I'm with Andy on this one. I bought my first AR already assembled. After having built my second one, I'll likely not buy another one whole. Even if you don't save any money by building your own (you will save money), doing so will make you intimately familiar with your weapon's inner workings. There is also a great deal of satisfaction in shooting something you built yourself.AndyC wrote:And of course, the ever-popular "build yer own" option - buy the lower receiver at a gun show, buy a lower parts kit (aka LPK - the internals ie. hammer, trigger, sear, safety, springs, etc, etc) then select your stock and the kind of upper you want.
Easy-peasy
Edit: Get a flat-top upper - a lot easier to add optics later.
Be that as it may, if you choose to buy one already assembled, be sure it has a flat top receiver. You'll need that for future upgrades.