Your cheapest AR build

[cathouse01]

Once again, isolating at home to avoid Covid has given me too much time on my hands, so I came up with this.

In another thread, @greencobra said:

no doubt about it, we're a cheap bunch. skinflint is what @drgrant calls the condition.

Personally I prefer the term “frugal”, but just to see how frugal we are, what is the cheapest AR build you’ve ever made? Must include sights or optic and for those in MA, must be MA compliant.

I’ll go first: Built one off an on sale AR Stoner kit (Midway USA house brand), 5DTactical 80% lower, cheap brake and flip up sights; total $392. And it worked

Now your turn. Cheapest one gets the title of NES Skinflint of the Build.

 

[xtry51]

I bought a $299 palmetto kit and made a mower myself.

 

[SKumar]

I'm on track to making a "tacticool" AR15 for under $450. Crazy deals online and leftover parts. This is gonna be close!

 

[cathouse01]

I bought a $299 palmetto kit and made a mower myself.

Yeah, my Stoner Kit was 299.99, but it was for an optics ready build, so I had to buy some cheap BUIS for $21. Then I had to replace the A2 flash hider with a brake (cuz MA) for another $16 and had to buy an 80% lower for $55 (I certainly can’t machine an entire lower on my own). That’s where the other $92 came from.

 

[Dennis in MA]

$700. NIB Bushy circa 1999 or so. Lol

 

[greencobra]

got a bcm factory 2nd upper, loaded...bolt, flash suppressor, charging handle mated with an 80%. that put me at $339. the buis and red dot drove the price up with the rear stock. had to be 475-500 when the smoke cleared.

 

[enbloc]

Similar to OP's, and done recently with a 14 year old RRA $89 stripped lower.
$229,95 AR stoner complete upper. $49.00 DPMS LPK, $33.00 NcStar detatch carry handle/rear sight assy
$49 TAPCO T6 Buttstock assy. The Upper and the carry-handle were bought in Feb 2020. The rest were bought over 10+ years.

$449.95


Edit: Checked my books. 14 year-old RRA Stripped lower.

 

[JoseyWales]

I'm a Windham fanboy:

110 NOS(Windham) Bushmaster lower
75 Windham Telescoping stock
75 Windham LPK
500 Windham upper HBC
-------
760

 

[greencobra]

there's something just wrong bragging about how little we got into our cheapest ar while folks are spending 1500+ just to get a lower. i kinda like it.

 

[Fixxah]

I built an AR for $350. Stag M-4 lefty upper and a Donkey Show lower. Born the day President Trump was in Norwood at the boch residence.

 

[snax]

Built a basic mil spec Anderson when they were cheap. I got the upper/lower combo at the Mill for $50.
Anderson 16" barrel with A2 sight/gas block tube and handguard for maybe 120. Lower/buffer/stock parts were in the $100 hood. Bought Chinese sight/carry handle for $20 that I didn't like and ended up getting the utg USA made one for $55.
What's that under $350?
Went together tight. Other than the basic anodizing finish every bit as good as the SW and Spikes I had that I sold off.

 

[NHKevin]

there's something just wrong bragging about how little we got into our cheapest ar while folks are spending 1500+ just to get a lower. i kinda like it.

Why would someone spend $1500 on a lower? Seems nutty.

 

[DW357]

Why would someone spend $1500 on a lower? Seems nutty.

Because many actually believe in Healeys press release being law. If they didn’t believe it (like I and many others), they could buy a new stripped Andersen lower for $200 (yes ~$150 markup) and build out an AR for cheap. But I digress.

To stay on topic, I think my first build ran me like $700ish? But I bought a midstate firearms complete upper, Nib BCG, velocity trigger among a couple other things I’m forgetting.

 

[Deleted member 12999]

I just bought enough parts to make 3. Averaged out to about a little under 500 per stick.

 

[mac1911]

Why would someone spend $1500 on a lower? Seems nutty.

Because sometimes thats what the market brings. Not everyone wants to finish up a 80% or they want a pre 94 set up. Sometimes $1500 is not a lot to those with deep pockets.

Same reason people are paying $300+ for a mosin nagant.
That said my cheapest build was a kit from sarco. barrel in the white and had to drill and ream front sight pins. Lower was group buy , touch over $300
My best cheapest build was building a nice match rifle for less than I paid for my first AR.

 

[scheming]

~$310 for a poverty pony lower with BCA upper and barrel, including flip ups and basic accessories.

 

[SKumar]

Why would someone spend $1500 on a lower? Seems nutty.

