I want to build my first ar but i want it to be a rifle i would be able to easily trust my life with in a situation that the society order were to melt down or we were to be invaded by some other country. Now i know that’s highly unlikely but i just want the rifle to function under any circumstances. I need help with picking out parts since im somewhat new to ARs. Some of the things i want to be included are a gas piston system, 16 inch cold hammer forged barrel, a two stage trigger and a magpul stock. Can you please reply with what would be your ultimate survival ar including those general guide lines if money was not an issue. thanks guys.
also i forgot to mention it should be chambered in ither a 6.8 or if you decide to chamber it in another caliber, please explain why.
I’d consider losing the piston and two stage trigger and putting that money toward ammo and training.
And if society melts down, niche cartridges may be a bit scarce.
Buy several AR’s (if thats the rifle you like) and have extra parts on hand. Stock pile on ammo, I mean literally stock pile on ammo. Buy mags, lots and lots of mags. If society really melts down, what stock or rail or trigger isn’t gonna make a difference as long as you have something that will go bang.
Lose the piston, stick with 5.56 NATO, and 9x19 Para.
Crap like that will be scarce, and not field expedient.
Midlength gas system, 14.5’', and suppressor capability would be my only real requirements.
Just buy a KAC SR-15.
ok sry about that, forget the whole society meltdown, just what would be your ultimate ar if money was not an issue.
KAC SR-15
See Thomas M-4’s post just above. Seems to be the best going out there, although you may also want to take a good look at the LMT .308.
Just read your revision… My Ultimate rifle is my Noveske 13.7" upper in 6.8SPC with KX3. Lower has Wilson TTU trigger, UBR stock and MIAD grip and ambidextrous controls. It shoots and handles almost exactly like my 5.56 rifles but has much more stank downrange. I can’t help but smile every time I shoot it. The LMT .308 looks supa sweet but AR-10s tend to be heavy, recoil harder ( slower back on target) and parts are less available and much more expensive. If money weren’t an issue I’d get one. One advantage of the 6.8SPC is that I can train with my 5.56 ARs and transition seamlessly to the 6.8. If you want to be good with your .308 you have to shoot your .308
I agree with everything that’s been said. Ditch the piston, it’s not going to make your rifle more reliable, will add weight and give you parts that will be tough to replace if the gun goes down. No fancy triggers, again, it’s just something else that can go wrong. A stock trigger from a Daniels Defense LPK, G&R tactical LPK or the like will give you a very good and very reliable trigger. The Wilson Combat or Giselle SSA should be pretty reliable but again… I love and own 2 rifles in 6.8 SPC and think it’s a great round but if things went south I’d grab my BCM midlength in 5.56 and all the ammo I could carry. You can pretty much be sure you’ll be able to find 5.56 or .233. 6.8 SPC, on the other hand, when you’re out of ammo you’ve got a pretty lousy club.
I’d start with a lower with a good quality LPK as a foundation. Magpul grips and buttstocks would give you a place to carry an extra bolt, firing pin,batteries ect. I like ambidextrous controls as they give you multiple options for manipulating your rifle if you’re injured. Get a good quality midlength DI upper ( DD, Noveske, Colt, BCM ). Make sure you have a high quality Bolt ( and an extra ) and BCG. I’d recommend a low power variable scope, don’t be afraid to spend money on this. The Trijicon TR24 is awesome. Also buy a weaponlight.
In retrospect I bought several ARs before figuring out what ran well and worked for me. I would have been waaaaaaayyyyy better served by buying tons of ammo and taking a class. If classes aren’t available or are scarce look into sport shooting clubs in your area that may do TAPS style shoots. These are good ways to apply what you’ve practiced.
I’d say read on here a little more. You are hitting on the gun-shop/gun mag cool words… Piston, Magpul stock, 2 stage trigger. I dont like a 2 stage trigger in a combat gun. Get a DD, BCM, or LMT, and if you want piston get an LWRC. I have an LWRC I have bet my life on. I’ve had 9 of them and never a problem. But do you need a piston, not on a 16in gun really. A good place to start would be a 16in Middy BCM or DD.
Gas pistons have a fondle mental flaw[ carrier tilt and they are hard on bolt lugs] If you have to have a gas piston I would get one that was designed from the start as a gas piston SCAR, ACR,AK,ext,ext.
In a AR platform KAC SR15 has a redesigned BCG for long service life the gas system and buffer system have been designed to work together with the lowest recoil and utmost reliability in mind also the KAC has full ambi controls the urx rail system is one of the most advanced rail systems on the market. Other than KAC I would look at BCM they use quality parts and they offer a ''WIDE ''range of upper’s with different rail systems depending on what you want. To tell you the truth I wouldn’t even bother trying to assemble an upper or lower because BCM has them ready to go and they use the parts that I would have to order from different suppliers to finish.
