AR Budget Build...Is It Possible?

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Olympus

Olympus

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I've never really been interested in ARs. My Dad has an Colt SP1 that he bought when he was 20 and I've shot it quite a few times. I've found it to be unnecessarily heavy and bulky. I'm also not impressed with their accuracy for the most part. Granted, they're a semi-auto. I have a Rem 700 VLS in .223 that I've tricked out and I can shoot circles around any AR of my friends. But mostly, I can't see paying that much money for something like that. I've easily got $1000 in my Rem 700 and it looks nicer and shoots 3 times as good as say a Bushmaster.

But that being said, I'm starting to come around on the AR. Right now I'm in what I call the "research" mode where I find out everything I can about a gun before I make the decision to buy. I wanted to know if it's possible to do a "budget build" AR? I recently picked up an Olympic Arms AR and it was one that had a really short barrel, car stock, and had just a flat top upper. I like the feel and look of the short AR. So here's what I'm looking for, something with a short barrel and carstock, and flat top upper. Since I don't want it for long range shooting, I don't care about how accurate the barrel is (got long range with my bolt collection). I also don't really care about that picatinny forend that you can attach all the junk to. I might later, but now it's not a must.

So after I've said all that, I guess I first wanted to ask what the absolute cheapest I could buy an AR for and also if it would be cheaper to do a build project buying parts and pieces seperately from different places and what the lowest price I could expect to do a "budget build" also.
 
I may be off but from my research you can build one up for between $400 and $600 range easy. $400 using lower grade or used parts.
 
I could definitely go for the $400 and probably my top end would be $500. But thanks for giving me a good ballpark range.
 
You're just under where you need to be. For $600 you can build a budget, but decent AR. $400 won't get you there. $500 will get you there if you know exactly what to look for and you camp the used parts section of the ARFCOM equipment exchange. Easiest way to do a first build is this:

DoubleStar Stripped lower, $120 after transfer fee
Del-ton Rifle Kit: $485 shipped

Total: $605

You can piece one together ever so slightly cheaper from used parts, but as I said, you'll need to be patient and snatch one good deal at a time as it appears on the ARFCOM equipment exchange. You can probably end up with a $525 rifle doing it that way. You'll also need to know exactly what to look for, which will require much research. I recommend saving up and going the $605 route for your first build. That will teach you everything you need to know, and next time you can piece one together. Good luck.
 
So from what I'm seeing, the 16 inch is the mid-length. Is there a shorter barrel option? If so, what is the size I should be looking for. I like the shorter ones better.

And would those two things have me completely set up with a decent AR? Are there other pieces that I'll have to buy besides those two things?
 
$575-600 is just a couple of phone calls away.

Getting less than $575 will take some luck, time and scrounging skill to be a quality build.

David
 
Where are these couple phone calls supposed to be made to? Like I said, if it's possible to get the shorter barrel, I'd rather go that route instead of having to get an aftermarket one. Also, the Del-Ton look like they come with the car stock that I want. Nothing wrong with the Olympic ones but they have the full solid stock so I'd have to buy a car stock for those.

So I guess I need to be figuring on about $600 then huh?
 
So from what I'm seeing, the 16 inch is the mid-length. Is there a shorter barrel option?
Click to expand...

A barrel shorter than 16" becomes an NFA weapon, which will require a lot of paperwork and a $200 Tax Stamp from ATF. Not what you are looking for with a budget gun.

A "mid-length" is probably in reference to the gas system, not the barrel.
 
any rifle or shotgun with a barrel < 16" are NFA weapons that require special registration and tax stamp fees. read ... expesnive!

a 'true' M4 Carbine will have a 14" barrel, a carbine length gas system and a 6" fore grip.

any M4 that is sold without jumping through the NFA hoops is going to have an extended muzzle flash hider welded on to make the barrel >16". These are often refered to as M Forgeries.

the term mid-length refers to the gas system and 'middy' ARs are usually found w/ 16" barrels w/ 9" fore grips.

So the way middy fans think....if I'm going to have a 16" stick, why not have the longer sight radius and less harsh gas system of a middy.

