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06-01-2012, 23:21
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Baja Oklahoma
Posts: 54
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Books for Building an AR-15
So I am thinking about trying to assemble my own AR.
Does anyone have any books that they would recommend on building an AR?
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06-01-2012, 23:24
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#2
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Who?
Join Date: May 2010
Location: NW Florida
Posts: 6,601
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Plenty of videos on Youtube, not sure about books on assembly.
Even assembling a lower will need a special tool (and, ideally, several special ones), and even more so to properly assemble an upper from scratch. If this is your first AR, I strongly suggest buying a pre-assembled upper and lower - either separately, or as a complete rifle.
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06-01-2012, 23:32
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#3
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hail 2 the king
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 2,620
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there's also a whole DIY section on AR15.com that can walk you through every step better than any book can. Guys over there are pretty damn helpful.
The lower is easy as hell ot install unless you have no mechanical ability. The upper requires special tools.
Not sure what the guy above me is talking about with special tools, unless you're doing a tele-stock you don't need anything special. Punches, hammer, roll pin punch, crew drivers and a wrench. I can put those together on my kitchen table in about 10mins tops. That's counting looking for the spring I always drop
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Brad
Last edited by Snaps; 06-01-2012 at 23:33..
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06-01-2012, 23:36
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#4
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Who?
Join Date: May 2010
Location: NW Florida
Posts: 6,601
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaps
there's also a whole DIY section on AR15.com that can walk you through every step better than any book can. Guys over there are pretty damn helpful.
The lower is easy as hell ot install unless you have no mechanical ability. The upper requires special tools.
Not sure what the guy above me is talking about with special tools, unless you're doing a tele-stock you don't need anything special. Punches, hammer, roll pin punch, crew drivers and a wrench. I can put those together on my kitchen table in about 10mins tops. That's counting looking for the spring I always drop
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To do it correctly, you'll also need a castle nut wrench(or adapter and a torque wrench), a vice, and a lower receiver vice block to ensure the castle nut is torqued correctly. Staking is the cheap solution, but you still don't have a properly torqued castle nut.
Many people do not have vice grips, or a proper hammer and punch set laying around the house, so that is an additional cost for them to be able to assemble the upper.
Edit: if it's worth doing, it's worth doing correctly. Not torquing the castle nut and barrel nut to the proper spec is a good way to invite issues down the road.
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Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
I contacted my Senators and Representative to voice my opposition to a new "assault weapon" ban. Did you?
Last edited by WoodenPlank; 06-01-2012 at 23:42..
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06-02-2012, 04:30
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#5
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Dealer
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,020
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Buy the tools and do it yourself. If you are like most of us you will wind up doing it eventually anyway. As posted the build your own section of AR15.com has all the info you will need.
Marshall
PS: I know a good source for parts. LOL
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Last edited by MARSH1; 06-02-2012 at 04:40..
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06-02-2012, 05:21
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 63
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WoodenPlank is right about doing it correctly and torquing things properly. That being said and this being your first build, I'd buy a complete upper if I were you and skip the torquing of the barrel nut. That would be the step I always think someone might mess up on. And who wants to F up a barrel or the threads first time around. You'll be doing the build thing again so you could save doing a barrel yourself for later down the road with more experience. It's the nature of the disease.
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06-02-2012, 05:23
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Go Blue
Posts: 310
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Soonerbldr
So I am thinking about trying to assemble my own AR.
Does anyone have any books that they would recommend on building an AR?
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....here is a couple on lowers,,,web sites..that I use/used...I also wondered the same "which book" was available too.. Similar to the Glock Ptooma reference guide..I have of yet to locate one.... 
http://www.ar15.com/content/guides/assembly/lower/
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=11011/learn/
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06-02-2012, 05:24
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#8
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Where's my EBT?
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 6,721
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Do not attempt to assemble an upper without a delrin upper receiver block, a vise, and an armorer's tool (or special tool provided by the manufacturer of the forend you intend to use.
There are other tools that are handy for a lower receiver build. The most important is a set of brass pin punches.
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06-02-2012, 08:50
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Baja Oklahoma
Posts: 54
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Thanks for the advice. Yeah I was thinking about doing the assembled upper. My brother has built several but he lives about 600 miles away and his wife keeps him on a short leash!
Thanks for the advice and the web links!
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06-02-2012, 08:54
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#10
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Problem Solved!
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: JAX, FL
Posts: 1,265
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Youtube! I built my lower one night in less then an hour and that included finding my tools, watching the videos, and then watching the videos and building it as they played.
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GLOCK Certified Armorer
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06-02-2012, 11:13
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#11
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Largo, FL
Posts: 21
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Look on Brownells.com. They have a bunch of videos and plenty of books to choose from. As another poster said, have the right tools, and I'd underscore that. Brownells has a kit for about $100. which has everything you need. Might seem like a lot for one, but screw up something and it costs more. Also, I look at possible SHTF and want to support my M4 - yep, only have one but with spare parts.
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Last edited by rjroberts; 06-02-2012 at 11:13..
Reason: typo
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06-02-2012, 21:15
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Livin in the country of NJ
Posts: 11,636
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Wooden I have to add that if you use an A2 buttstock you don't have a castle nut, it's only for the carbine stocks that you need one.
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06-02-2012, 21:17
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#13
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Who?
Join Date: May 2010
Location: NW Florida
Posts: 6,601
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m2hmghb
Wooden I have to add that if you use an A2 buttstock you don't have a castle nut, it's only for the carbine stocks that you need one.
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For every one person using an A2 stock, there are probably 50 using carbine stocks. Carbine stocks are the norm now, not fixed.
__________________
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
I contacted my Senators and Representative to voice my opposition to a new "assault weapon" ban. Did you?
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06-02-2012, 21:24
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Independence, MO
Posts: 2,976
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http://www.youtube.com/user/ssdsurf
This guy is by far a favorite of mine. Very knowledgable, polite, and quick to answer any questions.
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06-02-2012, 21:54
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Livin in the country of NJ
Posts: 11,636
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WoodenPlank
For every one person using an A2 stock, there are probably 50 using carbine stocks. Carbine stocks are the norm now, not fixed.
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It depends where you live, in MD, CA, NY, CT and some other states they're the norm. Pinned stocks are more of a hassle to get.
__________________
Here's a toast to our wives and to the women we loved. <pause> May they never meet.
The M1 Garand rifle is the best battle implement ever devised by man.
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06-02-2012, 21:55
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#16
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Who?
Join Date: May 2010
Location: NW Florida
Posts: 6,601
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m2hmghb
It depends where you live, in MD, CA, NY, CT and some other states they're the norm. Pinned stocks are more of a hassle to get.
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Fair point.
__________________
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
I contacted my Senators and Representative to voice my opposition to a new "assault weapon" ban. Did you?
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06-03-2012, 09:16
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#17
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reloading nut
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: N W Washington
Posts: 7,355
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The only specialty tool you have to have is a barrel wrench which you can buy for $20.00
Everything else can be worked around easily enough.
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If a man neglects to enforce his rights, he cannot complain if, after a while, the law follows his example.
Without idiots, there would be no baseline for common sense.
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06-03-2012, 11:24
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#18
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Gunfighter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Augusta, GA
Posts: 430
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Quote:
Originally Posted by themighty9mm
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THIS. Watch surf's videos before you build.
If you want a book, get Walk Kulick's Ar-15 assembly guide.
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