Get a BCM, Colt, DD or Noveske, and run several thousand rounds through it bone stock. Add a sling, a light and an Aimpoint, once you have mastered the iron sights.
Shoot more ammo through it.
You are now done.
-A 14.5" middy carbine with Fixed FSP with Magpul MOE furniture in your choice of color
-A Larue or DD non folding BUIS
-A pinned muzzle device FH or brake required with 14.5" length barrel
-A good reliable optic with a LONG battery life or no need for batteries (Aimpoint or Trijicon would be top choices for me)
-A White light mounted to weapon. LED bulb for longer life between battery changes (plenty of extra batteries)
-A good sling
-lots of quality Ammo
-lots of reliable magazines (PMAGS for me)
-A chest rack or some means to carry 6 or more primary Mags and any other needed items water, food, survival gear etc.
Well thats what I would do any way.
…
If you can afford an LWRCi you can afford KAC SR-15 E3. Which is the best AR on the market. And doesn’t require end user modification to be a combat ready rifle.
Maybe cut it down to 14.5’'.
Best possible option.
6.8 is useless, just get barrier blind 5.56. Mk. 318 Mod. 0 will be available commercially. And keep some Mk. 262 on hand for accuracy needs.
If funds allow, get a triple tap comp, and QDSS-NT4.
Thomas M-4 nailed it really.
That would be my ultimate combat rifle. Practice with irons, then go with a good ACOG.
Too many opinions in here that really dont mean anything…
What is your budget? How much experience do you have with a rifle? Any formal training? Prior military, LE, etc?
If you have very little experience or exposure to a rifle as a weapon system i would advocate you spend about a grand putting together a bare bones BCM or DD carbine and then investing the other grand you would spend on the KAC carbine into training and ammunition.
A two thousand dollar rifle, an acog, a 14.5 inch barrel and all of the other go fast goodies listed in this thread dont mean ANYTHING if you CANNOT run the weapon when it counts.
Why the hell would you recommend an ACOG to someone that has absolutely (at least it seems that way) no experience with a rifle? Do they have any basic understanding of ballistics? What ranges are they going to be shooting at? This is why you define NEEDS, not WANTS and then make recommendations instead of spouting off at the mouth with your own personal tastes.
Cripes guys, lets descend back to reality here for a few minutes.
As an aside, if you have a budget of 3k then if you WANT to spend 2k i would without a doubt echo the recommendations in here to pick up an SR15 as it is probably the nicest out of the box AR made.
IF it were ME, i would still go with option #1 and spend the extra two grand now on ammo and training.
Ultimate combat AR…One with a lot of ammo:)
I will take a hesse or oly w. a metric shit ton of ammo and perhaps some small spare parts for the clunkers wayyyy before I will take a MRP or SR-15 with a case of TAP T2 or MK262. When the world ends, and zombies are busting outta the wood works…there will be a ton of top shelf guns all belled and whistled up with no ammo thus relegating them to baby seal clubs:D
You can put together a GOOD rifle for less than $900 shipped using a BCM upper assembly and MOE middy handguards.
That being said, I will entertain the thought of my “ultimate AR”. One day I might even be able to afford it. 
Upper
[ul][li]Les Baer upper receiver (dust cover, no forward assist)
[/li][li]Lothar Walther 12" to 15" LW50 barrel, midlength, 5.56 NATO chamber, 1:8 twist, polygonal rifled with an ABS carbon-fiber treatment
[/li][li]BattleComp 1.0 (mount) or threaded for Tac Ops shorty suppressor since money isn’t an issue
[/li][li]JP Low Mass or Tactical Carrier*
[/li][li]Bolt with the best enhancements from JP Enhanced Bolt and Knight’s Armament E3 bolt
[/li][li]Magpul MBUIS front and rear sights
[/li][li]JP/Troy Extreme Handguard covering a shaved/halved FSB
[/li][li]Magpul AFG2
[/li][li]IWC Mount-In-Slot QD sling mount
[/li][li]Surefire X300 at 1200
[/li][li]Bravo Co. Gunfighter Mod 4 charging handle
[/li][li]Aimpoint T-1 in Daniel Defense mount[/ul]
[/li]Lower
[ul][li]ACR / XCR style ambi selector, mag catch/release, and bolt catch/release (or else KAC Stoner rifle ambi features if we can’t dream)
[/li][li]Single-stage version of Geissele SSA
[/li][li]Magpul UBR stock
[/li][li]Sprinco Blue or Red action spring*
[/li][li]JP low-mass buffer, CAR buffer, or H*
[/li][li]Stark SE-1 pistol grip[/ul]
[/li]
*Whichever combination of the two carriers, action springs, and buffers will function reliably with the most types of ammo.
-B