LuvToGoFast
NES Member
I live in a small apartment...I have tools, but no bench or vice. Just a kitchen table. Is there any realistic way to build an AR without a vice and bench?
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AR Build in an apartment
- Thread starter LuvToGoFast
- Start date
Yes.
The only part you'll need a vice for would be installing the barrel.
Warwickben helped me on my last I think we used some C-Clamps, I forget.
But if you post up where you are on the N Shore you may be over whelmed with people ready to help you out, loan you some work space or allow you to use their vice and bench.
The only part you'll need a vice for would be installing the barrel.
Warwickben helped me on my last I think we used some C-Clamps, I forget.
But if you post up where you are on the N Shore you may be over whelmed with people ready to help you out, loan you some work space or allow you to use their vice and bench.
My roommates and I built a bunch of ARs in our apartment without a vise. We wrapped the receiver in a towel, hung it over the bottom step, and had someone hold it with their foot while the other person torqued the nut.
warwickben
bubba Kalashnikov
Do you own a vehicle with a hitch on it?
Take this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-multi-purpose-vise-61163.html
and bolt it to this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/hitch-extender-with-step-97685.html
Now you can build anywhere
Take this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-multi-purpose-vise-61163.html
and bolt it to this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/hitch-extender-with-step-97685.html
Now you can build anywhere
warwickben
bubba Kalashnikov
You definitely can do it without a bench. And you technically could probably do it without a vice. That said, the castle nut and barrel nut will probably be huge pains in the butt to tighten accurately/correctly. If you want to do it right, pick up a cheap vice and vice blocks.
[STRIKE]If you don't have a place to attach the vice, then the vice can be affixed to a thick sheet of plywood with recessed holes for the vice's bolts. Now the vice is stable and portable. Not as good as being affixed to a solid bench, but it works. To make it more stable, you can clamp it to your kitchen table[/STRIKE], but be sure to use some cloth between the table and vice board, as well as a soft piece of wood for the clamp on the underside of your table.
EDIT: Or just buy a vice that is designed to clamp on, like described above.
[STRIKE]If you don't have a place to attach the vice, then the vice can be affixed to a thick sheet of plywood with recessed holes for the vice's bolts. Now the vice is stable and portable. Not as good as being affixed to a solid bench, but it works. To make it more stable, you can clamp it to your kitchen table[/STRIKE], but be sure to use some cloth between the table and vice board, as well as a soft piece of wood for the clamp on the underside of your table.
EDIT: Or just buy a vice that is designed to clamp on, like described above.
^^^good idea but may not be ideal if he has an apartment and no heated garage to work inside...and not sure you would want to be building a rifle where neighbors can see either...but why not just bolt the vice to a board and recess the bolts and c-clamp the board somewhere like a kitchen table...that way it's removable when you don't need it
edit: PappyM3 beat me to it
LuvToGoFast
NES Member
Great advice, thanks!
I'm pretty confident that I really don't need to say this but I will anyway: Plz don't be tempted to load a mag into that rifle to see if it'll cycle properly unless you've got snap-caps. It would be nice to know if the extractor is working properly so go ahead and buy a handful of .223 snap-caps and cycle them. They're bright orange so they are easy to keep separate from real ammo. Just my 2 cents.
Rome
Rome
LuvToGoFast
NES Member
HOw about suggestions on basic tools required...Punch set, maybe an AR block?
Sure others will chime in but...
For the lower: Punch set, detent installation tool, small hammer, needle nose pliers, roll of duct tape to protect the surface of the receiver, some shims to support the trigger guard ears, hex driver for the grip screw (depends on the LPK), pillow case for spring installation.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
Built 2 AR's in my small apt. I bought complete uppers, the lower parts kit was a little bit of a pain, but not bad. There was a piece that someone posted on here to help with the detent and spring. It was like a small bolt with holes in it.
I've never had an issue putting the front take down spring, pin and detent in with special tools.
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One summer, I drove with this in the hitch of my truck, then again, I was doing a ton of mobile marine repair and always needed a vise. Had many complements about it to, even a cop said that it was a great idea and gave me thumbs up.
