This year, Which will be my first build. There's so many choices options etc.... thinking 223/5.56 maybe 308 possibly 6.5 Creedmoor or 9mm .
Has anyone used the carbon fiber poly mixed lower? Not sure if I'll use that or billet.
What should I look for in barrel quality?
I don't want to break the bank either

Whew, I read the title, thinking the k was missing, and you were starting on an ark. Lol

I would not use a polymer lower on an AR build. Any aluminum lower that is "mil-spec" will work, I have used Anderson, Spike's Tactical and Palmetto State Armory lowers and none have had any issues but they are all "mil-spec" lowers. Right now you can get a PSA lower for 5.56 for 39.99, you can get their stripped lower for .308 for 89.99 last I saw and they offer a Glock magazine 9mm lower in billet but are out of stock at the moment.

PSA customer service isn't the best but I personally haven't had any issues with them, they also offer the best prices on kit guns minus the lower receivers.

If you go with a 5.56 build then get a barrel with the .223 Wylde chamber as it will fire both .223 and 5.56 with great accuracy, it is hard as heck to get a 20 inch barrel with the .223 Wylde chamber unless you want to pay through the nose for it but I have a stainless 18 inch .223 Wylde I am making into a varmint rifle. Also the 1:7 twist is for heavier bullets from 62 grains and up, the 55-grain loads will work but not give very good groups if you want to drive tacks. If you want to shoot cheaper ammo and get good groups then go with the 1:12 twist in a 20-inch barrel but you have to choose .223 or 5.56 chamber for that set-up unless someone makes that twist/lgth in the .223 Wylde I don't know about.

6.5 Creedmore is a more expensive build but you can put a 6.5 Creedmore PSA upper on their .308 lower and switch out between the 2, I have a .308 and 4 5.56 builds and working on my .223 Wylde as I get extra funds for it. It is very addicting to build these rifles!

White Oak, for the upper, you will not be disappointed. A lot of competitors use them. Mine is very accurate.

With the low prices of new I would only build if you really want to.....do not skimp on parts.

Bravo Company has great barrels and other components.

Ambi safety.....Troy alpha hand guard, rifle length.

Troy folding sights....h&k style front(round aperture).

Vltor stock or similar...

No plastic upper/lower.

Chambered for 5.56 not just .223.

Good luck!

I have several one has a polymer lower nothing wrong if you get a better grade one like the old Calvary Arms type but keep a eye out at PSA and build a blem on the cheap you can build one for very little that way~

Me too. Thought oh, no we need to round up the critters 2 x 2

You could buy a new optics ready bushmaster .223/5.56 over xmas for $350.

Great info thanks. Keep them coming

I would recommend the 6.5 Grendel, uses a standard ar15 lower and the ballistics are impressive...just my 2 cents

What do you want the gun to to?

If your looking to just build and fun shoot, there’s lots of options. For leisure shooting, Home defense, and predator/varmint hunting, the 223/556 will be your cheapest option to build and shoot while filling all those categories pretty well. You might wana favor a larger caliber if you plan on using it for hunting larger animals.

I would also suggest a 223wylde if the 223/556 is what you decide to go with. Go with a free float rail for improved accuracy. The barrel and bolt will have the largest impact on accuracy. A descent milspec aluminum upper and lower will work fine, no real need for billet unless you really like the look or idea of it. An upgraded trigger is a good option.

My upper and lower are forged aluminum milspec with a decent barrel and bolt. My hand loads shoot 1/2in groups at 100yds.

One of the best things about ARs is you can make exactly what you want. Build it for what you want.

my advice is buy a Anderson lower , my dealer has them in a blister pack on the shelf for 69 dollars not even behind the counter you do need to fill out a 4473 , actually you are purchasing it as an "other" this means you can build it into rifle or pistol.

