Hey guys I am looking at buying an M4. It looks like I can build my own for a few hundred less than buying it complete. Is there any pros or cons to do this? It can't be that hard to put one together right?

 

IF you buy quality upper and lower, you can get a good product. But I really don't think it's worth it unless you already have parts on hand. The problem is who do you get service from when something isn't right?

There's many good budget AR's being made out there, and there are some to stay away from. STAG, Rock River, DPMS, LWRC, SABRE are all pretty reliable makers that have been around a while. They all make some budget rifles as well as the higher end units.

 

If you have an FFL you can save a lot of money--w/out it---who will sell you parts or
a lower receiver ??????? Read Shotgun News..........
Good luck..............................
Let us know how you make out..................................

 

What is your opinion of Olympia brand?

I have been looking at a flattop.

Thanks

 

assembling an AR is fairly simple. you might check out model one sales for the parts. with prices what they are now it could save you hundreds. as far as service, any gunsmith could handle that. whatever you put together is still and AR, just no warranty. another thing about home built is the fact that you can select the calibre, twist, length, and other aspects of the rifle to suit your own taste.

 

Guns don't fire well w/out a lower receiver--if you check out Model One---they sell lower receiver parts---they don't sell
the lower receiver---where you gonna get one?????
Please advise.................

 

Maxi- Olympia is another thats supposed to be a good brand, just left them out of my post for some reason.

There's plenty of places to buy ALL the parts required. Well, prob not in Detroit or DC...lol.

I can go 2-3 places here w/i 3 miles and walk out with what I need to build one. Or I can wait for one of the gunshows that happen every few months.

But I'd rather buy a quality rifle that will go bang every time and not have pieces flying off of it. And I don't want one that goes full auto on me because of a weak or broken part. And that I shouldn't have to take to a gunsmith anytime soon.

I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't, I'm just saying there can be issues.

 

CMT, LMT/Sun Devil, Stag, CMMG, Sabre, RRA, Bushmaster.

 

One point--you can't buy a lower receiver from any of those Co's w/out a FFL....................

You have to order receiver from your local gun shop--
They will sell it to you.
Building a weapon is like remodeling a house--we always
end up spending more than we planned........................

One of my friends purchased one of those old/unused german mausers--gun shop
charged him $60 to pick it up..............nasty

 

true, you can't buy online without shipping to an FFL but some charge as little as 20.00 for the transfer. given the time, one could aquire other parts online and at gunshows at a discount. it is concievable to build a plain vanilla AR in the 600.00 range. and as far as the AR goes, it's more like assembling than building. for a time, there were 80% AR castings available that required minor work to complete and carried no transfer regulations. not for the novice however.
one is hard pressed to find the right rifle leaning on a rack when you're set on things like stock, length, twist, handguard design etc. with today's prices building is becoming more relevant and opens the door to another side of the firearms and shooting hobby. i would suggest the OP seek info on related web sites and not waste too much time in the process.
the clock is ticking down.

 

flopshot See, thats kind of what I mean...you said about $600 for a put it together yourself.

DPMS even has ad's out for what they call "The Sportical" for $699 suggested retail. $99 isn't that much, and prob available for less. Looks like a reasonable price.

You are right though, if you have specific desires on what you want as to twist, stock, etc, building one might be the way to go. I think I would probably try and find a shop that specializes or is good with AR's and find out the price through them for exactly what you are looking for. They get the dealer pricing and you get 1 stop service.

I'm not an AR guy, but I know there can be issues with certain cast parts and I think large-pin/ small pin compatibility?

I'm still saving up for a new pistol and an M1A1.

btw....if anyone reads G&A or hmmm.... American Handgunner(?) one of my local shops (On Target Enterprise) was mentioned twice in the last few months. One mag editor called it one of the best shops he's ever visited. This is in a town of about 20K people.

 

the 600.00 was calculated on the premis of parts aquisition over a wider scope such as online and gunshows but it can be done.

the pin issues are a Colt to aftermarket issue from what i understand. still, an upper and lower of the same ilk would be a sure bet. in any event,,, spec a 5.56 config over the .223 if you're in the market. makes ammo choice easier.

 

I like my mini-14--uses 5.56 or .223
I reload both--deleting crimp takes extra time but ammo
is less expensive.
My savage .223 heavy barrel w/ 24 power scope is a
fun target rifle..........
Whatever floats your boat........................

 

All you want for Christmas is a M1A1 & another article by
Richard Venola.........................

 

jH yeah that was it.

Oh, and btw..I guess I meant a Springfield M1A.....the city would frown on me parking an Abrams on the side of the house I think

Though I'd probably take any of the M1's listed here....

M1 Abrams tank
M1A1 Bazooka, rocket launcher
M1 Garand
M1A1 Thompson submachine gun
The M1 carbine, or the M1A1, its variant

 

[IMG][/IMG]

I like my rebuilt little M1 carbine...................

 

I know this thread is a bit old, but my .02. Stay away from Oly arms. Building an AR is fairly simple. You can easily buy complete uppers if you like and lower receiver parts kits or you can purchase individual parts. Purchasing a lower receiver is no big deal, if you can find them now. As mentioned you just have it shipped to a licensed FFL and pay their fee. Simple.

Here is a screaming deal still running. Pretty much only need the lower receiver.
STAG / CMT M4 Rifle Kit, Less stripped lower

 

I'm a little late on this thread too but for the opportunity to talk about AR's, please forgive me.

If you like to put stuff together and see how they work, I HIGHLY recommend putting one together. One of the big reasons I got into ARs is that there are sooooo many options to make the rifle your own. Sure you can buy a plain Jane AR form DPMS (or others) for about $700 but that is what you get. A plain rifle. If you have the time to hit some gun shows (which are big time fun anyway) you can slowly amass the parts you need. Also, you can customize the rifle the way you want. Change out the stock grip for a CCA one. Rather then that crappy 4 position stock they put on, put on a A2 stock or maybe even a Magpul stock. Once you get the lower you want the sky's the limit.

As pointed out you need an FFL to have a lower shipped to you. Go to GunBroker.com FFL Holder Network for a list of FFL's in your area that will accept guns for you and fill out the correct paperwork and transfer the lower to you. Or go to gun shows as mentioned before.

If you do some looking around the net you will find that the election had an effect the the gun industry. Every body is out of lowers. Those that have them are charging $180+. You may want to wait a while for the supply to meet demand in order to get a fair deal. I know I am, But I have 1 1/2 AR's right now

Oh yeah, AR15.COM is a great place for all things AR!!!!

Above bought at the DPMS Tri Gun. (I live about 20 miles from DPMS)
DPMS upper $90
DMPS lower striped $110
Lower parts kit $50

My AR gun show deals (for example):
DMPS Super bull barrel, complete bolt, free float tube $300
charging handle $20
The rest bought from friends
Pict:

A4 upper, 16" chrome barrel complete $440
Pict using same lower as above: