Guys,
Who are the known, established AR builders that will build from a stripped lower "anything" you want on it? Meaning, you supply the receiver then get to select the parts, colors, dip schemes, cartridges, etc. On the basic level, I get it, most smiths and even non-smiths can put together an AR but I am not looking for just a "guy" or random gun shop. On the other side, I have looked at the higher end shops like Wilson, Noveske, and LaRue to name a few. They are great but don't seem to build on your receiver but rather from their custom item.

I am helping a buddy who has a receiver from a gun he does like anymore and wants to turn it into an "awesome looking deer hunting AR" but doesn't know where to go. Sure, he could buy a high end custom from the big shops but he already has some of those and wants to recycle his current gun into something new instead of selling it off or having it become another safe queen. He wants to have a hand in the build choosing the parts but doesnt want to have to buy an upper from one company, stock from someone else, then have to send it all off for coating or a dip job. If this was a bolt gun, I would steer him towards Robert Gradous, Jon Beanland, or Karl Feldcamp if you get my point. Who would you steer him towards for a hunting AR to get something special done on his receiver?

Thanks,


John

I’d buy a quality lower from LMT or another known good manufacturer and then let WOA, Compass Lake Engineering, or MSTN built want a I want. Putting one together is easy though so not many make a living off assembling AR’s. Stick with good name brand parts and it would be hard to mess it up.

Send me the parts and cover shipping and i’d do it for free.

I don't know that any of the above would do exactly anything that someone wants.

Need to find one that does ONLY specialty stuff for that IMHO.

Me, I'd just have someone build the barrel I wanted and put the thing together myself.

GAP will do it for you................they charge about $4,500; they shoot pretty decent too.

MM

that price almost made me pass out. LOL

Well, he's taking about some top gun builders in his post when he mentions Karl Feldcamp & Robert Gradous who surely don't work cheap (I've dealt with Karl a lot) & GAP falls into the category.....................he doesn't seem to understand that other than getting some parts cerrokoted for appearance, that you can buy parts at wherever in the quality/price spectrum you desire & put them together as well as most builders.

You can buy whatever quality barrel you want from whoever, & have them fit & headspace a bolt to it, & you can buy a lapping tool for the upper receiver for just a few bucks......................pretty much all else is just assembly.

MM

In a way, you guys are confirming what I am finding out. There are a LOT of smiths who can put together ARs. I truly get some of the simplicity some of you refer to, as I have done it myself on a few. In this case, my friend wants pretty unique parts and such. Long story short, I am just surprised there are not a few smiths cherised by 24HCF members for ARs on this site, like there are for bolt guns that can handle all or most request in their shop on a customer supplied action. No worries, you were more helpful than you might realize.

Builders realized that the upper is where the magic hasta happen.

Lower, other than trigger, is just there to hold the upper.

But you can't make that much profit just buildin uppers.

So, they make ya buy the whole rig.

Oh yeah, get that totally! Both parts. LOL.

Some don't even get that you don't have to have matching colors.... LOL, it doesn't make em shoot better. That said from someone that has stock hardware painted with that mirage green/silver/red paint. LOL.

Dtech can build about anything AR related that a guy could want.

I'm not a machinist or a gunsmith, but I am interested in building a custom AR. What kind of work needs to be done when mating an upper receiver assembly with a custom barrel? Is it work that anyone can do or is it reserved for an experienced gunsmith? I am assuming you already have the receiver set, BCG and a chambered barrel.

Bolt it on and torque to spec. If you are really wanting the best out of it, have the receiver extension trued.

Compass lake engineering is is Fl. They can build a hammer

Or, just buy this tool and lap the receiver. Only takes a few minutes, and most receivers are not that out of square to require machining.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...per-receiver-lapping-tool-prod20220.aspx

Just a question on lapping receivers, how could it make any difference when the bolt locks into the barrel extension and the carrier fit to the receiver has plenty of clearance? I’ve looked at this everytime I slide a barrel into an upper. As long as the barrel extension’s shelf fits relatively flush it’s gonna work just fine. Has anyone “cured” accuracy issues by lapping after the fact?

