tacticalcity
09-14-2007, 16:34
Tips For Building A Rifle You Will Want to Keep Forever
No two AR-15 rifles are the same. If you’re fine with any old rifle then picking one up at your local dealer pre-assembled is fine. But if you care about performance and specs, and you want to make certain it lasts a very long time without wearing out then you really need to build your own.
Here are some tips to help you build a rifle you will be happy with the very first time you build one. If you're on a budget then try and plan a head and add upgrades slowly over time. Sometings like the twist rate and chrome-lining you have to get correctly right out of the gate.
These are lessons I learned the hard way. I am certain you will find plenty of people who disagree with me. Fair enough, we all have our opinions.
THE LOWER
Assembling your own ar-15 lower receiver from parts is very easy. Just about any local firearms dealer will carry both stripped and assembled lower receivers. This part is pretty much the same no matter who makes it and has little to no effect on the accuracy or performance of you rifle. There are plenty of online tutorials on how to put together your stripped lower receiver using a standard parts kit, so I won’t go into that here. The only tools required are a hammer, a punch, and a pair of pliers and some duck tape might help as well. You can wrap it around the ends of the pliers and the body of your punch to prevent them for scratching up the finish on your lower while you work. All basic stuff any 5 year old could do.
THE UPPER
The upper assemblies come completely put together in a wide variety of flavors. You can get long ones, short ones, fat ones, so on and so on. No matter what your preference you can find one that meets your needs far greater than a generic store bought rifle.
The upper assembly is where the specs begin to affect both quality and accuracy.
For the sake of argument we will assume you want to buy a 5.56mm/.223 upper.
Rule 1: If you ever plan to shoot military grade ammo (and trust me you will) then make certain it is chambered in 5.56mm and not .223. There is a minor difference in the pressure released from civilian .223 ammo and military 5.56 ammo. It is safe to shoot .223 ammo in a 5.56mm chamber, but not the other way around.
Rule 2: If you plan on shooting it more than twice a year you want to make certain your upper has a Chrome-Lined chamber and bore. Most barrels are Chrome-Moly and wear out rather quickly. Chrome-Lined chambers and bores last much longer.
Exception to the Rule: Stainless steel barrels wear out fast, but due to the nature of the metal can be cut cleaner than chrome molly. If you’re goal is a competition/sniper grade precision rifle then you will want a stainless steel barrel. However, 99.9% of us will never reach that level of skill that we will notice a difference.
Rule 3: The faster the twist rate the more accurate the rifle can be. 1:12 is slow while 1:7 is fast. Most uppers split the difference and are 1:9. My personal preference is 1:7. It does a decent job with 55grain ammo, but when you decide to splurge on the heavy grain Sierra Match Ammo, it will be capable of shooting it while a 1:9 upper will shoot like crap. This is an area where no two people agree. If you compare it to car engines…you might never need that super charged V8 under your hood…but if you have a choice between a V8 or a 4 cylinder right before a car race which one would you choose? The 1:7 twist rate is the V8 of rifling for 5.56/.223 ammo. The heavy grain Sierra Match Ammo is the nitris you pump into it.
Rule 4: If you obeyed rule 2 and 3 the longer the barrel the greater effective distance you will get. However, if the goal is a personal defense weapon and not a target shooting weapon then you want it as short as the law will allow. This is because you might have to run with it, or move in tight corners. Odds are if you’re using it as a defense weapon you won’t be out in the great wide open. You’ll be in an urban environment with lots of obstacles to get around. You won’t be taking 600 yard shots.
Rule 5: 16 inches in the gun world is not really 16 inches. The real M-4 the military uses has a 14.5 inch barrel and an A2 flash hider attached to it that brings the total barrel length to about 15.7 inches give or take. This is not legal for civilians to own. The law says the barrel length must be 16 inches or longer. So most civilian barrels are actually 16.5 inches not including the flash hider. They look pretty goofy compared to the real thing. There is a legal work around to this. The law says that if the flash hider is pinned and welded to the barrel then it counts as part of the barrel. You can find upper assemblies with 14.7 inch, 14.5 inch, 13.7 inch and even 11.5 inch lengths and permanently attached flash hiders that bring the overall barrel length to 16 inches. They look exactly like the military versions of the rifle you are attempting to replicate I offer several versions of these upper assemblies on my website http://www.tacticalcity.com (http://www.tacticalcity.com/) as well as the traditional 16 inch and 20 inch uppers.
