Budget friendly AR-15?

I'm looking to get into the AR scene and looking for any and all advice and suggestions from those of you that have them. I have next to nothing for gunsmithing experience, but might consider assembling a gun from parts if it saves money and I wouldn't blow myself up at the range. I'd like something I can hunt coyotes with and possibly take on a big hunt someday, and shoot at the range with my wife, so an adjustable stock would be a nice feature, but not a deal breaker.

Would you suggest starting with something that's ready to shoot out of the box, or keeping an eye out for parts that might be had cheaper and assembling as I get them?

My ideal price range would be under $600 for the gun itself, then I can add peripherals or upgrade parts as time goes on.

I'm open to any advice y'all are willing to share!

DPMS Oracle is a great choice for a budget AR coming in at only $499.00 at most sporting good stores.

Palmetto State Armory sit back and buy parts when they go on sale look for blem items they can be cheap if you shop and wait.

the orical is a functional budget gun

but if you build 499 will get you more gun

things that make more accuracy are barrel , free floating barrel with a free float handguard and trigger.

you can have all that in a build for right about 500

here is a video to help you better understand the build process

good build video

Get a lower build kit from PSA then get an upper from a sale at bear creek arsenal. Down the road upgrade the trigger. Should get you a shooter for under 500

https://grabagun.com/ruger-8502-ar-556-autoloading-rifle-556-223.html

following

good information

I would have to say building will get you more bang for your buck. The nice part is, you don't need all your parts at once. You can get parts as you can afford them. If yo want a good trigger, that, along with the barrel will be the most expensive parts. You can get a lower parts kit, including a crappy trigger for $60 if you don't want to throw $$$ at a trigger right away. If you want to build one, you only need some channel-loc pliers, vice grips, needle nose pliers, upper vice block, magazine vice block, an armorer's tool and 3 roll pin punches.

Very little needed to build the lower and you only pay for the parts you want - not a crap trigger that needs to be replaced later. Building the upper takes more tools so you may want to buy that assembled as previously recommended.

Some PSA lowers on sale come with the polished (EPT) trigger already in them one more thing you don't need to mess with!

I have been hearing very good things about these triggers Velocity triggers the owner worked for Timney and has 20 some years making triggers , the cost is very nice 134 dollars and they will add in free anti rotation pins , anti rotation pins get used on drop in triggers because the hammer and trigger springs don't hold the pins in place like a standard trigger group.

they also have a LPK (lower parts kit)for +15 dollars more than the trigger you will still need a hand grip , end plate , castle nut , buffer tube , buffer spring , buffer , and stock. but those things can easily be had separate and then you can get just what you like.

velocity triggers

3 months ago I bought a PSA Lower with The EPT it is a much better trigger than a Mil spec trigger. The lower is OK for the money. Get the CRT instead of the MOE to get the better stock for a few more bucks . If you can find a deal like I got a NIB RRA Coyote Special and a Predator Pursuit for 600 each then your way ahead of the game. Both shoot like a laser beam. Tons of AR stuff out there.
Look at Gun.Deals. New stuff every day

Today PSA has a couple of Kits

419.99 has back up sites sites

and 399.99 optic needed

Add a stripped lower (approx 50.00 and you can find them for less ) and you are shooting

You will need a Magazine aprox 10.00

http://www.model1sales.com/ Has everything you need. All you have to do is purchase a lower.

Magpul MOE furniture and polished trigger also, several things you won't need to buy later on!

Something that no one ever mentions is you can save a little money by not buying a complete rifle. A complete rifle will have a federal tax of 11%, by buying upper and lower separate you will not have that tax on a complete rifle, just on the lower as that's the serialized part. The upper is just parts for tax purpose.

The advantage of building one is you get what you want the 1st time you can buy cheap and then change everything and have more into it then you planned on often. Buying cheap then changing out parts you have parts you don't need and added cost to the build for the parts you wanted to begin with.

For 400 you can get a Frainklin Armory binary trigger. Its the closest thing to a fun switch you can get without the 200 dollar tax stamp.

