Choosing Parts for Your AR-15 or AR-10
I recall a day when I was walking around a gun show checking out tables from the usual suspects. Everyone who is a regular at DFW area gun shows knows the schtick by now. There is the cowboy looking guy with a table in the corner selling old guns that look like they probably don't even fire. There are the tables of the large dealers who seem to only be present at gun shows where you can often find used guns for pretty reasonable prices if you look around the table hard enough. Of course you have the Asian guy trying to convince you that Osprey Optics are every bit as good as something costing five times as much (the reality is that they're junk), the Boy Scouts selling popcorn, and the random tables selling non-firearm related projects. Its usually trashy beef jerky, jewelry, coins, solar panels, or some kind of insurance that you probably don't need. Then there is the table which has guns that make me want to cry. I have not seen them in a while but they called themselves the "Bad Ass Shotgun Department".
For those who are new to shooting, here is a good piece of advice: a company calling itself "bad ass" anything is usually selling garbage. This table was no exception. They had perfectly good shotguns decked out in that nasty Zombie green with the cheap looking biohazard logos on it. The shotguns contained every piece of junk imaginable with the post common accessory being a three prong bayonet made from crappy Chinese steel knives. There was one bayonet I remember which was retractable and had about six spikes. I am surprised I never saw a shotgun with a chainsaw attached to it. Of course, this is the same table which sells accessories which promises to make you AR "almost" a machine gun. The part they sell to do this is almost always a piece of crap that doesn't work well and doesn't lend itself to accurate fire. So, what should you buy for your AR?
Upper and Lower Receiver: I prefer to buy matched sets but this is not necessary by any means. There are a few things I look for in determining whether I have a high quality upper and lower receiver. The first factor is whether there is a tensioning screw included as a standard option. Good quality manufacturers almost always include this as part of lower receiver package. It's a little nylon tipped screw that looks like this and is used to ensure a tight fit between the upper and lower receiver. This elimates rattle and - at least in theory - improves accuracy. I dispute this last point: I have a very old CMMG lower without this feature and it shoots fine. CMMG made, and still makes, a very respectable lower. These days, however, this is a feature that most higher end manufacturerers use.
Another feature to look for is a low rear shelf. This is far less common and is typically found on lower receivers where the manufacturer is concerned about reducing as much weight as possible. The truth is that most lower receivers are "high shelf" receivers, which is intended to make it more difficult to convert the firearm to function as a machine gun (which is unlawful and stupid). It's usually only the higher end manufacturers who offer a low rear shelf receiver because they are marketing to those with legally owned drop-in auto sears (which are extremely expensive to lawfully acquire) or to shooters who want to make a very lightweight platform for competition or hunting. For less expensive receivers, my favorite choices are Aero Precision, Ballistic Advantage,and Spike's Tactical. For a mid-range receiver, my favorite manufacturer is LaRue Tactial. For the highest end receivers, I prefer Battle Arms or VSeven.
Trigger: Let's face it, the stock trigger is functional. It also sucks. The purpose behind an AR type rifle is to provide the end user with extreme firepower. The M16 and M4 does that through a three position safety allowing burst or fully automatic fire as the case may be. However, as mere peasants were can't own one of those. That means we want a trigger that will allow us to maximize our firepower. However, before choosing a trigger, consider first whether you want a single stage or a two stage trigger. My personal preference is for a two-stage trigger. The reason is because I think it's more user friendly for long range and all of my AR type rifles have some type of magnified optic. Even with a 10.5" barrel, I want the option to engage a target at 500 yards if that's a shot I need to take. I can fire quite rapidly with a two-stage trigger, but most of those concerned about speed opt for the single stage trigger. This is purely a matter of personal preference. For the more budget conscious, the good folks at LaRue Tactical again make my list of recommendations. These are not going to be as light as what you can purchase elsewhere, but both their single and two stage triggers are rock solid. CMC is another trigger that I believe is made right here in the great State of Texas and is a step up. However, the highest end triggers are made by Geissele. They are 2 - 3x the cost of the LaRue trigger. They're worth it.
Another thing I will mention here is the binary and the forced reset triggers. My advice is to leave them alone. The forced reset triggers are a fun toy but they are currently of dubious legality and they take away a lot of your firearm's functionality by making it difficult to control. That's dangerous. The binary triggers are a slightly better option than the forced reset triggers. The problem I have with binary triggers is that I have never felt the need to shoot faster than what semi-automatic fire can offer. Let's face it: true machine guns are belt fed. While a shoulder fired machine gun is certainly neat, it has very little practical application.
