2012 AR15 Budget Build (The $500 "FrankenRifle")

With the current state of the economy here in the U.S., nearly everyone is cutting back on spending.  Unfortunately, many of us are cutting back on "luxury items" like firearms, ammunition, range trips, accessories, and generally all aspects of recreational shooting.  Since our target audience is a widely varied group of enthusiasts across a wide range of economic groups, we wanted to take some time to help bring the epitome of sport shooting into the hands of those with limited financial means.

In recent times, prices have come down a bit on AR15's, most notably the Palmetto State Armory AR15 kits, which contain everything (short of a stripped lower) needed to build your own AR15, all for around $500.  Sure, there are other options out there, some cheaper, but the PSA kits have made quite an impact, and they are building quite a reputation.

That said, I'm going to attempt to build a functional, reliable AR15 rifle for less than the cost of this kit.  I will be compiling some parts lists, including price info, in the coming weeks.  This will obviously not be a "nail driver" or a match-grade rifle, but that's not what we're after.  Reliability is the end goal.  This rifle will feed ammo reliably, eject without mangling the brass, cycle properly, and not malfunction during normal use.

It must be noted, at the $500 price point, this isn't going to have high-quality optics mounted on it, it won't be loaded down with accessories, it's going to be a basic rifle.  We are even considering using one of the many polymer lower receivers on the market.  The parts used will be all new parts, nothing used or "leftover" from other builds, because honestly, this is my first AR15 "build", the others have been purchased assembled.  At a $500 price point, you are getting a functional AR15 chambered in 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington at the same price as the same in a dedicated .22LR setup.

In the interest of full disclosure, the cheapest parts I've found are as follows:

• Lower Receiver:  Palmetto State Armory Lower          $79
• Lower Parts Kit:  PSA Lower Incl. Trigger Group       $50
• Buttstock:  Mil-Spec 6-position buttstock/buffer tube   $49
• Complete Upper:  PSA forged upper 16"                     $309
• Bolt Carrier Group:  PSA BCG (complete)                  $80
• Charging Handle:  DPMS Charging Handle                $15
• GRAND TOTAL:                                                        $582

As you can see, this is a difficult task.  The reason for a complete upper rather than purchasing separate parts, is that a complete upper if assembled from parts would cost more than a fully assembled upper assembly, and I just can't come close to the same price point without cobbling the thing together with parts from different manufacturers.  Not to mention, assembling an upper requires tools (barrel wrench, barrel blocks, vice, etc.) that would add to the overall cost of manufacture, and the point is to keep the price as low as possible for the average enthusiast.  Assembling the parts isn't a bad option, and you could get the $499 kit from PSA and buy a $79 lower receiver, essentially building yourself a $578 AR15 from a well-known manufacturer, which may well be the better option.

I will be monitoring the stores and online retailers for lower prices on these parts, as well as examining additional options that haven't been considered yet.  My ultimate goal is to get this thing build for under $500 total, not including FFL Transfer fee (for the lower) and shipping costs, but the more I research this project, the more daunting the task seems.  Any suggestions will be well received, and I will be more than willing to answer any questions about the process throughout this project.

Updates will be posted periodically, as well as some new and exciting reviews that are in the works.  We are currently working on a lower receiver for the CMMG .300AAC Blackout upper that we tested at the range last weekend, and we should have a couple new pistols to review within the coming weeks.  Again, as I've mentioned before, due to budget constraints, the AR15 build that is the topic of this article will be a long-term project, completed as funds allow.  

To ask a question, just leave a comment below, or if you prefer, send an email to us at thelowready@gmail.com and your questions will be answered as quickly as possible.





