I am itchin for a new rifle... I stayed out of the ar platform for reasons of my own for years and went the mini14 route. I loved the "10k shots fired down range without a proper cleaning and it still ran fine" aspect of the op-rod system. Well an ar that a friend of mine owns is on the market and I am also looking at a build kit.

seems like a Good idea to start from parts to me so I know what, where and how this thing works, but the idiot in me wants to shoot it asap....

so, did you build or buy? pros/cons

I would build.

I bought originally and then spent more money modifying it to my liking. Might as well have built in the first place.

I bought my last three, ending up with a DPMS LR308 Recon. My next AR I will build. I kinda want a suppressed SBR. I guess it's time to set up a NFA trust...

get all the parts, put them all together, you can call it "a build" like all the Internet experts and pros do but you will get it the way you want


my first AR was built for less than $520, last one I built I got over a grand in it, I see them now, on sale, really decent ones for $499

compared to all the parts just saw an A2 upper supposedly on sale $495, crap! figure on a lwr receiver, plus LPK, plus stock, grip, fore end etc you can spend over $700 easy and come out with a rifle with a current market value of 500 bucks!

its all about what you want I built 3 with ER Shaw barrels, free float front tubes, Rock River 2 stage national match FCG and they all shoot less than 1 moa

if you get your upper already complete or at least with barrel installed you don't need any special tools

that being said if you get into the hobby you will want special tools !

if time is a factor (and it could very well be) just buy one ready to go Hell buy a used one its pretty hard for civilians to wear these out and you can always repair rebuild, customize them

disclaimer: a lot of parts for different brands are manufactured by other companies, its hard to go wrong with Colt (former govt contractor) DPMS (govt component contractor) FN (current govt contractor) Stag, Palmetto State, Windham, just don't buy a plastic lower receiver, I mean "polymer" lower receiver cough cough.. the lower receiver has the serial number and is "the firearm" bought new requires a ATF 4473 form to be filed with the FFL (in US) however, bought used from an individual there is no paper work

reminder: after Sandy Hook shooting $500 ARS zoomed up in value to over $2300, not saying this will happen again lots of "non AR type people ran out and had to have one, spent a buttload of cash and are now upside down with a weapon they don't like.

when Eugene Stoner and Fairchild Aircraft first came out with the M16/AR15 it was designed to be built for like 160 bucks and left in the jungle of SE Asia, most, even the pricey ones are crude and imprecise, trigger pull is horrible, unless you get specific parts theyre also very dirty, sloppy and most will barely produce 2" groups at 100yd (2MOA accuracy) wit surplus ball ammo just good enough for a battle rifle

sincerely,

Your friendly neighborhood AR nerd..

Posted by Wheedle I bought my last three, ending up with a DPMS LR308 Recon. My next AR I will build. I kinda want a suppressed SBR. I guess it's time to set up a NFA trust...

suppressor law is fixing to be changed, still need a NFA trust but supposed to relax some of the red tape

UER member Jonsered may have more updated info but I hear wait time is less than 3mo now

Bought. Spikes lower and flat top upper. M4 carbine length. Lord help on this journey.

Posted by cdevon Bought. Spikes lower and flat top upper. M4 carbine length. Lord help on this journey.

Can't go wrong with that though. M4 uppers are easy to work on as well. It's the golden days for AR stuff, as you can get a factory Ruger AR-556 for $450 these days.

Making me wish I wasn't broke as hell right now.

Btw, if you have any questions on parts or ideas to modify the rifle, just toss me a PM. Ar15.com is a great resource as well.

Posted by 2Xplorations UER member Jonsered may have more updated info but I hear wait time is less than 3mo now

All the dealers have a meeting with ATF at the SAR show in Phoenix in December. At that time, ATF was estimating dealer to dealer transfers at 60 to 80 days, and transfers from dealers to individuals at anywhere from 4 to 6 months. Some examiners are just better than others, and process more transfers in a day. If you letter of the alphabet gets you a good examiner, bitchin. They are trying to get the funding to add more examiners, but money is short everywhere.