Stock:: There are a lot of options here. There are a few things to remember here. First and foremost, if you opt for a folding stock design, you cannot fire your weapon with the stock in the folded position. If you want a weapon that does that, have a look at the Sig MCX or the Brownells BRN-180 upper. The second thing to remember is that, if you go with a telescoping rifle stock (like most people), there are two different types of tubes: Milspec and Commercial. As a practical matter, they do the same thing. The industry has switched to Milspec as the standard now. However, if you have a commercial tube you will need a commercial stock, and if you have a milspec tube you will need a milspec stock. Another thing I should note is to buy a buffer and spring weight that will work for your setup. If you are running a 5.56mm rifle with a barrel length of 14.5" or greater, you will probably be fine with a standard buffer and a standard spring. Once you get into calibers like the 300 Blackout, the 7.62x39, the 6.5 Grendel, or any of the big bore offerings, you will need a heavier buffer and a heavier spring. The same is true if you go with an AR pistol or build a short barrel rifle (after paying the sin tax and asking "mother, may I" from the BATFE of course). For a short barrel rifle, I like a slightly stiffer spring and an H2 buffer. I consider 300 BLK and 6.5 Grendel to need at least an H2 buffer as well. For some reason, my 7.62x39 likes an H3 (also called the 9mm buffer because of its use on AR's chambered in 9mm). For an AR-10, I use a fixed rifle stock and use a standard AR-10 rifle buffer and spring for both 308 Winchester and 6.5 Grendel.
Barrel: This depends upon your application. I do not recommend less than a 10.5" barrel on an AR style platform. The only reason a barrel should be that short is if you intend to run a suppressor and, if that is the case, a 12.5" barrel is the preferable option. Obviously, if you are not running a pistol and don't have your tax stamp, the 16" barrel is the minimum legal option. I prefer an 18" barrel for longer range applications with the 5.56mm. For most of my barrels, I prefer a 1x8 twist because it stablizes everything from a 55 - 69gr bullet pretty well. For the rifles I set up specifically for long range (with the 18" barrel), I prefer a 1x7 twist to stablize the 75 and 77 grain bullets I prefer for that application. I do think anything looser than 1x8 sells yourself short. For an AR-10, I prefer a 20" barrel with a 1x10 twist for 308 and a 22" barrel with a 1x8 twist for 6.5 Creedmoor. Again, he tighter twist to stabilize the heavier bullets. I like running a 165 grain Sierra GameKing for hunting and a 175 Sierra Matchking for all other applications in my 308. For my 6.5, I stick with bullets that are 140 grains or better for all application and typically use the Hornady ELD-X since it's what's most available. A 300 Blackout should have a shorter barrel because it is designed to be suppressed. The 7.62x39 should have a 16" barrel. It is a poor performing round and shortening the barrel will make it perform even worse (it's still a useful round - I have one). For 6.5 Grendel, I recommend an 18 - 20" barrel unless the rifle is being used for a closer range hunt where weight is a consideration. Inside of 400 yards, you can get away with a 16" barrel on a 6.5 Grendel. As for the barrel manufacturer, I have found three that I recommend. Ballistic Advantage makes very good barrels for a reasonable price. I think LaRue Tactical is a step up, but you can't find barrels in a variety of calibers with them (I wish they did a 6.5 Grendel). Rainier Arms have always made a good quality barrel that I think it in line with the LaRue. My person preference: Shilen Barrels. Yes, they are expensive. They are also made right here in the State of Texas and, when I need the ultimate in accuracy and precision, I accept no substitute. I will note that I have not, as of yet, had very good luck with carbon fiber barrels, but that is a subject for a different article. I have links to some barrels that I like below:
Shilen (top of the line for long range builds)
Rainier Arms (a resource for a variety of very high quality barrels) LaRue Tactical (great all around)
Ballistic Advantage (my favorite budget option)
Bolt Carrier Group adn Charging Handle: If you buy a barrel that comes with a properly headspaced bolt, you should use this in conjunction with whatever bolt carrier group you buy (right now I am only aware of Shilen offering this). There is a lot of what I call "voodoo" out there when it comes to this part. I have never personally used the "low mass" bolt carriers or groups made by companies like JP or the other bolts that claim to have all sorts of extra special features. For an AR-15 build, all I want is a basic M-16 bolt carrier group (these are heavier than those designed specifically for the AR-15, perform better, and are not illegal). Since the AR-15 is so standardized, I have never seen one of these not headspace correctly. However, the AR-10 is far less standardized so - when doing your own build - invest in headspace gauges or borrow them from a friend. As for the charging handle, my personal preference for all of my AR-15 and AR-10 weapons is the Radian Weapons Raptor. However, this is a premium option and what you're really looking for is something that will make things easier for you (especially if your weapon will have a magnified optic). What do I think the best deal is? I really like these bolt carrier groups by Toolcraft.
