Building ARs is FUN! (for the new folks)

[Snoopz]

ok, with the PSA lower parts kit, upper, BCG and charging handle i bought myself for Christmas and the Anderson lower i bought today at the gun show i believe i have assembled an AR.
View attachment 569377
only launched one detent and spring, found the spring. Luckily there where three in the kit., but this is offset by the fact that there was no disconnector spring. i used the trigger off of my first AR to remedy that.
Tomorrow we shoot,

there ya go..looks good.... rule of thumb when building
1. Make sure you have plenty of spare parts, springs, detents, pins, etc. they have a tendency
to "fly away" as Lenny Kravitz would say...
2. Eye Protection as they can hurt, can go flying.
3. Patience ...you'll need it if you have to order spare parts and wait.. cause you didn't

-Snoopz

 

[bigtrack]

Everybody and their sister's brother's uncle already owns an AR-15. Everybody and their uncle has put an AR-15 together from parts.

Or at least that is what I assumed.

I was talking to somebody the other day and was shocked by something that should NOT have surprised me. But it did anyway. So many people have become new firearms owners over the past couple of years. Things that I take for granted are brand new to a lot of people. That includes a lot of new forum members. The other day I was at a match of all places, and someone told me that they were thinking about buying an AR-15 but they didn't know where to start. They also wanted certain features that apparently didn't come on an off the shelf AR-15.

There I stood, judgmental and incredulous. "Just put one together" says I. To which the person replied "I don't know how that works". And they were ashamed to admit it. Then it hit me. In my circle of people, everybody owns a whole bunch of different guns, is an old gray haired (usually fat) dude like me that knows exactly what they want and how to get it. I'd been making assumptions about what people know.

At that point I felt very ashamed for making them feel ashamed. Not a very nice way to bring people into the fold. Naturally I am helping this person figure things out.

It then occurred to me that maybe I should make a build thread somewhere out in the front part of the forum. Even though it'll be really old hat for a lot of folks. But for a few of you out there...this is new and exciting. (Though let's be honest. Putting together a new firearm is always a kick for the seasoned enthusiast too.)

Maybe this will inspire someone that just bought their first ever firearm, say a handgun for concealed carry, to build an AR-15. The old saying is true. "When you need a rifle, nothing else will do".

I am a fan of Aero Precision. Not sponsored by them so I don't have any skin in that game. But they do make the best bang for the buck when it comes to AR15s in my humble opinion. This will be a show and tell thread, of a sort. Not a "how to" per se but may it'll encourage some folks to build one. Or two. Whatever.

First thing I did was reach out to @DavesBuddysNeighbor. He's an FFL that is an Aero Precision dealer. He's a good dude. I highly recommend him. He did not ask me to make this thread or give me anything for it. I'm doing this cause I want to and...well cause I can.

(Lots of dudes on here know more than me when it comes to this platform. Ain't trying to say I'm any sort of expert.)

One can just go to the Aero Precision website and figure out maybe what sort of rifle/pistol they want. https://www.aeroprecisionusa.com/. Clay aka Davesbuddythisnameiswaytoolong can make some suggestions and so forth. He might have some stuff on hand. Might have to order it, but it'll get around pretty quick. Shoot him a PM or whatever and I'm sure he will get ya squared away.

I went with a 10.5" pistol build that I will probably make into an SBR at some point down the road. Build list is as follows:

Aero Precision M4E1 Stripped Lower in Flat Dark Earth
Aero Precision M4E1 Complete Upper in Flat Dark Earth
Aero Precision Lower Parts Kit
Aero Precision Enhanced Bolt Carrier Group (nickel boron finish)
Aero Precision Enhanced buffer tube assembly
A random charging handle that was laying around (to be replaced by a Geissele soon)
SBA3 pistol brace (temporary until I SBR it or whatever)
Umbrella Corporation grip in Flat Dark Earth
LaRue MBT 2 Stage trigger (flat)
Aimpoint Comp ML2 in a LaRue mount

I'll continue to update this as I make progress.

Here's the big 'ol pile of parts, ready to be assembled:

View attachment 444606

No I did not bother to clean off my bench.

Nice

 

[Combat Diver]

 

[ChickenHawk]

So I have come into another stripped lower to build out for a spare upper that I have. It is a cheap Anderson lower, but I want to put a quality lower parts kit in it and I would love some recommendations.

The Geissele and Wilson Combat parts kits are fairly cheap. Would that be a good starting point, or is there something better that I haven't seen? And I have never thought about it before, but are all buffer tube kits roughly created equal?

 

[GymB]

I’ve always (3 times) used CMMG lower parts kits, replacing the fire control group, pins (I like kns anti rotation pins) and grip. Planning a new build, so also interested in opinions on brands.

