Building an AR

[Jon Field]

Is it better to buy a Lower and build a rifle, or buy a low end rifle and upgrade? Opinions!

Thanks

[gwp]

Is it better to buy a Lower and build a rifle, or buy a low end rifle and upgrade? Opinions!
Thanks

Purchasing the lower and upper separately reduces the federal tax. Upgrading parts leaves extra parts that may just gather dust. I prefer to buy a garden variety lower with a good trigger and a complete upper in the configuration I want. Palmetto State Armory (PSA) lowers with a better trigger is a good place to start.

[lyman]

really depends on what you want in an AR,

stocks are easily replaced, as are uppers (if you want more than one option, )

[Major Tom]

I wouldn't buy a "low end" AR and add parts, but buy a quality AR like the DPMS and then add parts.

[lyman]

I wouldn't buy a "low end" AR and add parts, but buy a quality AR like the DPMS and then add parts.

no offense Major,

but you would are likely one of a few that feel DPMS is not low end,,,


however, since DPMS and Bushmaster are both Remington products,,, they are likely the same,

fact of the matter is, for most users, an AR lower is an AR lower,

if you want certian bells and whistles , go for it,


however any will do for most uses, (including Service or Match rifle)

[Sandpebble]

Interesting in the DPMS being low end. Many years ago I went from shooting the M1 in Service Rifle to the AR and my first AR was a DPMS with a floated Wilson Barrel.

It met Service Rifle criteria but caught a lot of derision on the line...... everyone was fond of telling me about the wonderfull customer service they received from "their " chosen brand.

Well that little DPMS was more than capable of Master scores on the Full Course of Fire, and over three years it never once needed ....customer service.

I did move up to home brewed Bushmasters and Fulton Armory products .... but never did get them to shoot any better than the DPMS in Service Rifle

[lyman]

Interesting in the DPMS being low end. Many years ago I went from shooting the M1 in Service Rifle to the AR and my first AR was a DPMS with a floated Wilson Barrel.

It met Service Rifle criteria but caught a lot of derision on the line...... everyone was fond of telling me about the wonderfull customer service they received from "their " chosen brand.

Well that little DPMS was more than capable of Master scores on the Full Course of Fire, and over three years it never once needed ....customer service.

I did move up to home brewed Bushmasters and Fulton Armory products .... but never did get them to shoot any better than the DPMS in Service Rifle

to me a lower is a lower, I have built a lot of different brands over the years w\o any major issues (sendra's may have a high shelf at the mag well, but most if not all have been fixed by now, ,since that stopped making them in the 80's)

others had runs that may have had issues that were corrected, but the stigma remained,

the AR folks tend to frown on DPMS (since Remington now owns them) and a few others, (the infamous Brand Tier, google it, )

BTW, the first DPMS lowers were Cast,, like the Essential Arms were (and a bit fugly)


my Service Rifles are built on a Bushmaster , Eagle Arms (before they bought the Armalite name) and a Rock River (with CLE\Krieger upper) lowers

I picked up the Bushmaster a few years ago for a song, and converted it over to a scope rifle (SR legal),
it's got that funky 90's vintage Bushmaster trigger in it, and works well for short range

[Gun Smoke]

Palmetto State Armory (PSA) lowers with a better trigger is a good place to start.

The stripped lowers can be bought for $40 and the complete lower w/stock for $130 sometimes with free shipping.

You can build the whole rifle for $350 or you can buy one at a gun shop for $900.

A few years ago a company called Plum Crazy was selling the complete lowers for $100 but they are 100% polymer except for the pins and springs. At Palmetto $30 more buys you the real thing.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/ar-15.html

[barretcreek]

Remember for competition the bits'n'pieces have to be externally G.I.