Hey guys,
This is my first post on the forum. I've been a reader for a couple of years, but decided to get off my butt and contribute. So here are some pic of my first AR project. I read the guidelines for posting here and it that we should take the time and explain how we came to our decisions and explain the setup. So, my first post feels like a book. If it's too long, well I apologize, but I remember all the questions I had when I first started and I had access to a couple of great guys. I can only imagine the first time builder who doesn't have the amazing friends that I have.
I owe the completion of my build and the excellent parts that I used in my build to Docsherm and elpotro. My friend Peter (elpotro) was always willing to listen to me work through my ideas and provide input when he could. He was my liaison to Docsherm and asked so many question for me when he himself couldn't answer. Docsherm has probably forgotten more data related to weapons and weapon building, than I will ever know. I know every time he answers a question (He still doing that!) that I file it away because it is valuable intel. Not only did he provide advice, in many cases he would provide a link to the product. I just don't know many people that do that, especially with someone they really didn't know at that time. I've said it once, and I'll say it again - They broke the mold when they made those two. I'm not blowing smoke up anybody's 6. This project was huge for me, it was an expensive project and I couldn't afford to make costly mistakes. This is one reason I'm so thankful for my friends.
Also, my first lesson I learned was that even though I spent 15 yrs in the Army, I realized real quick that firing and cleaning my weapon those 15 years really didn't qualify me to build one. So I read a lot and I asked a lot of questions. She fires true as my eye can be, I've never experienced an issue with FTF/FTE which isn't because I use expensive ammo (Big Freedom Munitions fan here).
- Daniel Defense 16" LW barrel
- Anderson upper and lower
- DSG LPK
- CMC 3.5lb drop in trigger
- LMT L7A BCG
- Magpul MBUS Gen 2 front/rear folders
- Magpul ACS-L butt stock
- VTAC Alpha Rail
- VLTOR flash hider
- Knights Armament vertical grip
- EOTech EXPS3-2
- VTAC Wide Padded Upgrade 2-point sling
- PowerTac Warrior (1050 lumens) w/ remote
I owe really the entire success to the build to my good friend Peter and my new friend Docsherm. They broke the mold when they made those two men.
What are my lessons learned?
1. Set a budget and stick to it.
2. Do research on the important parts of your weapon. As one very wise man said, "A lower is a lower." Sure they make some fancy ones, with Zombie this and whatever, but a milspec lower is a milspec lower. Save money where you can, so you can spend on the parts that matter.
3. If this build is for you - remember that. In the end YOU need to be happy with it. Buying this part or that part because that's "what's hot" and then regretting it is not a great feeling!
4. I knew this when I started my build, but if I could say one thing to first time builders, or more specifically to folks just getting started in this little ecosystem, is that you are building a tool. It's a tool and it has an intended use. That use can vary from pleasure to not so pleasurable, but in the end it is just a tool. Don't treat it like a museum piece. Don't treat it like it's a first edition full-size GI Joe with the kung-fu grip. It's a tool that is meant to be respected and USED.
5. If you are going to buy tools to build your weapon, don't scrimp and buy cheap tools. The price you pay may be way more than the price of the tool itself.
What would I have done differently?
1. The charging handle. For sure I will NEVER buy a BCM Gunfighter Mod 3 charging handle. Yes, the larger charging release lever is nice, but that thing digs in my back when I've secure my weapon on my back and it digs in my chest. In fact, I will be putting my BCM Gunfighter Mod 3 charging handle on the "Equipment Exchange" and look for a trade.
2. The free floating rail. I would probably prefer the Troy Alpha rail vs. the VTAC the reason why is because I believe the Troy Alpha rail will accept more rail attachments from other manufacturers. The VTAC you really need to proprietary rail attachments and they aren't cheap. That's the only functional reason.
3. The ACS-L buttstock. Just to get one that doesn't pull my hair out! Not sure what I would replace it with, I will have to make that decision again soon though.
What was my thought process of my build?
My thought process on my build surrounded having a multi-purpose weapon. Tactically and from a survivability perspective. Tactically, I wanted a weapon that had the bones to use as an SPR, if I place a good scope on it, and I also wanted a weapon suitable for CQB. Granted it is not the best of both worlds, and I didn't mean for it to be, I wanted to have something that I could use in both scenarios. That's why I bought a DD barrel, but got the lightweight barrel. So quality AND weight were factors. So I set out to build a weapon that I could put a SWFA/Leupold/Vortex scope on and have a weapon that would perform well in the long shot, and I also wanted a weapon that didn't weigh 14 lbs that was maneuverable in CQ scenarios. I personally feel I did pretty good. Could I have done better? Heck yes. But I'm happy with the end result. It's standard config right now is for CQ. From a survivability/preparation perspective, my thought process was to take into consideration parts availability. Some parts are good because of function, some because they are solid as a rock. My LMT BCG is an example of this. That thing itself can be a weapon!
