Re: Noob AR Build
The first rifle i've ever owned I built the lower half and bought an upper assembly. I feared the head spacing issue so I built the lower and bought an upper assembly...
I also spent 6 months reading reviews, researching and pricing out parts before I even began to buy. It is fun learning process and I'll probably never buy a complete AR out right theres just nothing like building something yourself. Three months after completeing my first rifle I built a second one and am now comtemplating what to build with my other spare lower. Take your time! It's key and theres a ton of info out there including here.
One thing that helped me ALOT was reading this
http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?81462-So-you-want-to-buy-an-AR-15-huh
just to wrap my head around what the heck i was doing or going to build. The key is picking out all the RIGHT parts first and only spending your money once round. Read thru this it might help you as much as me or not but it should help you make sound choices reguardless...
At the time i came across this post there where 70 pages and I read all of them but you only need to read less then the first 10 pages to get ALOT of information. My objective was to build a compact DMR style rifle similiar to the 16" Larue Stealth.
Here is the parts list and my end result...
Parts List:
Mega Stripped Forged Lower Receiver (Stamped for AD-TEK a local gunsmith)
MagPul MOE Milspec Stock (FDE)
MagPul Butt Pad .70 (original is .30)
Primary Weapons Systems (Mil-Spec) Enhanced Buffer Tube (reduces carrier speed by an average of 10%, dramatically reducing felt recoil)
Standard Milspec spring
Spikes Tactical ST-T2 Heavy Buffer
MagPul MOE Trigger Guard (FDE)
MagPul MOE Grip (FDE)
CMMG LPK
Rock River Arms 2 Stage National Match Trigger Kit
Superior Shooting Systems National Match Trigger and Hammer Spring Set
KNS Gen 2 Mod 2 SS (Black Non rotation) Pins
BCM GunFighter Latch (Mod 4)
Troy Industries’ Di-Optic Aperture (DOA) Folding Rear BattleSight
Troy TRX 9" Extreme Rail (Free Float)
MagPul 30 Round Mags (FDE) X3
MagPul AFG 2 (FDE)
BCM/JTR enhanced BCG
Rainer Arms Extreme Tactical Compensator
BCM SS410 (Stainless Steel Iobond Black) 16" Mid Length Upper Assembly
I have yet to add optics this has taken me another 6 months to decide on and I'm still not 100% sure what I'm going with. Once I have selected one I can see what the true potential of this rifle is.
BCM is a good place to find alot of stuff. Also Aim Surplus alot of there stuff has free shipping
http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=47&name=AR15+Accessories+&+Parts