A few days ago I was hit with the strong impulse to get an AR. Up to this point, AKs in 7.62 and 5.45 (and a Marlin .22LR) are pretty much the only rifles I’ve owned/shot. I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading and posting at theakforum.net, so I guess it was inevitable that I would find myself over here looking for information when the time came to get an AR. So far the forum has been a huge help in getting past the initial learning curve. (Thanks!). Anyway, over the last few days I have hit a bunch of your stickies, done some searches, and while I suspect I am missing some critical info here and there, I think I might have my build narrowed down.
Is the price at Rainier Arms decent? They are geographically close to me, so I’m tempted to buy retail. Am I forgetting some really critical part that I am going to need to snap this beast together? I am open to any and all advice at this point. Thanks in advance.
Yup, good stuff. LMT is a .mil contractor and their products are up to snuff. But as the rest of your list is BCM, why not just build a whole BCM rifle? Also, personally I dislike the Ergo grip but if you like it that is what matters.
Also, you might want to note that on BCM website you can buy a complete BCM lower. It just seems that would match better with a BCM upper, but again it is your rifle so your preference counts.
For a lot of these parts there is not much price variation. The exception seems to be BCM uppers which sell for a lot less than many competitive uppers even though the BCMs are better quality. I have ordered several times from Rainier and they have been excellent. So has bravocompanyusa.com.
Am I forgetting some really critical part that I am going to need to snap this beast together? I am open to any and all advice at this point.
You just need to put the upper on the lower and push the pins together, run a patch through the barrel, lube up the bolt carrier group and go shoot.
One thing that is odd about your setup is that you are putting a carbine lower with a rifle upper. Typically guys put a 16 inch mid-length gas system upper on a carbine lower, or they use a 20 inch barrel with a rifle buffer assembly. So I am a bit confused about what you are trying to achieve with that particular setup.
Congratulations on this purchase and you sure seem to be headed in the right direction. It’s a relief and a pleasure to see a fellow who is not tempted to cut corners on his first AR15.
@Iraqgunz: Thanks for the tip. That looks like a good price.
I am leaning towards a 20" barrel because I like the idea of the higher velocity and the government profile barrel doesn’t sound too heavy. My gut is telling me to go with a 20" now but that probably just means my second AR is going to be short and light.
Last month, I bought one of the BCM 20’’ uppers. I wanted an old fashioned KISS rifle, no thrills, no optic, no railed handguards, that I can mount on the lower I already had for my SPR. this way, I’ll go back to the basics (iron sights, carrying handle), while using it as a training tool when my buddies/squadron mates want to learn how to shoot a rifle.
I also bought the black handguards (that makes three of us!) and asked the good guys at BCM to install it when they shipped it to me.
I’m very happy with my purchase, and the summer sale price can’t be beat. Highly recommend!
As for your first point, I do like the BCM A4 rifle and I am tempted to buy it. For that matter, I also looked around for a comparably configured Colt (which I don’t believe exists). I am leaning towards building from parts because of the massive tax that we now have to pay doing transfers. I’d much rather pay the tax on a $350 complete lower than the whole rifle, but there I go cutting corners. I like the idea of complete uppers and lowers, because it solves the tax issue, but doesn’t sound like it involves any building expertise. Maybe I should pair the upper with a BCM lower, though.
And as for the carbine lower and the rifle upper: that was pretty much out of ignorance, I didn’t know there was a difference. What exactly is the difference between a carbine lower and a rifle lower? Just for the sake of understanding, are you saying that if I swapped out the carbine buffer for a $15 rifle buffer, it would then be a rifle lower, or is there something more?
Honestly, I’ve never felt the ergo grip, but I was drawn to that complete lower because it’s an LMT, and in part, because it includes the adjustable carbine stock, which I will probably find useful as I adjust my stance from short Warsaw length stocks. I will look at that Vltor A5.
