I spent some time talking to a local guy that builds AR's who came highly recommended to me by a close friend. I had originally wanted to just buy a complete lower and upper and be done with it but after talking with him, it seems I can get more bang for my buck by building it piece meal.

So this is what i've got coming so far: Seekins Gen II lower (I believe) with logo, Geiselle trigger, and Magpul MOE od green furniture. This is going to be a middle of the road (budget wise) build using the best components I can afford.

Any suggestions on where to go with the upper? I'm not AR savy so that is why I ask and it will give me some options to throw at my dealer when it comes time to buy more parts.

Problem with suggestions, and I"ve built more than a couple of these things...

They will be often what folks prefer to have, either for a reason of use, or what they see on the interenet, or how cool they want to be etc...

I don't even know all the names of suppliers these days.

But stick to the good names, think about your actual use, IMHO, and get parts that get you headed that way.

I don't own a gun with rails so to speak. I Have put a few short rails on a few AL tubes... just to have a place for a light and a laser but have never bought either to this day.

I do put double studs for swivels on for bipod and sling.

I do put good float tubes on. I do put good triggers in. I spend what I think I need to on a barrel, sometimes thats 400-500 bucks.

Beyond that, I just don't think there is a lot that really matters.

Of course I"m biased that for years I shot to 1000 yards with irons and a service rifle, IE A2 that looked externally just like our M16 A2s. Amazing what you can do with just that. Nothing fancy.

PS is Eagle River Walmart open 24/7?

Jeff, the ER Walmart is open 24/7.

Per Jeff's suggestion, I went with a WOA barrel on my first build and 4th AR. I assembled with with parts from Palmetto arms (because I'm cheap)

I've had a few different configurations of AR's and for me the added cost of a WOA SDM barrel



was well worth it. The M4's IMHO are too loud, and while I love the way the RR predator persuit shoots, it's nose heavy. With the SDM you get the accuracy and velocity of a 20" varmint barrel, but he balance of a carbine.

If you don't want to put it together yourself, have WOA build it

http://www.whiteoakarmament.com/xcart/home.php

What length barrel did you go with Paul, I was thinking 16"? I've got a friend in Wasilla that's building my rifle for me.

I'd go no shorter than 18" and Middie gas,as a minimum.

I love the sanctity of C/L spouts...mainly because I'm hard on schit and am going to USE it.

Have yet to see one that was too light or handled too well...............(hint)

Right on, 18" minimum it is, was thinking 16" due to weight but i'll run longer if weight gain is minimal.

If 18", skip straight to rifle gas. Unless you NEED it to be shorter, most people will be happier with an 18" rifle gas gun anyway.

It's easier to find a heavy 18" barrel than light. I'd maybe take a look at the Daniel Defense 18" S2W barrels. They're nitrided and now offered with rifle gas.

If you're gonna go 18" I'd do a 15" FF rail, but I like em long (that one's free). I'm a fan of Troy's Alpha series. I don't know what your time frame is, but around the end of the year Troy has 25% off sales.

Get an H or H2 buffer and quality BCG and rock on, those are often overlooked.

I recently bought one of the DD 18" SW2 barrels and have been VERY happy with it. It loves the 77gn Nosler CC HPBT's. Mine is the mid length gasser though. I needed a mid length to work with my Troy tube (didn't want to buy another one.) I run rifle buffer tubes so it's never been a problem for me.

I'd run AWAY from all the JipJap Mall Ninja Fluff Bullschit and phuqq all the stupid rails.

For Utility,I'm happy with an overmolded Hogue and a sling stud located to accept a Harris Swivel bi-pod.

They rock in the cold and a floated barrel,is a floated barrel...............

Blue, there's no hurry on the AR build but I would like to have it finished this winter so I can go out and try and take a wolf or 2 with it.

Right now, i'm trying to decide on an upper for my build.

If light is on the agenda, forgo the overmolded Hogue and look at the Troy Alpha rail. They weigh quite a bit less and are just smaller diameter tubes that allow you to mount rail sections where or if you want them. Not to mention, a longer tube/rail is desireable.

They are cold and slide around on a rocks and the like,when doing the MPAJ Hasty Thing.

Hogue diameter is comfy and it's a breeze to poke a rifle lengthed one on middie gas..................(hint)

this is just my thinking for what its worth. you have some expensive parts like the seekins lower. for me that type of lower doesn't offer me anything a $49 palmetto lower will not. I buy my stripped lowers and uppers as cheap as I can find them, typically palmetto blemished. I don't really care about the rest of the parts, but I do spend my money on trigger, float tube, stock and barrel. thats where my money is at, the rest of the parts as long as they work and are reliable I really don't care about.

