i’ve just started my first build with the lower all i have is a stripped reciver so far but i’m almost ready for my next order.
i’ve been window shopping for uppers and parts. is it cost effective to build the upper? from what i’ve seen so far i can get a complete upper from $400 on up to $1000ish.
from what i’ve seen just browsing, the cost of the barrel, reciever, bolt and then the handguards it seems like i’d be spending more than a complete upper. are there any benefits to building or just buy a complete?
Well.
Start off by deciding on what setup you want. Then, ask yourself the following questions.
Can you buy the upper complete?
If no, then are you willing to compromise? If not you will have to build it, or have someone else build it.
If you can buy the upper complete, lets see if you can save money.
What do the parts cost individually?
What will the tools to assemble the upper cost?
What would the total cost be if you built it?
Will you save money?
Do you care about saving money or do you just want to build the upper?
Do you possess the mechanical knowledge to assemble the upper?
Answering these questions will help.
I built my first upper a few months ago. Saved about $100 over what I could have bought it for from one of our awesome sponsors. I went over the savings with the initial tools purchased though. My next build will be cheaper and better because I now have the necessary tools and feel more comfortable using them.
Now- I don’t think I’d do it any other way.
Lets say you wanted to go with this upper.
BCM 16" midlength Hammer Forged Barrel
Troy TRX 11" Handguard
BCM Auto BCG
BCM Upper
Standard Charging handle
A2 Flash Hider
you can buy this from BCM for $864 Plus shipping
Now lets price the build:
Upper Receiver Assembly (w/ Laser T-Markings) - M4 Flat Top (M4 Feedramps) - $94.95
BCM Bolt Carrier Group (MPI) - Auto $139.95
BCM AR15 Charging Handle $22.95
BCM BFH 16" Mid Length Barrel, Stripped $299.00
Flash Hider A2 $8.00
Crush Washer $2.25
Gas Tube - Mid Length $13.00
VTAC TRX Extreme Battle Rail - 13 Inch Model $189.00
YHM Lo-Pro Gas Block $21.50
Gas tube roll pin $0.30
Action Block $35.95
combination wrench $16.95
Totals $843.80
Plus shipping from 3 different suppliers, where as, if you ordered the complete upper you would only pay shipping once. But, after this purchase you will already own the tools to assemble another upper. So you would save an additional ~ $50 if you already had the tools.
Costing you ~ 790 vs 865.
Food for thought.
thanks for this, that’s exactly what i was looking for. i’ve got a friend with all the tools so thats not a problem. i’m thinking i’ll build everything on this one
Ive built 4 rifles now from parts and personally I find it more gratifying.
Agreed.
You get to know your weapon and while it appears a bit intimidating at first, it really isn’t.
I built my first couple before BCM basically started offering just about every configuration imagineable…glad they didn’t at the time and I did.
By building one yourself you become very familiar with all the working of your rifle and have a better understanding of the rifle you are shooting or any AR style rifle for that matter.
You could save a little more scratch by making your FSB a lo-pro GB with a dremel tool----cutoff wheel and grinding “cone” or grinding disc. I like that the best because it’s pinned. I like building my uppers because I like toooools 
Right now it is cheaper to buy than build.
I have been thinking about building my next gun just to have the experience. You can also take your time with a build and buy parts as you have the money so your checking account does not take a $1,000 hit all at once. If you’re like me you probably have a bunch of spare parts kicking around too, grips, hand guards and stocks are some of the things I have kicking around. You can also build it just the way you want it the first time and not spend money for stuff you don’t want/need.
I’ve had a few issues with one of my lowers recently and sent it off to the manufacture because I did not have the confidence to tear into it. With a build under my belt I think I would have needed some new parts to fix the issue but could have figured it out on my own.
In some cases it is cheaper to get piece by piece instead of a complete upper. Here’s an example.
Alexander Arms Overwatch upper in 6.5 Grendel.
$893. You get composite freefloat HG, gas block, and BCG/CH.
I can build that upper exactly as they have it, for about $690. I could do it for less $$$ by using a YHM handguard. $200 savings.
My last upper built I also saved $$$ because I knew exactly what I wanted. I made a 7.62x39 pistol upper and the FH began exactly as the rail ended. Had I purchased it from M1S I would’ve had an additional inch that I still would’ve cut off, and had to disassemble the upper as well. This way I had exactly as I wanted it, and working on it allowed me to tune it into a machine that runs without giving me any headaches.