I was lurking a bit after starting this thread and discovered that Rainier opened a storefront around here in the last year, so I will definitely be stopping by there, one way or another, to check the place out. Now that I know I can just pick up the LMT lower retail with no transfer fee or shipping, I’m really tempted to just combine the BCM and LMT, although I don’t want to do something idiotic regarding the whole rifle vs. carbine parts thing. I hear 2 of you urging me to go all BCM, are there any known issues combining the LMT lower and BCM upper or would this just be playing it extra safe?
ETA: Yes, the C7A2 does look like exactly what I had in mind. So it sounds like these particular parts with the carbine buffer might just work out of the box, but the C7A2 uses an H2 buffer so I may need that if I run into problems. Some people are also referring to a different buffer spring but I have no idea the specs on that.
Personally, I like the Ergo Ambi Grip. They are comfortable for me when handling a rifle for long periods of time. I have them on two rifles I use constantly.
It’s your gun and your dime, so do what you want, but there really isn’t much need for 20" barrels, and for some reason 20s with collapsible stocks are way more nose-heavy than even an 18.
When most people strip away all the unnecessary for a true General Purpose rifle, they generally come down to a 16" gun, with pretty much everyoke between a 14.5 and 18, with a few using SBRs. It’s for a good reason.
You would be wise to listen to Failure2Stop and Iraqgunz, they simply know what they are talking about. When I was getting my first AR15 I wish I had the opportunity to get their advice.
All the components you have selected are good quality, I have 3 LMT Defender 2000 lowers and they have no problems mating up to a BCM upper. They are good lowers. However, if I was doing it again I would buy a BCM or Daniel Defense lower. The finish on the DD and BCM lowers are better than the LMTs I have a DD and a BCM in addition to the 3 LMTs. I have 5 sets of the Troy folding sights they are excellent.
I will second the guys advice above and recommend:
BCM Lower
BCM 16" mid length gas system upper with BCM bolt carrier group and charging handle
BCM mid length handguards
Troy sights
The 16" mid length is the “sweet spot” in the AR rifles.
According to this thread, you only gain about 3-4% in velocity going for the 20" over a 16," so I guess that sort of rules out any major ballistic advantage:
I still feel drawn towards a full length gas system. I suppose it’s because of all the passing comments I’ve heard about the 20" being cleaner, putting less wear on parts, having lighter recoil, and being more “reliable.” I have also heard that these are exaggerations, which seems to be the tone in the current thread. I guess the mid length may be the best of both worlds.
The 16" middies are a great bench-mark; able to do everything pretty well. Unless you are shooting Service Rifle High Power competitions, a 20" barrel with a fixed FSB is not going to bring much more to the capability of the rifle.
But hey, some people just like certain things. If you really want a 20" barrel, go merrily ahead. I am certainly not going to think less of you either way.
I liked the idea of going all BCM, but I got the SOPMOD stock that I had been jonesing for at a little below market value by picking up the complete LMT lower with LMT NM 2-stage trigger at a very convenient local shop, out the door for $525 (thanks for the tip, spamsammich). I realize that the stock and trigger are expensive, and maybe not worth it from a cost vs. practicality perspective, but the stock is pretty solid and happens to get a lot of ‘cool factor’ points from me, and I generally prefer 2 stage triggers.
It sounds like the jury is in on the 16" barrel with mid length gas system, so I will probably place an order with BCM this evening on either the standard 16" midlength or the BFH for $100 more + $135 BCM BCG and charging handle. I really like the free floated, railed uppers posted by failure2stop and 500grains, but they are a little more expensive than I can afford now. I’m just going to get cheap, standard hand guards and save money in the interim while I get used to the platform and save money for optics. I’m pretty happy with the accuracy I can get from my Saigas and Bulgarian 74s, so I will probably be impressed with the AR before taking any steps to accurize it.
Thanks for the welcome, Templar. I first heard about this board in some of your posts on the AK forum.
I’ll probably post some pics of the complete rifle next week when the upper arrives. Big thanks to the forum.
