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Thread: Source for AR15 build kit

  1. #1
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    Default Source for AR15 build kit

    Can you folks recommend a source for an AR15 kit. Was talking to a friend last night that says AR15 parts can be purchased for a custom built rifle so was thinking about a kit. I assume the receiver must be purchased separately because it has the serial numbers. Plan to use the custom built AR15 for wild hog hunting next winter.

    I would like to think that I could build an AR15 for less money than I could buy one outright, right or wrong.

    Please enlighten me.

    Thanks, Jim


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    reclinite automaton canid's Avatar
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    You will often need to check a variety of the usual sources and see who has what in stock. Just about everybody's having at least some trouble keeping them on the shelves.

    CTD, Midway, PSA, Brownells, etc.

    Not sure I'd want .223/5.56 for hog, but people do it.
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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Here's a recent build thread that might be of help. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ighlight=build
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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Jim check out PSA. They consistently have the best buys on kits and separate uppers.

    Watch the inclusions in the postings on their website, When they say kit it generally includes the complete assembled upper with bolt carrier group and a complete stock with complete lower parts kit.

    I have three of their kits operating at the moment. The parts have been good quality and I have not had to mess with them to make them work. You simply assemble them and they shoot from the get-go.

    If you watch their daily deals and sales you can catch good buys. I have one rifle I did not intend to own but I could not pass up a complete PSA M4 build kit for $299 w/free shipping! A $50 Anderson lower put me in business for $350 and not a single penny more.

    That cheap rifle is shooting 1 1/2" groups using a cheap scope and is about to be tuned and get a new scope for CMP Service Rifle competition at the local club. I am pretty sure I can get it down to 1" groups with a little tweaking and a good scope.

    http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/ar-15-05.html

    Some other companies sell kits with uppers that are not assembled, or they are not complete and you have to buy more parts to fill them out.

    I have one kit from Daytona Tactical which made a good shooter.

    http://daytonatactical.com/

    Anderson also makes good stuff and supplies parts to a lot of the other kit suppliers. they also make an excellent lower for an economical first build.

    http://www.andersonrifles.com/

    As you cruise through all the internet sources just make sure you are buying a whole kit, or that the total of the parts at one place does not exceed the cost of the complete kit at another.

    Just looking around I see that prices are up a bit from what they were a couple of months back.

    Good luck
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 03-25-2016 at 09:56 PM.
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    This is what I'm thinking. I used an M1` Carbine, borrowed from my brother, to shoot some of the wild hogs. I saw 3 M1 Carbines at a gun shop yesterday. 2 of them were $800 each and one was $1150 and I thought all of them were on the rough side. But they must have been
    military issue or for some reason special to be priced that high.

    I do not need a collector rifle or unique rifle for wild hog hunting. I'm mainly interested in some kind of semi auto to do the job.
    Kyratshooter, The PSA, M4 build kit sounds like what I'm looking for.

    I have a Winchester X2 shotgun that is semi-auto but a slug barrel for it will cost $500. I could go that way as well and found a gun shop that has the slug barrel.
    Jim

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Why can't you save some money and shoot rifled slugs out of your smooth bore as long as it isn't choked? You'll have to find the right ammo but at the distances you are shooting, 50 yards and in, you should be pretty accurate. You'll also have to figure out what your POI is on that particular gun with that particular ammo. You could spend a lot of money to do the same thing your shotgun is capable of doing.

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Why can't you save some money and shoot rifled slugs out of your smooth bore as long as it isn't choked? You'll have to find the right ammo but at the distances you are shooting, 50 yards and in, you should be pretty accurate. You'll also have to figure out what your POI is on that particular gun with that particular ammo. You could spend a lot of money to do the same thing your shotgun is capable of doing.
    Pssst....Rick, no fun in that.....Where would the firearm industry be with kind of thinking.......Money for new gun....chicken feed and you NEED it.

    Besides a 12 ga with 1 oz. slugs........go "Boom, OUCH....and AR goes.....bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...(How many was that?)...bang, bang.
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    Quote Originally Posted by hunter63 View Post
    Pssst....Rick, no fun in that.....Where would the firearm industry be with kind of thinking.......Money for new gun....chicken feed and you NEED it.

    Besides a 12 ga with 1 oz. slugs........go "Boom, OUCH....and AR goes.....bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...(How many was that?)...bang, bang.
    Yeah, bang, bang,bang....(run! Dang that pig is fast and mad!)....bang, bang, bang.....(quick climb a tree!)....bang, bang, bang...(what tree?)

    BOOM, BOOM! (Whew, brother, glad you had that slug gun with you!).