3/2/2012 UPDATE:

After doing some further research, it appears that our options are quite limited if we want to even come close to the $500 limit.  Here is the updated parts list:

• Lower Receiver: New Frontier Polymer Lower           $79
• Complete Upper:  PSA forged upper 16"                     $309
• Bolt Carrier Group:  PSA BCG (complete)                  $80
• Charging Handle:  DPMS Charging Handle                $15
• GRAND TOTAL:                                                       $483

As you can see, this is MUCH more cost-effective, and will allow us to at least purchase a magazine or two to feed some ammo through the rifle.  The beauty of using a Polymer Lower is that the cost is substantially less than buying a Stripped Lower, Lower Parts Kit, and Buffer Tube/Buttstock separately, since the Polymer Lower includes all of this.  It is truly a "plug-and-play" complete lower, which, in addition to keeping costs low, also helps keep the weight down, and increases the ease of assembly. This will not, however, allow for any type of accuracy, since we are using a PSA flat-top Upper, which does NOT include any kind of rear sight.  Luckily for us, however, almost all of the Palmetto State Armory complete upper receivers come with a standard fixed front sight post, so we only need a rear sight to complete the package, which can usually be found relatively inexpensively.  Just for the sake of this project, I'll toss in 2 of the least expensive GI magazines I can find, and a simple rear aperture sight to finish things off.

• Magazines: 2x Magpul Pmags @ $15/each                 $30
• Sights: Mil-Spec Detachable Carry Handle                 $18
• New Grand Total:                                                       $531

$531 for a fully-functional AR15 rifle, complete with 2 magazines and iron sights, is no small feat.  We are going to try to knock the price down even more, I'd like to see the grand total WELL under $500, but I think we are already off to a great start.

Of course, there are some extra charges I'm not including here.  Shipping & Handling, FFL Transfer fee (for the lower receiver), taxes, etc., aren't being included here, because let's face it, everyone touting Palmetto State Armory's Complete AR15 "Kit" doesn't include those costs in the price either.  Not to mention, we will be combining shipping on everything we can.  Not to worry, though, as we will openly share all of the costs involved in this build when it is completed.  We will be looking for sales on parts we need, free shipping when available, and I'm even going to try to talk my local gun shop into completing the FFL Transfer for us at a discounted rate, in exchange for some free publicity on the Internet, mostly due to the sheer amount of money I spend in their establishment on a weekly basis.

More updates to come, including some pictures of the parts that will be ordered relatively soon.  We are hoping to have a complete rifle within a month, and we will be sure to share pictures, Range Reports, and even a few "torture tests" to show you how well our "Franken-Rifle" fares against some heavy use (and abuse) both on the range and off.  Stay tuned, this one is going to be fun!





3/13/2012 UPDATE:

Not much in the way of updates, but I did want to share a minor detail that is going to help cut the cost here.  Instead of the PSA upper receiver, we have found the Cold Hand Arms upper receiver, which is built using a Del-Ton upper and a Mossberg 16" barrel.  The total cost for the upper receiver is $299, which knocks another $10 off our most recent Grand Total.  We've also given it some thought, and while 2 PMAGs may be just what the Doctor ordered, we are cutting it too close to our goal, and one mag will suffice to get us started.  This is going to cut another $15 off of our Grand Total.  We are always looking for additional ways to drop our price even more, so if you know of any prices that are lower than what we've listed this far, please let us know!

• Complete Upper:  CHA 16" Upper         $299
• Magazine:  1x Magpul PMAG                $15
• Newest Grand Total:                               $506

This is a lot closer, but we still need to cut the cost a bit more to cover shipping charges, FFL Transfer Fee for the Lower Receiver, and any other unexpected costs that may pop up along the way.  Between shipping and FFL fees, I'm expecting our total cost will increase about $80, depending on whether we can combine shipping on some of these items or not.  Overall, if we can cut our total price down to $420-$440, I think we may be able to make this happen for under $500.

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First Look: Magpul PMAG

Although I wouldn't consider myself a hard-core "Survivalist," I do tend to keep a little extra food in the house, stock up on water, and I have pre-determined "minimum levels" of ammunition that I keep stocked up.  This may be a great idea, but what is the point of an ammo stockpile if it's sitting in boxes in the bottom of the safe?  I only had a handful of magazines for my AR-15, which is my go-to weapon for just about any "bump in the night" scenario.  It was time to stock up.