Gas Block: If you plan to build a 5.56mm rifle with a barrel of 16 inches or longer that you will be using without a silencer, there is no need for anything other than a basic low profile gas block. However, for short barrel rifle (or pistol) builds and for rifles which use a round other than 5.56mm, my experience has been that most of them require an adjustable gas block. Some people like running a gas piston system on their AR and I do think that these can be very nice if they are setup correctly. My favorite source of parts for both adjustable gas blocks and gas pistol builds is Superlative Arms. I have trusted their products for years and haven't been let down.
Rail/Handguard: Last, but not least, we need to talk about the handguard. I am not going to say much about this except to point out that you want one which has no contact with the barrel (they market these as free floating handguards even though it is not possible to truly freefloat an AR-platform rifle because of the design of the weapon system) and that you probably want one that accepts M-LOK pattern accessories (this has become the standard because it's lighter than a Pic rail and allegedly more secure than the Keylock design). I personally like a handguard that runs almost the full length of my barrel for shorter builds and about 15 - 18 inches on long range builds with lengthy barrels. I offer no advice on manufacturer except to state my personal preference for Seekins Precision. As for the crap that you can put on your handguard, my advice is to NOT be like the Zombie gun guys I mentioned at the beginning of the article. You don't need to be carrying a bunch of crap on your rifle. If you like a vertical foregrip - get one (I personally like it on my shorter builds because I can use if for stability when shooting off of a barricade). If you are using your weapon as a truck gun or for home defense, a weapon-mounted light is probably a good idea. For a precision rifle, you will want the ability to mount a bipod (and the ability to take one off quickly as needed). You will also want a good quality sling (another good subject for a later article). Aside from these things, avoid cluttering your gun up with a bunch of crap that you don't need and will make you look like a mall ninja.
I know this has been a long article. However, we have an election coming up in just a few weeks and the time to acquire weapons of this nature is short. If my readers choose to take my advice and get these before the 2022 election, I want to make sure they will have a functional weapon system that will do what they need it to do. Please remember that I wrote a lot about what I like in this article. I do not proclaim to know anything other than what I have personally found to be good and effective. Ultimately, it's up to you to make your own decision on how to set up your rifle and what kind of setup will work best for you. Just - for the love of God - please don't be a mall ninja.
For those who are new to shooting, here is a good piece of advice: a company calling itself "bad ass" anything is usually selling garbage. This table was no exception. They had perfectly good shotguns decked out in that nasty Zombie green with the cheap looking biohazard logos on it. The shotguns contained every piece of junk imaginable with the post common accessory being a three prong bayonet made from crappy Chinese steel knives. There was one bayonet I remember which was retractable and had about six spikes. I am surprised I never saw a shotgun with a chainsaw attached to it. Of course, this is the same table which sells accessories which promises to make you AR "almost" a machine gun. The part they sell to do this is almost always a piece of crap that doesn't work well and doesn't lend itself to accurate fire. So, what should you buy for your AR?
Upper and Lower Receiver: I prefer to buy matched sets but this is not necessary by any means. There are a few things I look for in determining whether I have a high quality upper and lower receiver. The first factor is whether there is a tensioning screw included as a standard option. Good quality manufacturers almost always include this as part of lower receiver package. It's a little nylon tipped screw that looks like this and is used to ensure a tight fit between the upper and lower receiver. This elimates rattle and - at least in theory - improves accuracy. I dispute this last point: I have a very old CMMG lower without this feature and it shoots fine. CMMG made, and still makes, a very respectable lower. These days, however, this is a feature that most higher end manufacturerers use.
Another feature to look for is a low rear shelf. This is far less common and is typically found on lower receivers where the manufacturer is concerned about reducing as much weight as possible. The truth is that most lower receivers are "high shelf" receivers, which is intended to make it more difficult to convert the firearm to function as a machine gun (which is unlawful and stupid). It's usually only the higher end manufacturers who offer a low rear shelf receiver because they are marketing to those with legally owned drop-in auto sears (which are extremely expensive to lawfully acquire) or to shooters who want to make a very lightweight platform for competition or hunting. For less expensive receivers, my favorite choices are Aero Precision, Ballistic Advantage,and Spike's Tactical. For a mid-range receiver, my favorite manufacturer is LaRue Tactial. For the highest end receivers, I prefer Battle Arms or VSeven.