I love that Noveske lower in the ads for $1500

Btw, I found a Noveske compensator on aliexpress made in china for $18. Noveske listing the same on their website for $125!

 

[pastera]

Very interested in a couple of low budget builds - have a few 80%s coming in to build out

 

[FalArAk]

I went the exact opposite and built/bought the most expensive I could.

All I need know is a KAC chrome bolt and KAC chrome BCG and I will be done lol

 

[Wrench75]

FFS people, I've spent more on a nail gun.

My cheapest AR is a store bought Bushmaster I picked up just on principal. I still haven't shot it. I was running a walmart SG dept. when they decided to stop selling scary black rifles. I came in to work and saw that they dropped the price on the last AR we had in stock from $970 to $400 overnight. Slap on my 10% discount and out the door for $360 +tx

The ones I built all cost at least $1500, not that that was the initial intent. Once I start buying parts shit starts to snowball quickly.

 

[kevblah]

Why would someone spend $1500 on a lower? Seems nutty.

there are a lot of reasons. one of them is because i like having a collapsible stock and flash hiders, and not having to pin/weld a muzzle device

another reason is id rather pay $1000 for a lower today, that will likely hold or increase in value over time (assuming gun legislation gets worse, not better)

 

[67ray]

Once again, isolating at home to avoid Covid has given me too much time on my hands, so I came up with this.

In another thread, greencobra said:
no doubt about it, we're a cheap bunch. skinflint is what drgrant calls the condition.

Personally I prefer the term “frugal”, but just to see how frugal we are, what is the cheapest AR build you’ve ever made? Must include sights or optic and for those in MA, must be MA compliant.

I’ll go first: Built one off an on sale AR Stoner kit (Midway USA house brand), 5DTactical 80% lower, cheap brake and flip up sights; total $392. And it worked

Now your turn. Cheapest one gets the title of NES Skinflint of the Build.

There is a big diff between skinflint and frugal. Frugal is someone who is very value conscious and generally avoids expenditures of any kind.

Skinflint is someone who not only avoids expenditures, but does so to their own detriment. The one who adds 35 min to their trip in order to save 6 cents per gallon. Or they buy the factory second AR barrel for cheap, and get keyholing on every round. Or won't spend $30 a year with the NRA because damn it Wayne spent 50k on wardrobe or whatever and then our collective 2A rights protection are weakened further.

.

 

[cathouse01]

There is a big diff between skinflint and frugal. Frugal is someone who is very value conscious and generally avoids expenditures of any kind.

Skinflint is someone who not only avoids expenditures, but does so to their own detriment. The one who adds 35 min to their trip in order to save 6 cents per gallon. Or they buy the factory second AR barrel for cheap, and get keyholing on every round. Or won't spend $30 a year with the NRA because damn it Wayne spent 50k on wardrobe or whatever and then our collective 2A rights protection are weakened further.

.

That’s why I prefer frugal

 

[AHM]

Skinflint is someone who not only avoids expenditures, but does so to their own detriment. The one who ... won't spend $30 a year with the NRA because damn it Wayne spent 50k on wardrobe or whatever and then our collective 2A rights protection are weakened further.

 

[akma]

To build an AR now isn't cheap now, but with some shopping maybe $500. Before covid you could get good quality parts (not boutique) for reasonable with shopping the sales. Probably for $350ish you could do a great shooting accurate rifle not counting optics. Now the clock is ticking so pay up however that could be in vain in the end unless you are willing to stand and fight.

 

[Uzi2]

$260 ea. Then added scopes to all @ $170 ea.

 

[frenchman]

I don't even own an optic for the price some of you paid for a rifle. Hell, my scope MOUNTS are more than what you guys pay for your uppers. Honest question: what kind of performance (accuracy, ruggedness etc) do you guys realistically expect from these budget builds?

 

[enbloc]

$260 ea. Then added scopes to all @ $170 ea.View attachment 416243

DPMS Uppers through Midway USA a couple or 10 years ago...?

 

[enbloc]

A frugal/budget AR serves an important and useful purpose: Emergency handouts to family... Period.

Unless you millionaires can afford to pass out Top Tier Rifles to 3rd cousins...

Moral of the Story: "Buy/Build the best Rifle you can afford."

And have the foresight to have a few "Budget" rifles... Just In Case.

 

[AHM]

A frugal/budget AR serves an important and useful purpose: Emergency handouts to family... Period.

Spoiler: I went looking for something like this...

Spoiler: ...but I also found this