Buying or Building First AR

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  • SpikeRR

    Member
    Sep 13, 2018
    27
    Hey Shooters! Recently moved to MD from NoVa and bought my first home. Since doing so I've been taking the precautionary steps to secure and protect our new investment as well as our well being. After researching the various firearms the first obvious choice was a 12 ga shotgun. I really like the Shockwave/Tac 14 and others, but I feel they might be too powerful & cumbersome should my wife have to use it, although I know some come in 20 ga as well. I really dont want to go through the whole gun licensing thing right now, so I rather not have a pistol in the house. After asking some of my coworkers they suggested an AR15 due to its lighter weight, lower recoil, and general ease of use compared to a shotgun. I really didn't want to go down the DEEP rabbit hole of buying/building an AR, but after looking into it, I didn't realize they can be had for so cheap.

    So after looking into the legalities of owning a "black evil gun" in MD, here I am lol. I was really interested in purchasing my first AR as a fully built entry rifle from a reputable brand ie S&W, Ruger, etc, but the one I really wanted that seemed to fit the bill best, the Aero Precision AC15, is banned in MD. Reading around here and another forum it seems the best route would be to bitethe bullet and build one.

    So, all that to say what would be the best route to build an entry AR15 for shooting at the range & home defense? Looking to stay under $700 excluding optics and accessories if possible. If I can get a list of parts or sites/shops that sell HBAR uppers and decent lowers, that'd be very helpful. If not I'll hit up GymRatz, which is about 30 mins from me, to see if they have any more deals on those Rugers everyone seems to have a love/hate relationship with lol. Thanks.
     

    H-Bar

    4th MD Regiment Militia
    Jun 29, 2017
    50
    If you live that close to GymRatz I would stop in there all the time to see what he has. Talk to them and tell them what you are looking to have and they will help you find a AR that you will probably keep.

    To build one under $700 is not going to be a very good AR, but you could buy a used one for about $700-900 from them and it might have an optic on it.
    I live in Baltimore and I would go down there for better gun deals than we could get up here.
     

    DutchV

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2012
    4,703
    Building your own probably won't save you any money versus buying a Ruger at Gym Ratz. Rugers are decent and they have a good warranty. One you've had one for awhile, you might want something different, but that's a good place to start.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,177
    Sun City West, AZ
    If you still care to use the Shockwave as part of your home defense plan, consider the Aquila 12-gauge mini-shells. They're available and probably very effective with far less recoil than a 2 3/4" shell.
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    If you go budget I would advise you to have someone who knows them look the gun over. Budget guns are iffy to use for a defensive capacity if not built properly, and most are not.

    A Windham can be had for about $750 if you shop around. You can get a Colt for about $900.
     

    SpikeRR

    Member
    Sep 13, 2018
    27
    Appreciate the suggestions so far. I'll definitely hit up GymRatz some time this weekend to see what they have.

    After snooping around here a bit I compiled a little list, but Im hung up on what lightweight HBAR barrel to get:
    Aero Precision M4E1 Stripped Lower
    Aero Precision M4E1 Stripped Upper
    Aero Precision Quantom M-Lok Handguard
    Toolcraft phosphate BCG
    LaRue MBT-2s
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    Appreciate the suggestions so far. I'll definitely hit up GymRatz some time this weekend to see what they have.

    After snooping around here a bit I compiled a little list, but Im hung up on what lightweight HBAR barrel to get:
    Aero Precision M4E1 Stripped Lower
    Aero Precision M4E1 Stripped Upper
    Aero Precision Quantom M-Lok Handguard
    Toolcraft phosphate BCG
    LaRue MBT-2s

    That's a good base.
     

    inkd

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 4, 2009
    7,512
    Ridge
    Oh WOW! This is a great deal. Thanks!


    I would seriously jump on one of them if there are any left. That's a great price for a great gun.

    I'm not a huge fan of Colt in general but they make a damn nice AR.

    I posted that link over in the Depot section a few days ago and I think there already may be a few MDShooters members that may have caused the stock on hand to drop a bit.

    :D


    Edit: I just clicked on the link and it looks like they are Out Of Stock on damn near everything.
     

    IX-3

    Active Member
    Aug 21, 2018
    424
    Eastern Shore, MD
    Appreciate the suggestions so far. I'll definitely hit up GymRatz some time this weekend to see what they have.

    After snooping around here a bit I compiled a little list, but Im hung up on what lightweight HBAR barrel to get:
    Aero Precision M4E1 Stripped Lower
    Aero Precision M4E1 Stripped Upper
    Aero Precision Quantom M-Lok Handguard
    Toolcraft phosphate BCG
    LaRue MBT-2s

    If you go the Aero route do yourself a favor and try the IP's and places like Brownells for parts instead of going directly through Aero. I placed an order with them on 8/22 and the bulk of it shipped on 8/31 except one of my handguards. It went on backorder sometime between the 22nd and 30th. I literally just got it today after chasing the FedEx driver for 3.5 miles because they required a direct signature for it.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    I would seriously jump on one of them if there are any left. That's a great price for a great gun.

    I'm not a huge fan of Colt in general but they make a damn nice AR.

    I posted that link over in the Depot section a few days ago and I think there already may be a few MDShooters members that may have caused the stock on hand to drop a bit.

    :D
    Indeed, you might have. They're wiped out now. Can't get the page to load. Forget if they also had the carry handle, but they came with a SureFire WML. If I hadn't purchased another Colt AR earlier this year, I would have gone for one of these and then approached Clandestine to see if he was doing the AR inspection/quality control work these days.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    SpikeRR

    Member
    Sep 13, 2018
    27
    Indeed, you might have. They're wiped out now. Can't get the page to load. Forget if they also had the carry handle, but they came with a SureFire WML. If I hadn't purchased another Colt AR earlier this year, I would have gone for one of these and then approached Clandestine to see if he was doing the AR inspection/quality control work these days.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

    Smh too good to be true, or Im just too slow lol. Back to the drawing board lol. Thanks again tho, Im gonna keep my eyes peeled on their site.
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    Can you or anyone else suggest a good lightweight heavy barrel for this set up?

    Colt M4 SOCOM 14.5" is a MD Approved HBAR that has a lighter contour than traditional HBAR.

    If you buy a COLT SOCOM it will have that barrel, or you can use a Colt SOCOM 14.5 barrel with a pinned muzzle device and be MD Legal on whatever base AR you build.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    So OP, you want to use my build price of around 700 from 2015/2016 as a baseline to build one? Good luck.

    Realistically it will cost around 900 to build one, if you play it smart on when you buy things.

    Oh and the PM you sent me shows you've been lurking on the site for a long time or you know how to search for things on here.

    EDIT:
    Here is your timeline for post and PM.

    Intro post 12:03 pm
    PM to me 12:06pm
    Creation of this thread 12:36pm

    I am sensing something that doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies.
     

    babalou

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 12, 2013
    16,019
    Glenelg
    Psssst!!

    pssssst! SpikeRR, That Clandestine thinks he knows about ARs :innocent0


    in all seriousness, brother Clandestine is the Obi-Wan/Yoda of ARs. He will steer you right. He knows his schnit- oh , and I have taken a few AR armorer's and build classes from him. He readily shares his knowledge, as do a lot of other great people on this forum. All are willing to share.
     

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