I would think the first time you do it with the up front costs of tools its not worth it. However if you do it several more times, then the savings starts to be realized.
I have been trying to reply to this thread since it was created, but there are so many variables that can come into play when considering the question.
hikeeba’s answer: It certainly can be. However, I personally do not see a black & white, yes or no answer. My answer is based on my own experience, which is influenced by my level of enthusiasm and my budget for my hobby. You may view things completely differently, and what makes sense to me may not make sense to you.
Aside from what type of upper you want, what brand parts you want, and where you choose to get the upper or parts, I think it depends on your definition of ‘cost effective.’
If by ‘cost effective’ you mean less expensive, I think in most cases it will be cheaper to acquire the individual parts compared to buying a complete upper comprised of the same parts. 556mp’s example above illustrates that (although the parts total would be even lower when considering the same 11" VTAC/Troy handguard).
If by ‘cost effective’ you mean easier on the wallet/bank account, That depends on how you acquire the parts for the build. Citing 556mp’s example again, if you were to buy all those parts at one time, yes, you’d be saving some money, but your wallet/bank account would still be taking a significant hit. Sure, you saved $75 buying the individual components vs. buying the complete upper, but is the ~8.7% savings on the potential $865 what you would consider cost effective? In this context, you can make a build more wallet/bank account friendly, and thus more ‘cost effective’ by spreading the component purchases over time.
Your budget and/or goals will also come into play in answering the question. At the beginning of the year, I wanted a new complete upper. I wanted something with good accuracy potential (goal), and was looking at LaRue Stealth, Ranier UltraMatch, and BCM Mk 12 uppers, among others. Those uppers started around $1100. I decided to research the build option to make the purchase easier on the wallet/bank account. Since the lest expensive good upper i was looking at cost ~$1100, I picked that as my parts budget. After researching the parts needed to build a copy of one of the name-brand upper assemblies, I decided to explore just how much of an accurate upper I could build within my budget using other components. This did lead to me making some compromises on parts, but those parts weren’t critical to achieving the goal I had set. In the end, I ended up building a complete rifle with about the same level of mechanical accuracy potential as the brands mentioned for about $1160 with sights. That dollar figure is for the parts only.
Edit: Sorry if I was rambling.
if you like to change out handguards a lot, then having upper assembly tools will help cut the gunsmithing costs.
I have built three uppers lately. I like the endless list of options that I have access to. My barrel of choice is the 16" DD. The two that I own have turned out to be real accurate tack drivers.
Without a doubt you can build it for cheaper. I just went through that exact same exercise and saved over $800+ on a compariable Noveske RECON rifle. I even bought parts direct from them (16" SS barrel and BCG for $545 w/my mil discount).
Built it yourself, you’ll enjoy shooting it that much more!
I prefer my own builds. I tend to use BCM, DD, Troy, Vltor, Giesselle, etc. for my builds. What I get is the satisfaction of putting them together myself. By the time I am done I very rarely save any money. I’ve probably got $800.00 worth of tools as well for my gun tinkering. I also don’t have to buy lots of extras that aren’t worth anything but you hate to give/throw away like the A-2 grips, standard trigger guards, M-4 stocks, carbine buffers, trigger assemblies and the like. For me it’s not about saving money but about building exactly what I want.
I’m also not hung up on never buying a complete upper or rifle. I bought a Noveske Recon and a KAC SR-15. These are both great rifles but if I had to do it again I would definitely build my Recon and probably build the upper to put on that great ambi lower from Knights. On my last build I bought a BCM LW 16" middie as that’s all I could find at the time. I took it apart and sent the barrel to ADCO to be cut to 14.7 and a Battelcomp permed to it and then put it back together with a Troy Extreme. I doubt I saved anything on that one but I got a great lightweight middie that I couldn’t buy in the configuration I wanted from any vendor, period.
I’m a relative newbie and have only built one (working on accumulating parts for the second) but, imho, if you buy a complete upper you’re really only connecting a couple of parts. Build it for the personal gratification, not for the cost savings.
Generally not. The main reason is because of the cost of the tools.
For instance, you can buy all the stripped components you want from us and we will build the upper or lower for free.
C4
Gentlemen, this is an excellent option that should not be overlooked.
Also consider that on your first few builds, there is a significant chance of a screwup, such as losing pins and springs, over-torquing the barrel nut, letting a wrench slip, etc. I have built a dozen uppers myself, but these days I am lazy so I had G&R Tactical build the last couple of uppers for me.