Newbie building an ar

Its only light

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Minuteman
Aug 19, 2012
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Hey guys. Well ive got the ar itch. Im a bolt gun guy mainly. In fact I own 7 precision bolt rifles some shotguns and not one semi auto. So I thought it was time to expand my safe a little.

I know nothing about ar's. All I know is I want one. Ive been thinking it would be good experience to build one of my own instead of buying an off the shelf gun.

My question is where do I start. Would I be better off buying a stripped lower and buying a kit or buying a complete lower. Im strapped for cash so i will most likely be piecing it together when I can.

I dont plan to use it for any comps or anything serious. I just want a light weight ar chambered in 5.56 not 223. Any opinions are greatly appreciated. Looking to learn as much as I can before I begin so thoughts on which parts to buy etc would be great.

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Hey bud, glad to hear your expanding your game. Me personally when I set out to build my first AR several years ago I did it not only for how much cheaper it is but for the experience. I would get a stripped lower of your personal flavor and parts kit and put it together yourself. Its very easy if you take your time and have the right tools. Best part about it is you really understand how everything works once you put your first one together. If you need anything let me know I will be glad to let you borrow any tools you need. Best of luck.
 
Check out Ammunition, Magazines, Rifle Parts, Bulk Ammo and Rifle Accessories - Palmetto State Armory they run all kinds of deals and you can get blemish lower recievers when in stock for $50, then their classic lower parts kit with stocks for 50-140 and you'll have a complete lower for under $200 +- transfer fee's for the lower with your local ffl.

Midway also has some Stoner AR 556 barrels on sale this week only. AR-Stoner Barrel AR-15 5.56x45mm NATO M4 Contour 1 9 Twist 16 Chrome


Here is easy video on assembling the lower with parts kit: Step by step video on how to build your lower receiver - AR15.COM


Also check out NSZ85's channels for ton's of HD video on AR build's: nsz85 - YouTube
 
I know ar15.com sometimes gets a bad reputation (especially their general discussion) but they have a whole build it yourself forum. I've built 2, and sold one on here that was extremely accurate.
Build It Yourself - AR15.COM
So you have to ask yourself, are you eventually going to want a blaster, or a precision gun. But I would get a stripped lower. There are some companies selling blems for $42.
On that precision ar I had a WOA (white oak armament) barrel.
 
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Thanks for all the replies already! Other than paper and steel I really only shoot prairie dogs and other varmints so precision is a plus. However as stated I have plenty of bolt guns for that as well. So I guess I want a light yet fairly accurate gun for plinking. Other than paper I want to use this for my walking varmint gun which usually consists of offhand shots from 25-2000yds.

I know everything technically should be interchangeable on these guns but does choice of lower make much difference? If I cheap out anywhere is this where it should be?

Dsnipe thanks for the offer and I possibly will take you up on that. I was just going to buy a basic complete gun but thought since I have no clue how these gas guns work building would be knowledgeable and fun.

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Here's an idea which can inspire. Build a match conditioned commercial equivalent of the M16A4. With such a rifle you will have a build that permits marksmanship development and if you do become interested in both testing and celebrating the skill developed from this rifle, you will have a rifle appropriate for Service Rifle division NRA HP. In other words, building this kind of AR supports a lot of great experiences after build completion.
 
Lower shouldn't matter. On my current AR, I have the geissele ssa-e model. It is pretty nice. I would recommend getting a nice trigger. With that precision that I sold a while back, was a hodgepodge of parts. The only nicer things were the trigger and barrel. Standard lower parts kit, standard bolt carrier group, etc..

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What exactly is the difference in a wylde chamber? Ive heard of it before but thats about it. Can 5.56 nato ammo be used in this? The reason im so intent on shooting that specific ammo is a buddy who owed me money got laid off so paid me with 2000 rounds of military ball ammo. Plus I can still shoot 223 if so inclined.

I know you guys listed plenty of options for lowers. Is there anything specific I should be looking for when choosing? They all look the same to me. I do know there are different trigger pin sizes. Does one benefit more than the other? Also are there other important features or are some more expensive than others based on name brand and possibly tighter tolerance/quality control? Possibly better material? Are thr polymer ones worth a look for weight savings. One more question hope its not dumb but does the lower you choose have any correlation to accuracy?

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The Wiki says: The .223 Wylde is a proprietary rifle cartridge chamber with the external dimensions and lead angle as found in the military 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge and the 0.2240 inch freebore diameter as found in the civilian SAAMI .223 Remington cartridge. Rifles with a .223 Wylde chamber will typically accept both .223 Remington and externally slightly larger 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. The .223 Wylde hybrid chamber was designed by Bill Wylde of Greenup, IL to exploit the accuracy advantages of the .223 Remington chambering without pressure problems or compromising the functional reliability of (semi) automatic weapons like the AR-15 family when using 5.56×45mm NATO military ammunition. Coincidentally, it shoots the relatively long and heavy 80-grain (5.18 g) bullets commonly used in the sport of Highpower Rifle Competition very well and is one of the preferred chambers for that use. The Wylde chamber is used by a few rifle manufacturers who sell "National Match" configuration AR-15 rifles, barrels, and upper receivers.

