Cost of building an AR-15

BudE

BudE

Hillsborough, NC
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I've never done it but I was told recently one could be built for as little as $350. That seemed an unreasonably meager amount to me but since I didn't know a thing about it I kept my mouth shut. What say you folks?
 
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Can certainly be done. That PSA stuff is going to be very hard to beat from a price/performance perspective.

You should do it man. You’ll enjoy yourself, acquire a nice understanding of how they work, and probably enjoy shooting it.
 
Plenty of lesser known sites such as Combat Armory that sell very inexpensive parts or kits that would allow you to build a $350 AR. You can even do it with some of the basic M4 kits from PSA if you catchy the right deal.

It’s a good time to be a gun guy! I’ve gotten 4 friends & coworkers to build their first AR because they were surprised how cheap the PSA deals were. Low prices help get more middle of the road people over to our side.
 
NKD said:
Can certainly be done. That PSA stuff is going to be very hard to beat from a price/performance perspective.

You should do it man. You’ll enjoy yourself, acquire a nice understanding of how they work, and probably enjoy shooting it.
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I see the kit for $249. I don't see a receiver. That has to be extra. If I recall correctly you can buy one of those 80% models for about $50-60. So, I guess it is possible. I've worked on Glocks and S&Ws and 1911s but I've never detail stripped an AR type. I've field stripped an XM177 (if I recall the nomenclature correctly) and ARs often enough but was never inclined to take them apart. I'm very reluctant to start that project nevertheless since if I completed it I'd start burning up ammo.
 
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There are complete disassemble parts kits that you build, complete uppers and disassembled lower kit. Both with required a stripped lower for as low as $29.99. They usually don't have a rear sight or magazine. Make sure you read the print as some low cost units do not have a charging handle or bolt carrier group. You could also just buy a complete upper and complete assembled lower, push the two pins home and also build your own gun. Many ways to do this based on your level of experience.


CD
 
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It can certainly be done if you shop around. Like others have said, PSA runs deals on complete rifle kits, minus the lower, at $350 or less on the regular. For another $30-40 you can pick up a lower. All that's left is to put it together.

The first time you build a lower from scratch can take a while, but it gets easier quick. I can't speak to building an upper from scratch. I haven't done that yet.

I've got several PSA AR's, and I've had no trouble out of any of them.
 
If you're fine with blemished parts and taking your time to buy stuff on sale... you can build a respectable rifle for cheap.
I think i managed to build 2 aero precision m4e1 with ballistic advantage mid length carbine barrels and magpul furniture for under $1000. It took a few months to get all the parts (some used from fellow gun enthusiasts), but it kept me out of trouble.
 
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