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Yeah, but, but.....I'm sorry.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Why can't you save some money and shoot rifled slugs out of your smooth bore as long as it isn't choked? You'll have to find the right ammo but at the distances you are shooting, 50 yards and in, you should be pretty accurate. You'll also have to figure out what your POI is on that particular gun with that particular ammo. You could spend a lot of money to do the same thing your shotgun is capable of doing.
    Now that is the kind of info I'm looking for. Didn't know I could do that. I should measure the ID of the borrowed slug barrel and the ID of the X2 barrel less the chocks.

    Although, a good science project is always fun,,,,homebuilt AR15

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    reclinite automaton canid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jim Glass View Post
    But they must have been
    military issue or for some reason special to be priced that high.
    That's just the market at this point, or at least what it was like the last time I saw a couple on the shelves in Oregon.
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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Jim as long as you shotgun has no more than a modified choke you will be fine shooting slugs from it.

    You can actually shoot slugs through a full choke with no harm. Only the accuracy might be affected.

    If your gun has screw in chokes just get an improved cylinder tube and use that.

    But any excuse for an AR build is a good one and I would not skip this one. It might be a while before you can justify another.

    As for the M1 carbine, the ones that are coming on the market now are absolutely used up. There is already a parts replacement industry springing up to furnish replacement barrels, operating rods, worn out magazine catches....

    You could built 3 utility M4 units or one good target grade unit for what one of the surplus and reconditioned M1 carbines will cost.

    And if you want a .30 caliber you can build a .300 Blackout, which is slightly more powerful than the M1 carbine, for the same price as the .223 build.
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  13. #13

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    +1 on the shotgun slugs.

    Also, I have built 3 AR's from PSA and have only had one problem. I have a AR magazine vise block and it fits 4 of my ARs. But, did not fit my last build.

    All of my AR mags fit the new build fine. But, the vise block was too big. I just wrapped a P-Mag in a towel and clamped it. Worked fine.

    My next build is probably going to be a .300 Blackout.

  14. #14
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Here's your deal of the day.

    A complete build kit needing only the stripped lower, $389.95.

    http://palmettostatearmory.com/ptac-...rifle-kit.html

    They also have a slick side kit for $10 less. The difference being lack of a forward assist and ejection port cover. Both of those items were requirements of the military an not on the original AR.

    http://palmettostatearmory.com/ptac-...rifle-kit.html


    Note that both those uppers come assembled, properly torqued and head-spaced. Following a good set of You-tube instructions you can be shooting this gun within two hours of opening the packages.

    A stripped lower should cost no more than $50 so with the lower and shipping included one should have a complete rifle for less then $450.

    Just about any scope you have lying around will work since this is a flat top.

    PSA also has good prices and inventory on parts and accessories and they have an excellent proprietary metal 30 round magazine they put on sale about once a month for $6.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 03-27-2016 at 10:33 AM.
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    Slick side uppers also lack a brass deflector. Which may be a problem if you shoot left handed.

    If you need forward assist you can just push forward on the indent in the exposed BCG or just recharge the weapon. How often has anyone had to rely on the forward assist on their AR?

  16. #16
    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    Is the 50 dollar lower a 80 percent receiver?
    so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?

  17. #17
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    Sorry, never heard of a .300 Blackout. Can you describe this round. Must be 30 cal right? Does someone offer a kit for a .300 Blackout or do you buy parts to convert a 223 to the .300. I think I might like to build one of those.

    Don't forget, I have 40 years experience hunting duck and geese with shotguns. Never had a need or interest in a high powered rifle. I know what a 30-06 and 30-30 round is but beyond that I'm pretty clueless. I should also point out I need two different guns for hog hunting in Florida. My buddy from Canada does not care to bring his own guns over the border so I bring an extra gun for him to use. I did ok with the borrowed slug barrel for my 870 and the borrowed M1 Carbine. I also had a crossbow with me but it didn't work out because of the close range shooting and all the vegetation in the Florida jungle. Things that go "bang" are more fun anyway.

    Really appreciate all the tips and ideas. Thinking seriously of building an AR15 though. Much depends on renewing the lease on my hog hunting property in Florida. Thanks, Jim
    Last edited by jim Glass; 03-27-2016 at 12:55 PM.

  18. #18

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    Randy the $50 recievers are stripped lowers. Not 80%.

    Jim the .300 Blackout uses the same parts as a .223 except the barrel. It is similar to an 7.62X39.

  19. #19
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    The .300 Black Out is a .223 case blown out to .30 caliber.

    It uses the standard AR operating parts, including magazines, except for the .30 barrel.

    In power it falls right between the M1Carbine and the 7.62x39.

