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A3M0N's Basic AR-15 Build

All the barrels I have purchased were bare. You had to purchase a "muzzle device" separately, be it a basic or fancy flash hider to a muzzle brake (lot more noise for the shooter with those)
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
No worries, here's the blurb from their website:

It didn't come with a muzzle device, or extension.


A bunch of stuff was just restocked at Classic Firearms, I may be making a purchase of several of the small items soon.


It didn't mention chrome lined, but 49 bucks is still a heck of a deal. When I mentioned extension, I wasn't talking about the muzzle end. I was talking about the 2 inches of extension at the chamber end of your barrel where the m4 feed ramps meet up with the mag well, in which there should be two small extensions of cut outs in the top of the mag well on your lower receiver that the m4 feed ramps on your barrel will extend and meet up with those cut outs, which will really ensure, positive feeding and reliability.
 
Woo! The firearms fairy made another delivery today.

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All from Classic Firearms (classicfirearms.com):

Unbranded Upper Receiver: $39.99
Unbranded Upper Parts Kit: $9.99
Unbranded Gas Block: $8.99
Unbranded Mid Length Gas Tube: $9.99
Unbranded Flash Hider w/Crush Washer: $8.99
Aim Sports 15" Keymod Handguard w/Barrel Nut: $39.99

Total: $117.94 (before taxes/shipping)

Running Total: $294.18

All the parts came with their respective washers/fasteners/roll pins/etc. This is a budget build, so I bought the unbranded parts. They all have really good reviews. I thought I had an issue when I tried to test fit the upper receiver, the back wouldn't seat so the rear takedown pin wouldn't insert. I was all ready to bust out the file, but decided to do a little research first. Turns out my buffer tube was just screwed in one turn too far. So as I loosened the castle but to back off the tube, my rear detent and and spring shot out across the garage! By some form of luck the dentent ended up at my feet and the spring landed in an open and obvious spot. Got all that sorted out, the receiver seats just fine now.

I need to borrow an armor's wrench and a vice block before I can torque the barrel nut and the flash hider. I'll post pictures as I get those parts installed.

Thanks for following!
 
Got the upper parts kit installed and the barrel torqued to 35 ft lbs. It wasn't pretty, I don't have a vice block but I have some foam! I did have to buy an 1 1/8" crowfoot.

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Here is my built upper

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And assembled with the lower

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I have a charging handle on the way. Next is a bolt carrier group, some iron sights, and some magazines.
 
Looking good! :thumbup:

Thanks!

Got my charging handle in the mail yesterday. A friend sold it to me for an absolute steal! I tried to give him more, but he wouldn't hear of it. A little off topic, but its funny how some friendships develop. This guy was in my first youth group when I was volunteering as a youth minister before I even joined the Air Force. Now hes married and a good friend of mine. Pretty neat.

Anyway, back to the rifle!

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Ambidextrous BCM Gunfighter charging handle - $25.00 (from a friend, $79.99 retail!)

Running Total: $319.18
 
Before building this rifle, I hadn't taken one apart in years. We don't shoot very often in the Air Force if you're not security forces or a battlefield airman, and I haven't owned a personal rifle until now. I've rented them to shoot, but you don't have to clean rented range rifles. Anyway, is the gas tube supposed to extend this far into the upper receiver? I'm worried I may have gotten a rifle length tube instead of a mid length one I ordered. I hope not!

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OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Before building this rifle, I hadn't taken one apart in years. We don't shoot very often in the Air Force if you're not security forces or a battlefield airman, and I haven't owned a personal rifle until now. I've rented them to shoot, but you don't have to clean rented range rifles. Anyway, is the gas tube supposed to extend this far into the upper receiver? I'm worried I may have gotten a rifle length tube instead of a mid length one I ordered. I hope not!

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Looks about right to me. Does your gas key mate up with it properly? Put your BCG in the upper and try it.
 
Before building this rifle, I hadn't taken one apart in years. We don't shoot very often in the Air Force if you're not security forces or a battlefield airman, and I haven't owned a personal rifle until now. I've rented them to shoot, but you don't have to clean rented range rifles. Anyway, is the gas tube supposed to extend this far into the upper receiver? I'm worried I may have gotten a rifle length tube instead of a mid length one I ordered. I hope not!

I know what you mean. I went to USAF basic in Dec of 1968, and qualified with the M16 sometime in Jan , if I remember correctly we fired 50 rounds, and I ended up with 60 on my target. I had shot smallbore competition in college for a couple of years so knew how to position shoot. It was a very cold windy day and someone next to me did not know how to identify their target or was so cold and uncomfortable they did not know what they were doing. The instructors could tell my group easily as all my rounds were well centered.

Two months after basic I went OCS and qualified with the .38, Combat Masterpiece. I had purchased a K 38 the year before, basically a longer barreled version of the Air Force model so knew how to shoot it also, and scored quite high on qualification.

A year later I was stationed in Orlando, Fla and got some of the range personnel to set up a training session for some of the clinic officers. That was the second and last time I shot a M 16 in the AF. Stayed active for ten years and that was the last time I fired a gun for qualification. I got out and stayed away for some years then went back to active reserves. It seems as though the mood had changed and in 7 years there qualified with the M92 9mm several times.

The enlisted personnel still qualified with the M 16 using some kind of laser device instead of live ammo. I always told them if push came to shove they could have my handgun and let me have their M 16. By that time I had purchased a Colt H-Bar target model and knew it inside and out.


If your bolt and carrier goes completely forward and the bolt rotates to lock you should be good. You want the gas key, hope that's the right term, the rigid tube looking thing on top of the bolt carrier to go over the the end of the gas tube but not touch it at all.
 