TWR - truing the receiver face (by lapping, cutting, etc) with the bore ensures the barrel is parallel with the bolt; this gives the bolt lugs the best chance of all making full contact. Most AR receivers are not tight enough to hold the barrel parallel with the bore just by snug fit of the receiver to the extension, with the odd exception of course.

That may or may not affect accuracy, and of course most ARs are built without truing.

I understand the theory but the bolt is not solid in the carrier nor is the carrier solid in the upper. Maybe I've just never seen an upper far enough out of line in the few dozens I've seen.

I do remember back in the day, Paul from Bravo Company told me I should use billet uppers because forged uppers were so crooked... I took it as salesmanship since billet was new and I hadn't seen any crooked receivers yet from him.

Anyway just curious if anyone has proven it made a difference.

DTech or White Oak.

How would you know? Unless you're analyzing bolt contact faces and/or broken bolts, you wouldn't know by just looking at them.
AR bolts are free to shift side to side and up/down a bit (concentricity), but can't do much to correct angular misalignment. A receiver face that's out of true changes the angle of the barrel and extension.

It's the same idea as truing the bolt lugs and receiver face in a bolt action; it doesn't guarantee better accuracy but is one step in making the system work right. Part of that is durability, not accuracy.

AR bolts are free to shift side to side and up/down a bit, but not so much to change angle. A receiver face that's out of true changes the angle of the barrel and extension. In most cases it's not enough to matter for most users, but if you're building a premium rifle and making sure everything's right, you'd true the receiver face in most cases.

It's not the same as a bolt gun. An aluminum receiver is not going to change the angle of a steel barrel or extension at the chamber area.

A bolt gun's barrel is separate from the area the lugs contact and can induce stress if not true. The only time stress can be added to an AR is when the barrel extension is threaded in.

Again, has anyone seen lapping a receiver change accuracy for the better?

It is the same as a bolt gun - making the locking lugs all seat fully.
You must not really understand what holds an AR barrel in place if you don't think an un-square receiver face can change the angle of the barrel. Gotta shake my head at that comment. What else do you think sets that angle? It's not the bore in most cases, they're too loose unless you're using something like a BCM thermofit upper.

Bolt guns lock the lugs against the steel receiver, the barrel is threaded into the receiver.

AR's lock the bolt into the barrel extension that is threaded into the barrel.

Have you ever seen how much play the bolt carrier has in an upper receiver?

How about the play the bolt has in the carrier?

If anyone wants to square up an upper, be my guest. I would simply like to know if anyone has took a gun that wouldn't shoot and squared the upper and it started shooting bug holes. Anyone?

Been doing some reading on the subject and a few things stood out that I haven't thought about.

In the days of $39 uppers, tolerences can be all over the place. You may very well end up with one so out of spec, even the tool won't fit down inside.

If you can true it up in a lathe after centering on the rails is the best way, otherwise it is possible to apply to much pressure the wrong way.

Some claim that your sights will be centered. Others said it's easier on your bolt. Others said it was a solution looking for a problem. Most said it doesn't hurt a thing but not a single case of "it turned my blaster into a hammer". Most cases the amount of material removed is about 1/1000". I have a stripped upper from Rainier Arms here and pulled a carrier out of my Colt 6920, the carrier to receiver rails moved up and down and sided to side well over 1/1000", so did the bolt inside the carrier.

Now that said I will relay a story told to me by a friend who had a rifle that shot well but not great. He knows a famous shooter/gunsmith and they started talking about said gun. The guy took it and turned it into a great shooter. My friend said he didn't see what he did but he told him the bolt was not square so he lapped the bolt. Maybe he lapped the upper? I truly don't know, he just said he lapped the bolt.

I still say there is too much tolerance in any upper/carrier fit to make a difference in most but I'm gonna say if done right I suppose it won't hurt a thing either.

TWR ; I can see where you are going with this, I would also like to see some scientific proof of the results of squaring the Upper. The problem with trying to prove it would be finding someone with a large enough supply of rifles that they would be willing to test before and after. Maybe you could start a experiment and have members sign up and start an experiment. Post their groups ,square the receiver using the same method with the exact same tool and then test again.

Square an upper? Naw, just buy a BCM.

https://www.rainierarms.com

Sky's the limit anything you want, at some of the best prices and great guys to work with.