Why did I buy what I bought?
This is the area where Docsherm and Peter's advice was priceless. Literally. Based on their advice I knew there were three areas where I did not want to compromise on quality. Those three areas are:
- Barrel
- Bolt Carrier Group (BCG)
- Trigger.
I know there are many who will argue with me and say that for general purpose, a barrel is a barrel, but I am relying on the advice of a man who has built numerous weapons, is a subject matter expert and has used these tools in a way most of us have only seen on TV. So his advice was gospel to me. So here is the list of parts I used to build my AR, and some thought behind why I chose that specific part.
Daniel Defense 16" LW barrel, carbine length - I wanted a barrel that would last me as long as possible. The Daniel Defense is a hammer forged barrel. If you haven't read up on that process it is VERY interesting. Basically they take the barrel material and beat the crap out of it until a barrel is formed. Ok, the process is much more complicated than that, but in essence they take hydraulic carbide hammers and the machine hammers the barrel which is around a mandrel until the chamber, lands and grooves are formed. From my research this process produces some of the production made barrels. As a side note, I meant to order a mid-length gas system, in fact my gas tube and gas block were mid, but the dang barrel I ordered was carbine length. After some research I determined that I could live with a carbine length barrel. According to my research the carbine length will kick a little more and thus also the impact on the weapon and its parts is greater. It's a 5.56, my DI shot this thing off his nuts in Basic. Also, I made sure when I bought the parts impacted by this potential higher impact that they were tough as nails.
LMT L7A3 BCG - I know there are many BCG manufacturers out there that make great BCG's. I paid $120 for this one when I bought it from DSG, it's now $80 more. This BCG is as solid as solid gets, I think I could use it for a hammer if i had to. (No way would I EVER do that, LMT BCG's excel in durability, hardness of metal and quality.
CMC 3.5lb drop in trigger - I like the idea of a drop-in trigger. CMC is also a Texas company, and their price-point was much better than Giessele. Plus, I didn't have to have people correct me every time I tried to pronounce their name "Guy-sol" This is a great trigger and I highly recommend them.
Anderson upper and lower - The upper was on sale, and it just made sense to buy the lower from the same manufacturer. I'm sticking with Anderson and using them on my 2nd build which is WIP.
Charging handle - BCM Gunfighter Mod 3
DSG LPK - Lower Parts Kit from DSG Arms. I bought a lot of stuff from DSG arms. They are a Texas company so I feel like I'm doing local business and the customer service is solid. That said, their LPK is top notch and was for a good price. They even include an extra spring because you will in fact screw up the rear retaining pin spring on your first build. I'd put a cup of coffee on it! (At least I think that is the troublesome spring...)
Magpul MBUS Gen 2 front/rear folding sights- They were one of the cheaper good alternative. I love the Troy folding sights, but I bought these on Amazon for a great price. (and free shipping)
Magpul ACS-L butt stock - I really like the ACS buttstock, but this one was cheaper and at the time I did not have a need for a battery compartment. Now, so I probably should have bought the ACS. One comment about this buttstock, it always pulls a hair out of my beard when I position my cheek weld. Always. Irritating yes, show-stopper, no.
VTAC Alpha Rail 11" - Troy makes outstanding rails. In hindsight I probably would have preferred the standard Troy Alpha vs. the Troy VTAC Alpha. The difference is the VTAC has the elongated slots, and the Troy Alpha has the circular slots. This is still an outstanding rail. I found mine for a very, very good price from S3F Solutions, but last time I checked they weren't selling rails any more. I will tell you that during assembly I jacked up my barrel nut. I stripped some of the groove tips off with my crappy barrel wrench. I will add #5 now.So I had a damaged barrel nut and a rail I could not slide over the barrel nut. I was freaking out until I called a family friend and he said, "Do you have a rubber mallet or a hammer and block of wood?" I said I have a rubber mallet, and he told me to hammer the crap out of my rail until it slid over the barrel nut. Now there were obviously better approaches I could make. In fact, now the barrel nut has seen some Dremel action and I can remove the rail without calling for a winch. This rail is hardcore piece of my weapon. I will either buy a Troy Alpha or VTAC, but they will be Troy rails, no question about it.
VLTOR 4 prong flash hider - I had originally bought a standard 5.56 birdcage flash hider from Fat Boy Tactical for 4.99, but my friend elpotro gave this flash hider to me. A fantastic gift and this is a VERY good flash hider and serves its purpose.
Knights Armament vertical grip - I have two grips I run on my rail. Once is this vertical grip which I am more accustomed to, it's the standard vertical grip on most of our M4's in the Army. I also have an angled foregrip that I picked up from Amazon. It's an outstanding foregrip also and I train with both.