@jkingrph - I spent one day and qualified the M16 at basic training in 2007, then requalified before I deployed in 2010. Those are the only two times I set foot on a range in my eight years of active duty. Tack on two years in the Reserve, that's ten years with only two range trips! I have an entire rant about airmen not getting any real military training, but this isn't the thread for that.

Our unit's officers and SNCOs carried M9s while the rest of the enlisted troops carried M16s when we were deployed.
 
Got my bolt carrier group!

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Palmetto State Armory - 49.99

Running Total: $369.17

I may pick up a couple of magazines this weekend while I'm at drill. I'm trying to decide on a red dot or iron sights first. I plan to do both eventually, just sure what order I want to go in.
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
I would suggest getting some folding BUIS (back up iron sights) and get used to those first. You can go cheap with Magpull, or top of the line Troy Battle Sights. Then later you might want to get a red dot that co-witness with your BUIS of choice.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I would suggest getting some folding BUIS (back up iron sights) and get used to those first. You can go cheap with Magpull, or top of the line Troy Battle Sights. Then later you might want to get a red dot that co-witness with your BUIS of choice.

Sage advice here.
 
@jkingrph - I spent one day and qualified the M16 at basic training in 2007, then requalified before I deployed in 2010. Those are the only two times I set foot on a range in my eight years of active duty. Tack on two years in the Reserve, that's ten years with only two range trips! I have an entire rant about airmen not getting any real military training, but this isn't the thread for that.

Our unit's officers and SNCOs carried M9s while the rest of the enlisted troops carried M16s when we were deployed.

My service precedes yours quite a bit. Basic training Dec 68, then OCS April-June 69. I had an accompanied tour from 72-74 in Turkey, we lived downtown in Izmir and no one carried arms, and were not allowed rifled arms for sporting purposes, shotguns were fine. Got called up in 91 for Desert Storm and we set up a contingency hospital in England, so no carrying of arms there. The AP's had arms for guarding gates to the locations we used, as well as RAF Fairford, which was lauching B-52 missions on Kuwait, as well as Brize Norton and Upper Heyford which were the other two active bases nearby. We were at an old RAF training base which had the sole function of a hospital. Wards and operating suites were set up in a couple of old hangers. Our pharmacy was the old armory which was the only suitable location because all the windows were barred and it had in internal walk in vault. We were billeted in another small village adjacent to Brize Norton, in old unused RAF housing, bare bones, we only had cots to start with but got some twin sized beds after about a month, and a refrigerator. A friend and I had scrounged a couple of electric hotpots so we could heat MRE's, hot dogs, Vienna sausages and similar items. Living conditions were rather sparse and cold( coldest winter with snow and ice that they had had for years in that part of England). Duty was rather boring, thank God as very few casualties in that war. We were there for ones not in shape to make it all the way back to the states. We had a similar hospital set up I think at Ramstine, Germany
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
My service precedes yours quite a bit. Basic training Dec 68, then OCS April-June 69. I had an accompanied tour from 72-74 in Turkey, we lived downtown in Izmir and no one carried arms, and were not allowed rifled arms for sporting purposes, shotguns were fine. Got called up in 91 for Desert Storm and we set up a contingency hospital in England, so no carrying of arms there. The AP's had arms for guarding gates to the locations we used, as well as RAF Fairford, which was lauching B-52 missions on Kuwait, as well as Brize Norton and Upper Heyford which were the other two active bases nearby. We were at an old RAF training base which had the sole function of a hospital. Wards and operating suites were set up in a couple of old hangers. Our pharmacy was the old armory which was the only suitable location because all the windows were barred and it had in internal walk in vault. We were billeted in another small village adjacent to Brize Norton, in old unused RAF housing, bare bones, we only had cots to start with but got some twin sized beds after about a month, and a refrigerator. A friend and I had scrounged a couple of electric hotpots so we could heat MRE's, hot dogs, Vienna sausages and similar items. Living conditions were rather sparse and cold( coldest winter with snow and ice that they had had for years in that part of England). Duty was rather boring, thank God as very few casualties in that war. We were there for ones not in shape to make it all the way back to the states. We had a similar hospital set up I think at Ramstine, Germany

Small world. Activated from the US Army National Guard for Desert Storm. MASH unit in support of 3rd Armor Division. Most forward surgical capable unit in Iraq. Medical units are very officer top heavy with RNs, MDs, Pharmacists, etc. All the enlisted had M-16s, most officers were totally unarmed. I believe there were six old 1911 .45s to go around between the officers. I was able to "borrow" a 1911 to take with me as we drove around in the HMMV running around in the desert sight seeing after the shooting was over. I was in the combat zone, not a REMF! I had no weapon issued to me. We early on scavenged up dropped AK-47s, but going to battle like sheep lead to the slaughter, which luckily did not happen. It was after Desert Storm that Jeff Cooper offered a reduced price for vets to attend Gunsite and I jumped at the opportunity, attending the Basic Pistol class in the fall of '91.
 
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OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Small world. Activated from the US Army National Guard for Desert Storm. MASH unit in support of 3rd Armor Division. Most forward surgical capable unit in Iraq. Medical units are very officer top heavy with RNs, MDs, Pharmacists, etc. All the enlisted had M-16s, most officers were totally unarmed. I believe there were six old 1911 .45s to go around between the officers. I was able to "borrow" a 1911 to take with me as we drove around in the HMMV running around in the desert sight seeing after the shooting was over. I was in the combat zone, not a REMF! I had no weapon issued to me. We early on scavenged up dropped AK-47s, but going to battle like sheep lead to the slaughter, which luckily did not happen. It was after Desert Storm that Jeff Cooper offered a reduced price for vets to attend Gunsite and I jumped at the opportunity, attending the Basic Pistol class in the fall of '91.

You ain't no spring chicken are ya? :)
 
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