Source for AR15 build kit

[kyratshooter]

Looks like a good kit!

I hope you remembered to order an upper vise block!

The barrel extension and nut are usually already together because that is what predetermines your headspace. And do not use locktite on the barrel ring when you fit it to the receiver. They tend to glue themselves permanently after being torqued and refuse to ever separate again.

You do not want too much clearance between the receiver sides and the hammer/trigger pin sleeves. Just enough to clear. There is an internal spring in the hammer that fits into the center groove of its pin and that is all that retains the pin. On the trigger pin the legs from the hammer spring fit into the end grooves and hold that pin in place, so the more clearance you have the more the pins can shift in the frame.

Now, remember to watch those captive springs and the little detent plungers. They can get away from you and there are no extras in the kit.

And when you assemble the trigger be sure and place the disconnector spring in with the big coil DOWN inside the trigger block. Oddly, if that spring is not in "big coil down" the rifle will refuse to reset after the trigger is pulled.

Probably just best to sit the laptop on the workbench and click through the You-tube video as you work.

With your skill set I would estimate 3 hours work ahead, even with stop and go checking of the instructions.

Good luck.

And if you get stuck somewhere I am usually up and checking the forum for half the night. Shoot me a PM if you need too.

[randyt]

dadgum your hides, I got bit by the bug and I don't even care for the ar-15

[finallyME]

There are a lot of youtube videos that go over the build. ITS tactical does a great job on one, if you want a recommendation.

Also, make sure you know how to take apart and clean the Bolt Carrier group. There is a tutorial as a sticky on this here forum. My brother, who wasn't in the military, watched a bunch of youtube and was able to assemble a complete AR. He did a pretty good job of it. But the bolt carrier came all assembled. Not that he couldn't have figured it out himself, but I still showed him how to take it apart, and what specifically he needed to clean. When I was taught, I had someone yelling at me the whole time, so he got off easy.

[kyratshooter]

dadgum your hides, I got bit by the bug and I don't even care for the ar-15

It is not my first choice either Randy. I just wanted a .223 caliber rifle with a high capacity magazine. I actually wanted a Mossberg Patrol rifle in 5.56.

I got to looking at the prices and realized I could build a full on AR cheaper than buying the Patrol rifle.

It is the building of the rifles that has me hooked. I love putting these things together and having them work, first time, every time! I would do one a week if I could afford it!

Built a near copy of my CAR15 dream rifle from my old military days on a pistol action. Working on a CMP service rifle on one of my uppers, have the M4 utility rifle cranking along doing 1 1/2"@100groups, lots of cheap surplus ammo as well as HP and Soft Point commercial ammo to hunt with.

I have been sitting here contemplating a build in 6x45mm for the past week. A .243 based on the 5.56x45 case. All it will take is a new barrel. And of course then reloading dies, bunches of .243 bullets, months of load testing....whole days wasted at the range....freaking out the tacticool range rats by showing up in bibs, brogans and a felt fedora and pulling a AR pistol out of the Jeep!

I'm retired! This is what I dreamed of for the past 50 years (I started work at 15)

[Rick]

Here's the link for tearing down the bolt.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ture-intensive!

[randyt]

It is not my first choice either Randy. I just wanted a .223 caliber rifle with a high capacity magazine. I actually wanted a Mossberg Patrol rifle in 5.56.

I got to looking at the prices and realized I could build a full on AR cheaper than buying the Patrol rifle.

It is the building of the rifles that has me hooked. I love putting these things together and having them work, first time, every time! I would do one a week if I could afford it!

Built a near copy of my CAR15 dream rifle from my old military days on a pistol action. Working on a CMP service rifle on one of my uppers, have the M4 utility rifle cranking along doing 1 1/2"@100groups, lots of cheap surplus ammo as well as HP and Soft Point commercial ammo to hunt with.

