What makes a good Ar

[jpo183]

I cant use the search box due to the site stuff going on however I am planning my build for my AR and after reading a lot of the stuff in here I cannot determine

"What makes a good ar"

For example lower A is better then Lower B...because? If all things are equal in manufacturing process, testing, metals, etc then why is A better.

Are there certain things in the AR build that need to be a set standard to be a "good ar"

Example: Why not use a PSA lower vs another Metal Lower?

They both are forged/billet and both metal. So why is one better.

Just trying to figure out why I should spend x instead of y

 

[Bafflingbs]

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pwswheghNQsEuEhjFwPrgTA&single=true&gid=5&output=html

Read this!

 

[jpo183]

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pwswheghNQsEuEhjFwPrgTA&single=true&gid=5&output=html

Read this!

This calls for a print off and a bathroom break

 

[squirrels]

In most cases, as long as it's to-spec, a lower is a lower is a lower. I've seen some lowers that work better than others, but for the most part, if you've heard of the company, it's because a lot of people are using them. A lot of the lowers with "designer" rollmarks are sourced from the same company too.

AR15 dot com is your friend. You'll learn very quickly what parts everyone else is using, which they hold in high regard, and which you should steer clear of.

But as far as any lower claiming to be "superior", that's a lofty claim, and likely the "superiority" is not significant enough to make a difference in weapon operation. There are "good" lowers and "not-good" lowers...in my mind at least.

Spend your money on the important parts in the upper-half.

 

[jimbobborg]

Avoid Hess and Vulcan anything. I've put a few lowers together, I prefer not to use DPMS parts kits as I've had issues with their roll pins and other stuff being out of spec. I've had better luck building with RRA kits. Good triggers are not cheap. You can use mil-spec parts and have a trigger that works, or you can spend some money and buy a great trigger group. Geiselle, Wilson, Timney, all make great triggers. The forged, stripped lowers themselves are pretty much all alike. You can match any forged lower with any forged upper and have a workable rifle. They may not match color wise. That's personal preference.

 

[vector03]

Avoid Hess and Vulcan anything. I've put a few lowers together, I prefer not to use DPMS parts kits as I've had issues with their roll pins and other stuff being out of spec. I've had better luck building with RRA kits. Good triggers are not cheap. You can use mil-spec parts and have a trigger that works, or you can spend some money and buy a great trigger group. Geiselle, Wilson, Timney, all make great triggers. The forged, stripped lowers themselves are pretty much all alike. You can match any forged lower with any forged upper and have a workable rifle. They may not match color wise. That's personal preference.

Do you have any experience with LWRC LPK? Specifically, the Trigger in that kit compared to a Geiselle Single Stage Trigger?

 

[jpo183]

Lets expand past the lowers. As far as trigger, you are talking about creep, weight , etc. I understand this is a big part for a lot of people, but at the end of the day a trigger is a trigger. The trigger does not make it a bad rifle or a good rifle. If you put $1 parts on the rifle and spent $1000 on the trigger, its still a 41 rifle.

What about the upper from that article it sounds like the most important parts on a rifle is the

BCG
Barrel
Gas Key being properly staked

 

[ObsceneJesster]

I'd go over to the m4carbine forums and see what others are using. The people who contribute to that forum are much more knowledgeable than the members of Arfcom. Many of the contributors on M4carbine are instructors or they are in the business of designing AR parts.

The most important parts in my mind is the barrel and BCG. Make sure you get them from reputable dealers/manufacturers and you should have a decent shooting rifle providing everything else is built to spec.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Ab_Normal]

What makes a good Ar...reliability and accuracy - in that order.

 

[dev]

Do you have any experience with LWRC LPK? Specifically, the Trigger in that kit compared to a Geiselle Single Stage Trigger?

I have some experience with the LWRC trigger which is nothing more then a nickel Teflon coated trigger. It's a little better then a non coated trigger but it still had weight to it and creep. My brother in-law and I changed it to a two staged Geiselle and it was entirely different.

I don't know about Geiselle single stage but I bet that would also be well designed. A modified stock trigger can be good to point but if you try and make it light as a specialty trigger then it will have reliability issues and you will feel the grit before it breaks.

 

[dev]

"What makes a good ar"

As it was mentioned reliability, accuracy are very important but what is commonly overlooked is ergonomics. I must have exchanged a dozen or so parts until I found what works for me in terms of ergonomics and just having a lightweight balanced rifle that feels right for me.