I'll happily polish/stone triggers.

I concur on the upper/lower's,though all of Glen's stuff rocks.

Poke his rings aboard same,with modest length/contour C/L spout,float the bitch and you are THERE................

I went with Seekins because I'm not planning on building a safe full of these things, plus I want quality parts on my 1 or 2 AR's and Seekins is right up there in quality.

I understand where you're coming from but that is how I see it.

The billet VLTOR MUR upper receiver's are just the ticket for the billet lowers. Are they needed? nope, but neither is half the other crap people put on thier AR's. Build it the way you want it.

I'm thinking I might go with the Seekins billet 223 upper because I don't want to be limited on rail selections.

couple of odd parts i really like over the general stuff are BCM's Gunfighter grip, the reduced angle feels much better to me and their charging handles which supposedly take the pressure off the roll pin, i just like the better purchase the longer version gives.

that is funny right there, it always starts off as oh I will just build one. they are fun to play with. I am waiting on some more funds so I can buy more parts.

One of my match winners is/was an EA lower, 35 bucks IIRC many moons ago.....
But you can't go wrong with Seekins.

Don't skimp on the barrel if you are picky on accuracy. 18 minimum, which leads to why not 20. But much over 20 velocity wise seems to end up with not so much gains. Rifle gas system by far with an 18.

YOu can built one in not much time at all. I'd do it when coming through if I had tools with me... but you have that covered.

Walmart have food in ER?

Buy the best trigger and stainless barrel you can afford. WOA, Noveske, Lilja to name a few. Pic a free float rail that is comfortable. Lots of options here, but one suited to your needs. The Keymod rails are nice and offer flexibility.

Jeff, yes, the Walmart in ER has food, lots of it. When are you coming up?

Grand, I've got a Geiselle trigger coming along with the Seekins lower, it came highly recommended by my builder.

Don't even start, I've got so much going on besides building this rifle that building a safe full is out of the question.

I'm sure the wife will like shooting mine once it's built, which means I will have to have one built for her, hence my "1 or 2 AR" statement in my last post to you.

I prefer the 16 inch on a working carbine. The 18 inch will offer 100fps more at the muzzle.

In cold weather the rifle length gas on an 18 can be problematic. Needs a minimum port of 0.100 (for below zero temps) and big ports can have adverse effects on accuracy. For a field gun that will see use at low temps I would prefer the midlength (9 inch) gas system.

Even a lot of 16 inch middy barrels are under gassed for real cold weather reliability.

Are you using a carbine buffer system or rifle buffer system?



As you spent the coin on the lower I would get the Seekins upper so it matches. Mixing different brands of billet or mixing forged with billet can look a little off.

Have a look at the Midwest Industries rails. The new Lightweight M-LOK handguard is under 9 ozs. I like it a bunch, while not as heavy duty as the Geissle MK1s it is a great choice if you are trying to shave weight.

M-LOK Handguard

Have not discussed the buffer set up with my builder yet, which would you recommend?

I like that handguard setup, that's the type of setup i'm looking to add to my AR.

I use both but find the rifle length is usually my pick. The Magpul MOE riflestock works well in field shooting.

MOE Riflestock

Rifle length advantages:

Better spring rate and heavier buffer keeps the carrier in place slightly longer. Smooths out the recoil cycle and helps with 5.56 pressure loads.

Fixed stock is easier to shoot precisely.

Fixed stock is fixed, you won't grab the carbine and need to adjust the stock back to the right length of pull.

Rifle length Disadvantages:

Heavier.

Can't be adjusted for kids or wives.

The A-5 buffer system is a hybrid that uses the rifle spring with an adjustable stock and while it is not cheap it does offer some of the advantages of both systems.

A-5 buffer system

John, how bad to the guns shoot if the upper looks different than the lower. LOL.

Good advice as always.

AK- flight up on Sept 5, flight out Sept 20.

Jeff

BTW I dont' like 16 ONLY due to the noise....

I'm leaving the morning of the 6th for moose camp, you flying into Anchorage or Squarebanks on the 5th?

ANC arrives the 5th around typical midnight IIRC. Drive from there to Delta after I grab some stuff at walmart and or nap a bit...

