Quote Originally Posted by Luke_Y View Post
I'm with scottryan on this one. Never been sorry I bought a tool (beside when moving).

As far as parts install or sorting out a problem the AR just isn’t that difficult to learn how to properly work on. If you are doing most anything short of machine work the knowledge base here can likely educate you and get you through it. If it's more in depth than that the members can likely point you to a trusted source (probably someone right here on this site).
It can't be said enough-buy the proper tool for the job, and buy some books. There are very few things that I wouldn't feel comfortable doing on my own on an AR (like drilling or machine work--because I'm not a machinist).

I picked out tools from Brownells' AR Toolkit, assembling a basic toolkit that I could use to change out various components and whatnot. I probably spent around $200 to get equipped.