Me neither, it looked like something that just made it a lot easier. I think I only used a flat head screw driver. It worked after the detent and spring flew out a few times into a sheet, so I wouldn't lose them.
**Yes, that's it JCV^^^
Here's a trick someone told me about that saved some pain and suffering.
Find a clear garment bag and when installing some of the trickier springs , put the lower in the bag.
You can still see what your doing, and it will catch flying springs and detents.
Nothing ruins a fun day like spending 2 hours crawling on the floor cussing .
If you don't come up with any vice options, I have one in Groveland you can use.
Find a clear garment bag and when installing some of the trickier springs , put the lower in the bag.
You can still see what your doing, and it will catch flying springs and detents.
Nothing ruins a fun day like spending 2 hours crawling on the floor cussing .
If you don't come up with any vice options, I have one in Groveland you can use.
mikelawtown
NES Member
Golddiggie
NES Member
Clevis pin makes it sofa king easy to install the pivot pin. Just get one with only a few holes in it. You don't need more than a couple. I think I picked up a 2" long clevis pin from a TruValue hardware store for stupid cheap pricing.
Something else I've found very helpful... If the rear takedown pin spring hole isn't tapped, run a 4-40 tap into it. Get a 4-40x1/8" long set screw, trim about 1/8" off the spring, and use the set screw to hold it in place. This simply modification means you don't need an end plate on the lower to keep the spring (and rest of the parts) captured. If you want to change end plates, the stock configuration, etc., you won't run the risk of launching that spring. Or putting a kink into it when installing. Or any of the other issues you can run into when doing that. You can get good 4-40 taps for short money. The harder part is finding the set screws. I bought a 100 pack of them a couple of years ago and still have many left (even after giving gobs of them away). With overnight shipping, they came out to under 10 cents each.
warwickben
bubba Kalashnikov
Only tool you need is a barrel wrench and if going with a carbine stock the castle but wrench . And some thing to hold a upper ..
Other then that I built my first ar with two bic lighters , a zippo , a razor blade and a hockey puck.
I messed my leg up and couldn't leave my room.
Other then that I built my first ar with two bic lighters , a zippo , a razor blade and a hockey puck.
I messed my leg up and couldn't leave my room.
Golddiggie
NES Member
Hey OP... If you didn't already know, I'm running a karma for a Fourrunner AR15 wrench currently. Drawing will be this coming Saturday. With that wrench, you won't really need much else to put the AR together. Plus, you could use it to brain tango's if you run out of ammo. ![[rofl2]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/035.gif "ROFL2 [rofl2]")
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I bought enough taps for that over the past couple of years. Just be sure to NOT let go of the tap handle while using it. The taps are so thin, they will snap off easily. I know of one NES member that had that happen. Luckily, he was able to machine around the hole, and extract the broken piece. Then he just ran a fresh tap deeper and cut the spring more. Lower is still G2G...
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I bought enough taps for that over the past couple of years. Just be sure to NOT let go of the tap handle while using it. The taps are so thin, they will snap off easily. I know of one NES member that had that happen. Luckily, he was able to machine around the hole, and extract the broken piece. Then he just ran a fresh tap deeper and cut the spring more. Lower is still G2G...
warwickben
bubba Kalashnikov
Hey OP... If you didn't already know, I'm running a karma for a Fourrunner AR15 wrench currently. Drawing will be this coming Saturday. With that wrench, you won't really need much else to put the AR together. Plus, you could use it to brain tango's if you run out of ammo.
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I bought enough taps for that over the past couple of years. Just be sure to NOT let go of the tap handle while using it. The taps are so thin, they will snap off easily. I know of one NES member that had that happen. Luckily, he was able to machine around the hole, and extract the broken piece. Then he just ran a fresh tap deeper and cut the spring more. Lower is still G2G...
Tapping block helps if you don't have a steady hand.
Also a thread forming (roll tap) are stronger . And with aluminum the threads are tougher since there not cut but compressed .
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