Questions about a possible first AR build

[Jguy101]

I'm thinking of building an AR for my first centerfire to act as a general utility rifle: mostly plinking duty, but capable of social work if necessary; I'd probably take a class or two with it. Part of why I got thinking about AR's in the first place is the price of the Del-Ton kits; the thought of a basic AR for under $600 is very tempting. I don't know too much about the various AR manufacturers, though, so I have a few questions for you guys.

Would I be fine with the Del-Ton mid-length kit with a lightweight barrel on the Surplus Arms stripped lower? I'd likely go with the standard options and only upgrade eventually; i.e., when I have the cash for a MagPul UBR and an Aimpoint (I already ordered a Troy grip). Or would it be a good idea to get the full kit except for the BCG and buy an M16-spec one from LMT or BCM?

 

[WyrTwister]

Few of us " build " AR's . Mostly we do some , all of the assembly .

I have a DEL-TON rifle , ordered as a kit , but have not fired it yet .

PM me if I may be of assistance .

God bless
Wyr

 

[DougW]

All depends on your skills with hand tools. To properly build a rifle, you will need various punches, hammers, a vice is handy, and other tools. If you are mechanically minded, build away. It is a good way to learn and understand the inner workings of an AR. The other option is to buy a complete basic rifle and start modifying it to suite your needs. Magazines, slings, lights, optics, stocks, etc. can all be added as you learn more.

I have used Del Ton kits exclusivly for the past 3 or 4 years. I have found that their quality and customer service is top notch. I don't know Surplus Arms, but anything except a Hesse/Vulcan/Blackthorn lower will be fine. I use Stag, DPMS, and one Rock River. All were fine. Your choice of the BCG is up to you. I use the BCGs from the kits, and have an extra Del Ton BCG in stock. I would suggest spending time here and at www.ar15.com and spend a lot of time reading. That is a good way to reduce your chance of costly mistakes.

 

[Zerodefect]

Get a BCM upper and carrier. BCM has every modern variation of the AR15 upper available.

Alot of uppers from other companies went obsolete years ago. BCM is relly on the cutting edge of specs and quality. Don't go cheap on your upper. BCM isn't exactly expensive anyway. Any decent carbine class is going to cost you far more than your rifle. The cheap grassroots level classes I help out at are mostly for fun, we're not Magpul Dynamics or anything, so we keep our prices vey low. But even still it's $300 for 2 days and 1000 rounds of ammo. $$$$

Then build any lower you want. The lower really deosn't matter much as long as it fits you, and is of quality construction.

Don't forget an Ambi safety and Magpul bad lever if your going to take classes.

 

[longdayjake]

I have a little experience with Del-ton rifles and they are an ok rifle. For your uses it will probably be just fine. However, for the price I think that a double star kit is a better way to go. Try J&T distributing and see how they compare price wise. I am not saying that one is better than the other. Just that I prefer double star.

 

[Jguy101]

Get a BCM upper and carrier. BCM has every modern variation of the AR15 upper available.

Alot of uppers from other companies went obsolete years ago. BCM is relly on the cutting edge of specs and quality. Don't go cheap on your upper. BCM isn't exactly expensive anyway. Any decent carbine class is going to cost you far more than your rifle. The cheap grassroots level classes I help out at are mostly for fun, we're not Magpul Dynamics or anything, so we keep our prices vey low. But even still it's $300 for 2 days and 1000 rounds of ammo. $$$$

Does cutting-edge manufacturing really matter for my purposes? I'm just looking for something that'll be reasonably reliable and durable for possible SHTF use. It doesn't matter if my upper is "obsolete" if it was made using the same technology used on military guns for decades and was put together properly (properly staked gas key, etc.). Additionally, since I'm a poor college student, I'm looking to keep the initial investment low; optics and clases will come after my student loans have been payed off.

 

[TonyAngel]

If you have zero experience with the AR platform, I'd suggest just getting a complete rifle or ordering an upper and lower separately and slapping them together. If you just gotta build your own rifle, you can increase you likelihood of success by using quality parts. BCM, Delton, Spike's, whatever.

I just want to caution you though. You're gonna see a lot of posts around from guys saying that you don't need special tools and that they can put an AR together with nothing but a screw driver and a hammer. Some of these guys have been doing it a long time and I'm sure that you could put an AR together with a screw driver and a hammer, but let me put it this way....if I found out that a company that I was going to buy an AR from was putting them together with a screw driver and a hammer, I'd look elsewhere. There's nothing wrong with doing it the right way.

Another thing that you'll have to worry about is what you'll do if it doesn't run right. Having no experience with the AR platform, you'll have no idea why it won't run right.

If you're gonna put one together, you'll need at least a receiver block, armorer's wrench and a vice, along with a set of basic tools.

Maybe you should be looking at a CMMG bargain bin rifle.

 

[Quentin]

I'm thinking of building an AR for my first centerfire to act as a general utility rifle: mostly plinking duty, but capable of social work if necessary; I'd probably take a class or two with it. Part of why I got thinking about AR's in the first place is the price of the Del-Ton kits; the thought of a basic AR for under $600 is very tempting. I don't know too much about the various AR manufacturers, though, so I have a few questions for you guys.

Would I be fine with the Del-Ton mid-length kit with a lightweight barrel on the Surplus Arms stripped lower? I'd likely go with the standard options and only upgrade eventually; i.e., when I have the cash for a MagPul UBR and an Aimpoint (I already ordered a Troy grip). Or would it be a good idea to get the full kit except for the BCG and buy an M16-spec one from LMT or BCM?

I think you'd be extremely wise to go with an LMT, BCM or Daniel Defense BCG. They meet all military specs and could be dropped in a select fire M4 and function properly and last as long as the military componet. You can get away with most of the compromises of the cheaper kits if you drop in a first class BCG and the cost isn't that much more. I just bought a Daniel Defense M16 carrier BCG for $136 including shipping via UPS. I'm keeping my old BCG as a spare.

 

[tburred]

I just finished helping a friend build a Del-Ton midlength.
I think it is a nice rifle for the money.
I would recomend a barrel with chrome lining if you are going to be using
it for classes. Many classes will want you to do a lot of shooting before you
get a chance to thoroughly clean the rifle.
Sometimes unchromed chambers will have problems with that.

 

[bri]

I acquired my first AR about a month ago and was also thinking about "building" my own. After doing a bit of research and compiling a list of what I'd need (and what I'd need to learn), I decided a complete rifle was going to be a better route.

I went with a complete mid-length from Spikes, with a 10% off coupon it was just over $700. I believe the coupon has expired but I bet you can buy the complete upper and lower separately and still come in right around that price...