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  Every once in a great while, I get some great gifts from friends and family, rather than just getting stuck holding the bill for everything.  Last year brought a great Christmas, and I became the owner of 10 new 30-round Magpul PMAGs.

Of course, the first thing I did was load an empty magazine into my AR.  The fit was great, dropping the mag was easy, it didn't jam itself into the magwell, and the bolt locked to the rear as it should when an empty magazine is loaded and the charging handle pulled rearward.

After the "newness" wore off, I decided it was time to get them ready.  The whole reason these were given to me was so I could have enough loaded magazines ready to go in an emergency situation.  Between two of us, we were able to load all 10 magazines to capacity quite quickly.  Each magazine loaded as smoothly as the last, and they all held exactly 30 rounds.  Unlike standard GI magazines, there is no fitting an extra round or two in the PMAGs.  This could be simply due to the fact that the GI mags I have are old, have been used and abused for years, and likely have some nicely broken-in follower springs.  It could be because Magpul has tighter tolerances, and the design of the anti-tilt follower doesn't allow for any extra rounds.  Either way, I digress.

After having owned these magazines for nearly two months, I have had the opportunity to run some rounds through them at the range.  Nothing out of the ordinary, and the Magpul name has not been soiled.  Magazines are really quite simple devices, it's much less common to have feeding problems with modern magazines than what you would have seen in decades past.  Although the mags have all been fully loaded for about 6 weeks, during the last couple of trips to the range, the magazines did not cause any malfunctions.  Loading the magazines into the rifle is smooth and easy, and from there, they are no different than the standard aluminum GI magazines many of you are used to.  The size and shape is the same, although the PMAG is a little wider at the base, and feels a bit larger.  They both weigh about the same.  The PMAG is different in appearance, which is not a bad thing.

After the magazine is empty, the bolt locks to the rear, exactly as it should.  Even after a couple hundred rounds through one magazine, on top of it having been kept loaded for over a month, the PMAG had no issues.  Dropping the magazine from the rifle is also not a surprise.  Nothing jams up, the mag drops, no issues whatsoever.

A feature that I have only ever noticed on the PMAG (and a couple of Magpuls competitors' products) is the included "dust cover."  While it's a nice feature if you are just keeping the magazines stored somewhere, I find them to be somewhat unnecessary, and nothing more than a distraction if you find yourself in the middle of an emergency situation where you need to reload as quickly as possible.  When we carried loaded magazines in the military, we didn't worry about dust getting into them.  We kept them loaded, top-down in a load bearing vest or pouches on our body armor.  No unnecessary steps, just  1) Remove magazine from pouch  2) Load magazine into rifle  3) Release bolt catch.  Too easy.  This isn't to say some shooters may not have a use for them, they do snap into place on the bottom side of the magazine when not in use.  I simply choose to leave them in the safe.  I may use them on unloaded magazines in the future, but I fail to see the necessity.

Overall, 6-8 weeks is not really enough time to put a product like this through it's paces and offer a solid review.  I will update this article as I spend more time and put more rounds through these magazines, but I will offer my opinions up to this point.

A magazine is a magazine.  It's hard to screw up a design that's been in use for upwards of 40 years (referring to the AR15 only at this point, although PMAGs are available for other rifles and calibers).  The folks at Magpul kept to the original design, with a few minor changes.  There have been a few variations in the design of the followers used, the most recent referred to as a "true anti-tilt follower."  The appearance is different than what you may be used to seeing.  The construction is polymer, and the magazines are easily taken down for cleaning, replacing springs/followers, or adding accessories (like ranger floorplates and the like).  Overall, I like the aesthetics, they match the color of most AR15s better than the grey GI mags, they go well with all the other polymer accessories you see on ARs these days, and if you decide to buy all Magpul furniture, they compliment each other nicely.

Stay tuned for updates and pictures, as we will be revisiting this post in the future to discuss such topics as long-term storage, excessive use, cycling magazines, and more.

