I’ve been lurking on the site for quite a while and finally finished my first build (actually just waiting on a flash hider to finally be 100%). I’m more of a handgun shooter but wanted to get into some carbine classes and 3 gun competitions in the future. This build was more of way to get familiar with working on the AR platform, I’ll be going with a complete BCM upper for the gun I’m going to use in the future.
The build allowed me to figure out what I may or may not want to include on that. This site has been great as a research tool, thanks to everyone that has contributed (especially the more technical stuff). This build isn’t a great reflection of what I learned parts-wise but I’m not planning to use it for anything more than a plinker/ range queen. It was, however, a great learning experience putting it together.
Here go the specs/ parts:
Spike’s Lower
Daniel Defense LPK
BCM Buffer Tube/ H Buffer/ Buffer Spring
SOPMOD Stock - Got two used at a gun show for $100
BCM scratch/ ding M4 upper
LMT Semi Auto BCG
LMT Charging Handle
Green Mountain 16" 1/7 Chrome Lined barrel carbine length gas system - thought this was the best way to keep the cost down while still maintaining a degree of quality.
Yankee Hill Gas Block - didn’t want the clamp on style but the barrel didn’t give me a choice and I didn’t want to spend the extra money on gunsmithing for this particular build.
Magpul flip sights (Can someone tell from the pic if one or both are on backward? I keep trying to figure out which way is correct)
EOTech 552 (Bought used from a buddy)
Assorted parts from BCM and a few other online stores finished it up.
Having not had a great deal of experience with shooting these types of rifles I found it was a blast to shoot! I had trouble with sighting in the BUIS but the EOTech was dead on after a click on each dial. A coworker said he’d take a trip to the range with me and try to give me a rudimentary lesson on aiming and bzo’ing. Other than that, just did a little rattle job paint on it and have already started assembling parts for the next build.
Any comments/ critiques are welcomed. I’m here to learn.
Nice, and congrats. Did you asemble the parts yourself? I like what you did with the paint job. What paint/coating did you use, and what did you use to do the pattern?
Thanks - yes, assembled everything myself over a couple months. I used flat camo paint from Home Depot or Lowes. I can’t remember the brand off the top of my head but I’m pretty sure it had a picture of a boat on the front. Basically for the pattern I put down alternating Green and Tan coats for the base then grabbed a small branch from a pine tree in the front yard and went over the gun using that with some of the darker brown stuff. A buddy of mine said this was basically what they did with their stuff in his unit and just stole Humvee paint from the motor pool guys.
Personal preference, but if I was going to go with a non-FSB gas block and a FF rail, I would run the rail out over the top of it and get some more distance giving me a longer sight radius and more room for my hand and/or a light and sling mount.
I’m assuming it’s a FF rail anyway, I don’t see the model in your specs.
Hey Rob, good catch, I forgot to put that in there. The rails are Troy Drop In (MRF Maybe?) and a Troy Vertical Fore Grip. I may eventually end up doing a Free Float setup. This was more of an academic exercise than anything else. For my next build I would like to keep the FSB fixed so I’m leaning toward a BCM Middy to get that little extra distance.
