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Thread: To build or to buy?

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by JonnyVain View Post
    Ask yourself:

    Do I usually like things customized to my preferences, or does that typically not matter to me?

    And:

    Will I change my mind once I see all the cool toys in the pic threads?
    Also ask yourself if you don't mind those assemble yourself type things, or if you freak out over "insert piece A3 into slot B3, now put screw XDF into part DD55..."

    Assembling a lower is quite easy, I think almost anyone can do it, but if you really don't like that sort of thing, buy a complete lower and complete upper.

  2. #22
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    If you can afford to buy, then building because of a limited cash flow for the hobby isn't a problem.

    But, if $50-100 a month is as much as you can allow, with a month or more dedicated to doing nothing while money comes in, you're stuck. There are lots of builders doing that. It just makes things slower.

    Another consideration is after looking at all the stuff available, you discover nobody makes what you want. In which case it might be retro, non M4, or something more advanced. There are varmints, hunters, m4geries, etc galore, some things in between, not so much.

    As for tools, a few basic items are all that is needed to start. A little ingenuity can get you by - a lower vice block consists of an old bad magazine clamped to a sturdy table. Yes, substitutes could scratch the parts, you make the choice going in, and execution counts for everything. Shopping Harbor Freight and flea markets for hand tools will net them at 10% of normal retail.

    You can build something that suits your shooting needs, avoids the latest expensive fads, and does a good job. If anything could be recommended for a starter build, a fixed stock and handguards would offer a lot less complications and a more reliable upfront build first time. It avoids the milspec/commercial carbine tube, the overabundant adjustable stock options that are three times the cost, and completely eliminates the "which quad rail?" dilemma and it's associated cost. That will free up $300 - $500 of a budget real quick, deliver a crate of ammo to the house, and months of shooting to get in the thick of things. It will be just as effectively accurate - possibly more so with a quality barrel, which counts for more.

    Point being, focus on quality internal components, not flashy external bling. As changes come later, nothing needs to be upgraded, it's still runs along, and doesn't need more cash to fix it.

    What builders get to do is choose the rollmark of the lower, the type upper, where the charging handle will go and what kind, if there even will be a forward assist, how much rail they will actually need, what sights, where they mount, does the bolt carrier get plated, coated, or parkerized, is the barrel pencil, M4, recon,or heavy, what gas length, which flashhider, will the trigger be issue, Bill Thompsonized, or expensive drop in, what grip, and what color for the entire project.

    Haven't even touched on which caliber . . .
    Last edited by tirod; 04-27-10 at 11:47.

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