I have been sitting here contemplating a build in 6x45mm for the past week. A .243 based on the 5.56x45 case. All it will take is a new barrel. And of course then reloading dies, bunches of .243 bullets, months of load testing....whole days wasted at the range....freaking out the tacticool range rats by showing up in bibs, brogans and a felt fedora and pulling a AR pistol out of the Jeep!

I'm retired! This is what I dreamed of for the past 50 years (I started work at 15)

that's all fun stuff, I like to build a firearm just as much as shooting them. To be fair though I have a few from the last heyday of the surplus frenzy that I have never shot yet. I'm embarrassed to admit it. Always something else coming up, one of these days.

[Batch]

The AR-15 is my favorite cross word puzzle! To non-hunting folks it is America's rifle.

[jim Glass]

OK, I have the lower receiver assembled complete. Had some difficulty with the trigger mechanism. After about an hour I figured out the fillet radius in the fire control pocket that I milled was a bit large. Used a 3/8 endmill to make the pocket. Went back with a 1/4" endmill to move the radius away from the hammer cross pin, just a little bit. Works perfect now.

Here's my problem. Found the barrel nut inside the forearm along with a lock ring. Problem is I cannot remove the nut from the forearm. I'm quite sure the barrel nut needs to be torqed tight and one of the holes needs to align with a hole in the receiver for the gas tube. Unless I'm missing something the nut needs to be removed. I removed the set screw completely. The nut seems loose but only turns about 10 degrees in either direction then makes contact with something solid. I cannot locate the cause. Any ideas.

Never mind, I got it. I think someone at Daytona Tactical ran that setscrew into the threads. Looking closely through a magnifier I found the threads were dinged while looking down the setscrew hole. I went through the setscrew hole with small die grinder and ground away the dinged threads. It came right off after that.

Just now ordered an upper receiver block.

I'm about 45 minutes away from having this thing finished. Thanks, Jim

[kyratshooter]

What do you think about the torque specs on the barrel nut Jim?

30-80 ft/lbs.

I got a kick out of a 50ft/lb range the first time I saw that.

Essentially, one could simply hang a small child from the end of a box end wrench and accomplish that spec!

Make sure you get a good alignment on one of those holes in the barrel nut and do not have any binding on the gas tube. The gas lug on the bolt comes at that thing real fast and telescopes with it. It needs to be lined up well.

[druid]

here's the best and most simple build video I've seen yet:

[kyratshooter]

Sorry Druid, but this one has got you beat all to pieces!

http://www.tnarmsco.com/building-an-ar-rifle/

And she does the whole thing without chipping a nail!

I grew up hearing girls with that accent. Sounds like angels talking.

[jim Glass]

AR-15 semi finished.jpgBarrel tightening.jpgAR-15 complete.jpgThe video I'm using says the barrel should be torqued to 35 to 50 ft-lb. They would tightened the barrel so the gas holes were aligned and the torque was in range. The system Daytona has, you simply align the holes and tighten a lock nut to secure. I'm going to make a step pin to align the holes then torque the lock nut. Of course this will need to wait until get the receiver block, ordered from "cheaper than dirt.com". I ordered a receiver carry handle from them and got it 2 days. Hopefully the receiver block will do the same.

I'll post pictures of the project and some of the tools I made for assembly. The torque wrench I have was purchased in the 1960's to work on my 283 CI Chevy.

UPDATE: Instead of doing shop work I decided to continue the AR-15 build and now it is ready to test fire. Probably do that tomorrow at my nephews place out in the country.

I stand corrected on the barrel nut. It is used like any other barrel nut where you torque the nut and hope a hole aligns with the hole in the receiver. I held the rifle in my milling machine vice (with soft alum jaws) and tightened it. I'll bet I'm pretty close to 40 ft-lb but I'll check when I get the receiver block. I made an alignment pin to fit the nut and receiver hole (they were different sizes) and special spanner wrench. I tightened the nut then checked alignment and stopped once aligned. The ring nut is apparently to lock the forearm in place along with the setscrew.

