seems to be the common practice. I know you can get a spare bolt matched if you want when you order the barrel (at least with Noveske you can).

I love my new toy but I seriously am not happy about not being able to buy a spare KAC E-3 bolt, then again suposedly you shouldnt have a need for one due to the design.
 
#14
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

So if I order a Bushmaster bolt for my Bushmaster AR, and an Armalite for my AR-10, should I also order G/NG guages or be a bold MFer and assume it'll be fine? It'll likely be the only time I ever use the guages as they probably make poor marital aids!
grin.gif


QQ
 
#15
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

So I can see you guys are talking about me. Well for the record, I didn't know the damn thing needed to be headspaced, and I certainly didn't know there were different bolt face sizes when I slapped it together. Who can fault a guy for trying to make a quick buck during the panic? The time was ripe, and I got froggy, so I jumped in. Shouldn't the buyer be ware that I have no F'n clue what I am doing when it comes to slapping these things together? The marred up threads where I twisted the stock to remove it from the receiver should tell the whole story. If people weren't willing to pay over $1000 for the things, I wouldn't be throwing them together... BTW, what is the difference between a mid length and rifle length gas tube, I just get all rifle lengths and cut them to size
 
#16
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

queequeg,

I would suggest you go to your local gun shop that has a smith ask them to check it. Worst case they charge you 20 bucks for the hassle and you still saved considerably more than the cost of a set.


 
#17
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BgBmBoo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So what do you mean by cobbled together? Just mis-matched parts such as brand xyz lower and a cde upper?
It is pretty hard to fuck up ASSEMBLING a AR. Most people buy a stripped lower of a given brand , buy a LPK and put that together. then add a assembled upper and call it good.

I see nothing wrong with a DIY AR build. In fact depending on what style your after...a DIY gun will be much better then a "store bought" rifle. You can mix and match the best of the best parts.

Just my 2 cent worth.

Peace,Stan </div></div>

My guess is this thread is a direct result of this thread from yesterday.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1002578&page=1

Butt hurt over a missing $.70 part, a scraped nut, and some dirt then posting here in the 'hide is gonna do the for sale section in.

 
#18
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

oh good god.....i was afraid of this......


this post is starting to stink and look like Ar-fifteendotcom.....


and of course everyone knows the brain trust resides there.....

lord help us
 
#23
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ranger70</div><div class="ubbcode-body">use duct tape, it fixes all </div></div>
+1 If you can't fix it with duct tape, screw it... It's broke!
 
#24
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: NineHotel</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BgBmBoo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So what do you mean by cobbled together? Just mis-matched parts such as brand xyz lower and a cde upper?
It is pretty hard to fuck up ASSEMBLING a AR. Most people buy a stripped lower of a given brand , buy a LPK and put that together. then add a assembled upper and call it good.

I see nothing wrong with a DIY AR build. In fact depending on what style your after...a DIY gun will be much better then a "store bought" rifle. You can mix and match the best of the best parts.

Just my 2 cent worth.

Peace,Stan </div></div>

My guess is this thread is a direct result of this thread from yesterday.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1002578&page=1

Butt hurt over a missing $.70 part, a scraped nut, and some dirt then posting here in the 'hide is gonna do the for sale section in.

</div></div>


9H, I didn't start this thread because of that spat. It was because I looked at some ARs locally the other day that were just a mess.

BTW, how many here would feel safe firing a Lazy21 AR build?
 
#25
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

A lot of the AR's at recent gun shows were prime examples of what OP is talking about, and it's been getting worse lately. It really is not that difficult to build an AR if you take the time to find the proper information, and have/buy the proper tools and materials.

A lot of people who build the rifle for themselves will buy good parts for their rifle, and take the care to assemble it properly. It seems a lot of the guys who have just been trying to make some cash lately aren't taking the same care in the parts and pieces that they intend to sell, and they certainly are not all taking the time to do it properly. There were some very, very sad rifles at the last gun show going for over a grand that I wouldn't have paid 500 for, and they were being sold.

I have three AR's, two store bought RRA and one homebuilt. The homebuilt runs just as good as the ones from RRA, but I wasn't trying to crank it out and make overhead on the parts cost. That really seems to be the problem, and the difference in quality between builds for home use and builds for profit are very big. It's just too obvious when someone is only trying to make money, and when someone is doing a quality build.