First Look: EOTech EXPS2-0 Holographic Weapon Sight

After purchasing my most recent AR15 and going to the range with nothing more than iron sights or the previously reviewed Magpul Back-Up Sights, I decided it was time to take the plunge, and start looking for a red-dot sight.

I happened to purchase the EOTech reviewed here completely by chance.  A close friend acquired the sight in a trade, and although he was quite happy with it, he was willing to sell it for the right price.  My offer must have been the right price.

Regardless, the sight I am reviewing is a used unit, although it looks like new and functions like new, I want it to be absolutely clear that it is not new.

First Impressions:
The sight is well-packaged in a hard plastic case, with the "EOTech" logo embossed on the lid.  The case contains soft foam padding that is cutout for the sight to fit.  The case provides adequate cushioning and holds the sight in place securely enough that I am quite confident it will not suffer any serious damage while it is stored inside.

Upon removing the sight and preparing to mount it, I noticed that it had a quick-release type attachment.  This release is easy to remove, yet secure enough that it will not unintentionally release, sending your several hundred dollar investment to an untimely demise.  The site can be mounted to the common MIL-STD-1913 and 1" wide rails found on most tactical rifles, and the quick detach lever is adjustable, to account for any variances in width.  Mounting the sight is very easy, and once the quick-detach is adjusted properly to the rail upon which it is being mounted, there is virtually no lateral movement.  The mounting system is solid, and some light testing at the range confirms that the sight stays quite accurate, even after removing and re-attaching the sight to the rifle several times, assuming it is mounted in the same position on the rail.

The reticle on this site is great.  The EXPS2-0 has a 65MOA ring and a true 1MOA dot, which is great for both quick target acquisition and accuracy for longer shots.  The standard height of the sight also allows for co-witness with backup iron sights, but it's just a hair too low to comfortably co-witness with the standard A2-style fixed iron sights.

Power is provided courtesy of a single CR-123 battery, which may not seem sufficient, but EOTech claims a full 600 hours of life at the normal brightness setting.  There are a total of 20 brightness settings, and the "normal" setting is #12.  The sight will automatically turn off after 8 hours of continuous use (can be programmed to power down at 4 hours), which provides even greater peace of mind that when you need it, it's going to work.

The battery position and orientation was changed, instead of a longitudinally-mounted battery, which needlessly occupies rail space (and was the cause of a plethora of complaints), EOTech switched to a transverse-mounted battery with a sealed screw-off cap.  The cap can be unscrewed by hand, or if you need it, a quarter is just about perfect for breaking it loose.  The cap is attached to the body of the site with a small wire, so no more dropped battery covers either.

Turning on the sight is as easy as pushing a button, and adjustment is just as easy.  The units' only two buttons are located on the left side, recessed slightly to prevent accidental presses.  To turn off the unit, simply press both buttons simultaneously.

The EOTech has been mounted on my personal AR15 rifle for about 3 months now, it has been to the range a handful of times, and so far, my accuracy has improved greatly.  Sight acquisition is much quicker, shot placement is more consistent, and overall, I'm a better shot when using the EXPS2-0 than I am when using standard iron sights.  That's an easy statement to make, however, since I'm accustomed to shooting exclusively with iron sights, only using optics of any type a handful of times in the past.  Whichever way you choose to look at it, the EXPS2-0 has earned a place on my AR15 rifle, and it will remain there for quite some time.  At least until I decide to drop another $500 on a weapon sight.

Stay tuned for updates and pictures, we will be returning to this post to discuss topics such as real-life battery life, use in competitions, and how well it holds up to the abuse it will be going through.

New Survival Blog

Our friends Chris and Rob have started making a name for themselves.  They are running The Average Joe Survivalist, a survival blog that covers a wide range of topics, from stocking up for emergencies, to surviving a SHTF scenario, to concealed weapon and gear reviews, and everything in between.  These guys know their stuff, they have real-world experience and training to base their articles on.  The information is concise, complete, and valid.  Pay them a visit, and add their site to your "bookmarks" list, as they keep new articles coming at a steady pace!