GREENCOUNTYPETE, I watched that video today and after that, I'm more confident I could assemble a gun from a parts kit. I really like the idea of the free float barrel vs a drop in hand guard, so that eliminates a lot of the budget models of complete guns. Although after looking at some of these sites you guys recommended, I'm confident I could still assemble a decent rifle with a free float barrel for under $500 if I keep my eyes open. Keep the advice and suggestions coming.

What does the transfer fee usually run at the FFL for buying online and having them do all the background check and paperwork? $25-30? I have quite a few around me, so I can shop a round if need be, just would like to know what others are paying in general.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions so far guys!

223handguard.com I have used several of the super slim keymod rails. and their cheapo $10 gas blocks. Yep its all straight off a boat from beijing but it works well. Have had them for a year or two of rough handling and shooting. 0 problems. I have had more trouble from the PSA handguards than anything. That tension held stuff is nothing but problems. I want a screw seating into something to ensure the handguards dont creep forward or twist.

Really ..... ??? Thats going to be a crap load of use as a coyote gun aint it ........ moron. Its idiots like you that make the rest of us wear blaze orange.

call around and ask they range from 20 to 30 here , the thing is the stripped lower is the only part that needs an FFL everything else ships to your door.

now you are in Wisconsin , the state gets you 10 dollars more for an "other" this is what the stripped lower is transferred as , it is worth the extra 10 dollars in my mind because now you own a lower that can be rifle or pistol because it can be both they run it with pistol background check and must be 21 and not just 18.


a complete upper is a very simple way to go and how I have done al mine so far it just doesn't make $ sense not to there isn't enough savings to justify the few added tools you would need.

that said I have bought every lower locally the last was an Anderson in a blister pack off the shelf at a local shop it was 60 dollars but figure

if I bough a 50 dollar lower online even if it shipped free and I paid 20 for the transfer and 10 more for the state pistol background check I would be at 80 I was out the door for I think 73.30 60 +10 background +3.30 state sales tax.

where buying online makes sense is when you buy more than 1 at a time like 3 or more at a time but be careful to ask your transfer dealer how many they will transfer to you on one form , technically they can do even 2 forms as one transfer but not all will.

since this is your first buying 3 lowers at a time might be getting ahead of yourself.

keep your eye out for sales Cabellas had stripped anderson lowers for 49.99 so you could be out the door for about 63 dollars. then again that might be a drive call around I can't confirm right now but something like 5 manufacturers make all the lowers in the US and they are so close in spec if mill spec everything fits

even ATI american tacktical imports , can't import an AR lower so they have them made in the USA in Indiana

Fleet farm has Anderson lowers for 49.99 as a regular price. I have seen them on sale there as low as 39.99

Good to know! I'm within 10 miles of both a Fleet Farm and Cabelas.

Looking at a couple of the kits on PSA, I see they list an overall length of 24.5 inches. Does anyone know if that's with the adjustable stock fully extended or fully collapsed? The reason I ask is in WI rifles need to have an overall length greater or equal to 26 inches in order to be legal for hunting. I guess an easy fix would be to get an 18" barrel instead of a 16" barrel, but those appear to be pricier and not as readily available.

About any AR is going to be over your state requirements if it has any kind of stock with a 16" barrel. The receiver will be about 8" by itself, add a 16" barrel you are at 24". Any stock will be more than enough to get your 26".

BTW, the stock attaches to the lower receiver, so their measurements are for the barrel and upper receiver only.

I gotcha. I was thrown by the 24.5" overall length listed for the kits. Makes sense that a fully assembled firearm would be well over 26". Thanks!

Don't get no cheaper then this!

Is that a decent lower Jerry.

Todays deal at PSA:

299.99 for a kit.

so for about 350.00 you can be shooting

The lowers are pretty much the same the magic (pressure) is in the uppers, they have a complete lower with a Magpul stock and polished trigger for a little more I'd go with that and put a quality upper on that! On the 1st page.