I am trying to find a good AR gunsmith in south Florida, preferably southwest part of the state that does everything, including building a complete gun. It would be a plus if they have an -07 licence, but not a must. I have tried the search function and Google without much luck. I also want to thank everybody for the great information posted on this site.
If your looking to have a complete AR built for you, I recommend doing it yourself. If you have the skill to change the oil on your car, then you have the skill to put a good AR together.
Just look online at brownells.com they have videos with step by step instructions. You can build a high quality AR for less then half the price of buying one or having someone else do it for you. Plus you get a better understanding of how the rifle works.
I have been kicking around the idea of doing it myself. The only thing I need done right now is to have a lower assembled, I would just hate if I broke the ears of a registered lower when installing the t-guard. If i can`t find a smith, I will watch the Brownell vid and give it a try.
Unless you use a big hammer, and you just use slow soft taps, you should be just fine. I have heard of people breaking them but after 15 plus builds under my belt, I’ve never even bent anything. Good luck
Norris at GreyGoose Gun Shop in Port St. Lucie assembled both of my lowers. Retired Marine and I thought a very reasonable price. It’s not SW FL, but I thought I would throw it up on the wall anyway.
Your reservations about assembling your lower and possibly breaking a trigger guard ear are understandable. But know that those unhappy events occur when the ear is not supported while the roll pin is being driven in; if you support the ear it is not going to break off.
you can use needlenose pliers to squeeze in the pins instead of hammering them in. I build my lowers but i just order complete uppers and slap them together
You can put a little oil on the pins too. It will help them slide in.
Joe Mamma
Hey Im Dan (new guy here) have been reading thru this website for a while and finally joined. I wanted to ask, if your afraid of pounding a pin into the TG, why dont you buy a Magpul aluminum trigger guard. The one I have has a spring & detent on one side (just like the stock TG) and a small set screw on the other. There is no roll pin to install. $20 is cheaper than a registered lower. Just a thought. Thanks guys for all the great advice on this website.
Thanks everybody for your input. I will give it a shot.
so long as you don’t try to beat the roll pin through without the guard in place, it’s not gonna break… the guard will support it. then all you need to do is make sure you have something supporting the underside ear, in the unlikely event your roll pin has wandered at all. tap slowly, as a guy said, and it’ll be totally fine.
i assembled my first ever personally owned AR with nothing more than a 1/8th punch, a crescent hammer, and a beat up second hand barrel wrench that barely grabbed the spokes. i didn’t even have a vise, and sure as shit didn’t have receiver blocks or roll pin punches or a torque wrench. i had that gun for like 8 years, nary a problem. ju can doo eht!