First AR: Need input on a build

[stroo]

There are a number of places you can get kits from. I have used Delton and been very pleased.

BTW you don't even need to be able to build Legos (I have a horrible time with them), and I have built more than one AR all of which worked well.

[jb2012]

The vice is pretty necessary. The torque wrench- eh some people are going to tell you yes, some aren't. I'm a fairly large guy and when I tighten barrel nuts I get it about as tight as I want it (which is pretty tight, but not break threads tight) and then match the next hole in line for the buffer tube. That process hasn't let me down yet. That being said I haven't put anything super expensive together either. If I was putting some pricy parts in a noveske matching receiver set with a real nice barrel I might torque it.

[TXBO]

The vice is pretty necessary. The torque wrench- eh some people are going to tell you yes, some aren't. I'm a fairly large guy and when I tighten barrel nuts I get it about as tight as I want it (which is pretty tight, but not break threads tight) and then match the next hole in line for the buffer tube. That process hasn't let me down yet. That being said I haven't put anything super expensive together either. If I was putting some pricy parts in a noveske matching receiver set with a real nice barrel I might torque it.

You're probably right but you can buy a basic torque wrench for about $30. Every man should have one in his garage.

[Nuts]

Thumbs way up for primary arms. Built a 7.62x39 ar last week using everything from them for under $520 and just picked up another Anderson lower from them yesterday.

[hounddog]

I'd like to ask a quick question if you all don't mind? I'm not real saavy on barrel twist rates. For a 5.56 barrel of 16" length, what do you think is the best twist rate? I've heard some are better for different things and I see they offer 1-7, 1-8, and 1-9. Excuse the limited knowledge I have on this please. I'm more familiar with pistols.

[locke_n_load]

I'd like to ask a quick question if you all don't mind? I'm not real saavy on barrel twist rates. For a 5.56 barrel of 16" length, what do you think is the best twist rate? I've heard some are better for different things and I see they offer 1-7, 1-8, and 1-9. Excuse the limited knowledge I have on this please. I'm more familiar with pistols.

Stay away from 1-9 if you can, as it will not stabilize heavy bullets, if you ever plan on shooting any. 1-7 is most common after that, and then 1-8 is somewhat rare, but both should be fine. If you plan on shooting very light bullets (<50 gr) and very heavy bullets (>65 gr), go with a 1-8.
But if all your shooting is 55-62 gr (most common ammo), either of the 3 will work for your purposes, but I personally go for 1-7.

[parabelum]

Honestly, if this is your first AR I would highly recommend getting a factory built AR, 5.56 chambered with 1:7 twist and first get familiar with the basic in/outs, construction etc.

As others have stated, if you'd really like to build one, they are very easy to put together. Getting them to be spec'ed properly to deliver appropriate accuracy and reliability is a different story. I've seen and also built some Frankenstein AR's that ran like butter, but I've also seen them being downright unreliable and unsafe.

FWIW, you can get a base AR now in the $750-$950 range (not going into brand etc. now), that you can mod out, if you wish to familiarize yourself with its design.

For a very first AR, I would highly recommend this route right now.

[Bitter Clinger]

I'd like to ask a quick question if you all don't mind? I'm not real saavy on barrel twist rates. For a 5.56 barrel of 16" length, what do you think is the best twist rate? I've heard some are better for different things and I see they offer 1-7, 1-8, and 1-9. Excuse the limited knowledge I have on this please. I'm more familiar with pistols.

Stay away from 1-9 if you can, as it will not stabilize heavy bullets, if you ever plan on shooting any. 1-7 is most common after that, and then 1-8 is somewhat rare, but both should be fine. If you plan on shooting very light bullets (<50 gr) and very heavy bullets (>65 gr), go with a 1-8.
But if all your shooting is 55-62 gr (most common ammo), either of the 3 will work for your purposes, but I personally go for 1-7.

http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php? ... e&start=15

[jb2012]

Honestly, if this is your first AR I would highly recommend getting a factory built AR, 5.56 chambered with 1:7 twist and first get familiar with the basic in/outs, construction etc.

I respectfully disagree, I think that building one is the best way to learn the ins and outs of the rifle. With a vise, upper and lower vice blocks, an armorers wrench, and a razor blade you can put together a very nice rifle. As far as getting everything to shoot straight, to me that completely is subjective to the barrel of your choice. You could buy a $400 match grade shihlen and have problems like headspacing, but you will find that the cheaper barrels will definitely have flaws far more often than the expensive ones. How the user installs the barrel can affect accuracy but typically if correctly installed (not hard at all) a more expensive well known match grade barrel is what it is. My point being accuracy is about the barrel and free floating rather than specific torques or installing one way or another. As long as your barrel is tight, your gas system is true and all holes properly lined up, there is not very much more that the end user can do to make it any more safer than a store bought gun. The headspace obviously "should" be checked but once again a quality barrel should eliminate that. But then again I love building things and take pride in saying that I put my rifle(s) together myself.

[The Annoyed Man]

I'd like to ask a quick question if you all don't mind? I'm not real saavy on barrel twist rates. For a 5.56 barrel of 16" length, what do you think is the best twist rate? I've heard some are better for different things and I see they offer 1-7, 1-8, and 1-9. Excuse the limited knowledge I have on this please. I'm more familiar with pistols.

