I have a Colt LE6940 with a Geissele SSA trigger, Aimpoint PRO RD and Surefire white and IR light as my main go to zombie apocalypse carbine. I am considering adding another carbine to the inventory and would like to do a build rather than purchase a complete gun. I have been considering Aero Precision upper and lower and rail with a Colt barrel and bolt carrier assembly, Colt fire control group from the 6940 and Magpul stock, grip, etc. I am not looking for it to be a tier 1 gun. Any opinions.
Building can end up costing more than buying.
It is not so much about cost as it is about doing the build plus I already have some of the parts and it is long term project. I plan on building the upper first and swapping it out with my Colt 6940 upper and building the lower sometime in the future. I want a 12 rail upper, I can’t replace the rail on the Colt upper as it is intergal to the upper.
I think those are solid choices for stripped upper and lower. I have several using both and they fit and more importantly function is flawless.i would suggest going with an aftermarket trigger. You can catch CMC single stage triggers for around $120-$128 on sale. Or if you prefer a 2 stage, the LaRue MBT-2S is an outstanding trigger. Especially if you can be patient and wait a couple,e of weeks. The the trigger costs around $125.00. If your need it asap it’s $75 bucks more. It’s a good trigger though either way, just extra sweet at $125.00
The Uber cool thing you can do obviously is pretty much whatever you want. If it were me and I realize it’s not, but if it were, and I had an awesome Colt, I wouldn’t build an AR and make it look just like the colt I already have. I’d have some fun with it. Buttstocks to be had for $60-75 bucks that are outstanding, like the Magpul SL-S or a B5… all sorts of grip choices. For example, I really like Hogue overmolded soft grips. But others like the straighter angle of the BCM. My point is that if you don’t have a lot of restriction on your budget, take a look around, see what’s out there and have some fun. You can get “creative” without building a gimmicky weapon, and end up with a tactically sound rifle that will run with your Colt. I should warn you though. When I built my first AR,I built it to be a good “all-around weapon.”
I probably would have just built a Recce had known I would build 12 more AR’s afterward. No I didn’t keep them all, I built 2 for a friend… so be forewarned. It can be just a little too much fun. Good luck and hit us up here again if you have any questions, or I’d be happy to help out with any questions also.
One more thing. Check out the ALG ACT trigger. For $60, it’s a hard trigger to beat. Just throwing some low-cost options at you.
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I agree. Especially with various sales and whatnot, buying can be a helluva lot cheaper.
However, if there is a very specific configuration that you are going for that isn’t available from the factory, then you might have to build.
Just buy a KAC. There’s really nothing to building them and when you’re finished you’ll feel a little underwhelmed.
Good job on the 6940. Mine is my favorite. Great carbine that gets little love on this forum because there’s no FSB to hacksaw off. You’ll get the same welcome with your Aero lower build. Post pics of your new SR15 and…
What role do you want this other AR to fill? I know what you mean when you say you already have parts but double check that those trigger pins aren’t the old colt size that only worked with their lowers. Colt for a while I think until 2012/13 had colt sized pins so you couldn’t put m16 fire control in there and convert it.
Just so you know… building an AR is like getting a tattoo - your first one won’t be your last one 
I don’t think M4C is a KAC forum. It’s an AR platform forum and as long as guys don’t show up with frivolous civilian eye-candy AR’s they don’t have any issues. That’s what TOS is for.
I also think if you polled those who build solid, functioning AR’s I don’t think you’d find a lot of underwhelmed people. Honestly the only times I’ve encounter a person who was disappointed (or underwhelmed )were guys who built substandard firearms that had functioning issues. Not saying that’s your case, but I haven’t ran into a lot of the underwhelmed crowd. Usually guys who are proud of what they built.
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I agree here. I have my two go to BCM builds, complete BCM uppers, that I ended up putting together cheaper than I could have if I bought it all at once. Too me, oh I don’t know, 2 and 3 years respectfully to complete to the final desired configuration though. It is also worth noting that the spec sheet changes as I got it complete enough to run and changed my wants for my desired goal as I went. I mean, hell, the one started with an Acog, with grew an upper, and then the lower. But it is set up pretty much as I envisioned and I always smile when I pick it up and shoot it.
My home-built AR used an Aero lower and slick-sided upper (no forward assist), and a Colt LPK, and I’m perfectly satisfied. My other AR’s are factory Noveskes, so I think my standards aren’t too low. The whole build ended up at about $1,400, and I could have bought a decent AR for the money, but I had particular specs I wanted, and no one offered a rifle set up like that.
As a bonus, it was a fun project, though as others have mentioned, easier than I thought. Perhaps that is what they meant by “underwhelmed”, not with the finished product, but that the “building an AR” was not much of a challenge. Kind of anti-climactic. It took my son and I less time to build it than it did to select and order the parts.
Thanks everyone. I just want a training and range gun as a backup for my 6940.
Very true
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