Building an AR versus buying an AR; what’s the difference and why should you care? Let’s look at what it means to buy a rifle that is “out-of-the-box” ready as opposed to building a rifle from scratch.
First, let’s be clear that we’re talking about AR-style rifles or MSRs (Modern Sporting Rifles), for those new to the acronym. One of the great things about this genre of firearm is that it truly is customizable by means of what parts you use to build your rifle.
In a bygone era, building a custom rifle meant things like choosing a stock and having someone cut it to fit; whereas today, you can buy an adjustable buttstock and modify it on the fly for what you are doing at the moment. For example, you can adjust a modern rifle buttstock to compensate for a thick winter hunting jacket that’s changed your length-of-pull. Building a custom rifle in the past might have required getting a barrel cut, turned and chambered to your specific needs, but now you just order one (or more) ready to install.
What’s brought the rifle build world into an exciting place is that both out-of-the-box and purpose-built AR-style rifles afford a customer a lot of options. And the parts and accessories available are overwhelmingly plentiful!
If you don’t do a lot of different types of shooting, an out-of-the-box option might be the fastest way to get a rifle and get out shooting.
You can buy everything from a rifle for personal protection to a rifle for a trip on your dream hunt “out-of-the-box.” There really are a lot of options available and the quality is there. As a consumer, buying a rifle that someone else built means that the headaches of the build process are removed.
Items you won’t have to address if you purchase an out-of-the-box AR:
The list goes on, but these are some of the big areas where you save time by purchasing a rifle that’s already built. Buy a well-built rifle, save your time to work with it on the range and build your skills after you get your optic or sights set up and zero it.
Caveat to “out-of-the-box”: It does tend to cost more than buying parts and building a rifle yourself. But some of the skills required to build a rifle might be beyond the experience of a brand new gun owner. And if you do not have the basic armorer’s tools, it can be frustrating.
The pros of building a rifle really come down to what you intend to use the rifle to do. If you have a specific task, such as a hunt or a shooting match that requires a barrel, caliber, or other facets that are going to be only achieved by building, then you probably want to build.
A great example would be a rifle for competition. You can buy and compete with an “out-of-the-box” model. But if you want a specific trigger, handguard length, muzzle device and buttstock – and, if you really want to get into accuracy and true the face of the receiver by lapping it before you mount your barrel, you can! The pieces you want specifically might not be available as a “built” rifle. And doing the work yourself might be the only way to get exactly what you want. (This isn’t to say that you can’t buy a rifle that’s 90% of your wants and swap out a few things. It just might be cost-prohibitive.)
Tuning your muzzle brake is another task some competitors prefer to do themselves. They might “clock” it a certain direction, based on how the gun recoils for them and the pattern of the gas ports.
There are brands that make and sell specific “builder kits.” Aero is one such brand and they offer beautiful Cerakote designs on their purposefully tailored “Builder Sets.” The beauty of this option is that you get a matched upper and lower and handguard, and the look of “custom” without the price. Even “furniture” (buttstock and pistol grip) can be purchased in the Aero builder sets.
Regardless of whose parts you build your rifle from, once you have the upper, lower, and handguard, you then physically build the rifle with all the other parts yourself.
In addition to an upper, lower, and handguard, you will need the following items:
Other things that are great to have for an AR build:
Your skill and experience in working on firearms impacts your decision to build or buy a rifle. But don’t discredit either option. They are both good and have their places. I own several rifles of each type – both built (by me) and bought. Once you build one though, the potential to get addicted to “Barbie-ing” with gun parts is real! And you will understand why you always need another gun.
Becky Yackley primarily competes in 3 Gun, USPSA, Bianchi pistol, but has competed in shooting since 1989 in disciplines from service-rifle, to NCAA Air Rifle and Smallbore, air pistol and a little bit of long range rifle. She shoots guns and cameras at competitions around the country, and writes in her fictional spare time. View all posts by Becky Yackley
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