Good source of info on building an AR-15

[chiroman]

I am planning on building my own AR-15. I have not had any real experiance with this, and it is going to be a project for me. Are there any good videos or books that walk you thru the steps of putting a kit togrther? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Captain K-man]

Do a youtube search, there's a lot of good multi part series on there. That's how I did my first build and I had zero experience with ARs. I didn't need a book..... Good luck.

 

[bswartz15]

Try this link. It has really detailed instructions: Assemble your own LOWER, UPPER, FREE FLOAT, TRIGGER, GAS BLOCK - Step by step instructions! - AR15.COM

 

[e_v_h]

The idea of building my own AR-15 seems daunting but there are so many resources on youtube and AR15.com (both of which were recommended above). You'll find all of what you need for information.

 

[Iam2Taz]

If I can do it anybody can. You just need a little mechanical savvy. Watch the "tips" on the lower when you put the finger guard on. Make sure it has support so you don't snap it off.

 

[chiroman]

Thanks guys. I'm going to start soon. Think I'm going to get a del-ton ket which comes with everything but a stripped lower. Then build from there. Are there any special tools I will need to get?

 

[SGB]

Thanks guys. I'm going to start soon. Think I'm going to get a del-ton ket which comes with everything but a stripped lower. Then build from there. Are there any special tools I will need to get?

This Link Removed is everything the Delton kit isn't. Not all AR prts are created equal.

Barrel length 16"
Hammer Forged Barrel
Machine Gun Steel
5.56 Nato Chamber
1 in 7" twist
Double-thick Chrome-lined bore and chamber
High pressure tested
Magnetic particle inspected
M4A1 profile
M4 feedramps
Forged upper
T-marks
Full auto bolt carrier
Carpenter 158 Bolt
Single Stage Combat Trigger
6-position Mil-spec diameter buffer tube


JABTAC has Spikes lowers for $103

 

[anarmedsociety]

curious

How much is that particular kit by palmetto state.currently building peice by peice got new frontier complete120$ grizzly upper80$ dsa16parkedzm4 110$ deltaring by dsa12$ pmag15$

 

[Etkini]

While PSA does make good gear (I use their M4 stock and receiver extension since I purchased my rifle with an ACE ARFX-E stock), my Del-Ton rifle (built from a kit) has worked flawlessly, just as well as any BCM, Spikes, Bushmaster, CMMG, Colt, PSA, or whatever top-dollar rig you can think up does. All AR-15 parts may not be created equal, but Mil-Spec is Mil-Spec (no civilian AR-15 is Mil-Spec - the whole Mil-Spec term gets thrown around way too much, but I'll save that for another conversation) - 7075 aluminum is 7075 aluminum, it doesn't magically turn into 6065. You can throw around the fancy terms, but again MPI\HPT testing is MPI\HPT testing, if it passes it passes. The Del-Ton kit may not have a "full-auto bolt carrier," but if you plan on using this rifle with either a $4-6k lightning link, $8-16k RDIAS or a $20k+ registered receiver, you're probably out of your mind. Mind you, no disrespect intended, but I hear these things almost daily. If you were to throw the individual parts made by 3 "low tier" and 3 "tier 1" manufacturers into a bucket, I highly doubt anyone could tell them apart save for some tell-tale signs and markings.

With that said, there's only 4 manufacturers who forge the majority of AR15 lowers (MMS, CMT, LMT and LAR), they are then sold to the companies to be finished\engraved. PSA uses lowers forged by Olympic, Del-ton uses lowers from ATI - neither made by the "big 4," not that it matters. If you want the least expensive rifle you can possibly own, get a $99 New Frontier LW-15 complete lower and a $400 complete Del-Ton upper. If you just want an inexpensive lower for use in the kit, New Frontier also sells stripped lowers for $40. Yes, they're polymer, and yes they have been tested extensively to ensure they are safe and will last.
Their barrels are hammer forged and come from either Wilson or Mossberg, both of whom are very large OEM supplier in the AR-15 world. PSA will not say who their barrels come from, but I can almost guarantee one of their two manufacturers is Mossberg.
They use key-hole stamped uppers, which is the forge marking of Cerro Fabricated Products (forgers of many, many AR-15 uppers, including Colt).
Cedar Enterprises makes their two-stage trigger and it is actually quite renowned; not sure who makes the one-stage but it's a good trigger for an inexpensive LPK.
All the BCGs are MPI/HPT tested as stated before.

