AR15 - complete upper & complete lower - is that it?

Yup---that's all you need.

You'll need a magazine too. I think that a complete lower is complete but minus the magazine.

Have a good one,
Dave

Yup, at least as long as they are truly complete, e.g., bolt, carrier and charging handle in the upper and buffer, buffer spring, trigger components, spings, safety and bolt release in the lower. Should be it...just line up the upper holes with the lower pins, push the pins in and you're all done.

I did mine this way with a DPMS lower for $200 and a J&T upper for $400.

"Is that it!? silly rabbit there is mags, ammo, sling, scope, rings, trituim sights, lazer, mag coupler, light system...So to answer your question. No you only have aboout half of what you NEED

Yeah, upper and lower will go bang (with mag and ammo) but you are not anywhere near finished.

You'll find out soon enough

optics, magazines, ammo, slings, lights, lasers, bipods, rails, fans, refrigerators, did I mention rails?, LULAs, magazines, did I mention
XM193? batteries for your optics because you left the aimpoint turned
on, did I mention the ammo? rail mounted motorcycles, you name it
someone makes it for an AR

I suppose this will be taken the wrong way, but I have to ask: why buy a complete lower and a complete upper instead of just buying a complete rifle ?

I have assembled both uppers and lowers from parts, and I can see a couple reasons to do this. But, I can't see what you gain by buying what is essentially a complete rifle, fully assembled, other than two pins on the lower receiver that have been pressed open ?
I suppose someone could say that they want to buy a lower receiver assembled by one company and an upper receiver assembled by another company. However, again, I see no point in this.

Ok, maybe it is so you can "make payments" on the rifle by buying each half as you get the money

Educate me.

I think buying a seperate lower and upper saves an 11% gunsmith/manufacturer tax from "manufacturing a firearm" or something like that. For 11% savings, I'd put the 2 pieces together. I seem to recall some gunsmiths will not order both a lower and upper at the same time for a customer without them paying the tax.

What 1911user said. I bought the complete lower and upper separately and saved a couple hundred dollars.

Even more fun is to buy a stripped lower and lower-parts kit, and assemble it yourself. Not difficult at all and no special tools to buy.

I bought a Stag lower and Stag LPK for $144. The A2 buttstock assembly, complete, was $50, and I could have talked the guy down...but didn't.

Yea, I would have liked a Magpul collapsing stock, but the A2 was there at the time and I was desperate for a complete bottom half. $194+change, can't beat that price.

The upper is going to be harder to assemble and I'm thinking about buying a Del-Ton upper kit to go on it. They'll be at the Charlotte gunshow this month.

The black rifle is very addictive. I'm halfway through my first and already looking to my second...and third.

I just picked up a complete armilite M15A4 LNIB with 2 extra GI mags, cheap simmons scope and 4 boxes of ammo for $750, so there are some good deals out there that can save you money, without going the build it yourself route. I am looking forward though with expermenting with differant uppers as cash become avalable.

I currently have a stripped lower that I'm going to build my first AR on. My reason for this route is money. I figure that I can save a few buck by building it myself but I also don't have $700.00 to $800.00 to throw down at one time right now. Damn kids always want food and stuff
I bought a Stag stripped lower for $99 at a local show and will order a lowers part kit in the near future. It'll take a few months for me to save up again for a complete upper, then I'll be set to go.

Plus it's easier on the homefront -

Wife - "what's in the box?, ANOTHER new gun?"
Me - "Naw, take a look, just a bunch of parts"
Wife - "O.k, I thought you bought another gun!"

Secluded:

Another good story to keep the "Boss" happy is this:

Wife : "Did you buy more gun stuff?"
You : " No, this stuff was backordered from the last time."

I have been receiving "backorders" now for about 3 years.

Sales tax is a lot less on a $100 stripper lower or even a $250 complete lower than a complete $700+++ rifle.

Why? Because I can!!

Seriously, my first AR was a complete Colt SP1. My second was a complete lower and complete upper. My third was a complete upper and me building the lower. I now have most of the specialized AR tools and every AR since has been a complete build-up from parts, with the exception of the barrel/extension/FSB, which have been ordered complete. I haven't wanted to get into headspacing yet.

Aside from the joy of shooting something that you've built yourself from a pile of parts, it allows you to order EXACTLY the part that you want and put it on. No stripping off the FSB because you want the PRI front flip. No stripping off the A2 stock because you just discovered the magic of Magpul.