Dang late flights, I guess we'll have to shoot for next year. lol

Noveske, KAC and a few others offer an intermediate gas system for their 18" barrels. I have a Noveske SPR contour that runs great with an H buffer Fromm 100+ to -5 or so which is as cold as I've shot it in.

I like Seekins' stuff but billet is a few ounces heavier than forged. Add in a heavier hand guard, buffers, barrels and such, it's not unusual to wind up with a 10 lb gun.

the seekins stuff will not make your gun any more accurate or better functioning. it will just look cooler and give you bragging rights. thats fine with me, just know thats the deal.

I'd throw Glen rings on it.................

I just went and looked at thier IRMT uppers. Those are pretty slick!

I would heed the advice on the hogue tube. I hunted last year with my 6.8 exclusively and the Nordic tube was a cold mofo to hang onto! Last year was very cold the first few days rifle season was open. I will definitely be picking up a hogue for this year.

I run a 15" MI SS gen 2 on my 18" 556. That tube is very comfortable fit wise with gloves. Still cold to hang on to though.

I'm a proponent of practical functionality/utility. I know it's in vogue as of late,to see how much JipJap Fluff one can dangle off of a Black Rifle,but I reckon I'm the antithesis.

Less is soooooooo much more.

'Course I shoot a smidge,so my preferences are jaded in that accord.....................(grin)

Noted, glad you're ok with it.

I used the Hogue tube when it was introduced over 20 years ago. It was a pretty good answer at the time but the overmolding did little in cold weather. It also has a propensity for the threaded section to come loose.



With the large selection of float tubes/hand guards available now days the Hogue is too heavy for my use and if a guy wants some rubber a bike inner tube on one of the the more useful hand guards would work just as well. There are some pretty good poly panels that will mount on the rail and those should offer more protection from the cold aluminum.

Of course a guy could just wear gloves.

I started with a basic A2, shot a bit, swapped out a bit and finally learned what works for me by trying a good dozen different set ups. I know what I like and will gladly share my findings but in the end, it's all up to each individual to find same.

There's not much this carbean won't do and it suits me just fine.

Everything you need, nothing you don't and it weighs a tad over 7 lbs if I remember right.

Pass the 10rd Stoners,phuqq the Loudener,gimme the Hogue and make it a 6x FF MQ.

If only for starters................

Hey the 90's want their AR back... Grin

They can't have it................

My circulation in my hands is so bad I have to use heat packs in my gloves if the temp is 45 or colder. I thought about wrapping some foam to my Nordic but then the tube diameter increases. If it was just a hunt from a stand gun I would do it.

Yes to the 10rd stoners. Can't bring myself to run a 20rd while hunting.

I like that rig. If and when I build another upper, I'll try one of those Troy FF tubes. They look good, are very light and allow you to attach rail sections or panels where you want them.

I can' tell for sure what stock you have there, but it looks kinda like the operator adjustable on my RRA.

I really like the RRA operator stocks, both the A2 fixed and the adjustable shown here. They don't rattle as much as the Magpul Moe I've had, come with a QD sling socket, and have a wider comb area that suits my face better than the magpul's I have.

That is a B5 SOPMOD stock. I have a few LMT SOPMODs as well but prefer the B5 for the rotation limited QD sling socket. They fit tight and don't rattle at all.

The Troy Alpha rail is comfortable to me, light weight, long enough at 13" to "drive" it better and when it gets cold I wear gloves.

The barrel is a Colt chrome lined 1/7 pencil barrel with the FSB shaved down, re parkerized and utilizes the factory pins. It shoots 1.5 MOA with ease with the Smith Vortex "loudener" that eliminates all flash but more importantly, takes the bite out of the bang. The carbine gas is done right and with a H2 buffer is pleasant to shoot.

The TA33 ACOG has the green horseshoe reticle with lines out to 600 yards, I've only used this one to 400 yards but for most practical uses, that's far enough. Eye relief is good and it works for me up close as well. It's mounted in a LaRue QD mount which is lower than the factory mount that fits me perfectly, so I can run the flip up Troy irons for practice.

I've used several different types of type,from friction to various thicknesses of electrical.

Pass the Hogue................(grin)

I'd happily run 5's if they were lower profile,for punching tags..................

I've got a variety of AR's - and various tubes & rails. I think I like the Daniel Defense quad rails best as they are slim & light, and comfortable with the skeleton-type magpul rail covers installed. There's plenty of places to hang any accessories you might want, if you want them. I have a forward grip & BUIS on the house gun but otherwise I seldom have any other doodads, besides optics.