Budget AR Build, part 2

As you can see, the lower got painted.  It turned out looking very good, but I was disappointed with the ease at which I could scratch the primer off of the lower.  I stripped it all back off and roughed the lower up with a red scotch brite.  I shot it with the same Duplicolor acid etch primer.  Again it turned out looking great.  I was able to scratch it off in a couple hidden spots.  I debated top coating it with Rustoleum camo green, but I figured why top coat something that has not adhered to the metal?  I have gone ahead with assembly anyway.  I really don't care about the paint at this point.  If it holds up, great, if not I can always redo in the future.

The mistake:

Yes, I have made some.  #1 I'd say was not buying a lower parts kit right away.  I was trying to save money so I put it off.  I ran into the local shop on lunch and bought what I thought was all I needed for $18.  Well I didn't get a bolt catch or the mag release parts.  I guess I bought an "oops" kit.  I also ended up buying the grip and trigger guard separate.  Those were cheap, but I could have just bought it all in one bag and saved the headache. I still have to buy the bolt and mag catches as well as my takedown and pivot pins.  I'll end up spending more money than if I had just bought a stupid kit. Lesson learned.

As you can see below, I have made some progress.  The charging handle was $16 from Roush Sports in Austin TX.  They have good prices and offer free shipping on everything but mags.  I went to Big R and found that their selection of mags was actually pretty good.  I decided on a 30 round Pmag because of the good reputation.  I'll probably try out different styles of mags in the future, but $14.99 for the Pmag seemed like a good deal and I didn't have to wait for the mail.



So, at this point I still need to get the mag catch/button, the bolt catch, pivot/takedown pins, a sight, and my complete buttstock kit.  That sounds like a lot, but it will come together.  Again, most of those parts would have been included in a lower parts kit.

Building an AR-15 on a budget, part1

If you have read much of my blog you have no doubt discovered that I do not have tons of cash laying around to put into guns.  In fact, I have often stated that I just do not have the funds to have an AR type rifle.  Well, that is slowly changing.  With Christmas money and the sale of my Mosin, I am building one of the dreaded black rifles.  As is the case with most things I do, it will be on the cheap.



What I have started with is an Anderson made lower receiver that was "in the white".  In other words, it has not been coated.  ($45)  What you see in the picture is 4 coats of duplicolor acid etch primer from a spray can.  The acid etch helps it bite into the aluminum and the olive drab looks pretty neat to me, so I will just leave it as is.  I have no idea how durable this will be, but I do not have the cash to send it out for coating.  Besides, it's aluminum, so I'm not too concerned about it rusting away.  As you can see, I masked the threads where the buffer tube screws in.  I also masked the threads for the grip and ran drill bits through the pin holes.

My Brother gave me a trigger, so I will not have to buy that, but I do need a lower parts kit minus trigger and the buffer, tube, spring, and stock.  That will complete the lower.

For the upper, I decided to just buy a complete upper from Palmetto State.  ($177.00)  They are notorious for slow shipping, but also for having great prices.  I ordered a slick side upper (no forward assist, dust cover, or shell deflector)  But those are not important to me anyway.  It has a 16 inch, 1 in 7" twist barrel.  It also has the A2 style front sight mount and a flat top rail at the rear.  It's a slight bit out of the ordinary, but that is fine with me.  The 1 in 7 twist is great for heavy bullets, should I ever want to shoot them, but still works fine with lighter ones too.  I plan to put a carry handle sight on the flat top since they are plentiful and cheap.  I also like the traditional look of the carry handle.  I'm not much of a scope shooter these days, but the flat top can easily adapt to that if I change my mind.

I was wanting to do an A2 style fixed stock, but the carbine upper may lead me to just go with a carbine buffer tube and collapsible stock.  The upper does not come with a bolt group or charging handle.  For the BCG I went with an M16 "Full auto" BCG from Daytona tactical.  The extra mass of the bolt should help with cycling.  That's the theory anyway.  The charging handle is

I set out on this build purposely trying to avoid all the "tacticool" junk.  I just can't stand people who dress up an AR with a bunch of crap that has no practical reason to be there just so they can brag it up to anyone they meet.  NO quad rails full of stupid shit here.  Just the rifle.

Now, I know there is a difference between cheap parts and expensive ones.  Sometimes the difference is a nicer finish or more features.  Sometimes there really are differences in quality.  My focus is to get the rifle built.  That may mean going with some parts that are less than ideal, but will be serviceable.  The great thing about an AR is that I can always upgrade later.