Not bad, but the twist has more to do with the accuracy of the heavies. Yes, you can shoot .223 Rem and 5.56 Nato from the Wylde chamber.

Lower Choice: You want a lower that is know to be dimensionally correct, there are two types of aluminum, does not matter much, but a good hardcoat anodizing is important. Other than that, it is all fanboy, aesthetics. I have LAR, JP, Lancer, Seekins, Firebird, Tactical Machining, Del-Ton, Stag, SunDevil, Cav Arms and Mag. The polymers are not worth it unless you are building an uber lite or a dedicated .22LR. Even then only a Cav Arms or a GWACS. Seen to many extension tube and buffer retainer area cracks to trust them. I tried a Mag, no-go for me.

The right side bolt release through the lower is a cool feature (Lancer and Seekins) as I am not a fan of the bolt release in the trigger guard. No actual relationship to accuracy. However, if the upper to lower moves, that relationship is off, but scope is on the upper. Also, some lowers (like Seekins, Firebird) have the screw to tighten the connection and adjust overtravel of mil-spec triggers. Unless the features of the Seekins or Lancer really appeal, go with a stripped lower that has a decent rep and you will be fine.

The lower is easy to build and you don't need any special tools...but roll pin starters/holders are really nice. Watch 3 or so of the videos and get to work.

Trigger is subjective...I don't like 2 stage and the Geissele's never appealed to me. In the single stage, POF is bomb-proof and good, if not a tad heavy. CMCs and Jards live in most of my ARs. I have 2 JPs, and they are great, but they are also a total rebuild at maybe 10K or so. Triggers don't affect mechanical accuracy at all. But a lighter trigger does help cover some sloppy trigger control.

Upper...a quality receiver is huge. I will only use JP and Seekins. The bore at the extension is small enough that there is a tight or even interference fit with a mil-spec extension. This is huge for accuracy, as is properly seating the barrel, a trued interface and multiple torques to burnish/seat the threads using anti-seize. Other than the barrel, that is where ALL the accuracy comes from.
 
MarkCO,

Lots of good info there that really helped me out. Guess its time to shop around. The wylde chamber appeals to me after that explanation and I think I will go that route. I appreciate everyone taking the time to steer me in the right direction here.

This will be a somewhat slow build as I plan to piece together and now I think im going to save more for the parts I want and not just settle for a run of the mill lead sprayer. I will keep updating as I go and also probably ask alot more questions as they come to mind. Thanks again everybody.

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It crossed my mind. Im not new to firearms and do alot of my own work to my bolt guns. I like the idea of getting what I want instead of buying something then customizing the hell out of it or building another down the road.

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I have owned several AR's in the past and always wanted to build my own, fact is, I did not have the tools to build complete rifle and am also cash strapped so I decided to just build the lower myself and buy a complete upper that someone else with more knowledge/reputation put together. Not sure I trust myself with the barrel, gas tube, timing, headspace stuff. I ended up getting an aero precision lower, bought a bare bones part kit, Magpul furniture, and with the help of a friend who has the tools I put it together. I will get the tools I need for further lower builds sometime and pretty sure I can get the tools for not to much cash. I think I will buy uppers elsewhere. I agree with others, get a 223 wylde chamber. You can shoot any 556 or 223 ammo in it and it will be more accurate. I got a complete upper from Ironworks tactical with an ARP barrel. I would check both Ironworks and AR performance out, great stuff and arp barrels are top notch. There are builders out there that will build to your specs and what you want for an upper, I am very pleased with my Ironworks tactical upper.
 
The Wylde chambered rifle is not going to shoot 5.56 without some issue down the road. About 15 years ago many shooters on my State's Rifle Team had built or purchased AR's with Wylde chambered barrels. At that time we had free M193 which was used in these guns for 200 yard slow and rapid fire practice. At the end of the season bolt re-builds were needed on these rifles as they had taken more of a beating than would have been the case from shooting M193 from a 5.56 chambered gun. At any rate, we all came to believe it was better to shoot .223 ammunition from the Wylde chambered guns than 5.56.

Of course, the concept of the Wylde chamber came at a time the AR was just beginning to be considered for Service Rifle competition. The idea was to have reliable cycling and less bullet distortion. Today, unless a shooter is on a really constrained budget, a standard .223 chamber for accuracy or a 5.56 chamber for general performance is the way you might want to appraise it. One thing though, shooting .223 from the Wylde chamber will produce velocities closer to what would be produced from 5.56 shot in a 5.56 chambered barrel.

One more thought, the 2 stage GA trigger is appreciated for its fast lock time. Also, great for HP where a two stage can be used to meet the 4.5 lb rule and still effectively pull at about half that weight.
 
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Sorry about my post above. I meant lowers SHOULDNT matter.
And in my experience, the upper didn't matter much for me either. I just had a good barrel with matched bolt, and a good trigger.
 
With the wealth of knowledge on AR15.com, to include picture step-by-step guides in the Build It Yourself section, and your given background working with firearms, I'd say build it. You'll be much more satisfied in the end from it. I've done quite a bit of research over there before buying the parts for my upper build.
 
The first one I built I bought a barreled upper (barrel was already installed) and assembled the rest. No specialty tools were required. Although a set of roll pin punches would have been nice.

The only big PITA was assembling the A2 rear sight.