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Help with the AR-15 Rifle

Nosler243Shooter

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 31, 2010
432
4
39
Alabama
I am having trouble understanding what people mean when they say they built their rifle. If I go and buy a complete upper and lower can I put the rifle together myself or will a gunsmith be needed for a correct fitting? I am going to have to get a book on this or something because I don't understand the way this rifle works and I just bought a new RRA.
 
Re: Help with the AR-15 Rifle

Even if you don't intend building your own rifle from the ground up, I'd recommend you get a copy of "The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide" by Kuleck & McKee and also a copy of the M16 Technical Manual (Army TM 9-1005-319-23&P).

Also look at some of the on-line animations of how the M16/AR15 family of rifles work.

This will help you understand the firearm you are buying a lot better and hopefully make it a safer proposition for you.

The upper and lower receiver assemblies slot together and are locked in place by two pins. Depending on the tolerances of the upper and lower the fit may or may not be tight/snug. If there is some slop between the two and this bothers you, there are ways to reduce it using products like Accuwedge, matched upper/lowers from guys like Mega Arms that have a locking screw or just use a chunk cut off a kids eraser.....

It is possible to completely assemble M16/AR15 rifles with a few simple tools. And many people do succesfully build their own rifles from individual components.

Whether the end result is as good/relaible/safe/accurate as buying a complete gun from a recognised manugfacturer or smith will, I suspect, depend greatly on the competence of the assembler, the quality of the components used and their ability to resolve any issues they may encounter in the tolerances/fit of any out-of-spec parts.

No offence intended, but I would urge extreme caution in the case of someone who doesn't really seem to understand the basics of the major assemblies let alone the mechanics of the system and the smaller components.

Go and buy a complete, tested rifle from a recognised retail outlet.

It's not worth risking your life trying to build a rifle you don't really know anything about.......

 
Re: Help with the AR-15 Rifle

You can buy a complete upper and lower and put it together yourself because there are only two pins that hold the two pieces together, or buy all the pieces and build it. You will need some speical tool and a little know how. Here is a good place to start learning. AR15.com
 
Re: Help with the AR-15 Rifle

Agreed. For your first AR, buy a complete rifle from a major manufacture. Check out ar15.com, m4carbine.net and this site for information.

But yes you can buy a complete upper assembly and a complete lower assembly and slap them together.
 
Re: Help with the AR-15 Rifle

I bought my first ar as a complete and studied it for a while. Disassembly and cleaning it. Now i am in the final stages of building an ar-10. Once you get bit by the bug watch out.