 

[C-doodle]

@ChickenHawk I don't know too much about the actual quality difference but after trying an a5 buffer system I probably won't ever build another lower with a carbine length buffer tube. For me the a5 system has been a drastic improvement. I think you can get them from a few different companies now. Pretty sure I used a bcm tube.

 

[Burt Gummer]

So I have come into another stripped lower to build out for a spare upper that I have. It is a cheap Anderson lower, but I want to put a quality lower parts kit in it and I would love some recommendations.

The Geissele and Wilson Combat parts kits are fairly cheap. Would that be a good starting point, or is there something better that I haven't seen? And I have never thought about it before, but are all buffer tube kits roughly created equal?

Most buffers that come in kits are the same. You can get weighted (heavier or lighter) buffers. Then there’s the silent buffer that had the spring and all made with it.
Far as lower kits man, all the rifles I’ve put together over the years and I’ve been happiest with the CMC triggers. Nothing like that upgrade if you’ve never shot one in my opinion. I’d buy the cheapest lower parts kit without the fcg that I could find, and find cmc trigger on sale from primary arms or PSA and install that. Comes with its own anti walk pins so you don’t have to buy those separately

 

[ChickenHawk]

Most buffers that come in kits are the same. You can get weighted (heavier or lighter) buffers. Then there’s the silent buffer that had the spring and all made with it.
Far as lower kits man, all the rifles I’ve put together over the years and I’ve been happiest with the CMC triggers. Nothing like that upgrade if you’ve never shot one in my opinion. I’d buy the cheapest lower parts kit without the fcg that I could find, and find cmc trigger on sale from primary arms or PSA and install that. Comes with its own anti walk pins so you don’t have to buy those separately

Thanks. That is kind of the direction I was leaning. I hadn't decided on a trigger yet so I'll check out the CMC ones.

Thanks for the advice on the buffer tube kits that you and @C-doodle gave me. I've built three before, but I've never really thought about the quality of the small parts before.

 

[C-doodle]

Without knowing what upper your going to use your kind of shooting in the dark talking about things like buffer weight. That's usually something you do afterwards to deal with an over gassed upper. That said I think an a5 tube, an a5h2 buffer and a super42 or springco spring could probably be considered a good setup on *most* cheap and mid tier ar's. I would buy that setup to pair with an upper I hadn't even tried yet.

It's just pricey enough that it's hard to justify converting a gun that's already complete but I would happily pay the difference if I didn't already have a complete buffer kit.

+1 for the CMC trigger. Hard to go wrong.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Without knowing what upper your going to use your kind of shooting in the dark talking about things like buffer weight. That's usually something you do afterwards to deal with an over gassed upper. That said I think an a5 tube, an a5h2 buffer and a super42 or springco spring could probably be considered a good setup on *most* cheap and mid tier ar's. I would buy that setup to pair with an upper I hadn't even tried yet.

It's just pricey enough that it's hard to justify converting a gun that's already complete but I would happily pay the difference if I didn't already have a complete buffer kit.

+1 for the CMC trigger. Hard to go wrong.

It is a PSA dissipator upper that is just sitting around. It has a mid-length gas system and has done well when I've thrown it on one of my already complete lowers. Not looking to get super fancy, but I want quality parts.

 

[Cole_McD]

So I have come into another stripped lower to build out for a spare upper that I have. It is a cheap Anderson lower, but I want to put a quality lower parts kit in it and I would love some recommendations.

The Geissele and Wilson Combat parts kits are fairly cheap. Would that be a good starting point, or is there something better that I haven't seen? And I have never thought about it before, but are all buffer tube kits roughly created equal?

Geissele and Wilson are a great starting point for sure. When it comes to buffer kits I'm a big fan of using particularly high quality parts, especially if you plan on shooting this gun a lot. I've shot out basic PSA springs way too quickly, and I've never understood why most kits ship with Carbine buffers.

My 3 recommendations are:
Vltor A5
Geissele Super 42 springs and buffer
SpringCo springs (at a minimum)

It's also important to make sure you're running the proper buffer weight. An under buffered gun will just be annoying and over gassed. An over buffered gun can have short stroking issues, but will also cause increased gas ring wear over time even if it does run, which is just annoying. For a PSA middy (probably over gassed) a H2 is probably the right place to be. If its too much, you can always make it a H1 easily enough.

 

[Lucky63]

A5 system is wonderful. I have 2 SBR’s & at least 3 full size rifles with them. Suppressed is where they really shine. Sprinco greens in all of them. The SBR’s use a A5H2 buffer, while the others vary from A5HO - A5H1. All run great are perfect for what I want.

I have mentioned Black River Tactical in some other past threads. Call me A fanboi 😲🥹🙄. I started using them about 5 or so years ago for proper sized gas port inserts that install into the gas block. They have since switched to sizing the hole in the gas tube. These are a little pricey for what you get. Best thing is you don’t waste time, money, etc. trying to tune the rifle. I have 2 rifles (mid length gas) that shoot so smooth just using a standard spring (Sprinco White) & Carbine buffer.

