Thread: AR Build, where to start

Alright,
This should be fun. I'm keen to build an AR. I want it cause I want it but would like to use it to shoot goats and possibly the odd deer. Out to 300 max. A Cat
Thinking an 18" piston upper with a dpt can.

But all advise considered. Also the best place NZ or otherwise to obtain the bits.

Cheers
Dan

https://nzar15.com/store/

I've bought off these guys and found them good

Thanks 308
They seem to have most stuff out of stock. Do they run pretty lean and can only run on minimal import volumes

Nzsr15 run pretty sharp pricing so sell out fast, gunsupplies, NZ repeating arms, gunsnz all have good gear. My only advice would be to get an upper with forward assist if you're hunting, they're essential for less noisy racking the bolt into battery

Don't build a piston gun

Originally Posted by Beavis

Don't build a piston gun

Tell me why?
I was told if you want to run a can with DI they can block easily

Nz ar15 has bush masters in a cat for 1400 bucks.

Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by i41do2

Tell me why?
I was told if you want to run a can with DI they can block easily

I have put getting close to 100,000 rounds throught di ar15's with cans fitted for most of them, have never had the system get blocked up. if you want to reduce gas blowback ( the ONLY thing a piston ar does better even though they do a bunch of things much worse) then make sure you fit an adjustable gas sytem-and adjustable gas block is the most common way to do this, if you find your still egtting gas(eg from a short gas system on a long barrel) in the face then fit a charging handle wit a gas blocking ridge(most aftermarked handles have this) and you are good to go.

Personly dont think you need a 18" barrel to shoot goats to 300m, a 14.5" or 16" would be my pick, with the longest gas system possable. my curent goat gun is 14.5" with rifle length gas system- 100% reliable with the can fitted but only 99% with it off. i also run a a5 length buffer system to further reduce felt recoil(this mostly helps for seeing where you round hits for hunting-in comp shooting it helps with rapid shooting) and if I was to do a A cat build I would go full a2 length rifle buffer system over the silly carbine length some A cat stocks force you to use.

It doesn't really matter about using a carbine extension - I would look at running a 9mm or H3 buffer with a midlength gas system and you may, like me, get away with running a can with no adjustable gas block. The heavier buffers keep the bolt in battery longer allowing the residual gas pressure in the can to bleed off before spitting it back down your barrel and gas tube.

IMO, you need to spend the big money to get a decent piston gun - H&K, LWRC, POF, PWS. Piston conversions and cheaper piston guns do not have a good reputation for longevity. I have witnessed it first hand. I saw a brand new Ruger SR556 shit the bed in the first 20 rounds. I cannot remember which part of the gas system broke, but it was fatal. Also, a piston will really limit the options you have for handguards.

Only thing you're gaining with a piston system is weight.

I bet you the first part you get will be black ! :p

Target Sports, Gunsnz and On-Target have stuff also. On-Target seem to have had almost no stock of parts for a long time. Maybe they are getting out of the game?

Thanks Guys really appreciate your input.
Still figuring it all out but thanks for the links. Fell free to continue telling me more about these guns. Will certainly post a photo once its done

Have just finished building one myself. I'd recommend a Greystone Guns adjustable gas block, they run about $160 and are A: low profile so can fit under basically any hand-guard you want, and B: are NZ made, which is cool. Some of the more expensive adjustable gas blocks even have a lever you can adjust by hand in the field, not worth paying more for IMO but they're out there, the Greystone one can be tuned with an allen key, experiment for yourself but it may be a case of, say; turn the screw half a turn out for running without the suppressor and half a turn back in while it's on. It'd be cool to see an adjustable gas block with a numbered dial you can turn by hand like on the SLR, knowing how big the AR market is, especially in the US, there's probably something out there already.

If you look up InRangeTV on youtube they have an interesting, albeit very long, interview with someone from Faxon Firearms talking about modern barrel manufacturing, watching it has sold me on going with a Faxon Gunner barrel for future projects. It's a three or four part interview, about 4 hours in total I think.

Anyway, here's the one I just put together, most of the bits I picked up second hand, new ones through NZAR15 or GunsNZ: Aero lower, Anderson upper, Stag Arms BCG, 16" DPMS bull barrel, Greystone gas block, Hera arms 15" free float rail, cheap butt stock I was given and carbine length buffer tube. Also ASE CQBS can and Aimpoint Pro
The rationale behind it: 16" bull barrel for less POI shift over lots of shooting, and 16" is plenty to get the velocity you need, 1 in 9 twist for versatility but favouring 55-ish grain bullets, full length rail so I can rest the fore-end on a backpack/tree/etc while hunting without effecting accuracy, and so I can hold it nearer the muzzle without burning my hand while doing jungle lane/three-gun style shooting (6'6" = long arms). The gasblock fits nicely under the hand-guard and has been set up for 55 grain SP Belmont ammo through the can, which itself is muzzle-forward, meaning the fore-end can be thinner as the can doesn't need to fit under it. The carbine buffer tube was just what came with it, I kinda just prefer a fixed A2-style stock, and being tall I can get square on to the target and/or shoot with a few layers on using an A2 stock without it being awkward.