heymatthew

Well... It has begun. I've started my very first AR build. I've never built one, but I have had some experience with basic gunsmithing. I've decided to build my lower from scratch and buy a complete upper. I'm not sure which direction I'm going with the upper at this point, but I think I'll end up with at 16.5" barrel upper of some sort.

I went after work Friday to my local gun shop and purchased a stripped lower from Surplus Ammo & Arms and I drove over to Palmetto State Armory on Saturday to pick up one of their lower parts kits. The kit was on sale for a really good price and includes the buffer tube, stock, pistol grip and all necessary pins, springs, trigger, etc. I'll most likely upgrade the stock and pistol grip to some better components (Magpul has some nice stuff and I'm always a fan of Hogue grips). It depends on what I end up with for the upper, really.

So far, I'm pleased with the lower that I bought. I know they're not a well-known brand, but the shop I frequent has done a couple of builds using their lowers and has had good results. I trust their judgement and went with the purchase. It has a good fit and finish and is 100% mil-spec so I know everything will snap right into place. I have no reason to think this lower won't work perfectly. It's got good edges and clean machining with no weird seams or edges. I think it's a good place for me to start.

Anyway, I'm waiting on some roll pin punches and a couple of other tools so that I can do the build cleanly and efficiently. I started last night and just wasn't feeling good about driving in roll pins without the proper tools.

Below is the stripped lower. I'll try and keep up with photos as I move through the process. I did the red and white paint on the lower for the rollmark and the pictograms for "SAFE" and "FIRE". The finish looks a little weird in photos, but they're just fingerprints.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Xman

Congrats!!!!!!! Nice looking lower. Check out Bravo Company. They make great uppers that are mil-spec.

heymatthew

Thanks! I'll give them a look. My birthday is in January, so it'll probably be then before I can get anything, but I might be able to get it sooner. I'll definitely look at Bravo Company.

heymatthew

It also should be noted that the red on that lower looks a little funky, but it's really a nice rich red. No funkiness in person.

Xman

Pictures never do any guns justice ;-)

heymatthew

You know... You're RIGHT!

HappilyAddicted

Your lower looks great. It's good to wait until you have the proper tools to start building it. The build should go smoothly if you have patience and proper directions. The only part that always gets on my nerves is installing the front pivot pin. No matter how many times I've done it, I always end up dropping the F Bomb several times when I'm trying to install it. Trust me, you'll know exactly what I mean when you get to that point. Let us know if you have any questions while you're doing it.

I just did this one yesterday. (AR Pistol project)

SoCalTacticalShooter

heymatthew, good luck on the build, hope all turns out to your liking. I'm thinking about doing an AR lower build as well. Keep us all posted please.

Andrew

hightechredneck123

Very nice! I've never built one from scratch, but I want to someday. Have fun with it!

heymatthew

Thanks so much guys! I'm definitely excited to get started. I'll keep my progress updated on here as I work. And you guys will be the first to know when I screw something up.

heymatthew

Looks like an excellent build! Congrats! Love that lower, too.

yipykyah

HappilyAddicted is right on the front pivot retaining pin. Those are under pressure, slicker than whale snot and easily lost.

I have assembled several ARs, and my advise is to wear safety goggles when you put in the pivot retaining pin, as they fly great distances.

To keep from losing the little pin, I sit in the bathtub with the shower curtain drawn and the tub drain closed. Haven't lost one since.

heymatthew

Thanks for the tip! Maybe I can borrow the bathtub for a minute when I get to that point. That's the pin that has a long skinny spring and a tiny detent that you have to hold in while you slide the pin in to capture it, right? Kind of shoots straight out from the front of the lower if you were looking at it straight on?

I was watching some videos on the lower build and I've been trying to think of ways that I can hold that little detent in place while I slide the pin in... Something very thin and very strong. Oxymoron? Haha!

yipykyah

I've found a feeler gauge to be the best tool for that job.

gen2tegboi

+1 on the bcm upper. I got my upper, m16 bcg, and heavy buffer from them. I just built my first ever AR with no experience what so ever and it went smoothly. If you want a top notch LPK go with the Daniel Defense, they come with a nice trigger already, and you can't go wrong with some Magpul furniture. My lower is a spikes tactical though.