Ok, a few questions..

[JE3146]

I've never owned an AR-15, but have done my share of research.. I do own an SKS and have done extensive work taking it apart and putting it back together, thoroughly cleaning it... trigger assembly peices and what not... anyways.. I think I'm capable of building an AR-15 from peices.. but my question is...

Is there a trade in quality by doing it yourself than to buy it pre-made... cus I see complete uppers for like 500-600$, but then I also see kits like the J&T kits for like 500..which include everything but the stripped reciever... I was curious about the quality of those.... would it just be better to sink 800$ into a new bushmaster or would something like a J&T kit with a chrome moly upper and an eagle arms stripped reciever be something comparable in quality for nearly 250$ cheaper...

Anyone have any experience with the J&T kits?

EDIT :: do they also come with all the pins and what not, or do those need to be bought seperately?

[imanaknut]

I have a J&T complete upper that was custom made and the quality is excellent. I put it on a Rock River receiver. The whole package came to right around $650 or so. The A2 upper had a full length heavy barrel, fluted with an ATF approved fake A2 flash hider.

At the last gun show, I bought a Model 1 complete upper for $370 and put it on a complete Rock River lower for $210. Total cost for a nice light weight AR came to $580.

While I can't vouch for the J&T complete kit, their complete upper was / is first rate, and they were great to deal with. Same with Model 1, except their upper was an "off the rack" piece but it was built on a Rock River receiver.

[Circuits]

If you get a 'complete kit' - it comes with all pins and springs. A complete upper will need the extra parts and springs to finish the lower, but the upper will be fully assembled.

[saleen]

Generally speaking, the AR-15 lower is pretty easy to assemble but you have to be carful with the roll pin that holds the bolt stop in place, and the front capture pin detent can be a real pain in the ass if you don't have the right tool.

As far as the upper is concerned, save your time, money, and frustration and just get one that is assembled. The process of actually screwing an upper receiver together from parts you may find at any one of a number of tables at most large gun shows typically has ZERO effect on keeping costs down and by the time you get the specialized wrenches and blocks to do it right, you would have spend considerably more.

I typically don't even order stripped receivers anymore because the savings is negligible to haveing the factory put it together. Shop around and find yourself a friendly FFL that works for a flat fee and won't jack the price on you. Unless you just WANT to put a lower together to say you did it, that would be your best bet.


Saleen

[JE3146]

ok sweet... i think I know what route I'm gonna go now... anyone know where to get a rock river stripped reciever for a decent price? .. I saw the eagle arms armalite ones for like 75$ and that seemed hard to beat.... is there much quality difference for the cost to be worth it?

[saleen]

$75 is gonna be damn hard to beat for a quality stripped lower.


Saleen

[droog]

That is a sweet price for a brand name receiver.:D