Strangely, the real problem is flash-bangs. Every time one gets expended by an LE agency, more have to be procured, and they have to be processed one serial number at a time, just like a firearm, but are an even bigger pain in the ass, because the old one has to be logged as expended/destroyed, and then the paperwork for a replacement. I suspect if suppressor regs get loosened, the volume of transfers will increase to the point that we can conceivably see transfer times like the bad old days, ie 7 plus months.

Posted by Jonsered All the dealers have a meeting with ATF at the SAR show in Phoenix in December. At that time, ATF was estimating dealer to dealer transfers at 60 to 80 days, and transfers from dealers to individuals at anywhere from 4 to 6 months. Some examiners are just better than others, and process more transfers in a day. If you letter of the alphabet gets you a good examiner, bitchin. They are trying to get the funding to add more examiners, but money is short everywhere. Strangely, the real problem is flash-bangs. Every time one gets expended by an LE agency, more have to be procured, and they have to be processed one serial number at a time, just like a firearm, but are an even bigger pain in the ass, because the old one has to be logged as expended/destroyed, and then the paperwork for a replacement. I suspect if suppressor regs get loosened, the volume of transfers will increase to the point that we can conceivably see transfer times like the bad old days, ie 7 plus months.

From what I've seen, a Form 3/4 transfer (your item between the stocking dealer, and then to do) 290 days and a form 1 (build it yourself NFA) is around 215.

It's any grenade now, including smoke and (most) cs, as the all powerful ATF changed the ignition components in a huge chunk of the civilian purchasable smoke/cs into NFA DD's a while back. Think they did the same thing with 40mm smoke, flares, and chalks as well, citing the igniters were an explosive.

I know it has a chance of an icecube in hell, but Eric Trump is leading the guys pushing for the Hearing Protection Act. If passed/signed, it'll remove cans from the NFA and make them a title 1 'other' firearm for a regular 4473 sale.

I'll keep crossing my fingers. Hell, several of the big manufacturers are behind it to the point that guys that have never put out suppressors are. Ruger is putting out several, including an integral barrel for the 10/22TD.

Posted by DarkAngel I know it has a chance of an icecube in hell, but Eric Trump is leading the guys pushing for the Hearing Protection Act. If passed/signed, it'll remove cans from the NFA and make them a title 1 'other' firearm for a regular 4473 sale. I'll keep crossing my fingers. Hell, several of the big manufacturers are behind it to the point that guys that have never put out suppressors are. Ruger is putting out several, including an integral barrel for the 10/22TD.

I was an FFL gunsmith for about 10yrs. I worked at a gun shop and a gun manufacturer for about 10 more. Dealt with ATF people* on a regular basis and many of them were good people, many of them were no better or brighter than the grouch that works at the post office window or the Auto Zone store clerk. Add to that laws that make no sense, law makers with no common sense and a bunch of snowflakes and just plain old uninformed people its a wonder we still have any gun rights at all.

Case in point, guys spend 6 bills on one of the crap consumer grade suppressors at a local shop, waits 7 months, then decides to go commit gun violence on somebody or some thing and then forgets his can at the scene of the crime, wow hes busted right? No. DA will only be able to prove he was original purchaser of the can.

The Feds aren't protecting me or you or anyone else with these insane paper chase regulations, meanwhile in Chicago we let hip hop crack heads and gang bangers roam around freely all of them carrying.

* Late 70s our regular field agent was predicting things would go this way (pre-NFA) and he was getting his fill of the b.s. and red tape, he finally quit.

The 10/22 is a neat little host for a suppressor, the integral barrel can is not new. Look up Jonathon Ciener. He made these back in the 70s and 80s sold mostly to police they used them for killing dogs, nutria, other varmints, taking out street lights in hostage scenarios and one of them let me play with one. Talk about quiet. I don't no the - db rating but the bolt made more noise than the muzzle. just a soft Pfthumpff. we used some Israeli sub sonic ammo he got from the department really I have air guns that make more noise