New to the AR. Reliability upgrades?

[Skyyr]

Simply stake the castle nut and gas key and call it good. Sure, you can upgrade the bolt and carrier, but you aren't planning on going into battle. Any upgrades on this DPMS (which is, in all sincerity, is at the bottom end of most all ARs) is simply blowing money for relatively no gain. If you're going to shoot it enough to break the bolt, you need a better rifle. Save the money you would have spent on upgrades for ammo or saving towards a new gun. Reworded, if you're not going to run it hard, "upgrades" aren't going to matter. If you are going to run it hard, that means you've got a big budget and therefore buying a new AR wouldn't be a monetary issue (and would be cheaper in the long run).

HOWEVER...

I did read your post, so don't think I'm regurgitating crap.

My first and foremost urging would be to sell it - NOT because it isn't good enough blah blah, but because if you do plan on upgrading in the future, you'll have to shell out the $1,000 - $1,200, whereas if you simply sell the gun now, you can get a tier 1 AR for ~$300 more. That specific model will net you about $600 - $700. If you can't save up $300-400 in the period of a few months, you probably don't have enough money to shoot the DPMS (or any AR) in the first place.

Understand - I'm NOT knocking the DPMS nor am I ignoring your post. I'm pointing out that you have a chance to make the best of the situation you're in with it. Once you've used your rifle or modified it, you've increased your future losses. This goes for ANY rifle (not just DPMS), so be sure you're willing to pay for those losses in the future.

If you do opt to sell it, either list it for a low price with no reserve, or list it in the EE. You'll get at least $500, probably closer to $650 out of the deal. Make sure to charge for shipping and you'll be $300-400 from getting an AR with the options YOU want.

The important thing to realize early on is that 5.56/.223 costs LOTS of money over time (unless you reload, which you might). If you plan on shooting more than 100 rounds per month (thats just 3 magazines), realize you'll be spending over $400 per year on ammo. The rifle is truly the cheapest investment in your arsenal. The ammo, training, and accessories will all add up to be more than the rifle itself. If you can afford to shoot it regularly, you need to upgrade your rifle (otherwise, upgrades like the BCG, LPK, Buffer, Buffer Spring, etc all become mandatory, and that's a $300 investment right there).