Lessons Learned for AR15s

[Snapshot]

I figured for all of those who are building or are going to build ARs, somebody should make a thread of hard lessons you may have learned so that others can learn from our mistakes.


For me, some lessons learned were:

I purchased one Rock River Arms lower receiver kit from PK Firearms and one DPMS kit from Four Seasons.

The DPMS kit worked flawlessly. The RRA one gave me enough problems that it is unusable. I would return it but frankly the problems are with the trigger/hammer/disconnector and I was going to replace those anyway so I won’t bother.

In both kits, the literature is not exact enough to help you figure out which spring is the bolt catch spring and which is the disconnector spring. As best as I can tell (and AR15.com verifies this) the disconnector spring has a slight bell or taper to one side.

Be skeptical of anybody who suggests you need a hammer to install the trigger pin/hammer pin. If done right, these go in without needing that much force. At most you may need a very slight tap from the back of your screwdriver. (as in the handle)

Work someplace clean. If a spring shoots out during installation, good luck in finding it in a cluttered room.

 

[KMM696]

Work someplace clean. If a spring shoots out during installation, good luck in finding it in a cluttered room.

There's nothing that disappears faster than a critical spring that doesn't have a replacement somewhere on the bench, is there?

I've had pretty good luck with springs that were trying to escape by working inside a gallon freezer bag. Started using one right after a safety spring & plunger for a 10-22 went into orbit, and were never seen again. Doesn't always work, but most of the time......

 

[MassMark]

I think it may have been Lugnut that suggested installing your LPK's inside a pillow case? I can;t quite visualize how that would work out, but springs shooting into a pillow case rather than across the basement is a nice idea....

Here's what I have learned about Rock River Arms: After much hype and building some well made weapons, they have likely taken the path hiked by so many: Too big too fast for their britches and QC has suffered...

 

[Jake L]

This is where the hand of experience comes in.
Once you have assembled a few dozen lowers you will not need directions and you will be able to do it by feel with your eyes closed.
If you need help or advise please call me I have been there.
If you only plan to assemble one or two lower receivers let someone with experience do it.
I only charge $25.00 to assemble and that's cheaper then you messing something up or trying to figure out what you lost and then replacing those lost springs or pins. By the way if you do misplace something contact me I have all the replacement parts for lowers and uppers in stock. This will at least save you from having to purchase another lower build kit. I also have complete lower build kits for $62.00.
Thank you
John

 

[LoginName]

I think it may have been Lugnut that suggested installing your LPK's inside a pillow case? I can;t quite visualize how that would work out, but springs shooting into a pillow case rather than across the basement is a nice idea....

In the bathtub with the curtains/shower door closed (and the drain covered).

 

[Lugnut]

I think it may have been Lugnut that suggested installing your LPK's inside a pillow case? I can;t quite visualize how that would work out, but springs shooting into a pillow case rather than across the basement is a nice idea....

LOL- I don't know if it was me, I've said some strange things in the past. I do know that I've suggested using a big zip lock type bag when installing/removing small springs, etc. I've had safety springs and small parts shoot accross the room before. After hours of searching I learned a lesson.

 

[Gammon]

I learned early on to buy all of my parts from Brownells.

 

[OnTheRoad]

I learned early on to buy all of my parts from Brownells.

+1. The dealer rate at Brownell's is the lowest price I've sen for a DPMS LPK. I already had a stripped lower and an A2 stock; I sat at the kitchen table with a small assortment of hand tools and online step-by-step build instructions with photos on my laptop computer. Half an hour later the lower was finished and function checked 100%.

Nothing against JDL's comments and if you're not confident with your skills definitely have someone do the build for you but you really don't need to be a mechanical engineer to assemble one of these. At least for me, the time spent putting it together gave me a good familiarity on how everything works and I can point to it and say, "I made this."

 

[Dick Manley]

The best bit of advice I can offer anyone when it comes to AR's.... Spend the money the first time! Dont cheap out, buy the better LPK or rail system, BUIS or what ever it is that you need to buy! Buying once is better than buying the cheap part and then buying the more expensive part after the cheap one breaks! I am not repeating what other people have told me, I have learned this the hard way! I have spend a good amount of money on my rifle over the past year. Also Dont be afraid to ask questions! Its a lot better to ask a silly question than to leave it unanswered and have a problem down the line.

THere are pleny of people here with a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to AR's (I know enough to know that I dont know much). There are also a few and I mean few AR related sites that have nothing but top notch and professional members, PM if you would like to know what they are, and BARF.com isnt one of them!


-DM-

 

[Vintovka]

Having not assembled an upper, I'll restrict my comments to the lower assembly:

I'm a die-hard tinkerer, and wanted to build my lower up from scratch, which I did without too much hassle, and since I have another stripped lower waiting for a build, I'll do it again. Still, I didn't save myself any money, especially factoring in the time and minor frustration. If you're going to do it, make sure you have some roll-pin punches and a good punch set - that's about all you'll need for tools (for the lower assy, that is -- the upper will require other specialized tools).

The biggest problem for me was getting the dang trigger-guard roll pin in. That definitely did require a hammer, but be careful, as too much force can break the leaf and ruin your receiver. Be sure to mask off everything around where you'll be hammering the pin in.

RE: not needing to hammer in the trigger/hammer pins: My Geissele trigger set came with an oversized hammer pin. The stock pin slipped in easily, but the Geissele pin did need some gentle tapping with a light hammer. Supposedly, a tighter fit is desirable for the hammer pin.

If anyone is embarking on an AR build for the first time, read this and keep it open in front of you through the duration of the build. I can also recommend Walt Kuleck's "The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide" (available at Fulton Armory).

 

[edirtyfour]

Having not assembled an upper, I'll restrict my comments to the lower assembly:

I'm a die-hard tinkerer, and wanted to build my lower up from scratch, which I did without too much hassle, and since I have another stripped lower waiting for a build, I'll do it again. Still, I didn't save myself any money, especially factoring in the time and minor frustration. If you're going to do it, make sure you have some roll-pin punches and a good punch set - that's about all you'll need for tools (for the lower assy, that is -- the upper will require other specialized tools).

The biggest problem for me was getting the dang trigger-guard roll pin in. That definitely did require a hammer, but be careful, as too much force can break the leaf and ruin your receiver. Be sure to mask off everything around where you'll be hammering the pin in.

RE: not needing to hammer in the trigger/hammer pins: My Geissele trigger set came with an oversized hammer pin. The stock pin slipped in easily, but the Geissele pin did need some gentle tapping with a light hammer. Supposedly, a tighter fit is desirable for the hammer pin.

If anyone is embarking on an AR build for the first time, read this and keep it open in front of you through the duration of the build. I can also recommend Walt Kuleck's "The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide" (available at Fulton Armory).

My experience was the literal exact same (minus the geissele).