My "Budget" AR15 Build with PSA! Let's see your budget builds

How does she run?? It’s not so much the cost of the rifle as it is the cost of feeding it☹️
 
My first AR! Decided to go about buying the lower and then the upper at a later time. Palmetto State Armory has some great daily deals on all types of crap. Since I live now in Charleston, SC it made sense!

Probably more expensive then it was a handful of years ago, but all in around $620.

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Well done. I like the lettering job. A lot of mine are similar PSA builds. Stripped lower with a complete upper. They run fine.
LOL @Salty Veteran buy this:
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I have it on my PSA carbine upper also. AR looks good!

Yup that works for short money.
How does she run?? It’s not so much the cost of the rifle as it is the cost of feeding it☹️

.22 cal.conversion will help. If you have a bunch stashed on hand already be even cheaper.
Actually that carbine is almost the same as one that I keep the conversion in.
 
Did you letter it or buy it like that??
I also have a few palmetto builds, workhorses. Take mag dumps like champs back when that was the thing to do.
 
Did you letter it or buy it like that??
I also have a few palmetto builds, workhorses. Take mag dumps like champs back when that was the thing to do.
By letter I'm assuming you mean the color? I did it myself, just get yourself some testers paint and non acetone nail polish. Theres tons of YouTube videos on that.
 
The black hardguard with the rest of the FDE furniture has my OCD running wild. I can't look at this picture without my left eye twitching.

I needed a bar of Xanax to keep calm with the colored lettering and magwell logo AND the mismatched furniture..

The Xanax helped remind me that it's not mine, so all is good..
 
Does the black mag help for the OCD dudes in the group? LoL.

I saw a bunch of different AR assembly and colors and I like it personally. Magpul had some good uppers in FDE but I just didn't want to justify spending more than I wanted to on this build. Retro look, with a little extra flair.


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$625 for PSA is that really “cheap” for psa?

By today's established market pricing = yes it is.

Examples: I've got spare psa BCG 's that I paid $49.99 for, and multiple psa nickel boron BCG's that i paid $89.99 for (several years ago).
Take a look at what both of those are going for at PSA and also at all the other AR parts and build websites now.
 
By letter I'm assuming you mean the color? I did it myself, just get yourself some testers paint and non acetone nail polish. Theres tons of YouTube videos on that.
‘Testers’ paint?? Or nail polish? I should do up my ‘Angry Joe-14’ like that....
 
‘Testers’ paint?? Or nail polish? I should do up my ‘Angry Joe-14’ like that....
I used nail polish on my 9mm and testers paints for the AR in the picture. Just follow YouTube instructions its super easy. Wipe off the excess with a business card and then let it dry for 10 15 minutes then lightly rub it with non acetone nail polish removal. You use Hops9 also to red the excess. I did the AR twice over.
 
The black hardguard with the rest of the FDE furniture has my OCD running wild. I can't look at this picture without my left eye twitching.
I got a black Aero lower and a black BCM complete upper. I was thinking about getting an FDE stock and grip but OP’s picture changed my mind. All boring black it is.
 
I think the results from this thread was $260 for the cheapest AR build.
 
I can’t get myself to buy inexpensive parts. I’m not dissing anyone’s shit, it’s just that in my mind(YMMV), there’s no such thing as “just as good”. I like rugged stuff, and that usually means not inexpensive. I’m sure PSA stuff is fine, and I’m just a snob, but every time I look for rifle components, my eyes fly right over the el cheapo section. I hear that psa stuff takes a beating and keeps on ticking, I just can’t get myself to buy it. But, OP, youve got a decent non color coordinated rifle there. As long as it goes bang and it hits shit in the general vicinity of where you aim it, it’s all good.
 
