
Originally Posted by
SA80Dan
Of course, you are right. However.....people usually build them for other reasons than outright cost - the fun of it and sense of accomplishment, the fact that you know every little detail about your rifle, etc. You also get to nit pick and exactly choose your choice parts - trigger, upper receiver, precision barrel, etc. There is a ton of choice out there. I also think if you are going higher end in a build, you might just come out a little cheaper. If you use high end components and carefully and painstakingly put it all together, your rifle will be every bit as solid as a single name brand.
The thing about the AR platform is that it brings the ability to put together a rifle within reach of the average guy with a moderate level of mechanical ability, a reasonable home tool kit and a few special tools. By contrast with other weapon systems, which have you bending receiver flats,welding parts together, pressing in barrels and headspacing them, etc, the AR is really very simple. There are also a ton of guides out there and great resources like this forum to help you through.
I kinda liken putting together an AR with putting together a computer. Sure, you can get a ready built one cheaper....but there will usually be something you want to change out. You can (to some extent) specify your parts to a company like BCM etc...this is about the same as 'building' up a PC with Dell, for instance. But, if your 'EBR disease' is advanced to the level of obsessing about individual parts, and wanting to know about every single part in your rifle, that barrel is seated correctly and torqued just right, that gas block is precisely placed and attached, everything is staked correctly, etc....then building yourself is the way to go. After much removal and replacement of parts on my rifle, I have just now gotten to this level to build an entire one myself from components , and am just about to start to put together a precision rig.
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