Rule 6: The cheaper your 4-rail handguard is, the heavier it is. This is not always true, but it is true that the dirt cheap versions are far too heavy to be practical on anything but a target rifle. Their so called light versions are heavier than the full versions of the high end models. Your rifle is already heavy enough. Daniel Defense and Knight’s armament offer the lightest solutions and come standard on various military issue rifles. The only other brand I would consider on a self defense rifle is Midwest Industries – mostly because they are so easy to install are much lighter than the other forends in their price range. All the others, including the ones I sell are too heavy for my tastes. On a target rifle they are fine. If you’re going to have to run with it, or carry it for more than a few minutes at a time, go with Daniel Defense, Knights Armament or Midwest Industries. YHM is just not an option for me. Been there, done that. They make many other great products however. There flip up sights and gas blocks are really nice. I am just not a fan of their handguards (doesn't stop me from selling them when asked however - to each their own).
Rule 7: Plan a head and get an A3 (flat top) upper receiver. You may not be able to afford an expensive red dot sight or high powered optic today…but someday you will be able to and someday you will want to.
Rule 8: M4 feed-ramps are a nice luxury item. They reduce jamming. If you get a good deal on an upper without them, it will do the job. Just know that they do make a difference and are the sign of a higher end upper assembly.
Rule 9: Detachable Carry Handle sights are heavy. A flip up rear sight is much lighter. Just because it flips does not mean you have to use that function. It will lock in the up position and make a very reliable rear sight. The advantage being you can use the same rear sight regardless of what type of optics you add, and you can use it with no optics at all. When using a battery powered red dot sight with no fixed aiming point leave it in the up position. Batteries fail, your iron sights won’t. Fold it down when using a magnified scope like the Trijicon 4x32 or a tradition hunting scope.
Rule 10: Unless you are certain you are always going to use a magnified scope, don’t get a flip-up front sight. In most cases the A2 front sight post will not interfere with your magnified scope. The area you see is between your front sight’s wings so it is like the front sight post is not even there. In the case of a red dot sight or just plain iron sights you want the front sight post to be in the up position anyways. If you’re building a pure target or hunting rifle then it makes sense to have a flip-up front sight.
Rule 11: Handguards get hot. Especially metal 4-rail handguards. Invest in plastic rail covers. The easiest to take on and off and to modify are the Magpul XT rail covers.
THE GRIP
My favorite grip is the Hogue over molded rubber grip. It just feels really nice. Most lower parts kits come with a standard A2 pistol grip. The Magpul MIAD grip has a really nice trigger guard built into which makes putting together your lower a little easier. In my opinion the Tango Down grips feel too rough in my hands, but they do have a nice shape to them. It all comes down to preference on this one. I am not a big fan of forward pistol grips, however Tango Down seems to make the best one.
THE BUTTSTOCK
I am something of a traditionalist here. For M4 and carbines I like the standard 6-position collapsible stock and for longer rifles I like the A2 stock. They look, work, and feel good to me. However there are all kinds of great stock options out there if you have the budget. The Vltor and the LMT Crane stock are the most functional of the high-end buttstocks offering storage and really nice cheak welds. Magpul has some nice stocks as well. I would rather spend that money on a high-end optic and worry about the stock upgrade down the line.
OTHER ACCESSORIES
I could go on and on forever here. A tactical light comes in handy. You don’t need to get too fancy. A VLTOR mount and a Surefire 6P flash light will do. The $30 specials will not, the light has blind spots and they burn out too fast. The high-end Surefire lights are really nice too. Mounted correctly you don’t need a pressure switch. I’m not a big fan of them No matter where you put a pressure swich you're going to hit it at the wrong time...if you're using it on a raid then that could cost someone their life. Harris Bi-Pods are great for target or sniper rifles, not so great for hunting or self defense rifles. A 3-point sling is a nice touch. If you need to have a sling because you carry your rifle for a living, you want it hanging infront of you and not on your back. My general rule of thumb is that if you really don’t need it leave it off. The rifle is heavy enough.
WHERE TO BUY
If you are looking for any of the parts mentioned above please visit my website http://www.tacticalcity.com (http://www.tacticalcity.com/)! I have a very low markup and provide excellent customer service.
