AR 15 complete kits

[hillman]

Does anyone have any experience with the various "complete" AR 15 kits out there, minus the lower? I just picked up an inexpensive lower and want to put together my first AR. This one is a learning experience, but I would like something that won't fall apart in my hands the first time I take it to the range.

I've seen some on CTD and other places in the $400-$500 range, so I don't feel like it's a huge investment for the experience I'll get out of it.

Any experience with these? Any better than any others?

This won't be my SHTF rifle, but I would like it to be useable and not junk.

Also, are there any good guides as to what tools I should have before I dig in? I hate starting a project, then having to wait a few days for whatever tool I forgot to get ahead of time to arrive...

Most likely I will get this Kit or whatever I end up doing AFTER Christmas, so the Black Friday deals weren't in the cards for me.

Oh, also, if any places have good discounts for the following that might make this build a little less expensive, I'd rather put the savings in to higher quality parts. I have NRA Instructor, and C&R license credentials. I know a few places give small discounts for one or the other... Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[ScottS]

I'd stay away from CTD, but this deal from Palmetto State Armory is screaming. High-quality components. At $449, it's ridiculously cheap.

PSA 16" M4 CMV Rifle Kit

Even if you're holding off until after the holidays, PSA would be my first stop.

 

[ntomsw]

I second PSA. Awesome quality, awesome price.

 

[Gammon]

I buy all of my parts from Brownells, but they are not the only supplier out there. My advice is to be very careful and don't go for a "Bargain Basement" parts kit. Get some reliable advice and buy nothing but quality parts and kits. The money you think you are saving by going the "cheapo" route is an illusion. You will pay far more in the long run. Even if you are successful assembling an AR from bargain basement parts,you will end up with a cheap, sub standard rifle. Is that what you really want?


A long time ago a friend of mine bought the necessary parts to assemble two ARs from a dealer in the SG News based on advice from a local idiot. This man had a lot of experience with firearms and also had a strong engineering background BUT could not assemble the ARs. He brought the pieces to a local gunsmith who assembled the ARs for $250 EACH. His excuse for the exorbitant labor charges was that all of the parts had to be "hand fitted". If this gunsmith had any scruples he would have junked the kits and used quality parts kits than needed no "hand fitting" to assemble the ARs or simply sold my friend a couple of quality parts kits and told him to try it again. Instead he chose to "hand fit" the cheap parts. What a deal! My buddy paid a lot of money to get a couple of ARs built with "hand fitted" junk parts.

Several years later I announced my intent to build an AR. My buddy decided to try his hand at building another also. As a long time Brownells customer, I sourced all the parts from them. 100% quality with the best customer service in the business. Not cheap, but top quality. This project went very smoothly with a few glitches that required some very minor hand fitting; a total success. My buddy was awe struck, delighted with the ease of assembly and results. He was also extremely upset with the screwing he had gotten from the cheapo parts kits and the local ripoff gunsmith. The moral of the story is to use only quality parts and if you are unsure as to how to source these parts get some reliable advice.

 

[USMA-82]

I put together my "varmint" rifle using an M&A Parts kit, and I'm very satisfied:

https://www.mapartsinc.com/

One thing to remember is that (since you're apparently trapped in Mass like me) you have to consider mass-compliance. If you get an upper with an A-2 flash suppressor, you probably need to consider the cost of replacing it with a muzzle brake. Also, a neutered, bayonet-lug-free barrel may be considered. If the rifle is just for range fun, the bull barrel kit may be your best bet.

I like the fact these kits come with a complete, assembled upper. I'm not ready to deal with assembling the barrel to the upper yet!

I would also consider the optional 2-stage RRA trigger kit.

Good Luck!

*

 

[Mattyd7]

I would also recommend PSA. They have had some crazy good deals lately, depending on what you are looking for. This one is pretty good, if you want a free float rail already installed:

http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...led-upper-without-bcg-or-charging-handle.html

You can pick up BCG's for $100 from decent manufacturers at this point. Or wait, and the YHM Diamond upper by PSA will be back, and that is usually like $450 I think.

As noted by USMA-82, your biggest deal with buying a complete upper is making it MA compliant. If you get one with an FSB, you will need to cut off the bayonet lug. And if you get one with a flash hider (almost 100% of assembled uppers...), you need to unscrew that and pin on a true muzzle break. You can try to recoup some of the cost by selling the flash hider online.

As far as assembling the lower, it is super easy. I can do one in about 15 minutes at this point. All you need is a small hammer and a punch. You can get fancy and get the sets of punches that fit the rollpins perfectly and all that, but its really not necessary if you are careful. Also, you can get the vice block to hold your lower, but I just do it like in the video below and hold it in my hands and use a block of wood to hammer against. If you are doing a carbine buffer tube, you might want to get the castle nut wrench. You can tighten it without but if you want it really tight, and not risk marking it up, its probably worth it to get one. If you are doing rifle tube, you don't need anything special, just a crescent wrench.

There are a ton of good videos on YouTube that'll teach you how to assemble the lower. This is how I learned everything. My favorite for the lower is this one, the guy is very clear and shows everything well, but he doesn't waste time talking about stuff you don't care about. He does it in 10 minutes with no cuts, so this should make you realize how easy it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL-fa5_4mzo

If you go the route of building the upper yourself instead of getting it premade, then you will need some a barrel nut wrench for a special tool.

 

[Rotaryrocket]

PSA all the way. Will complete my build once my gas tube comes in.