YMMV

So I guess I need to be figuring on about $600 then huh?
Click to expand...

nope....shipping, FFL fee (for the lower) and mags (oh yeah.....mags) are going to push you up closer to $675
 
Grab a shotgun news and all your pricing questions will be answered. J&T, M&A, Model 1, and Delton all make quality kits and most have www sites where you can build and price your rifle. Avoid Blackthorne and Hesse. A lower receiver shouldn't cost you more than 125.00 total. AIM has/had Superior Arms lowers for 79.00. Doublestar, CMMG, and Stag are all fine lowers and are reasonable priced. Buy a forged lower, not a cast one. You can build a basic rifle in the $500-600 range.
 
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Was it possible that I picked up a carbine length then? Because the one I handles was noticeably shorter than the ones I had seen in the past.
 
Where are these couple phone calls supposed to be made to?
Click to expand...
J&T, Del-Ton or even Model 1.


$495-520 for a 16" carbine with lightweight, chomelined barrel. Then you need a stripped lower. I like Anvil Arms for $105, but you can find cheaper. I'd be looking for one in the $90-95 range.

$605 +/- $10 every day of the week.

You could save $40 buy for forgoing the chrome, but that's false economy. The chrome will more than pay for itself in extending the life of your barrel.

If you really wanted to go cheap, I think I could do $525 before shipping, but that would entail a fixed stock.
 
It is possible to do a build on the cheap. You have to be very patient, and have the money ready to go at a moments notice. Cheap parts are few and far between, and are snapped up SUPER fast on the equipment exchange boards.

Here is mine I built for $421 out the door-- It was an exercise in patience though, took me a loong time to get some of the deals-

im000784gt8.jpg
 
If you've not really been impressed with the AR that much so far, I think you need to consider if just having a cheap one is going to be enough to interest you. Since you seem to appreciate a light handy rifle maybe spend a few extra bucks on the AR to make it lighter than most. Use a cavarms lower assembly, pay a few extra bucks for a lightweight profile barrel, etc. I think in the long run you might be happier with what you get than just something thats cheap.
 
I did mine with a Model 1 Sales kit. All parts except receiver for under $400 and then a receiver for $100. Gives you a chance of becoming familiar with it as you put the lower together. Then bought another upper "kit" and had spare parts for the lower. 2 uppers and spare parts for less than the cost of a Colt. Can't beat that with a stick.
 
My first was a Model 1 kit on a Olympic stripped lower. It was built in 2004, so the price is a little out of date, but total was $530, including shipping.

The second is a Del-Ton 16" lightweight on a DPMS lower that was purchased fully assembled. This one was around $650, could have saved 50 bucks or so had I gone with a stripped lower and a kit.

Both are without magazines, good mags go for $15 or so each, careful shopping could save a dollar or two each on those.

Both guns work as they should. Neither is what anyone would expect in a patrol rifle, but I'm not LEO, and they fit my needs. Not everyone needs a Colt or Noveske, regardless of what the corksniffers might say about it.
 
One problem with buying used uppers is fitting a Mil spec upper to a civilian lower. We used copper tubing cut and drilled out to take up the slack on the front pin. You can buy one of the modern kits and avoid this problem all together
 
Cost initially is cheap and upgrades are cheap to expensive and very plentiful. Figure in a Mikulek brake for $30, McCormick or Rock River trigger pack for another $130, NM sights, and it will outshoot most other rifles.
 
Was it possible that I picked up a carbine length then? Because the one I handles was noticeably shorter than the ones I had seen in the past.
Click to expand...

Just so you know, "carbine" length and "midlength", while related to barrel length, are not talking about the length of the barrel. Some 16" barrels are carbine gas systems, and some 16" guns are midlength gas systems.

The shortest you can really go without doing a lot of paperwork and paying a $200 NFA tax is going to be about a 14.5" barrel with a permanently attached flash hider to bring the overall barrel length to over 16".
 
+1 for essential arms.

i was going to say it but RonE beat me to it

local shop has essentials for 100$ stripped (Cast or forged) 200$ complete A2 (Cast) that would be...

200$ for lower
400$ for Delton upper

or

100$ for lower
500% for Delton Kit

so 600 either way really.

just ordered my Delton upper
410$ (incl shipping)
110$ for EA stripped lower ( bought local OBV)
65$ stock, buffer etc ( bought local)
55$ Lower parts kit ( bought local)
640 Total
 
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