I also have a couple that are built to my spec. You have to order directly from them for these. Enter your barrel length, gas, buffer weight, spring type, BCG you will be using, non suppressed, suppressed 100%, and so on. They even have a 50/50 suppressed option. I believe the premade ones sold on other sites are tuned for standard spring/Carbine buffer.

Black River Tactical Store - Shop BRT

Shop BRT Black River Tactical Store Covert Comp OPTIMUM EZTUNE Gas Tube MicroTUNE Gas Block CustomTUNE Gas Port MicroPin Gas Block Mk12 Gas Tube BRT EXT BRT EXC BRT PDW Pistol Carbine Mid Midlength Rifle Upper Receiver Group Bolt Carrier Group Barrels Muzzle Devices Adjustable Gas Drive AR15 LMT

blackrivertactical.com

 

[Lucky63]

One more note on the Vltor A5. As mentioned earlier, several companies have come out with their own. BCM, Forward Controls, SOLGW are some I can think of at the moment. FCD one is VERY nice and I used it on a recent build. I like that these have more adjustments (8-9) compared to (6-7). Nothing to party about, but it is Friday night on CFF. 😅

 

[Supermatch]

I didn't have luck with my CMC trigger out of the box, but their customer service and turnaround was great in taking care of the issue.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Well my friend that I got addicted to Aim Surplus had an extra kit from where he had big plans that didn't materialize. He gave me the kit in the screenshots below. I'm still going to upgrade the buffer spring and buffer, 60 degree safety, extended mag release, and a better charging handle. That can be added later though. I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[ronn47]

I run the CMC 3.5 straight trigger.
Got a couple as backup on the shelve.

 

[NC-rifle]

See that short little silver pin on the far right? That's the slave pin. It makes life MUCH easier if you don't have a drop in trigger or a LaRue that doesn't need one. A mil-spec trigger is just fine for starting out, and you'll want a slave pin to hold some things together.

When installing an AR trigger, I use a 6-32 tap that I ground off the broken/threaded part. It is good for pushing out the original pins when disassembling, and used as a "dummy" pin to align & hold things when assembling. Then use the actual pin to push the dummy out for final assembly.
This size tap has a 0.141" dia shaft, which makes a nice easy push in/out for the 5/32" (0.156") AR pins.

 

[baltimoreed]

My latest AR45 upper build. I found a used Devil Dog side charger which I like a lot. Used my mini mill to remove some aluminum from the thicker upper to get it installed as the Devil Dog chargers are made for milspec uppers only. Also had to install an Olympic Arms wire ejector in the upper. I had to mill the feed lips on my gg mags to get it to feed as there is no feed ramp on this barrel but now it runs ok with round nose lead boolits. The gg mag lips were too long so the round would almost strip off and run into the bottom of the barrel. I cut them back which releases the round sooner and points it at a better angle to go into the chamber. The rubber buffer tube cover was rubbing on the charger so rather than cut it I rolled it up so that it acts like a stop. Thats all the movement you need to chamber a 45scp. GG mags have no bolt hold open ability [fired from an open bolt gun]. Still tweeking it but maybe I’ll run it at a 2gun for fun next month. Makes a cool sbr.

 

[NCLivingBrit]

My latest AR45 upper build. I found a used Devil Dog side charger which I like a lot. Used my mini mill to remove some aluminum from the thicker upper to get it installed as the Devil Dog chargers are made for milspec uppers only. Also had to install an Olympic Arms wire ejector in the upper. I had to mill the feed lips on my gg mags to get it to feed as there is no feed ramp on the barrel but now it runs ok with round nose lead boolits. The gg mag lips were too long so the round would almost strip off and run into the bottom of the barrel. I cut them back which releases the round sooner and points it at a better angle to go into the chamber. The rubber buffer tube cover was rubbing on the charger ro rather than cut it I rolled it up so that it acts like a stop. Thats all the movement you need to chamber a 45scp. GG mags have no bolt hold open ability [fired from an open bolt gun]. Still tweeking it but maybe I’ll run it at a 2gun for fun next month. Makes a cool sbr. View attachment 727930View attachment 727931

I've been debating the Devil Dog, might have to give one a try.

 

[baltimoreed]

Initially I thought that I had a bad unit as I tried it on multiple uppers but when I tried it on my RTB slick side.22 upper it worked so it wasn’t bad, just my uppers were too thick. I did some measuring and used my mill to make a space on the upper for the rear foot of the DD charger to go and it fit. Seems to work fine. A left side charger is the best way to run an AR imo as your right hand never leaves the grip/trigger. And the rifle never leaves your shoulder to recharge after a mag change. It might help with gas in your face too if you run suppressed but thats just a guess as I don’t have a suppressor….yet.