I have done a few Anderson lowers they work well and cost is very reasonable

buy a lower parts kit , and a complete upper 223/5.56 is a very good choice for a first AR you can cut your teeth on that build and then you have the lower you have the upper and you can start experimenting replacing parts customizing

you need a roll pin punch and I recommend a roll pin starter this has a female hole the right size for the bolt hold open/release lever roll pin to fit in and you get a good strait start on it , a magazine vice block and a roll of painters tape. you will also want a AR-15 armorers combo tool or buffer tube wrench to tighten the lock nut on the buffer tube. often if you know anyone who has build before you may be able to borrow these tools but if not it is not a huge investment and then you have everything you need to work on most everything on an AR if your doing barrel swaps you need a upper receiver vice block.

good build video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8sY5CQmlHI

I tape the side of the reciver when I am tapping in the bolt catch pin , if you slip tape is a cheap way to insure no scratches

I don't use a pivot pin install tool , I just hold the spring an detente in with the tip of my pocket knife while I slide in the pin


barrel ,free floating the barrel , trigger , optics are where you spend the money but honestly so many barrels that are Melonite or Nitrided will shoot about MOA with good ammo that it really isn't necessary to spend more on a barrel unless your looking for sub minute.

bulk ammo in my experience shoots to about 1.5 moa so don't be frustrated if your gun won't do better until you reload or buy better ammo.

Great info and a lot to consider. One thing I don't have to worry about is the tools as several buddies have all the tools needed.

I'm leaning on the 223/556 and want it as an all around gun.

I think I found the free float rail I want. Looking at barrels and the 1:12 is not as common as 1:7 1:8 & 1:9. Would the 1:9 do the job as all around and various weight ammo?

I'll go with milspec lower and have been looking at both stripped and complete.

Build one using aluminum receivers, like many said, get a quality barrel, I got a wilson combat 204 and love the upper I built with it. I use magpul acs-l stocks for my lower receiver builds. Anderson and aeroprecision receivers. The 6.5 grendel is very accurate and a great round.

How do you all determine quality barrels? Most companies lay claim they have the best and most accurate barrels.

Its probably best to get all Mil-spec parts/components....for example mil-spec bcg's will be chrome lined but most commercial are not....world of difference.

Use a good Barrel and depending on the weight of your build Id go with a 20 inch. I wouldnt do Polymer materials either.. Next dont skimp on the Trigger. I run an Ar10 in 308. I bought a Geissele ssa-enchanced trigger its one bad rig.... And like others Advised Go Mil spec parts is best ..

Thanks. From the looks of it mil-spec isn't much more and would be wiser.

In many cases milspec just means a certain tolerance level or size. For most manufacturers it is the starting point for quality and things go up from there.

A 1:8 or 1:9 should be a good all around barrel twist. The 1:9 might not be able to handle the heaviest of .223 like up into the 77gr, but that depends on each individual barrel. My 1:7 does surprisingly well with 40gr bullets.

Quality barrels usually mean a high price, but not always. WOA, Noveske, Wilson Combat, there are countless AR barrel manufacturers. My barrel that shoots very well was just a middle end PSA that I think was made by FN. Find something you like and then look at reviews and use your judegement. Some places like Rainier Arms will give you an accuracy guarantee when using match ammo.

Get a chrome lined barrel.....

Did I mention ambi safety?.....its easier to re engage the safety if your right handed and use your trigger finger....that way also keeps your right hand grip correct.

Ambi charging handle is also a good thing.....the Bcm gunfighter Ambidextrous Charging Handle (5.56mm/.223) w/ Mod A44 is the one I like the most.

Night and day difference to a stock mil-spec charging handle.

MI Dirthole what is the next level up from milspec? Thanks I was thinking the 1:9 should be good
Marty I'll look up the BCM ambi charging handle.

1:8 or 1:9 are good from 55-69 gr may be good at 50 or 45 gr also

bulk 55 hornady soft points if you reload are hard to beet 9 cents each and I have 400 yard groups you can cover with a dollar bill using them.

I have a 1:7 5.56 nato and a 1:8 223 wylde

the wild and the 5.56 can shoot either 223 or 5.56

I was told to get a chrome line barrel also , and I did I went with a FN made PSA barrel it is very accurate till I sling up then because it is not free floated it strings shots from the pull of the sling , less when I mount the sling to the middle of the handgaurd than when on the sling loop off the front sight ,it was my first build and it is getting free floated this year , they are adding material with chrome some places do a very good job of getting smooth even chrome but it costs , the technology has advanced and spending the money on chrome to get added life , sometimes at the expense of accuracy is not necessary any longer the Nitride process hardens the steel to as hard as it can go making it a near equal with chrome for life without sacrificing any accuracy to get there.

many match barrels are going Nitrided now

that is good to know thanks.
Which is better a flutted chrome lined barrel or a regular one?
How do muzzle breaks affect the overall performance?

You really need to define the expected use for this rifle.

GCP, thanks for the info on nitride.

all around; Defense, varmint, target etc...