EOTech EXPS3-2 - I almost drove elpotro crazy over this component. When I first started my build, I was quite sure I was going to use a Vortex Strikefire or SPARC II. This was one area where I was going to save some money. Well after some advice I began to consider Aimpoint and EOTech. I also thought about Meprolight, but quickly discarded that thought and focused on Aimpoint and EOTech. If I were independently wealthy I would have sprung for an ACOG, but I'm not. Let me tell you I went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and ba....well you get the idea, only it was a thousand times worse than that. I can probably tell you anything you want to know about Aimpoint and EOTech because I read so many reviews, I picked them up with my hands, I with them, I went through some basic CQB type sighting drills and yet, I still could not make a decision. So I made a requirements matrix. I listed on it the requirements I had, I also listed the pros and cons. If I had a con, but there was a way to mitigate the con, then I included that. Basically we all know that Aimpoint is King of Time. Meaning their red dot optics can run forever and one day. (It seems like it) while the EOTech because of the technology used doesn't have nearly the same battery life. However, the EOTech is a HWS, or Holography Weapon Sight, and even if the glass is damaged, cracked, or broken, the hologram will still display in whatever piece of glass is left. Here's a good point of con and mitigation. The EOTech battery life isn't as good as Aimpoint, but I could mitigate that through purchasing a lot of batteries, and also purchasing rechargeable batteries and a recharger that will work in vehicle, also solar powered. However, if the glass breaks on an Aimpoint, then that is a problem that I can't mitigate or work around. There were several other considerations: I really like the landscape that the EOTech offers, I believe it helps me acquire faster. However, the truth is, if I had an Aimpoint, I could train to a point where that isn't a factor, but for me it was a point to consider. The EOTech is heavier than the Aimpoint Micro T2 and when I add a magnifier that will increase even more. So I saved up my money and in the end bought the EOTech. Either way - Aimpoint or EOTech, you can't go wrong, so that was a somewhat safe decision. The Vortex makes great products. They have a warranty like NO ONE else, but remember part of my criteria was getting parts with the idea that at some point, there won't be an Optics Planet, or even a local gun store I can run to and buy a replacement. Also the decision to use EOTech in SOCOM units also influenced my decision. I have heard there were politics behind that, but I still valued that. The mount that my EOTech came with is absolutely outstanding and I am completely happy with my decision. Will I buy an Aimpoint for my 2nd build? Probably not because my criteria have changed. Besides Aimpoint pricing drops down to the high $300's and that's more achievable. I bought my EXPS3-2 from Optics Planet while it was on sale and plus a discount from them put the EXPS3-2 to just over $500 dollars. That was a really good buy.
VTAC Wide Padded Upgrade 2-point sling - Another debating point. My friends recommended I go with a Vickers Blue Force 2-point sling, but I decided to go with VTAC. I've used a Vickers before and they are both OUTSTANDING slings. However, for my next build, I will use a Vicker's Blue Force sling. The issue I have with VTAC is it has so much sling strap left over, you need to cut it to make it manageable. I was just hesitant to do that, but in the end I did. It is a great sling, the triglides are metal, and the construction is first rate.
PowerTac Warrior WPL(1050 lumens) w/ remote - I really wanted to go with a Streamlight for my weapon mounted light. They are a little cheaper than Surefire, but they are just as good. However, I didn't really have $100 plus dollars in my budget. In my searching of flashlights, and I am a bit of a flashlight junkie, I came across PowerTac. They are an American company that makes their flashlights right in in America. They are based out of North Carolina. I watched a video of them putting one of their flashlights through the ringer. They burned it, froze it, threw it out of a 2nd story window onto the concrete sidewalk, they drug it behind a truck on the highway and shot it with a 12 gauge and 00 buckshot. Those factors, including being made in the US, plus a HUGE sale resulted in my going with the PowerTac Warrior as my WML. It is as solid of a light as I have ever owned. It sells for $129.99, but I caught it on sale, on Veteran's Day I believe for $49.99. That included an 18650 battery, two CR 123 batteries, the charger, a holster that I never used and a plastic case. I have a green light filter on this flashlight and if I trigger it in darkness, it will blind and disorient even a blind man. The light is that bright. The drawback, is that it is a heavy light and definitely impacts the forward weight of my weapon. However, it is incredibly efficient at what it does. My next build, I will wait and save up for a Streamlight, likely the TRL-1
I hope this was somewhat interesting and let me know if you have any questions or comments! Thanks for reading and looking!!
The pics arent as big as I thought they'd be...maybe I did something wrong. But hopefully you can see them ok.
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Originally Posted by ex95B10
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