Group AR Build - Discussion

[Solus]

In bafsu92's recent post about his latest build, I thought a "group build" guided by our experts here might be enjoyable and rewarding for those of us interested.  I made a comment in his thread and he replied.  I have quoted them below.  If you are interested in seeing this happen, or if you think it would be a waste of forum bandwidth, please post your thoughts.  Particularly if you would be interested in participating.  As bafsu92 mentioned, with enough interest we may be able to swing group purchases of some components.

basfu92, thank you for your posts.  Not only are your builds great porn, but your technical knowledge of products and features overwhelms me.

I also get a feeling that you would make a good teacher.....which brings me to the thought I had when reading this thread...

What I had in mind was a   "Group Build Thread" . 

Where anyone interested would be able to follow each installment and, if possible, keep everyone at the same point in the build.

We could have a target amount to spend on each month's parts purchase and if we needed something that would go over that amount, it would take more than one month for the acquisition.

Not sure what that amount should be, but it would need to be low enough for most who want to be involved to be able to budget for it.

I know we  have many knowledgeable members on this topic (me not being one of them), so each month could start with a discussion of options and sources for that months parts purchases.  Also, some folks, especially me, would need some guidance on finding assembly instructions.  They might be able to be provided by other members here, or a reference to an online source.

I don't know enough to know how much variation a build can take and still be covered in one thread.

For instance, could the same thread cover a gas impingement build and a piston build in the same thread?

Or could a Grendel build and a 6.8 SPC build be  handled?

I can envision where each months activity might be it's own thread do to the large number of comments that might follow everyone progress reports.

Also, I don't know if bafsu92 would want to commit the time it would take to "honcho" this project...or if anyone would..or if there is other interest in a group project other than mine.

Any other one have thoughts on this?

Thanks... 

I think this sounds like a great idea. There are some good build videos on youtube but also some bad ones. It's a lot like everything else you build, the more tools and better tools you have the easier it is. The thing is it's not that hard to do it without a ton of tools either. On this build I purposely installed the barrel and handguard without using a vice. It was a bit more difficult but not really that hard to manage. I wouldn't mind running video for a build an putting it up on youtube myself. This way if anybody has difficulties along the way they could watch the video of where we were in the project. It wouldn't be hard to be flexible to caliber or other differences so everyone could build exactly what they wanted. There are some definite differences in how say a different brand of handguard is installed but most all of them come with pretty good written and illustrated instructions so it wouldn't be hard to walk through as a group. Even building a piston as opposed to a DI wouldn't be that tough if you were using a kit like the Adams Arms setup since it doesn't install a whole lot different than a DI system.

Maybe we should start a thread to gauge interest on how many builders we would have and then see what type of rifle everyone wants to build and go from there. It's possible if we get enough interest we might be able to get a group buy discount for parts. I'd even be up for doing a group budget build to see how reasonably we can build a decent rifle. This may get more builders involved and I'm all for the more the merrier. Even those of us that have some higher end rifles already can always use a budget gun for the truck or to take a friend to the range and get someone else hooked on AR's. I'd be interested in doing a budget M4 style with the option of running a piston kit. This way we could let people in with the most minimal of budgets but still do something a little nicer if we wanted. I'm open to just about any configuration. If I decide I don't need or like it at the end I could always trade it for something else. I'd like to check with a couple receiver companies, if we have enough interest maybe we could get someone to laser engrave all the receivers with the DRTV logo and a limited serial number. I know Anvil used to offer that for 6 or more lowers before they went under.

[twyacht]

I posted my accolades for members here at DRTV that have built and are building AR's. I jumped in for my first build as a New Year's Resolution, and could not have had the ease and simplicity in its assembly, without the help of bafsu, m25, TomB, Bic, and others that shared their "tips and tweaks"..

My next concept is an AR-10. The collective brain trust here, and those that know what needs to be known, when building a rifle from scratch is invaluable.

I'm in.

After all, even as a "not really an AR shooter", I have seen the light, especially in 6.5 or 6.8, the .30 AR (.243) are up and coming. .458 .50 Beowulf. 5.45, .308,.....so many options, with essentially the same platform.



Me with my first "Frankenstein",.... Jan. 2011...

[Solus]

I agree, TW.

While I  haven't done a build I have seen the help and information available here from folks.....so much good stuff.   

One of my thoughts with this thread was to have it all gathered in one place and in a step by step format that would be available for anyone in the future who became interested.

Posts on components could be updated with new and improved versions.  Sources and prices could be updated also.

[kilopaparomeo]

I've built 4 ARs...each is a learning experience and really allows you to understand how the system works.  That said, building an AR is dirt simple...if you can dress yourself, you can build one from parts as long as you have a few basic tools and fixtures that you can pick up for less than $100 (don't need them but it makes the process easier). 

While I'm sure a group build would fun, there really isn't a reason to reinvent the wheel.  There are already very detailed, picture based tutorials out there.  The first and still the best is on AR15.com.  Brownells also has a good series that shows how to do it.

[fightingquaker13]

Here's a question. How much do you save by DIY? I mean is it the satisfaction of having a gun that is uniquely "yours" or do you save over a prebuilt model? I guess my analogy would be to restoring a car. Yes you save by doing it yourself, but when you factor in all the tools, time etc. it turns out to be more a labor of love. Does this apply to rifles? Just curious.
FQ13

[Sponsor]

[twyacht]

Here's a question. How much do you save by DIY? I mean is it the satisfaction of having a gun that is uniquely "yours" or do you save over a prebuilt model? I guess my analogy would be to restoring a car. Yes you save by doing it yourself, but when you factor in all the tools, time etc. it turns out to be more a labor of love. Does this apply to rifles? Just curious.
FQ13

The cheapest complete POF AR starts at  +/- $1400, and goes way up from there. I bought the billet multi-cal POF stripped lower, for $150. and $25 FFL transfer.