I can’t get myself to buy inexpensive parts. I’m not dissing anyone’s shit, it’s just that in my mind(YMMV), there’s no such thing as “just as good”. I like rugged stuff, and that usually means not inexpensive. I’m sure PSA stuff is fine, and I’m just a snob, but every time I look for rifle components, my eyes fly right over the el cheapo section. I hear that psa stuff takes a beating and keeps on ticking, I just can’t get myself to buy it. But, OP, youve got a decent non color coordinated rifle there. As long as it goes bang and it hits shit in the general vicinity of where you aim it, it’s all good.
I understand wanting to ensure high quality components on a build, particularly if you only do 1 or 2. But there is no law that says you can’t own a Chevy Spark, a Toyota Camry and a Mercedes AMG all at the same time. I enjoy my cheap AR builds since I can beat the hell out of them and not really give a s**t. Once I start moving up the food chain, I become more concerned with damaging my precious beauty than I probably should, but that’s my nature.
 
I understand wanting to ensure high quality components on a build, particularly if you only do 1 or 2. But there is no law that says you can’t own a Chevy Spark, a Toyota Camry and a Mercedes AMG all at the same time. I enjoy my cheap AR builds since I can beat the hell out of them and not really give a s**t. Once I start moving up the food chain, I become more concerned with damaging my precious beauty than I probably should, but that’s my nature.
That’s the exact reason why I concern myself with ruggedness. I know I can beat the piss out of any of my rifles without worries. Looks and cosmetic damages are not something I get upset about at all. I don’t care if the handle of my hammer or screwdriver gets scratched either, they’re all tools.
Don‘t get me wrong, I’m not buying super high end boutique AR parts, but my go to manufacturers are BCM, Geissele, Aero (lower receivers only), Reptilian, Nightforce, Aimpoint. Middle of the road stuff, but with a long and positive track record.
 
I can’t get myself to buy inexpensive parts. I’m not dissing anyone’s shit, it’s just that in my mind(YMMV), there’s no such thing as “just as good”. I like rugged stuff, and that usually means not inexpensive. I’m sure PSA stuff is fine, and I’m just a snob, but every time I look for rifle components, my eyes fly right over the el cheapo section. I hear that psa stuff takes a beating and keeps on ticking, I just can’t get myself to buy it. But, OP, youve got a decent non color coordinated rifle there. As long as it goes bang and it hits shit in the general vicinity of where you aim it, it’s all good.
Spending money to buy a "name," without an identifiable difference in quality, is essentially lighting money on fire. Certainly everyone is free to light their money on fire if they choose, but I find claiming it as some kind of virtue to be odd.
 
I think the results from this thread was $260 for the cheapest AR build.

Yes, those are my rifles and all three are excellent shooters as are my other 35 PSA/Anderson builds.

Love the coloring OP, very nice job!
 
Spending money to buy a "name," without an identifiable difference in quality, is essentially lighting money on fire. Certainly everyone is free to light their money on fire if they choose, but I find claiming it as some kind of virtue to be odd.
That, sir, is an ignorant statement if I’ve ever seen one. I did never say it was a virtue, and if you don’t know the difference between a Geissele trigger and a PSA one or the difference in quality in the locking systems of their hand guards vs budget ones, if you can’t value a 100% MPI inspected BCG over some batch tested (best case) no name one, then maybe you shouldn’t have an opinion at all. Off you go.
 
... my go to manufacturers are ... Reptilian ... Middle of the road stuff, but with a long and positive track record.
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I can’t get myself to buy inexpensive parts. I’m not dissing anyone’s shit, it’s just that in my mind(YMMV), there’s no such thing as “just as good”. I like rugged stuff, and that usually means not inexpensive. I’m sure PSA stuff is fine, and I’m just a snob, but every time I look for rifle components, my eyes fly right over the el cheapo section. I hear that psa stuff takes a beating and keeps on ticking, I just can’t get myself to buy it. But, OP, youve got a decent non color coordinated rifle there. As long as it goes bang and it hits shit in the general vicinity of where you aim it, it’s all good.
Ok, go back to saving toward Reptile’s Noveske lower. I heard it’s good stuff! $620 saved, $880 more to go.

Ramen for dinner tonight...
 
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