Following the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary I, like many other firearm enthusiasts & connoisseurs, found myself swept up in the inevitable hysteria. Prior to beginning this build, my experience with firearms was based solely on handguns. I had always wanted an AR-15, but seeing that I was a full-time student I was unable to afford the upper echelon rifle that I really really wanted. These circumstances were only exacerbated by the post-Sandy Hook frenzy. For example; while perusing my local gun shop I saw a new FDE Sig M400 marked up to $2,500…and quickly realized that I would be unable to afford the kind of rifle that I wanted. I would have been more than happy with a 6920 but at the Crossroads gunshow they were marked up equally high. I began considering building my own, which would allow me to eventually own a rifle exactly the way I wanted it while also tackling the process as slow or as fast as my wallet would allow.
This rifle is the fruit of that labor. I finished it just about 3 weeks ago, in total taking me over a year to complete (with a 5 or 6 month break in the middle due to a string of car issues that required financial attention). When I began researching parts & envisioning the rifle, I saw it as an overly expensive & high-tech weapon with a piston operating system, stainless steel barrel fluted out the ass, a hydraulic buffer & ambi-everything (just cus) w/a 15" quad rail & a Spikes Tactical mock suppressor. OK I’m just joking about the mock suppressor but as I began my research I really wanted all those others types of components. But as I continued with months & months of thorough research and began realistically considering my needs, abilities, & priorities, my rifle quickly took on an entirely different role & image. As such, my desire for this rifle was to have a reliable & dependable tool made of quality (if not top-tier) components that would serve as a capable AR-15 on which to learn the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship & with a service life of 10’s of 1,000’s of rounds. I would love to someday teach my son to shoot with this rifle.
Lower Receiver: Noveske Gen 2 (Chainsaw)
The 1st component that I purchased. At the time I had never heard of Noveske and chose it primarily because I liked the logo, it’s unique aesthetics, & the little chainsaw icon. I picked it up on gunbroker…so yeah I had to pay a little extra forsure.
Upper Receiver: Noveske/Vltor MUR (Chainsaw)
The 2nd part purchased. After buying the lower I ofcourse looked up Noveske and quickly realized how awesome a company they are. At the time they had stripped MUR uppers on their website and I was monitoring daily the sold out status. When they abruptly decided to no longer sell them directly I hopped on gunbroker and picked one up. I wanted the Noveske version purely for continuity’s sake all the while knowing that depending on the rail I chose the Vltor version may have been necessary…however pickings were somewhat slim and I decided to jump on the Noveske MUR while I could. The gentleman who sold it to me was also selling a brand new stripped LaRue upper receiver that even now I wish I had bought.
BCG: Rubber City Armory
Originally, for no real educated reason, I had wanted a Fail Zero NiB BCG. I had read a lot of hype and quickly decided that it was the superior bolt & carrier. However, BCG’s were a hot commodity during the panic and the wait time was quite long. One day I stumbled upon RCA’s website and saw that within the next couple weeks they would be putting up a bunch of BCG’s. I picked one up largely out of convenience. They were ~$250 back then, had the forged gas key, and a non-nitrided firing pin.
Barrel: Centurion Arms 5.56 CHF & chrome lined 16" mid-weight
I undoubtedly spent the most amount of time researching all kinds of barrel-related topics, and really making sure that I would happy with the one I would ultimately choose. As I said earlier, I originally wanted a stainless & fluted “look at me” barrel. I looked into BlackHoleWeaponry, Legion, WilsonCombat, etc. However, as I continued deeper into my barrel studies, I began realizing that at my skill level and with my intended use and service life & performance desires, I would be better served by a high quality carbon steel barrel. I 1st impulsively purchased a 16" socom profile melonite barrel from AR Performance. While it was very well made and I liked its .223 Wylde chamber, it was a little heavier than I liked and the fact that it was threaded 3/8x24 made muzzle device selection kind of annoying. I decided to sell it and put it towards the Centurion (which I couldn’t be happier with).
Trigger: Geissele Super Tricon
I originally wanted a skeletonized Timney, mainly because I thought it looked really cool (which it does) and because they’re local to me. However I decided that I didn’t want a precision-based trigger. I’d heard & read so much about Geissele that I couldn’t pass up on trying one. The fact that the Super T is essentially an SSA with a unique trigger bow made me comfortable in that it’s not (for me) un safely high speed.