Took a little time to install the bolt.

The Daytona Tactical AR-15 kit and Anderson 80% lower I think is pretty topnotch. The only problem I had was a few clearance issues in the lower receiver in the fire control pocket. Drawing said to use a 7/16 endmill and I used a 3/8 endmill and the fillets were still to large particularly the hammer pin holes. I went in with a 1/4" endmill to give the hammer more straight wall and that problem was solved.

I'm rather fond of the bare aluminum finish on the lower receiver. Down the road would like to buy another receiver already black and then
get a 300 blackout upper. Oh gee, that will mean 2 guns??? Jim

[kyratshooter]

So you are using the tower sight way out there on the end.

That's unique.

It does extend our sight radius.

When you get the rear sight remember that you zero an AR by setting the rear sight at 100m and adjusting the front sight for elevation. From there you can use the dial on the rear sight to dial in the yardage if needed.

It may sound funny, but I have found that if you bottom out the rear sight and count the clicks until you reach the opposite end of the scale, then count back half the clicks to the middle of the adjustment range, you will usually be on the paper at 100m.
same thing with windage.

When I installed my carry handle rear sight I used that method and I was only 1" off at 25m and it dialed in quickly at 100m.

With the AK you have a default battle-sight zero, with the AR you have to learn what your battle-sight zero is.

[jim Glass]

Test fired the AR-15 and it worked perfectly. Almost no recoil and very smooth. I used some .223 reload rounds purchased last weekend at a gun show. Had one misfire but cycled that round again and it fired ok. I sort of fell in
love with the AR-15. It seems to always have great feel. My nephew didn't have paper targets but the gun sights
are way out of calibration. I'll get it sighted in when I can get to a shooting range. Now my nephew wants an
AR-15.

This project went extremely well and appreciate everyone's guidance and suggestions.
Thanks to everyone, Jim

[kyratshooter]

Like we said, first time, every time!

First build on an 80% upper and success from the first shot. And we did it with less than 100 posts in the thread

Now aren't you glad you let us talk you into this?

Jim if the sights are "way off" take the rifle to your shop and remove the upper, take out the BCG and set the thing in a swivel vice.

Find an object or a spot on the wall about 50 feet away (actually the farther away the better) and look down the bore and center that object in the bore and lock the vise down.

Now move the sights until they line up on the same object you have centered in the bore. You will probably not be on target vertically but you can bet you will be pretty good for windage and at least on the paper at 35m.

And remember that for your initial sight in you set the rear sight on calibration range and move the front sight up or down to make the adjustments. Once you are calibrated you can dial in the range on the rear sight dial.

In fact, I have done this so much that if I were hunting pigs from a blind 50 yards away I would be confident enough to bore sight and hunt at that range if I absolutely had to without a trip to the range. I would not trust it at longer ranges but out to 50m I could bore sight and kill a pig.

And remember the sights are way above the bore so a 35 yard zero has you set for 200m on the rear sight dial. It is not like a rifle with the scope only 1 inch over the bore where you use a 25yard boresight and zero.

Many ranges now have a 30-35m firing line just because of these rifles.

The .223 shoots so flat that if you zero at 200m you will be one inch high at 100m, four inches low at 300m. So out to 300m you can hold dead on and hit a pig.

[jim Glass]

Now aren't you glad you let us talk you into this?

.

Yes, and I think you guys enjoyed spending my money to.

Down the road a few months I think I'll buy a .300 blackout barrel and upper receiver for hog hunting. But, even sooner would like to have a 22 LR bolt and magazine. Jim

[kyratshooter]

If you decide to go with the .22lr conversion kit rather than a dedicated .22 upper think about buying a cheap rear sight to zero to the .22lr cartridge.

Take off the AR carry handle, install the .22lr sight. It takes about 30 seconds and your rail hardware will return to zero very well.