I'm not sure if they still do this, but Del-Ton used to include a commercial receiver extension with their kits unless otherwise ordered. It's not a big deal, it's just a smaller dimension tube with a slanted end. If you tried to use a mil-spec stock, it would have a lot of slop.

It makes a good platform to start and build from. I shot out my first Del-Ton barrel, and am on my second, but also have a Wilson barrel on the way as I'm looking for much better accuracy (sub-.75moa).

If you plan on using this rifle in Afghanistan or Iraq, I would consider buying a $2-3,000 Daniel Defense, Knight's Armament, LWRC, or H&K variant if not for just name's sake. If you're going to use this rifle to kill paper, do drills or maybe, possibly to defend your home, the Del-Ton is 100% reliable and can be had complete for about $600. I have never had an issue with it, save for trying to shoot lacquered Wolf ammo without cleaning it first. It has never failed me, never jammed, it just keeps working. Use the extra money you saved to buy ammo, magazines and targets.

With that said, if you buy the kit with a completed upper you only need (at a minimum) a hammer and a pair of vice grip pliers with some tape wrapped around the end to protect the finish. A proper set of pin\roll punches will make your life a little easier, but aren't needed. I've built dozens of stripped lowers and rifles so far, if you have any questions feel free to ask. The article on AR15.com posted above is a great one, I would suggest reading it.

 

[maine04619]

the Del-Ton is 100% reliable and can be had complete for about $600.

No such animal. Nothing is 100 percent.

 

[Rick Benn]

I am planning on building my own AR-15. I have not had any real experiance with this, and it is going to be a project for me. Are there any good videos or books that walk you thru the steps of putting a kit togrther? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Buy a factory built gun. Building guns is a craft best left to those who have been properly trained to do so. I have been to numerous armorers schools and most all of them stress the liability issues associated with guns cobbled together from random parts. There are so many things that can go wrong when you don't know everything about what you're doing. I'm just sayin'.

 

[Etkini]

No such animal. Nothing is 100 percent.

100% is a general exaggeration that's usually acceptable and understood as +/- 5% within certain bounds. Let me rephrase, mine is 99.9% reliable considering I've had it since June 2010, logged over 50k rounds (I'm on barrel #2) and it had two incidents which were my own fault and related to trying Wolf ammo as an alternative to reloading. Scouring the internet, you won't find much negative about them either. I'll say my experience with it has been good enough to feel I could and would trust my life to it.

As for the comment about building firearms, I do believe building *most* firearms are this way, but putting an AR-15 together is a lot easier than trying to weld together AK-47 or PKM stampings or trying to weld together and time an MG42 thankfully. It's essentially a grown-up Lego set. All of the pieces, as long as they're from reputable companies, are made to a certain standard and are made to be interchangeable with any other like part. Buying a kit like the one from Del-Ton or PSA has the "toughest" part already done, and that's torquing\timing the barrel which in itself is mundane once done the correct way once - they also are pre-assembled, head spaced and test fired. Most AR-15s don't necessarily need to be head spaced either, but it isn't a bad thing to do - you can also buy a barrel, barrel extension and bolt combo that's pre-head spaced. As for putting the lower together, it's 6 springs, 3 detents, 2 roll pins, 2 trigger pins, the trigger group and a screw - hell if I could do it anyone who can read and interpret could. :laugh:

Now if we were talking about trying to mill an 80% receiver with a drill press\Dremel or inlet a fiberglass aluminum bedded rifle stock for a detachable magazine kit with a Dremel and a rasp (both of which I've done and will never do again without the proper tools), that surely isn't for everyone.