AR/M4----Build or Buy??

[Medic218]

That's it.

A simple question. Do you think it's better to build your own EBR with your own, personly selected parts of just pick one up off the shelf....or even order one with all the features you want and let someone else get thier hands dirty?

Ive done some very brief looking around and it seems to me that it would be more cost effective to buy a pre-built complete gun vs building one yourself. However, if time isn't a factor and you enjoy tinkering with things(as I do) then I can understand how building one would be very enjoyable.

What are the pros and cons to each one in you opinion?

[Mando'a]

I'm buying a complete M-forgery.

I'm a complete bonehead when it comes to DIY. I figure if I buy a complete one, and get used to breaking it down for cleaning, I should gain the knowledge to eventually build my own.

There are a lot of great resources out there that show you how to build your own, but I'm just not comfortable with it.

Check out Brownell's ar15 builder. It's awesome.

[The Annoyed Man]

Ive done some very brief looking around and it seems to me that it would be more cost effective to buy a pre-built complete gun vs building one yourself. However, if time isn't a factor and you enjoy tinkering with things(as I do) then I can understand how building one would be very enjoyable.

It's just the other way around. It is cheaper to buy parts and build than it is to buy fully assembled. The savings goes up the more customized your rifle is. In other words, building a plain-Jane patrol carbine with no embellishments doesn't save you as much money as does building a Spec Ops carbine with Lewis Machine & Tool or Yankee Hill Machine fore-ends and BUIS, and Magpul stocks, pistol grips and magazines.

Think of it this way: The money you can potentially save on building a really tricked out AR could be about the price of 500-1,000 rounds of FMJ ammo.

I bought my first one, and built my second. If I had to do it over again, I would start by building my own. Like Mando'a, I found the idea of building my first one intimidating, but it is really and truly not that hard to do. I recently convinced a friend of mine in New Mexico — an older guy nearly 10 years older than me (I'm 57) who only became a first time gun owner this past year — to build his first AR, and he found it to be surprisingly simple to do. More importantly, he got exactly what he wanted (and not some marketing department's determination of what he wanted) and probably saved $200-$300 doing it that way.

I promise you that you will actually enjoy the experience of building your own and find it more rewarding than spending the extra money for a fully assembled rifle. And once you've accumulated all the parts/sub-assemblies/tools you'll need, you'll find that the entire rifle will go together in less than an hour or so. Even assembling the lower receiver from scratch with a parts kit only takes about 30 minutes. You will quickly find out why they are joking referred to as "legos for adults."

Just keep in mind that the AR15/M16/M4 platform was designed to be taken apart and reassembled by soldiers in the field, with minimal tools, and often with no firearms experience prior to joining the service.

[BobCat]

I agree with TAM. You can put together exactly what you want, and not pay the added tax that goes on a completed firearm.

BTW Widener's still has LRB lowers (high quality) on sale for $79 - check http://wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=700|863" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; If you go to a forum like M4Carbine.net and search on LRB, you will find that they make a hammer-forged M14 receiver (not that there is anything wrong with the cast Springfield ones) and everyone seems to think highly of them; so their AR-15 parts ought to be just fine.

You can buy a complete upper or what they call a rifle kit (contains everything but the stripped lower) from outfits like Delton or J&T Disrtribuitng (brother company to Doublestar), or others. Assemble the lower parst into the lower, put the upper on, go to the range.

Or you can buy a stripped upper and assemble literally whatever you want. The tools you need to assemble the upper are an action block and a barrel nut wrench.

Or you can buy a rifle and go to the range, see what you like and what you don't, and have a good idea what parts to buy for the one you assemble next.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

[SQLGeek]

Thanks for the post TAM. I don't own nor have ever used an AR but I have designs on building an AR based on either the XM16E1 or the early versions of the M16A1. I am a military history geek and I think it would complement the M1 I currently own quite well.

[UpTheIrons]

I agree with TAM. You can put together exactly what you want, and not pay the added tax that goes on a completed firearm.

This is my bone-headed question: I hear all the time that you save on the excise taxes by just buying a stripped lower and building from there. Where is the excise tax collected:
Is it in the price of the assembled firearm?
Based only on the cost of the serialized portion of the firearm?
Based on everything attached to the serialized portion of the firearm?

The reason I ask is that I've never seen "Federal Firearm Excise Tax" itemized on any invoice/receipt of any gun I've ever bought. If it is on only the serialized portion of the firearm, which is the lower on an AR, then I see how it is much more affordable to build your own, as you save the 11% on everything that's not serialized.

[BobCat]

Not a bone-headed question at all.

I'm ashamed to admit I don't know the answer. I think it is "in" the price of the firearm, not an added line at the time of sale, but could be wrong.

Maybe one of the FFL holders on the Forum will clear this up for us.

ETA there was no added tax when I bought a lower from Widener's - the price I paid was the price on the website. Plus shipping, plus transfer (but there is an FFL holder in our club who does transfers for low cost).