Need Your Opinion on AR Build

I think the contrast of the black barrel, buffer tube, and contols against FDE would be nice. The compensator could go either way. If you haven't already, maybe look at a bunch of other builds online, for inspiration.

I agree.
But with a twist.
Why not put it together and if you decide you don’t like the contrast pull it apart then CeraKote those parts?

Paint it! I live in a desert area and black firearms absorb a lot of heat from sitting in the sun. All the ARs I've painted in light browns and tans stay much cooler than the all black ones. I got some flat spray paint and just rattle canned mine. When it the paint wears it's much easier to touch up than Ceracoat.

The best reason of all to paint your rifle is because you want to.

I am having a gun Cerakoted right now. I told the gunsmith that I want the barrel done. He told me that sometimes Cerakote cracks if you really overheat the barrel. When I question d what he meant by “really overheat”. He said just blasting away for multiple magazines. I told him that is not how I shoot and that I want the barrel done.

I am having my upper, lower and barrel done in Blue Titanium and my handguard in Crushed Silver. I dyed my Thordson stock blue.

Pat Riot said:

I am having a gun Cerakoted right now. I told the gunsmith that I want the barrel done. He told me that sometimes Cerakote cracks if you really overheat the barrel. When I question d what he meant by “really overheat”. He said just blasting away for multiple magazines. I told him that is not how I shoot and that I want the barrel done.

I am having my upper, lower and barrel done in Blue Titanium and my handguard in Crushed Silver. I dyed my Thordson stock blue.

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If you get your barrel hot enough to damage cerakote, you've probably damaged your barrel.

to OPs question I'd leave the barrel parts black.

I prefer the contrast of the black against the FDE. If it were mine I’d have FDE upper, lower, hand guard, butt stock, pistol grip, mags and scope mount. Everything else, including small parts would be black. That’s probably the route I’m going with the 6.8 SBR I’m about to build.

LoonWulf said:

If you get your barrel hot enough to damage cerakote, you've probably damaged your barrel.

to OPs question I'd leave the barrel parts black.

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I agree.

I am a basic black kinda guy.

I prefer contrast in a build but that doesn’t mean you can’t coat/paint. Some alternative schemes might be FDE/NiB, FDE/Gray, FDE/Bronze, FDE/Titanium. Having a solid color sort of gets you back to the start albeit non-black.

I am sitting at exactly the same position on my grendel build, although a stainless barrel.

For me, something about coating the barrel bothers me. Im going FDE with stainless barrel comp contrast and all balck small parts.

My personal choice is to have the buffer tube match the color of the barrel. No reason other than it pleases my eye. I have two projects planned for this year .

The first one is my Purple People Eater that the Upper, Lower and Handguard will be Ceracoated in Purple. The rest of the gun will be left black.

My second project is going to be a d-i-y rattle can FDE camo. The entire gun is going to get a base coat of tan with other colors added for camouflage look. Again I want the entire gun to be painted FDE just because I like all FDE.

Cerakote doesn’t have any affect on accuracy, assuming your applicator knows to not shoot the inside of the bore. Pretty simple stuff.

My opinion on two tone builds, mis-matching barrels, etc....

No part of a build should appear lazy. A maroon door on the side of your tan pick-up truck is obviously not an intentional custom paint choice. Equally, a black barrel sticking out of an otherwise 100% FDE build just looks lazy and tacky. If you mix in the appropriate balance of black elsewhere in the build to make it look like a PLANNED two tone, then great. Been there, done that many times, for myself and many customers. But make it look intentional, not lazy.

There really is only correct answer which I am surprised has not been brought up. Paint one AR two tone black & FDE and get a second one that is all FDE. It is a rule in our AR Anonymous Group that the members have to own more than one AR.

BSA1 said:

It is a rule in our AR Anonymous Group that the members have to own more than one AR.

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AR Anonymous is for quitters.

Muscle up, buttercup. Buy another receiver set.

Like this one. You're covered for the desert, now how about the tundra?

https://bkingsfirearms.com/shop/ar1...ax-tactical-ffssr-13-5-m-lok-gen-3-handguard/

You would have to do the barrel white...

I voted coat it.

Demi-human said:

Like this one. You're covered for the desert, now how about the tundra?

https://bkingsfirearms.com/shop/ar1...ax-tactical-ffssr-13-5-m-lok-gen-3-handguard/

You would have to do the barrel white...

I voted coat it.

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Dude - I have lusted after a white AR ever since I saw my first Arctic Panther something like 20yrs ago. I have built/owned/bought every other AR I have ever wanted, but have yet to own a white AR.

Maybe I’ll take this 6 Creed LFAR apart and have it done. The barrel is machine finish stainless right now, likely shoot it black, do a 2 tone white with black major features, and probably blood red controls and accents.

Varminterror said:

Dude - I have lusted after a white AR ever since I saw my first Arctic Panther something like 20yrs ago. I have built/owned/bought every other AR I have ever wanted, but have yet to own a white AR.

Maybe I’ll take this 6 Creed LFAR apart and have it done. The barrel is machine finish stainless right now, likely shoot it black, do a 2 tone white with black major features, and probably blood red controls and accents.

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There's a snow camo Windham for sale in Topeka on the Ks Armslist...
Thought you might need to know..?

Demi-human said:

Like this one. You're covered for the desert, now how about the tundra?

https://bkingsfirearms.com/shop/ar1...ax-tactical-ffssr-13-5-m-lok-gen-3-handguard/

You would have to do the barrel white...

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Wow that is a cool pattern. I don’t suppose they have a stock done in the same colors and pattern?

They will do the entire set.

https://bkingsfirearms.com/weapon-works-gallery-2/

Stock, grip and all.

I think they just do their new products, but Weapon Works do customer owned rifles.
The patterns are awesome.

Varminterror said:

. I have built/owned/bought every other AR I have ever wanted, but have yet to own a white AR.

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Deny yourself no longer!
The soft grey and white of the Yeti pattern is much more classy than "Viet-camo, with snow".

Perhaps my 450 Bushmaster could use a spray. The lighter "Swamplands" would work well for Michigan all year.