New to building

[Predator Rises]

Welcome

Personally I think you made a great choice with a Mk 18 build. If you know you already want one, you'll end up with one anyway, so you might as well start there.

As for finding parts, it's fairly easy if you spend some time on it. I'd recommend picking up your lower receiver first and getting your Form 1 started. That way you can hunt for parts while you wait. Last I heard Form 1s are still in the 60 day or so territory, so not bad at all. For the lower, since you'll be SBR'ing this, I'd recommend you get something you'll be happy with long term. I'd highly recommend something mil-spec forged, no billet (for a Mk 18 clone anyway). Colt, KAC, Daniel Defense, and LMT are top notch options. Not a huge fan of BCM due to the PMAG issue, though I know a lot of other people on this forum in particular love them.

DD stopped selling the rail so they could fulfill a .mil contract, so they're a bit hard to find right now. But not too bad. I'd recommend browsing the Marketplace here and the other gun forums and even posting some WTB ads. They seem to be going for around $350 - $450 right now due to their scarcity.

For the upper, again, anything mil-spec forged should work just fine. Damage Industries is having a sale right now on contract, key forge M4 uppers that are forged, M4 feed ramp and T marks already painted for $38. Insane deal.

The other difficult part about a Mk 18 is the barrel. Colt factory 10.3" barrels are available, but can be hard to find and pricey. Daniel Defense makes a stock 10.3" barrel, but some feel it's a bit over-gassed - how important that is is up to you. The third, probably most popular option is to buy any 16" gov profile barrel like a BCM, DD, Colt, LMT, etc… and have a smith chop, thread and open the gas port. ADCO is a fairly popular company that does this and they're reasonable priced. I'd highly recommend against any of the 10.5" factory barrels.

Other than that, just do a lot of reading and keep your eye out for good deals. You'll love the rifle once it's done. They're extremely handy and versatile. You probably won't be ringing steel at 500 with sub MOA precision, but, for anything ~250 and in, they're really fun.

I also have an Instagram account dedicated to pics of these. You can follow it here: https://instagram.com/cqbr/

Here's a buddy shooting mine last weekend:

This is exactly the type of information that I needed, thanks so much man, this is a huge help!

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[Ryno12]

Do you have your trust set up already or are going the individual route?

[Renegade04]

Predator Rises, I sent you an e-mail regarding this topic. I am in Pensacola as well.

[Predator Rises]

Predator Rises, I sent you an e-mail regarding this topic. I am in Pensacola as well.

Alright I'll check it out in a sec.

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[Ryno12]

Anyone else get the impression that the OP has no clue about NFA laws and/or is planning on side stepping it completely?

[Predator Rises]

Anyone else get the impression that the OP has no clue about NFA laws and/or is planning on side stepping it completely?

You're right. I don't know anything about NFA laws, thats why I came to this forum to get all the info I needed. But I don't plan on "side stepping" anything.

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[cosmo223]

Well, since it looks like you are dead set on getting and SBR and building it yourself, I'll try again. If I were you I'd build the lower and buy the upper. Building a lower is relatively easy and there are definitely places you can save some money if you are on a budget. If money is tight you can pick up a blemished Anderson receiver for cheap. For a little more money you can pick up a Spike's Tactical receiver or an Aero Precision receiver. I've built lowers using both and they are well made. For a lower parts kit, I'd just get a standard kit. If you plan on upgrading the trigger and the pistol grip see if you can find a LPK that excludes those items. I know Joe Bob's sells some. For a trigger do you want a single stage or a two stage? Do you know at this point, since you don't have any experience with AR's? I generally prefer two stage triggers. Rock River Arms makes a nice National Match two stage trigger for about $70. If you've got a bigger budget, it's tough to beat a Geissele, but they will be more than double the cost. For the pistol grip, do you want a BCM gunfighter grip, an rubberized ergo grip, is the standard grip ok? Really a matter of personal preference. Same for charging handle - BCM makes a number of nice charging handles, depends on what you want. As far as collapsible stocks, the default stock is probably the Magpul CTR. But there are a ton of other options, depending on what you're looking for. LMT makes a very nice, but pricey stock. Vltor offers a number of stock options that are popular. It really comes down to personal preference and your intended use.

As for uppers, if you are on a very tight budget Radical Arms makes a number of pretty inexpensive uppers. I have one and it runs fine with most ammo. You can probably pick one up for a couple of hundred dollars. At the other end of the spectrum KAC makes some terrific uppers, but at about 4 times the price. And there are a ton of options in between. Daniel Defense. BCM. Noveske. LMT. Larue. You can't go wrong with any of these - although some options will be pricier than others.

Finally, have you thought about an optic? Back up iron sites? Again, what's your budget? On the high end you can't really go wrong with an Aimpoint. Or an Eotech. Vortex makes some great 1x4 and 1x6 scopes. If you're on a budget you can substitute a Primary Arms micro dot for the Aimpoint, and an SWFA scope for the Vortex. But again, so many of these choices turn on your budget, your intended use for the gun and your own personal preferences - none of which we really know.

[cosmo223]

As far as NFA, you're going to have to fill out two forms in duplicate, take both forms to you local police chief. Have him finger print you and fill out a portion of the form. Attach pictures of yourself to the forms. Send to ATF with $200. Wait a couple of months for them to approve you. (I believe you also have to have your receiver engraved).

If you ever want to sell (or transfer) this gun, the purchaser (or transferee) will have to go through this process as well before they take possession of the gun. And you will need to insure that your state permits SBR's - since not all do. And finally, if you ever move to another state, you're going to have to fill out more paperwork to insure your gun remains in compliance.

If you want to add a suppressor down the road, that another form, and another $200 - again assuming your state allows suppressors.

[nick84]

You're right. I don't know anything about NFA laws, thats why I came to this forum to get all the info I needed. But I don't plan on "side stepping" anything.

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Don't get the wrong idea. This is a helpful community. But realize that you're not the first new poster to come up and ask a lot of the same questions. Many people give out the same solid advice, but watch it fall upon the eyes and ears of people who end up learning the hard way anyway. NFA is a complicated game, and a serious commitment. If you're new to shooting sports, it would be pretty understandable if you didn't grasp the seriousness of what you're trying to step into.

It seems like you've already made up your mind about what you want to do, and like many, I would advise against an SBR right off the bat. I likewise advise friends against building at all for their first rifle, especially given that you can pick up a DD factory Mk18. The NFA process is easier for a factory gun as well, in my opinion. But you're gonna do what you're gonna do. Good luck, report back on your progress.

[Ryno12]

You're right. I don't know anything about NFA laws, thats why I came to this forum to get all the info I needed. But I don't plan on "side stepping" anything.

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That's fine but you're putting the cart before the horse. Learn what's all entailed with the NFA process first. You may decide that it's not worth it & scrap the SBR idea. Research that now. If you decide you still want to go through with it, get trust going first (if that's what you decide) so you get start the process to register your lower. You'll have several months to research the rest of your build while your F1 is being processed.