New Project - Building first AR style rifle

BlackZ71Silverado · December 30, 2015

Yes, plastic that will break from the steel bolt carrier group cycling. The "carbon" models usually crack above the rear takedown pin, and at the front of the upper receiver in the area of the barrel nut, above the front takedown pin.

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Mossyoakglock · January 4, 2016

After much research and watching youtube videos, etc I have decided to just build my lower and buy a completed upper.

I have all the pieces to build the lower. Lower receiver, parts kit and buffer tube. Still need to get the stock though.

I am now deciding on which completed upper I want to get. I have narrow down a few between CMMG and Adams Arms. The CMMG upper has the new KeyMod handguard where they Adams Arms has the standard picatinny rail. Both are also in the same price range as well. From reviews I've ready both are good but wanted some additional opinions.

Would you go with Adams Arms or CMMG? I'm leaning more towards that Adams since it has the standard rails but the Keymod looks cool.

Not sure if I mentioned this but it will be a .223 rifle. One thing I did notice is that on the Adams Arms uppers, it just says 5.56 where CMMG states 5.56 but also mentions that it accepts .223. I always confuse myself but if it is stamped 5.56 it will accept .223, just not the other way around (cannot shoot 5.56 in a .223), correct?

Aaron1085 · January 5, 2016

Yes, plastic that will break from the steel bolt carrier group cycling. The "carbon" models usually crack above the rear takedown pin, and at the front of the upper receiver in the area of the barrel nut, above the front takedown pin.

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WTF?! Who would want that then?!

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Squirrely · January 5, 2016

After much research and watching youtube videos, etc I have decided to just build my lower and buy a completed upper.

I have all the pieces to build the lower. Lower receiver, parts kit and buffer tube. Still need to get the stock though.

I am now deciding on which completed upper I want to get. I have narrow down a few between CMMG and Adams Arms. The CMMG upper has the new KeyMod handguard where they Adams Arms has the standard picatinny rail. Both are also in the same price range as well. From reviews I've ready both are good but wanted some additional opinions.

Would you go with Adams Arms or CMMG? I'm leaning more towards that Adams since it has the standard rails but the Keymod looks cool.

Not sure if I mentioned this but it will be a .223 rifle. One thing I did notice is that on the Adams Arms uppers, it just says 5.56 where CMMG states 5.56 but also mentions that it accepts .223. I always confuse myself but if it is stamped 5.56 it will accept .223, just not the other way around (cannot shoot 5.56 in a .223), correct?

5.56 will fire .223.

But not the other way around

Mossyoakglock · January 7, 2016

Got the lower put together. Now just deciding on what upper I want (and waiting for places to get them back in stock).

all4sho · January 7, 2016

looking good!!

FishAr · January 7, 2016

Got the lower put together. Now just deciding on what upper I want (and waiting for places to get them back in stock).

Good job, I usually scratch all mine trying to get the pin in the bolt catch.

Mossyoakglock · January 7, 2016

Thanks, guys. It's my first build so I was extra careful. ha ha.

One thing I wish I had done was got the painted lower. I thought about doing the crayon trick to fill in the lettering but wasn't sure if it would look right on the Jolly Roger logo. I did white on my Glock and it turned out well though. If I do it I might try to find a tan crayon and keep the whole tan/black theme going. White might contrast too much.

Mossyoakglock · January 8, 2016

Now on to the question of the upper

I'm still hunting for one since everywhere online is out of stock but I did find this one still in stock on CheaperThanDirt.com.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/... rce=search

First off is this a good lower? Second. I'm not sure if I will like the 9" hand guard. I was thinking about wanting an 11" or so. How easy would it be to replace the 9" with a longer one if I wanted to? Since it's a free-float hand guard does that make it easier to replace with a longer free float hand guard? Do I have to mess with the gas block, etc?

BlackZ71Silverado · January 8, 2016

That Spikes lower is a good starting point.

I would not buy anything from CTD, they are a terrible company and do not support gun owners. Don't forget these are the same people who pulled items off the shelf and attempted to sell AR & pistol mags. for $100 and more during the last panic!

For the rest of your build, check out Bravo Company USA, they will have everything you need to build a good quality AR. They don't sell garbage like many others, nothing but quality parts using the correct materials and tested properly as well.