Stay away from 1-9 if you can, as it will not stabilize heavy bullets, if you ever plan on shooting any. 1-7 is most common after that, and then 1-8 is somewhat rare, but both should be fine. If you plan on shooting very light bullets (<50 gr) and very heavy bullets (>65 gr), go with a 1-8.
But if all your shooting is 55-62 gr (most common ammo), either of the 3 will work for your purposes, but I personally go for 1-7.

http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php? ... e&start=15

Yep. My last two builds have been on 1:8 barrels.

Another hint.... Generally speaking, comparing any two barrels of equal length in which one has standard rifling and the other has some form of polygonal rifling, the polygonal rifling will tend to produce slightly higher velocities without negatively affecting accuracy. Just like other smaller calibers, .223/5.56 bullets tend to rely on high velocity for wounding potential, particularly with ball Ammo, and carbine length barrels produce lower velocities than than mid or rifle length barrels. Polygonal rifled barrels tend to cost more than their standard rifled counterparts, but not necessarily tons more. In my opinion, it is well worth the bump in cost for a polygonal rifled barrel, especially for a carbine or SBR length barrel, to bump up muzzle velocities without raising chamber pressures. And, there is an additional benefit, and that is that polygonal rifling is MUCH easier to clean, as anybody who owns both a Glock and a 1911 can tell you.

[jb2012]

I'd like to ask a quick question if you all don't mind? I'm not real saavy on barrel twist rates. For a 5.56 barrel of 16" length, what do you think is the best twist rate? I've heard some are better for different things and I see they offer 1-7, 1-8, and 1-9. Excuse the limited knowledge I have on this please. I'm more familiar with pistols.

Stay away from 1-9 if you can, as it will not stabilize heavy bullets, if you ever plan on shooting any. 1-7 is most common after that, and then 1-8 is somewhat rare, but both should be fine. If you plan on shooting very light bullets (<50 gr) and very heavy bullets (>65 gr), go with a 1-8.
But if all your shooting is 55-62 gr (most common ammo), either of the 3 will work for your purposes, but I personally go for 1-7.

http://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php? ... e&start=15

Yep. My last two builds have been on 1:8 barrels.

Another hint.... Generally speaking, comparing any two barrels of equal length in which one has standard rifling and the other has some form of polygonal rifling, the polygonal rifling will tend to produce slightly higher velocities without negatively affecting accuracy. Just like other smaller calibers, .223/5.56 bullets tend to rely on high velocity for wounding potential, particularly with ball Ammo, and carbine length barrels produce lower velocities than than mid or rifle length barrels. Polygonal rifled barrels tend to cost more than their standard rifled counterparts, but not necessarily tons more. In my opinion, it is well worth the bump in cost for a polygonal rifled barrel, especially for a carbine or SBR length barrel, to bump up muzzle velocities without raising chamber pressures. And, there is an additional benefit, and that is that polygonal rifling is MUCH easier to clean, as anybody who owns both a Glock and a 1911 can tell you.

1:8 seems to be the best all around. It probably won't shoot the heavier bullets as well as a 1:7 or the lighter as well as a 1:9 but it will shoot the midweights great and shoot lights and heavies pretty well. I know TAM will agree with me on a quality barrel being the backbone of your gun!

[The Annoyed Man]

My 18" 1:8 heavy DMR barrel shoots 75 and 77 grain match loads very accurately at 500 yards, and my 16" 1:8 medium contour Carbine barrel shoots 55 grain remanufactured soft points into a 1/4" cloverleaf at 25 yards. Neither barrel seems to be bullet weight sensitive, shooting everything from 45 grain A-Max bullets to 77 grain Matchkings with aplomb. Sure, the match bullets shoot the best in both barrels, but all of them are well within the range of acceptability for what is essentially a general purpose gun.

[Unocat]

For a first build I highly recommend you stick with the modular parts - completed lower, barreled upper, BCG, and stock. Trying to put together the stripped lower, stopped upper, mount barrel to upper, and gass block/gas tube can be difficult and frustrating without the right tools - punches, roll pins starters, gas tube alignment guides, upper vise mount, torque wrench, etc...

Can you do it with just a set of pliers and hammer. You tube says yes, but I garuntee that you have springs and catch pins go flying, you'll scratch your parts up, and you may have the barrel come apart during operation if not torqued down.

Once you are familiar with the process, tackle a stripped lower with a parts kit. Buy the right tools as brownells suggests in their learning videos.

[TVegas]

So following the Christmas rush, I jumped on a few Christmas and New Years sales. I picked up all the parts I needed for the lower receiver and assembled it last night. It took about an hour or so once I actually got started, and the whole process was not very difficult at all.

I'm very happy with the way it turned out, but I still need to finish it off with the upper. I've decided to go with a complete barreled upper receiver so that I won't have to deal with buying additional tools. I have been looking at Palmetto State Armory, but they're VERY out of stock right now.

During some research, I came across Houston-based Radical Firearms. Does anyone have any experience with their products?

[Unocat]

I would be interested in any reports on Radical as well. They seem well priced, but I am curious if anyone has experience with their quality, I was thinking about doing a 7.62x39 build,