    M1carbine = 110gn bullet @ 1800-1900fps
    .300 BO = 110gn bullet @ 2200fps
    7.62x39= 125gn bullet @ 2400fps

    The cartridge was originally designed so that one could reload 150 grain .30 caliber bullets to sub-sonic levels and use them through a silencer. It works for that very well but very few people have that use for the unit. What they wind up with is a .30 caliber that works on their AR platform and more than equals the .30 carbine at half the price.

    You can start with a kit in .300AAC, or you can build a standard .223/5.56 AR and buy a .300 upper as an add on.

    Most companies that furnish build kits have .300 AAC/BO available, unless they are sold out.

    http://daytonatactical.com/collectio...out-rifle-kits

    I have a unit from Daytona Tactical and it is a good shooter. An 8" pistol that will group inside 1 1/2"@50 yards using an aim point.


    And like Batch said, the stripped lowers are ready to assemble with no further machining needed. Lowers are available in both aluminum and Poly from several companies. Finished stripped poly lowers are as cheap as $29. Finished stripped aluminum lowers are as cheap as $45.

    Real price will depend on the market and supply in your area. Anderson Firearms is about 20 miles down the road from me and everyone in my area has Anderson lowers for $50. If they have to order something for me they charge me shipping and fees so a few bucks lower price is not a savings for me.

    And stripped lowers and 80% lowers are two separate entities. 80% lowers require some machine tool experience, even if using the poly type, and good ability reading blueprints so you do not screw up your first build.

    The 80% lowers are not something I would recommend for you as the "average duck hunter", unless you are an average duck hunter with a few months experience using a Bridgeport mill behind you.

    And oddly, every company charges more for their units in 80% form than they do for their finished stripped lowers!

    Who would figure?

    http://www.tnarmsco.com/hybrid-polym...free-shipping/

    http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...Lower+Receiver

    Buds is $10 higher than I pay locally for the Anderson unit. Many LGS have their own deals and the generic AR lowers are about the same quality all over.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 03-27-2016 at 02:05 PM.
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  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by jim Glass View Post
    Can you folks recommend a source for an AR15 kit. Was talking to a friend last night that says AR15 parts can be purchased for a custom built rifle so was thinking about a kit. I assume the receiver must be purchased separately because it has the serial numbers. Plan to use the custom built AR15 for wild hog hunting next winter.

    I would like to think that I could build an AR15 for less money than I could buy one outright, right or wrong.

    Please enlighten me.

    Thanks, Jim
    I built mine for under $800 to include the scope. This is what I did:

    Stripped upper + lower receivers, flash hider, barrel, gas block and tube were all bought from Anderson manufacturing. The lower receiver is the only "registered" part the ATF worries about and is the part you have to do the paperwork for. All other parts can be purchased from anywhere and can be sent to your home through the mail.

    * My advice - Get a version that boasts "M4 feed ramps" and either in actual 5.56 or in .223 Wylde. The 5.56 or .223 Wylde chamberings will allow you to shoot 5.56 NATO - but a .223 Remington chamber will NOT. .223 Remington is dedicated to .223 Remington ONLY. If you shoot 5.56 through a dedicated .223 Remington, you will blow the breech because the pressures are higher.

    My Bolt is a Fail Zero and is nickel boron coated.

    Almost every other part is about as "generic" as you can get. My safety is from Seekins Precision and is ambidextrous.


    The things that matter most [IMO] are upper receiver, barrel and bolt. NEVER skimp on those. The barrel I bought was not the one I wanted. The one I did want was not S/S, it was parkerized but was out of stock for over a month. I made a compromise but I compromised up...not down and got the S/S instead. I'm not sorry I did that.

    The rest of the build were items I got off Amazon...with the exception of fire control group [trigger group], buffer tube and stock. Those I got from my Lt.

    You don't have to go hog wild on the build. Focus on a goal for the rifle. What do you want it to do vs what can you expect from it. For the plinker/home defense/room-clearing rifle, stay with a 16" carbine set up. If you want a smoother shooting rifle that will reach out a little farther, go "rifle length" of 18" to 20" barrels....either in mid or rifle gas lengths. For hog hunting, I'd say a 16" [carbine set up] would be absolutely fine. The 16" carbine style is good to go to abut 400 yards with a proper scope.

    Here are some pics:

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    mine was built as a "designated marksman" type rifle - not quite a sniper rifle but not exactly a grunt-gun either.

    Hand guards are just that - hand guards. You can spend $400 for a Troy industries if you have to have the "bling" ....or be like me and spend just $33 for the one you see. They do the same thing - guard your hand from heat of the barrel and at the same time, protect the gas tube [and in my case, the] adjustable gas block from bumps, damage and from burning your hand.
    "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government."

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