Enjoy your project and I hope it turns out great!
No two AR-15 rifles are the same. If you’re fine with any old rifle then picking one up at your local dealer pre-assembled is fine. But if you care about performance and specs, and you want to make certain it lasts a very long time without wearing out then you really need to build your own.
Here are some tips to help you build a rifle you will be happy with the very first time you build one. If you're on a budget then try and plan a head and add upgrades slowly over time. Sometings like the twist rate and chrome-lining you have to get correctly right out of the gate.
These are lessons I learned the hard way. I am certain you will find plenty of people who disagree with me. Fair enough, we all have our opinions.
THE LOWER
Assembling your own ar-15 lower receiver from parts is very easy. Just about any local firearms dealer will carry both stripped and assembled lower receivers. This part is pretty much the same no matter who makes it and has little to no effect on the accuracy or performance of you rifle. There are plenty of online tutorials on how to put together your stripped lower receiver using a standard parts kit, so I won’t go into that here. The only tools required are a hammer, a punch, and a pair of pliers and some duck tape might help as well. You can wrap it around the ends of the pliers and the body of your punch to prevent them for scratching up the finish on your lower while you work. All basic stuff any 5 year old could do.
THE UPPER
The upper assemblies come completely put together in a wide variety of flavors. You can get long ones, short ones, fat ones, so on and so on. No matter what your preference you can find one that meets your needs far greater than a generic store bought rifle.
The upper assembly is where the specs begin to affect both quality and accuracy.
For the sake of argument we will assume you want to buy a 5.56mm/.223 upper.
Rule 1: If you ever plan to shoot military grade ammo (and trust me you will) then make certain it is chambered in 5.56mm and not .223. There is a minor difference in the pressure released from civilian .223 ammo and military 5.56 ammo. It is safe to shoot .223 ammo in a 5.56mm chamber, but not the other way around.
Rule 2: If you plan on shooting it more than twice a year you want to make certain your upper has a Chrome-Lined chamber and bore. Most barrels are Chrome-Moly and wear out rather quickly. Chrome-Lined chambers and bores last much longer.
Exception to the Rule: Stainless steel barrels wear out fast, but due to the nature of the metal can be cut cleaner than chrome molly. If you’re goal is a competition/sniper grade precision rifle then you will want a stainless steel barrel. However, 99.9% of us will never reach that level of skill that we will notice a difference.
Rule 3: The faster the twist rate the more accurate the rifle can be. 1:12 is slow while 1:7 is fast. Most uppers split the difference and are 1:9. My personal preference is 1:7. It does a decent job with 55grain ammo, but when you decide to splurge on the heavy grain Sierra Match Ammo, it will be capable of shooting it while a 1:9 upper will shoot like crap. This is an area where no two people agree. If you compare it to car engines…you might never need that super charged V8 under your hood…but if you have a choice between a V8 or a 4 cylinder right before a car race which one would you choose? The 1:7 twist rate is the V8 of rifling for 5.56/.223 ammo. The heavy grain Sierra Match Ammo is the nitris you pump into it.
Rule 4: If you obeyed rule 2 and 3 the longer the barrel the greater effective distance you will get. However, if the goal is a personal defense weapon and not a target shooting weapon then you want it as short as the law will allow. This is because you might have to run with it, or move in tight corners. Odds are if you’re using it as a defense weapon you won’t be out in the great wide open. You’ll be in an urban environment with lots of obstacles to get around. You won’t be taking 600 yard shots.
Rule 5: 16 inches in the gun world is not really 16 inches. The real M-4 the military uses has a 14.5 inch barrel and an A2 flash hider attached to it that brings the total barrel length to about 15.7 inches give or take. This is not legal for civilians to own. The law says the barrel length must be 16 inches or longer. So most civilian barrels are actually 16.5 inches not including the flash hider. They look pretty goofy compared to the real thing. There is a legal work around to this. The law says that if the flash hider is pinned and welded to the barrel then it counts as part of the barrel. You can find upper assemblies with 14.7 inch, 14.5 inch, 13.7 inch and even 11.5 inch lengths and permanently attached flash hiders that bring the overall barrel length to 16 inches. They look exactly like the military versions of the rifle you are attempting to replicate I offer several versions of these upper assemblies on my website http://www.tacticalcity.com (http://www.tacticalcity.com/) as well as the traditional 16 inch and 20 inch uppers.
