I own a Ruger Ar556 outfitted with Magpul MOE furniture. It's a fine shooter and I like it a lot. It didn't set me back much money either. I am not looking to build a sniper weapon. I am limited to pretty much a 100yd range, my abilities limit me to a 4 inch circle at 100yds, and I'm happy with that. I will be happy to build a gun that is at as least accurate.TexasCajun wrote: ↑Sun Sep 16, 2018 7:54 am I've just finished my first AR build. And despite the hard time I had with the bolt catch roll pin, it won't be my last. It was definitely a much easier process (except for the bolt catch) than I expected. Here's some of what I figured out along the way:
Lower - You don't have to spend a ton of money on a tricked out lower unless you really want to. I think highly of Aero Precision (and so do a lot of other companies, as Aero actually manufactures lowers for several different companies and stamps their respective names on them). The basic model will go $30-40. The gen 2 will go $80-90. Gen 2 is a bit more sturdy and includes a tension screw that helps tighten up the fit between the upper & lower.
Rifle accuracy occurs at the intersection of 3 points: shooter, barrel, and trigger. A good shooter on a bad rifle will generally outperform a poor shooter on a good rifle. But even the best shooters can't make a junk barrel or sloppy trigger perform better than what they are. So when you're planning out your budget, barrel and trigger should be a good chunk of it.
Now here comes the shameless plug - start with Primary Arms. Full disclosure: I work in the marketing department of Primary Arms, but this isn't hype. We've got a huge inventory that's getting bigger as we're heading into the holidays & our customer service is top priority. For most other folks, shipping is incredibly fast. But since the op is in Galveston, you can bypass that & pick up your order from our storefront at Beltway 8 & 288.
I didn't know that about the Aero gen 2. Sturdy = reliable means more to me than pretty or even super potential accuracy.
Things that I will eventually want a flat top, flip up battle sights. Decent chrome lined barrel. Quality BCG M16 open style, with some resistance to fouling. I don't understand the different metallurgy yet.
Right now I'm looking mostly at a2 stage Rock River trigger Its around $85.00. Primary arms I can get not only a good price but can save on shipping and FFL fees, that could just about double the price of a receiver. I bought some Magazines at the old place once, and it was a pleasant experience.