Another good place for parts is Primary Arms. They have a huge selection and good prices BUT do sell some lower quality, cheaply made parts. They also sell top quality FN uppers made to military standards they use while building the M4 & M16 for the govt. Going that route, you know for sure your gas port will be the correct size and don't have to worry about being overgassed or under-gassed like many others. Primary Arms is pretty much a one stop shop for a good build, you just need to know what to look for in good, correct part.

Did your Spikes upper come with a buffer spring and buffer weight? If so, what weight did you receive? Make sure you have the best weight buffer for your ga system length.

Looks like you also received the Spikes "battle trigger". Good deal, it's definitely improved over the standard GI trigger for sure.

If you are dead set on one of the uppers you listed, I would go CMMG over Adams every time. They are usually hit or miss with their stuff but better quality and use better materials than Adams. Their Bolt carrier groups are a little iffy though, sometimes the gas key staking is not correct but you can actually fix that on your own with a punch. They also test their barrels and bolt steel properly.

If it were my carbine, I would either order a complete BCM upper. It will be built and tested properly and ready to go out of the box. It should not matter what type of handguard any upper comes with so don't base your decision on that. You can purchase and install any handguard you wish.

OR.......

purchase a complete Colt M4 (6920) upper from G&R Tactical. G&R is a great little company and offer just about anything you could want. Grant has excellent customer service, sells quality parts, and his prices are hard to beat as well. A complete Colt 6920 (M4) upper for under $630, hard to beat! Can't go wrong with a Colt, they do it right and have been building AR's since the beginning. They also carry complete Daniel Defense and BCM uppers.

All much better quality than the two you had listed.

You already got yourself a good lower, don't cheap out when it comes to the upper. Quality goes a long way for a reliable rifle you can depend on. Go with the proven, well known and respected in the industry company (Colt, Daniel Defense, FN, BCM), you'll be glad you did.

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Mossyoakglock · January 8, 2016

Not sure why but the link didn't work. Here is the upper from Spikes.

Is this a good upper? I figured it would work with the lower and all the other spikes stuff I got.

I haven't got the upper yet. I got a buffer spring kit when I got my lower. It says it's a mil-spec 17-7 stainless spring with ST-T2 buffer.

Mossyoakglock · January 8, 2016

I took a look at G&R. I might have narrowed it down to a few complete uppers.

Daniel Defense 16 UGR V5 Middy

Daniel Defense 16 UGR V5 LW Middy

If I find a BCM complete upper I like, would a DD and BCM be two of your top choices? Either one over the other or too close to call?

A mid length gas system is better than a carbine length on a 16" barrel, correct? Is the rail system on the Daniel Defense uppers a standard pictinanny rail? I didn't like the BCM upper because of the keymod rail. I like the way the DD uppers look too. Plus $785 for a complete DD upper? I don't think you can beat that.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out and answer my questions. I've been into guns for a long time but this is my first venture into the AR world so I'm learning. But it's all really interesting.

sprayed99 · January 8, 2016

Build your own upper. Why even mess with a complete upper when you can get much better parts...like your barrel?

I like using Mid-south distribution, rainier arms, vertex ops, and joe bob outfitters for my parts.

Here is the parts list for the one I'm building now. Yes it is an expensive build, but after building several I like to piss away money on nice crap... This one is for my wife.

Lower:

Seekins Precision Billet SBA15 Lower

Velocity Triggers single stage 3lb curved

KNS Pin Kit

Magpul MOE+ Grip

V7 Titanium grip screw

BCM stock hardware kit

ERGO Lower spring kit

KNS Gen2 trigger pin kit

MFT Minimalist stock

Battle Arms BAS-CASS Ambi safety

Batlle Arms Titanium takedown pins

V7 Titanium end plate and castle nut

Battle Arms Large mag release

V7 Titanium Mar release kit

Upper:

Rainier Arms 300blk out 14.5" Rock Creek cut rifled blank (Also got an 8.5" when my stamp comes in)

Seekins Precision SP223 Billet upper

Seekins Precision Adj gas block

Seekins Precision NOXs hand guard 12" and 9"

Sharps Rifle Co BCG NP3+ coated

AXTS Charging Handle

V7 inconel gas tube

Also waiting for my new can to get out of jail...wait times suck!

sprayed99 · January 8, 2016

AR15.com is a good resource.

There is some decent info on that forum, but just watch out. That place is crawling with trolls. I read a few things now and then but normally hang out on snipershide.

Mossyoakglock · January 8, 2016

I would build an upper but since this is my first, I want a complete. Not trying to break the bank either so I'll be going with a complete for this time. Maybe build an upper for the next one.