Bushmaster Complete lower parts kit (DPMS) identical,.... +/- $60-80.

From there, it depends on application, personal tweaks and budget.  I was kind of a brand whore on the upper, barrel, bolt, compensator, hydraulic buffer, rear stock, sling connecting endplate, oversize trigger guard....The biggest investment IMHO, is the barrel.

It's where the "rubber/bullet meets/touches the road, on the way to the target." I went Colt HBAR heavy 16".

CMMG, Arma-Lite, DPMS, many others, are not that expensive. piece by piece.

Realistically, one could go from start to finish, with a reliable, accurate AR build on a budget, for $500-600. out the door. I still think the Sporticals are more, as well as the Olympics.

To specifically answer your question: "How much did I save?"

I built a retail priced $1200-1300 AR, for just less than $900. and I tweaked, and bought higher end components, after reading and talking to members here at DRTV.

It shoots like a .22 Rifle, and I even shot Wolf ammo out of it just to test it, it has yet to FTF, FTE. (My Sig556 hates it),...
Even sang with old Israeli Orlite surplus mags, that looked like they were dragged through the Gaza strip, tied to a camel in the 70's.

If I had everypart at one time, on a table, AND I took my time, it would be a couple hours, including lunch and breaks.

[m25operator]

Building AR's is fun, however, you usually don't save much, maybe 25 bucks, if you want a standard AR configuration. The real savings come from spending your money on the extra's you want, a lower receiver will be 90/130 dollars naked, lower parts kit, 55,  then chose an upper, about 130 give or take, then choose a stock, barrel, forend, accessory  rail, flip up sights,  It starts building fast, and in the end what you save is maybe 100 bucks on stuff you would have just taken off to add your things you wanted to begin with, well 100 bucks is real money, so I do promote the project, what I recommend is deciding what you want to be the final product, and shop very hard for the extra's. I have gotten many a deal on AR15 dot com, but shop internet wise, and then if it is not something or a company you recognize, ask here, you never know what  you might find, just be patient.

Example:

900 bucks, best of everything, Krieger barrel, magpul PRS stock, giessle match trigger, V Tac ff fore end, Dpms match lower and upper, + many extra's that were worth just as much. No scope or bipod, but all else that you see.

[PegLeg45]

Here's a question. How much do you save by DIY? I mean is it the satisfaction of having a gun that is uniquely "yours" or do you save over a prebuilt model? I guess my analogy would be to restoring a car. Yes you save by doing it yourself, but when you factor in all the tools, time etc. it turns out to be more a labor of love. Does this apply to rifles? Just curious.
FQ13

You make a very valid point, FQ......but from my point of view, to answer your question, for the "mechanically minded/inclined (in which I must include myself) there is always going to be more pride-in-ownership if you can honestly say that you built it yourself. It doesn't matter if it is an AR, 1911, SB Chevy, boat, you-name-it.
JMHO, FWIW.

For example, I've always wanted a good AR. It has always been the one rifle I've wanted, but either finances or timing has always stepped in to block me from my goal. I had the money two years ago, and while researching parts, the illustrious BHO was elected and prices nearly doubled. Now that things have remotely come back to normal, I'm seriously looking at parts again.
To that end, and to stay in line with the thread, I will submit that Sportsman's Guide was selling DPMS Sportical kits for $550 (and I could have gotten free shipping and paid in four installments) and that was everything (complete upper and lower parts kit) but without the stripped lower. Standard lowers hover in the ballpark of $125 + $25 FFL transfer....so for the neighborhood of $700-$750, give or take, I could have a DPMS Sportical.

NOW, thanks to a volume of indispensable info provided by Bafsu on several threads, and following the build-up TW did so well (and with several other members who have built ARs), I've found that for just a few more dollars, I can build a 'custom' AR, with upgraded parts of my own choosing, assemble it myself (yes, I've built other guns   ) without fear of doing bodily harm.
And, if all goes well, I'll have a 'one-holer' that when someone at the range says, "Hey, where the hell'd ya get that nail-driver?" ..... I can say I built the thing myself.

Again, JMHO submitted FWIW.  

[Ping]

Been a dream to build one from scratch. Would love to put one together similar to my Colt GAU5A I carried in the Air Force except in semi auto.

[bafsu92]

As far as savings goes you can only save $100 or less like M25 said or at times and depending on configuration you can save nearly half the cost of retail. (Building a POF piston rifle from parts rather than factory) I have a friend who built a rifle that spec'd out the same as a $3600 POF but by shopping wisely and getting some deals on a barrel (He used a White Oak Armory barrel, they make a lot of POF's barrels for them) he built it for right at $2000. That savings is more than enough for a nice optic and mount, a nice case, 10 magazines and a case of ammo. Whenever I have a friend that wants to get a basic AR I have them get a current price on a sportical or basic M4 then we price up parts to do it just a little nicer and still save on average of $125.

I personally know of only a couple factory rifles that I could buy and be happy with, anything else would require quite a few mods to get what I'd want. Why buy something just to heavily modify and toss a bunch of parts you didn't need in the first place. Most of my real budget builds for friends are done because I normally have some free furniture sitting around for them to use on a basic build. I always seem to have a friend who wants me to install an aftermarket rail or stock and just leaves their factory rake off stuff on my bench when they go. I've almost always got something on my bench in some stage of completion so I'd be happy to participate in a group build any time. If there were say a dozen people who'd like to do a super budget build I think with a group parts purchase and a promise to plug the company that we got the deal from we could build a basic M4, maybe with MOE furniture for right at $500 but my goal would be to come under that mark. I personally think it would be cool to try and do a quality build for under $500.