My First AR Build - Complete

[LagerHead]

Well, after about a month of back and forth, ordering, getting a wrong part or two, waiting on parts that will never be in stock again, etc., - you know, the normal AR build stuff - my first attempt is finally complete. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Gordon for basically being the brains, but I learned a lot in the past month and I think I could fly solo on my next one with just a few questions where it might need some tweaking. Anyway, without further ado, here she is:

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

What was the final weight on it? Less than your Sig?

 

Good looking rifle and I am glad I could help, now you need to go sling some rounds down range.

[LagerHead]

Depending on how accurate my scale is, it's around 6.5lbs. The Sig was 8.2lbs with a lot of that being toward the front. Of course both weights are without sights, magazines, etc. 

 

As far as getting some brass downrange, that is scheduled for Saturday morning. Now if I can just find some extra ammo. 

[TnShooter83]

Nice looking rifle. 

[rugerla1]

Sweet looking rifle, good job!

[Guest sL1k]

Sweet ar!
Do you have any issues with your sightmark magnifier being a little off ? Mine is that way, I am going to just get a standard quick detach mount for mine just don't know which one to get.

[gunwhatgun]

Sweet ar!
Do you have any issues with your sightmark magnifier being a little off ? Mine is that way, I am going to just get a standard quick detach mount for mine just don't know which one to get.

Do you have yours on the same rail? I had the same issue with mine and they were both sightmark product so I just assumed my hand guard rail was a bit lower than my receiver.

 

Hi jack over sorry. 

 

Your rifle looks great, Is that a Magpul hand guard?

[LagerHead]

Sweet ar!
Do you have any issues with your sightmark magnifier being a little off ? Mine is that way, I am going to just get a standard quick detach mount for mine just don't know which one to get.

[LagerHead]

It appears to be now but I haven't actually zeroed it yet. I will let you know after I do that on Saturday.

And yes, that is the Magpul MOE handguard in foliage green.

[Guest sL1k]

Sweet ar!

Do you have any issues with your sightmark magnifier being a little off ? Mine is that way, I am going to just get a standard quick detach mount for mine just don't know which one to get.

Do you have yours on the same rail? I had the same issue with mine and they were both sightmark product so I just assumed my hand guard rail was a bit lower than my receiver.

Hi jack over sorry.

Mine was on the same rail, I love my sightmark sight and the magnifier is very clear, I just think the slide to side mount is junk. I may try to modify it or just get a diff mount. I bought mine used on here, really curious if the primary arms mount will line up right.

It appears to be now but I haven't actually zeroed it yet. I will let you know after I do that on Saturday.


And yes, that is the Magpul MOE handguard in foliage green.

I've never had any experience with a magnifier. Didn't know if it was just a common thing with the sightmark mount.

Looking forward to the range report! I've built 2 in the last 6 months its very rewarding to finish one (after all the dang parts come in!)

[NoBanStan]

Well, after about a month of back and forth, ordering, getting a wrong part or two, waiting on parts that will never be in stock again, etc., - you know, the normal AR build stuff - my first attempt is finally complete. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Gordon for basically being the brains, but I learned a lot in the past month and I think I could fly solo on my next one with just a few questions where it might need some tweaking. Anyway, without further ado, here she is:

 

 

You should be proud, it's nice! Now you just need a forward sling mount and sling and a flashlight and a laser and a supressor and a 45 degree rail set and a set of iron sights and a backup reddot and a battery moe core and b.a.d. lever and some ranger plates and some mag couplers and a infrared laser and a forklift to carry it all around. :D

[LagerHead]

Mine was on the same rail, I love my sightmark sight and the magnifier is very clear, I just think the slide to side mount is junk. I may try to modify it or just get a diff mount. I bought mine used on here, really curious if the primary arms mount will line up right.



I've never had any experience with a magnifier. Didn't know if it was just a common thing with the sightmark mount.

Looking forward to the range report! I've built 2 in the last 6 months its very rewarding to finish one (after all the dang parts come in!)

 

What don't you like about the slide-to-side mount? Mine is kinda stiff but it it locks well in both positions.

 

You should be proud, it's nice! Now you just need a forward sling mount and sling and a flashlight and a laser and a supressor and a 45 degree rail set and a set of iron sights and a backup reddot and a battery moe core and b.a.d. lever and some ranger plates and some mag couplers and a infrared laser and a forklift to carry it all around. :D

 

Funny you should mention that. All of that stuff is on backorder. ;-)

 

Ok, so range report.

 

I have never personally adjusted a gas block so I was getting kinda worried when I was backed out two full turns and it still wasn't locking the bolt to the rear. But no worries, one more quarter turn and there it went. 

 

The gun is LOUD! It's probably due to the flash suppressor sending all the gas out the sides but it's definitely noticeable compared to some other ARs. In fact a friend had her AR there shooting and you could really tell the difference. But on the plus side, there is damn near zero recoil. It just stays right on target and is ready for the next shot. I love that. The trigger has almost no takeup and I haven't even installed Gordon's trigger kit yet. (CMMG lower parts kit, if you're interested.) I will probably eventually work on lightening the trigger since this will be my 3-gun rifle and I heard JP Enterprises makes a nice kit. That's a few months down the road at a minimum though. 

 

As for the Sightmark sight, I got lucky that it was really close to zero when I mounted it. So with a couple of adjustments I was right on. Once I got it I was putting rounds on top of each other at 25 yards (again, this will be a fun gun so I didn't need to zero it out at 100 or anything.) The 3x magnifier does require you to be looking pretty much straight on so it may not compare to an Eotech brand in that regard (been a couple of years at least since I have looked through the Eotech magnifier) but since I got both the sight and the magnifier for less than a used Eotech I am ecstatic with my purchase. Next time to the range I will mount my Nikon glass and get that zeroed in too. 

 

Overall I am very pleased with my first AR build. The only thing left to do is get my SBR stamp and build a second upper with maybe an 11.5" barrel? Of course with the wait times we're seeing these days it's a good thing I'm not in a hurry. 

 

Thanks to all that gave advice, help, and more. You know who you are and you are greatly appreciated. I'm happy to be part of this forum because of the people on it. I really don't think I could have gone from nothing to range day in just a couple days more than a month without folks like this forum has. 

[Guest sL1k]

Mine locks, but it has a bit of play (mines used) and when its lined up the dot from my sight mark is in the upper left corner (so its not lined up) I can actually shift it while its locked to where the dot is almost centered.

[LagerHead]

Mine locks, but it has a bit of play (mines used) and when its lined up the dot from my sight mark is in the upper left corner (so its not lined up) I can actually shift it while its locked to where the dot is almost centered.

 

It might be time for me to pay it forward. When I got mine it also had some play. However there is a small nut opposite the locking arm that you can tighten while the sight is off the weapon that will make it lock tighter. If you don't have the wrench required to tighten it (it's quite small and thin) PM your address and I will mail mine to you. You can tighten it and send it back when you're done. 

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Looks good, especially for a first one. May the babies hatch soon. They always seem to breed more. :D