Handguard: Noveske NSR-15
I originally wanted a 12 or 14" DD Lite or RIS II. However after picking up a Noveske Gen 2 upper & lower my attention was understandably drawn towards the NSR. The benefits of keymod as well as the long & thin design were immediately apparent to me. The anti-rotation interface between the MUR & NSR is also a nice bonus. I can’t say enough how much I love this handguard.
Muzzle Device: Battlecomp 2.0
Choosing a muzzle device proved difficult due to the extreme over abundance of options out there. For years I had wanted a Surefire break on my 1st AR. However at the time I would shoot my handguns solely at the most local indoor range and I was unsure how often I would be shooting my AR inside so I decided against a dedicated muzzle break. I decided on the Battlecomp due to it’s proven track record and also because it wouldn’t add a comparably large amount of length to the rifle. It works well.
Gas Block: Vltor 0.75" set screw, black
I chose the Vltor gas block for a couple reasons. The first is that I had planned on using a few Vltor products (upper & buffer system) so their gas block seemed a sensible addition. Secondly, while I assembled the lower by myself, the upper I had professionally assembled by a Rainier Arms. I had them do it largely because I wanted the gas block pinned and I wasn’t comfortable putting a drill to the $300+ barrel, and also because the lifetime warranty they offer on their labor gives me peace of mind. I knew they would be able to pin a Vltor gas block.
Safety Selector: BAD-CASS
The safety selector is the only ambidextrous component that I used. I did this because I wasn’t sure whether I would prefer returning it to safe with my thumb or index finger. I’m glad I did this because it turns out I do prefer using my index finger to actuate the lever back to safe. I chose the regular length/thickness lever thumb side and the short length/regular thickness lever opposite side. And if you’re getting a BattleArmsDevelopment selector why not get the combat version w/the dovetails?
Buffer System: Vltor A5 receiver extension w/H2 buffer weight & Sprinco ‘green’ spring
While I had originally wanted either a hydraulic buffer weight or JP’s captured system, I ultimately chose the A5 system largely because I was convinced by its enthusiastic following. And when comparing the A5 system to the rifle length system it really makes perfect sense.
BUIS: Troy w/M4 tritium front & DOA rear
I looked at a lot of back-up irons before ultimately deciding on Troys. It’ll be a big day when I get together enough cash to buy a quality optic, until then I have more research to do on the topic & I’ll be shooting through by irons. So seeing as I planned on becoming well versed on shooting through open sights I wanted a quality pair. The Troys are strong & robust and well proven. The HK front with its front sight post sitting either low or high in a circle doesn’t make sense to me so M4 front it was. And the idea behind the di-optic aperture seems sound so I decided to give it a try. I had originally wanted tritium in both front & rear but having a glowing blur right in front of my face didn’t seem too necessary when I feel all you really need is the glow in the front…if it’s true for handguns then it should prove true for rifles yeah?
LPK: Colt
When searching for the best LPK’s, the lists I found always seemed to be topped by Colt. Seeing as they’re one of 2 or 3 companies (if not the only company) to have the TDP this would make sense. Also I like having colt represented somewhere. I purchased the kit from SpecializedArmament so yeah I had to pay a lot but they’re in my state so that made me feel maybe a little better about it.
other parts that don’t require explanation:
Noveske branded Vltor/BCM charging handle
WMD nitromet mid-length gas tube
Colt castle nut (from Brownell’s because SpecializedArmament has a $45 minimum order policy)
Magpul ASAP (for whatever reason QD attachments seem like they could fail…I know many people use them with success in harsh conditions but still…to each his own I guess)
Magpul CTR w/enhanced buttpad (almost got the Emod & still kind of want to try it)
Magpul MIAD 1.1
I’d like to wrap up by saying thank you to M4carbine.net and the entire community on this fantastic forum. This site has proven to be the most valuable tool when researching & studying all aspects of the M-16/AR-15. I am constantly humbled by how much there is to learn and by the large number of experienced individuals from whom to learn it. It’s safe to say that my rifle would not be the capable & mature tool that it is if it was not for the wise guidance of M4carbine.net. So once again, thank you all so much! Oh and a big thank you to the manufacturers, retailers, and individuals from whom I purchased! Thank you all for doing what you do the way that you do it! See you at the range!
