First-Time AR Build — Need Help Sorting it Out

[rg115]

Been toying with the idea of building an AR-15 for a while now. Finally started diving into parts. Honestly, it feels a bit overwhelming. There are deals out there, but how do you know what's actually good?

I'm leaning towards a basic build. Sticking with 5.56 seems like the easiest, but I'm open to suggestions if there's something better for a newbie.

What brands should I steer clear of? I'm curious if anyone has run into hidden costs during their builds. I've heard people mention rookie mistakes, but I'm not sure what to look out for. Is it worth it to build my own, or should I just save some hassle and buy a complete rifle?

I'd love to hear your experiences — especially the stuff you learned the hard way. Any tips would be awesome.

 

[Sourdough]

What is the motivation to "build" as opposed to purchase. I don't think it is cheaper.

 

[Alaskajohn]

I agree with Sourdough. If you are new to the platform and want a cost effective AR15, there are good quality rifles that can be purchased for about what you would pay for a budget built.

If you are dead set on building your first AR15 purchase, go to a range with some friends and become familiar with the various barrel twist rates, lengths, triggers, etc., and how people approach how and what they mount on their AR15s. Then you can figure out what you want to build. You still might not get it right (for you) on your first build.

 

[caribou]

If your time is worth anything you will not save anything building your own build. If you enjoy process or just want to know more about your gun then build away. When you get a part that you don't like, replace it, you just learned more. Once you start building guns you will continue to add options, improve parts, and just generally fiddle with your firearms.

I once won a shotgun in a raffle. When the guy handed me the firearm he commented that he thought I'd be more excited. I said, "I paid over $5,000 for this gun. I've donated to raffles and this is the first thing I've ever won. Now I'm going to have to spend hundreds of dollars to upgrade this shotgun." Over $500 later I had the barrel, stock, and sighting system +++ that I wanted. If you don't enjoy it don't start. I had a friend that enjoyed loading ammo. He got licensed and built his own ammo factory. He enjoyed building ammo more than shooting and he loved shooting. I like tinkering with guns.

 

[Sourdough]

Another "possible" is you put it together properly, but it does not run correctly. Maybe the problem is something that it is not possible for you to solve.

I bought an AR-10 and had to send it back, as it turned out there was no way I could have figured it out the problem. They had received a batch of barrels that had tight chambers. They ran "Finish" reamer down the chamber. It then worked perfectly.