There are thousands of incredibly well built rifles out there, but I assume you aren't talking about ANY rifle that is home built, just the ones that are obviously there to turn a dollar.

Right?
 
#26
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

Shankster, I wouldn't exactly feel safe holding the thing.

First, being in possession of something, without running the numbers first,,, well, I sure wouldn't want to get "stung'ed". Then, aside from that, what's to say that it wouldn't just 'go off on it's own' too?

Just trying to add some levity, to a thread going south. We all gotta stop making complaints about sales that are done here. As stated earlier, the plug can get pulled.
 
#27
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CouncilOfDave</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A lot of the AR's at recent gun shows were prime examples of what OP is talking about, and it's been getting worse lately.
It seems a lot of the guys who have just been trying to make some cash lately aren't taking the same care in the parts and pieces that they intend to sell, and they certainly are not all taking the time to do it properly. There were some very, very sad rifles at the last gun show going for over a grand that I wouldn't have paid 500 for, and they were being sold.

I have three AR's, two store bought RRA and one homebuilt. The homebuilt runs just as good as the ones from RRA, but I wasn't trying to crank it out and make overhead on the parts cost. That really seems to be the problem, and the difference in quality between builds for home use and builds for profit are very big. It's just too obvious when someone is only trying to make money, and when someone is doing a quality build.

There are thousands of incredibly well built rifles out there, but I assume you aren't talking about ANY rifle that is home built, just the ones that are obviously there to turn a dollar.

Right? </div></div>

Yes, it is the for quick cash for profit ARs that I'm referring to. Lately I have seen quite a few that were just horrible..
 
#28
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sean the Nailer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Shankster, <span style="font-weight: bold">I wouldn't exactly feel safe holding the thing.

First, being in possession of something, without running the numbers first,,, well, I sure wouldn't want to get "stung'ed". Then, aside from that, what's to say that it wouldn't just 'go off on it's own' too?</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold">Just trying to add some levity, to a thread going south.</span> We all gotta stop making complaints about sales that are done here. As stated earlier, the plug can get pulled. </div></div>

Running the numbers. Very funny. Cheers.
 
#29
Re: DIY Cobbled Together AR15s, Terrible.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shankster</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CouncilOfDave</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A lot of the AR's at recent gun shows were prime examples of what OP is talking about, and it's been getting worse lately.
It seems a lot of the guys who have just been trying to make some cash lately aren't taking the same care in the parts and pieces that they intend to sell, and they certainly are not all taking the time to do it properly. There were some very, very sad rifles at the last gun show going for over a grand that I wouldn't have paid 500 for, and they were being sold.

I have three AR's, two store bought RRA and one homebuilt. The homebuilt runs just as good as the ones from RRA, but I wasn't trying to crank it out and make overhead on the parts cost. That really seems to be the problem, and the difference in quality between builds for home use and builds for profit are very big. It's just too obvious when someone is only trying to make money, and when someone is doing a quality build.

There are thousands of incredibly well built rifles out there, but I assume you aren't talking about ANY rifle that is home built, just the ones that are obviously there to turn a dollar.

Right? </div></div>

Yes, it is the for quick cash for profit ARs that I'm referring to. Lately I have seen quite a few that were just horrible.. </div></div>

That's what I figured. Lucky for those fools most of the rifles are probably going to be safe to shoot, even if they don't function well. I wonder how many people bought the hand loads to go with their new purchase...
eek.gif
 
#32
Why was this drivel started in the bolt gun section? It should have been started in the shartcom gay club where OP belongs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

pangris
Sons of Liberty Armorers Class - AAR
Replies
53
Views
2K
bfoosh006
bfoosh006
J
SEEKINS SP10 6.5 Creedmoor 22" ODG: Experience Part 3: More Details and Discoveries
Replies
14
Views
2K
Ethang
Ethang
Daddyusmaximus
What makes a good "defensive" levergun?
Replies
132
Views
4K
Forgetful Coyote
Forgetful Coyote
obx22
The “perfect” barricade rifle?
Replies
3
Views
885
chevy_man
C
Glassaholic
Rifle Scopes Steiner T6Xi 3-18x56 Review and comparison with NF ATACR 4-16x42, S&B US 3-20x50 and March 4.5-28x52
Replies
129
Views
12K
Kickin45
Kickin45
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Merch
Alerts