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Thread: Talk me out of going to a smith

  1. #1
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    Talk me out of going to a smith

    So i decided to sell my bushy a while back and venture into the world of building a better gun than the one i had. Frankly i feel i bit off more than i can chew. My lower is here and im waiting on my upper,stock,and LPK to arrive. Frankly this looks like a mess of screws ,buttons and springs. Not to mention i have no punches or armorers vice or any of that such that i probably need. i think i have a mallet and a screwdriver, maybe a few wrenches. It seems like every hand guard needs their own proprietary torque-hex-lock-nut-wrench-thing and ill be damned if i know what a butt-stock spanner wrench is (i know what it is im just making a point) . Problem two is most of these quality tools cost money which i admittedly didn't add into my build costs. At this point im thinking it'd be easier and safer to take it to a local smith that i trust and have him turn this pile of parts into a gun. its not like im totally inexperienced with fire arm parts but my glocks and sigs are a far cry from an ar15. Am i overreacting or should i just take it to a smarter more equipped person than i?

  2. #2
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    I work from home and I am in meetings all day. While in those meetings I put a stripped lower together at the same time except for the roll pins for the trigger guard and the bolt catch. If you just do a search here you will find plenty of advice on how to best handle the roll pins.

    What upper did you get and what handguard/rail did you order?

    from the top of my head, the minimum tools needed to get away with are:

    Flat head screw driver for the grip
    Bolt Catch Punch
    A mallet
    A stock wrench
    pliers


    are you assembling the upper or is that coming complete?
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Evil Bert View Post
    I work from home and I am in meetings all day. While in those meetings I put a stripped lower together at the same time except for the roll pins for the trigger guard and the bolt catch. If you just do a search here you will find plenty of advice on how to best handle the roll pins.

    What upper did you get and what handguard/rail did you order?

    from the top of my head, the minimum tools needed to get away with are:

    Flat head screw driver for the grip
    Bolt Catch Punch
    A mallet
    A stock wrench
    pliers


    are you assembling the upper or is that coming complete?

    My upper is coming complete minus the BCG and charging handle , i ordered it from Accurate Armory , Im Going to go with the troy trx but in the mean time until i save up for it i might just throw some standard hand guards on there.

  4. #4
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    Would you mind sharing the details of the upper you bought from Accurate Armory?

    From what I can see you probably paid too much. Their standard M4 upper receiver is 120.00 which is considerably more than a BCM upper. If you are thinking about installing a Troy TRX you are going to need more than tools. It requires removal of the FSB, gas tube and barrel nut. Unless you have all the RIGHT TOOLS and knowledge you shouldn't attempt it.

    Quote Originally Posted by philipeggo View Post
    My upper is coming complete minus the BCG and charging handle , i ordered it from Accurate Armory , Im Going to go with the troy trx but in the mean time until i save up for it i might just throw some standard hand guards on there.



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  5. #5
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    You might see if there is someone close to you that can assist you. I'd be willing to bet I've got over $1000.00 in my AR tool box/parts box alone over the years.

    There are also many DVD's and books that give you step by step directions. When I started building I was surprised that my carbine even worked! I played with it and built another, and another, and several more to the point that I prefer and trust my own builds to any manufacturers.

    The real investment is not the tools but taking the time to educate yourself and do the preparation. Make a plan. Read all you can. Learn the tricks to make it easier on you.

    Not all gun guys care anything about building them. I like doing it and have helped many friends, co workers, and friends of friends put theirs together. That should be your first effort before paying someone 2-3 hours labor for an hour job. That way you learn much more about the workings of your rifle at the same time and learn whether or not you want to invest the time and effort to build your own.
    "The peace we have within us is most often expressed in how we treat others"

  6. #6
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    The Brownell's videos are good. Watch them and see what is involved. If you have a good mechanical sense, you can do this. You just need to decide if the tool cost is worth it for you.

    http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=11004/learn/

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iraqgunz View Post
    Would you mind sharing the details of the upper you bought from Accurate Armory?

    From what I can see you probably paid too much. Their standard M4 upper receiver is 120.00 which is considerably more than a BCM upper. If you are thinking about installing a Troy TRX you are going to need more than tools. It requires removal of the FSB, gas tube and barrel nut. Unless you have all the RIGHT TOOLS and knowledge you shouldn't attempt it.
    No problem , Its a 16" carbine length gas system . YHM front sight gas block , no bolt carrier because i didnt want one (buying a BCM or a failzero) . Keith from AA was excellent to deal with and the price was comparable/not that much more than BCM. Before i went to AA i called spikes since they are local but neither the message i left nor the email i sent was returned so i went with AA. Yea I figured as much thankfully my local class 3 is a good guy and said he'd do it for a few bucks. I do however plan on sitting in and watching just so i can see whats involved.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by seb5 View Post
    You might see if there is someone close to you that can assist you. I'd be willing to bet I've got over $1000.00 in my AR tool box/parts box alone over the years.

    There are also many DVD's and books that give you step by step directions. When I started building I was surprised that my carbine even worked! I played with it and built another, and another, and several more to the point that I prefer and trust my own builds to any manufacturers.

    The real investment is not the tools but taking the time to educate yourself and do the preparation. Make a plan. Read all you can. Learn the tricks to make it easier on you.

    Not all gun guys care anything about building them. I like doing it and have helped many friends, co workers, and friends of friends put theirs together. That should be your first effort before paying someone 2-3 hours labor for an hour job. That way you learn much more about the workings of your rifle at the same time and learn whether or not you want to invest the time and effort to build your own.
    Thanks for the advice , that would be great. I do know a few friends that could probably help me out so i should prob ask them first, truth be told i think im just psyching myself out. I can follow directions well enough and im not a total mechanical failure. But i am conscious of the fact that this is my first build and that a mistake could be at best a pain to fix and a worst very costly. I think midway USA has a free online series dedicated to the platform that would answer most of my questions. It just seems very daunting at first , kinda like my first trip to a strip club.

  9. #9
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    oh and in case anyone was wondering im bitching about cost because i had to pay a $143 seatbelt ticket. that was my money for tools and what not. Wear your seat belts boys and girls.

  10. #10
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    I built my first lower with a pair of channel locks while lying in bed watching how to videos on YouTube.....it is not nearly as hard as it looks..

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