Rule 6: The cheaper your 4-rail handguard is, the heavier it is. This is not always true, but it is true that the dirt cheap versions are far too heavy to be practical on anything but a target rifle. Their so called light versions are heavier than the full versions of the high end models. Your rifle is already heavy enough. Daniel Defense and Knight’s armament offer the lightest solutions and come standard on various military issue rifles. The only other brand I would consider on a self defense rifle is Midwest Industries – mostly because they are so easy to install are much lighter than the other forends in their price range. All the others, including the ones I sell are too heavy for my tastes. On a target rifle they are fine. If you’re going to have to run with it, or carry it for more than a few minutes at a time, go with Daniel Defense, Knights Armament or Midwest Industries. YHM is just not an option for me. Been there, done that. They make many other great products however. There flip up sights and gas blocks are really nice. I am just not a fan of their handguards (doesn't stop me from selling them when asked however - to each their own).
Rule 7: Plan a head and get an A3 (flat top) upper receiver. You may not be able to afford an expensive red dot sight or high powered optic today…but someday you will be able to and someday you will want to.
Rule 8: M4 feed-ramps are a nice luxury item. They reduce jamming. If you get a good deal on an upper without them, it will do the job. Just know that they do make a difference and are the sign of a higher end upper assembly.
Rule 9: Detachable Carry Handle sights are heavy. A flip up rear sight is much lighter. Just because it flips does not mean you have to use that function. It will lock in the up position and make a very reliable rear sight. The advantage being you can use the same rear sight regardless of what type of optics you add, and you can use it with no optics at all. When using a battery powered red dot sight with no fixed aiming point leave it in the up position. Batteries fail, your iron sights won’t. Fold it down when using a magnified scope like the Trijicon 4x32 or a tradition hunting scope.
Rule 10: Unless you are certain you are always going to use a magnified scope, don’t get a flip-up front sight. In most cases the A2 front sight post will not interfere with your magnified scope. The area you see is between your front sight’s wings so it is like the front sight post is not even there. In the case of a red dot sight or just plain iron sights you want the front sight post to be in the up position anyways. If you’re building a pure target or hunting rifle then it makes sense to have a flip-up front sight.
Rule 11: Handguards get hot. Especially metal 4-rail handguards. Invest in plastic rail covers. The easiest to take on and off and to modify are the Magpul XT rail covers.
THE GRIP
My favorite grip is the Hogue over molded rubber grip. It just feels really nice. Most lower parts kits come with a standard A2 pistol grip. The Magpul MIAD grip has a really nice trigger guard built into which makes putting together your lower a little easier. In my opinion the Tango Down grips feel too rough in my hands, but they do have a nice shape to them. It all comes down to preference on this one. I am not a big fan of forward pistol grips, however Tango Down seems to make the best one.
THE BUTTSTOCK
I am something of a traditionalist here. For M4 and carbines I like the standard 6-position collapsible stock and for longer rifles I like the A2 stock. They look, work, and feel good to me. However there are all kinds of great stock options out there if you have the budget. The Vltor and the LMT Crane stock are the most functional of the high-end buttstocks offering storage and really nice cheak welds. Magpul has some nice stocks as well. I would rather spend that money on a high-end optic and worry about the stock upgrade down the line.
OTHER ACCESSORIES
I could go on and on forever here. A tactical light comes in handy. You don’t need to get too fancy. A VLTOR mount and a Surefire 6P flash light will do. The $30 specials will not, the light has blind spots and they burn out too fast. The high-end Surefire lights are really nice too. Mounted correctly you don’t need a pressure switch. I’m not a big fan of them No matter where you put a pressure swich you're going to hit it at the wrong time...if you're using it on a raid then that could cost someone their life. Harris Bi-Pods are great for target or sniper rifles, not so great for hunting or self defense rifles. A 3-point sling is a nice touch. If you need to have a sling because you carry your rifle for a living, you want it hanging infront of you and not on your back. My general rule of thumb is that if you really don’t need it leave it off. The rifle is heavy enough.
WHERE TO BUY
If you are looking for any of the parts mentioned above please visit my website http://www.tacticalcity.com (http://www.tacticalcity.com/)! I have a very low markup and provide excellent customer service.
Enjoy your project and I hope it turns out great!