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/arti...arrel-finishes/

a good article on it

Have you owned an ar before?

16 inch , mid lenght gas , direct impingment , free float ligth weigth handgaurd , don't waste weight with a HBAR in 5.56 or 223wylde


technically this is a 300black out in pistol length gas , but the only thing I would change from this is a M-Lok handguard instead of keymod and maybe a different but stock if I found one that felt better I could use a little more length and that has a 0.70 inch pad on the back to give me more length but if your a normal sized human it wouldn't be an issue.

this picture was taken at the 200 yard line where the 300 was holding a little under MOA I have replaced the paracord with a paraclip mount.
when my 5.56 with an FN barrel A2 contour is free floated it will look like this with a m-lok

the scope is a 2-7x32 power Vortex crossfireII , it has the caps removed in that picture but the turrets are covered normally but very easy to adjust and zero , it is the BDC-hash reticle
it is mounted with Nikon P series mounts they are a 2 piece but give you the most adjust-ability possible , you can turn them forward or back or one forward and one back they are symmetrical in the way they attach to the rail , they slide on from the end and then the cross bolt goes through to tighten them also just about the perfect height at 2.6 inches above the center of the the barrel to the center of the scope.

For defense a 1x optic that you can get off easily and good flip up front/rear sights might be best.

No matter how you do it there will be some compromises if you go the 'all around' route.

A good carbine set up well for defense is not going to be a great 300+ yard bench rifle.

A good bench rifle is not going to be set up the best for defense.

When I think 'defense' I think fast, light, quick close range shooting....1x red dot with a 50 meter zero...JMO.

With the cheap cost of parts now you can build 2 uppers for the same lower and have that "all-around" rifle for not much more cost than what a single rifle used to be. I would spend more money on the hunting upper and just build a basic upper for defense purposes. my home defense upper for me is as short a barrel is as legal and a standard MOE handguard with iron sights, no need to get fancy but you could put a holotype sight on it if you aren't comfortable with iron sights, I do close quarter drills with mine to keep me in tune with my sights. my varmint upper will be the 18 inch .223 Wylde barrel with a free-float rail. my .308 has a 15-inch free-float rail with a 4.5x16 Mtac Burris and it prints MOA at 100 yards with off the shelf loads and basic trigger, when I upgrade the trigger and start loading it should easily print sub MOA but I put it together for 800 yard shooting (when fully finished). It is a great deer rifle as she sits though.

My wifes is a standard 16 inch 1:7 twist 5.56 that looks almost exactly like GREENCOUNTYPETE's picture but has a 4x12 Nikon coyote special with step-down ring reticle and a flip up front sight/gas block combo, I haven't shot it yet since upgrading the rail and scope from the basic mil-spec forearm and 3x9 scope but it would still print everything in the 7 ring at 100 on a small bore target from sandbags.

So many options now for your AR builds, you just have to have more than 5!

the 2-7 at 7 power does really well at 200 , really probably fine at everything inside 400, 360 is the farthest I have been out with with a 2-7x32 we were shooting unknown distance milk jugs that day in a corn field in early April before planting , I could spot my own impact in the dust , had a 1/2 value 12-15 mph wind had to hold 18 inches into the wind and 18 inches in elevation to hit at 360 with 223.

at 2 power you can see things just a few yards away , I have a nikon 2-7x32 on my slug gun an have shot a bunch of running deer at 15-50 yards it works well

if your thinking you really need in the house distances , get an carbine upper with irons and a light they are down in cost to around 200 dollars you don't need to free float a sub 50 yard gun

I have built a few and there are many things to consider. I would lean towards a BCM. It will be a little expensive on the front end but worth it. Look around and read forums, etc. picking out parts is half the fun. Also, you can build it to what you want. Example: I have magpul flip up sights and a aimpoint pro optic. It is all preference. Enjoy your build!

I finished building one a few months ago.
Odin works 223 wylde barrel 16”
CMC trigger
Aero Precision upper and lower
Daniel defense buttstock and M-lok free float hand guard
Magpul steel flip up sights
JP silent buffer spring
BCM pistol grip
Vortex Sparc red dot sight
Precision Armament AFAB Hybrid Muzzle Brake

I would also say don’t go cheap, get a good trigger, stay away from polymer lowers- I had one and it cracked near the rear take down pin and get a good barrel. I had time so I waited for all my parts to go on sale. Ordered mostly through Surplus Ammo and Optical Planet, they both have good sales and are good to deal with. Good luck

Had an AR57 lower Given to me. Bought a complete Radical Firearms upper for $189.00 with a sixteen inch skinny barrel in an aluminum free floating hand guard with a full length rail only on the top. Don't hang lots of junk off the sides or bottom It hangs on the front of my chest on snow machine trips of over 200 miles. Needs to be fairly light. Put a Burris 3-9 power on it that was on sale for $100.00. Bought flip up scope caps for $15.00. Put the cheapest non folding 45 degree sights that I could find on Amazon on it. $20.00. I like to carry it across my chest with the barrel up on the left side, so I bought a Blackhawk sling with a quick release near the barrel end for $30.00. I can see an critter while I'm on my snow machine, slam on the brakes, turn it off, throw my mittens off, unclip the sling with my left hand, chamber a round, flip the safety off, if it is 25 yards or less I twist the gun 45 degrees and use the open sights (That's why I use fixed: when I want them, I want them now, don't want to have to flip them up.), if it is more than 25, flip up the scope caps and use the scope. I don't shoot at targets other than to sight in, don't believe in zombies, and I'm not a SWAT wannabe, so I have no use for bipods, lasers, flash lights, flare launchers, chainsaws, etc., hanging off my gun. I have it set up for my use, not someone else's. Figure out what you want it for, and configure it to your specifications. That's the beauty of an AR.

Cheap works for me. But no plastic. Breaks in the cold. Have had no issues with it in the cold. Shot the above fox at ten yards running with open sights in -15 Temps with a wind chill of -33.This we after shooting it an hour earlier and having it cool back down. When you close up the ejection port and put a balloon on the barrel, the only place snow or mud can get in is where the trigger comes out. Have seen fellers tip their snow machines and their AK get full of snow and not function, have done the same with my AR with no issues. Snow machine rides and boat rides for hundreds of miles put a beating on guns, but my AR has always worked.

PSA has some AR-10 deals going on now a guy could build one cheap~

The one thing I will do on any AR I own is put offset open sights. They are amazing when varmint calling and you have a varmint appear at ten yards instead of the 200 yards you were expecting. I could see the same benefits on a self defense/end of the world apocalypse AR. You can put a higher power scope like a 3-9 on it to engage the bad guys further away, and have the offset sights ready for the one that pops up close. My offset sights are not back up sights, they are the primary sights for close, fast moving targets, while my scope is the primary sights for targets further away. Set up two targets at 200 yards, and two at 25 yards. Shoot at the ones at two hundred with your scope and high power, and then immediately shoot at the 25 yard ones with the open sights, it is a good feeling to be able to engage all of the targets in seconds without pausing to adjust you scope up or down.

I got a lot of reading on the comments to get caught up.
Marty yes but it was a 22lr pistol and very little parts for it. Beretta arx160 so I got rid of it.

Ok, so if this is your first ar....why not go to a good sized gun show and look at as many as possible, talk to as many people as possible about what they have for sale.....you might find a great deal on a good used ar. Use it for a bit and then you will be better able to determine what you actually want to build. Then sell it for what you paid for it or you may decide you like it and just do some upgrades to it.

You just need to find the right deal....I hear that the shows have really sucked lately for sellers.

May be a good time to buy....a used Colt would be good...just get a flattop

Anyway, I wish you good luck with it no matter what you do. Its been a good thread.

Fl cracker in AK, what caliber is that? Looks like there's minimal damage on the pelts.
I'm enjoying all of the comments and advice I'm trying to soak it all in. Keep them coming as well as the pics.
Law Dog, I noticed that too.
So far the main concensus is avoid plastic. Most say use bcm.
I like the idea of having multiple uppers and sights on each one.
I've been researching like crazy since Saturday. Reading as much as I can handle at a time. Looking at various parts.

Thanks Marty it sure has been a good thread. I've always look at them, I ask about them etc... I've shot several... I've missed the last few gun shows due to not feeling well. I have a great opportunity to either buy or build. I figure for the same price as to buy I could build a better one.

Here’s a picture of the one I built. I absolutely love it.

Odin works 223 wylde barrel 16”
CMC trigger
Aero Precision upper and lower
Daniel defense buttstock and M-lok free float hand guard
Magpul steel flip up sights
JP silent buffer spring
BCM pistol grip
Vortex Sparc red dot sight
Precision Armament AFAB Hybrid Muzzle Brake

thanks for the info