Trigger: Let's face it, the stock trigger is functional. It also sucks. The purpose behind an AR type rifle is to provide the end user with extreme firepower. The M16 and M4 does that through a three position safety allowing burst or fully automatic fire as the case may be. However, as mere peasants were can't own one of those. That means we want a trigger that will allow us to maximize our firepower. However, before choosing a trigger, consider first whether you want a single stage or a two stage trigger. My personal preference is for a two-stage trigger. The reason is because I think it's more user friendly for long range and all of my AR type rifles have some type of magnified optic. Even with a 10.5" barrel, I want the option to engage a target at 500 yards if that's a shot I need to take. I can fire quite rapidly with a two-stage trigger, but most of those concerned about speed opt for the single stage trigger. This is purely a matter of personal preference. For the more budget conscious, the good folks at LaRue Tactical again make my list of recommendations. These are not going to be as light as what you can purchase elsewhere, but both their single and two stage triggers are rock solid. CMC is another trigger that I believe is made right here in the great State of Texas and is a step up. However, the highest end triggers are made by Geissele. They are 2 - 3x the cost of the LaRue trigger. They're worth it.
Another thing I will mention here is the binary and the forced reset triggers. My advice is to leave them alone. The forced reset triggers are a fun toy but they are currently of dubious legality and they take away a lot of your firearm's functionality by making it difficult to control. That's dangerous. The binary triggers are a slightly better option than the forced reset triggers. The problem I have with binary triggers is that I have never felt the need to shoot faster than what semi-automatic fire can offer. Let's face it: true machine guns are belt fed. While a shoulder fired machine gun is certainly neat, it has very little practical application.
Stock:: There are a lot of options here. There are a few things to remember here. First and foremost, if you opt for a folding stock design, you cannot fire your weapon with the stock in the folded position. If you want a weapon that does that, have a look at the Sig MCX or the Brownells BRN-180 upper. The second thing to remember is that, if you go with a telescoping rifle stock (like most people), there are two different types of tubes: Milspec and Commercial. As a practical matter, they do the same thing. The industry has switched to Milspec as the standard now. However, if you have a commercial tube you will need a commercial stock, and if you have a milspec tube you will need a milspec stock. Another thing I should note is to buy a buffer and spring weight that will work for your setup. If you are running a 5.56mm rifle with a barrel length of 14.5" or greater, you will probably be fine with a standard buffer and a standard spring. Once you get into calibers like the 300 Blackout, the 7.62x39, the 6.5 Grendel, or any of the big bore offerings, you will need a heavier buffer and a heavier spring. The same is true if you go with an AR pistol or build a short barrel rifle (after paying the sin tax and asking "mother, may I" from the BATFE of course). For a short barrel rifle, I like a slightly stiffer spring and an H2 buffer. I consider 300 BLK and 6.5 Grendel to need at least an H2 buffer as well. For some reason, my 7.62x39 likes an H3 (also called the 9mm buffer because of its use on AR's chambered in 9mm). For an AR-10, I use a fixed rifle stock and use a standard AR-10 rifle buffer and spring for both 308 Winchester and 6.5 Grendel.
Barrel: This depends upon your application. I do not recommend less than a 10.5" barrel on an AR style platform. The only reason a barrel should be that short is if you intend to run a suppressor and, if that is the case, a 12.5" barrel is the preferable option. Obviously, if you are not running a pistol and don't have your tax stamp, the 16" barrel is the minimum legal option. I prefer an 18" barrel for longer range applications with the 5.56mm. For most of my barrels, I prefer a 1x8 twist because it stablizes everything from a 55 - 69gr bullet pretty well. For the rifles I set up specifically for long range (with the 18" barrel), I prefer a 1x7 twist to stablize the 75 and 77 grain bullets I prefer for that application. I do think anything looser than 1x8 sells yourself short. For an AR-10, I prefer a 20" barrel with a 1x10 twist for 308 and a 22" barrel with a 1x8 twist for 6.5 Creedmoor. Again, he tighter twist to stabilize the heavier bullets. I like running a 165 grain Sierra GameKing for hunting and a 175 Sierra Matchking for all other applications in my 308. For my 6.5, I stick with bullets that are 140 grains or better for all application and typically use the Hornady ELD-X since it's what's most available. A 300 Blackout should have a shorter barrel because it is designed to be suppressed. The 7.62x39 should have a 16" barrel. It is a poor performing round and shortening the barrel will make it perform even worse (it's still a useful round - I have one). For 6.5 Grendel, I recommend an 18 - 20" barrel unless the rifle is being used for a closer range hunt where weight is a consideration. Inside of 400 yards, you can get away with a 16" barrel on a 6.5 Grendel. As for the barrel manufacturer, I have found three that I recommend. Ballistic Advantage makes very good barrels for a reasonable price. I think LaRue Tactical is a step up, but you can't find barrels in a variety of calibers with them (I wish they did a 6.5 Grendel). Rainier Arms have always made a good quality barrel that I think it in line with the LaRue. My person preference: Shilen Barrels. Yes, they are expensive. They are also made right here in the State of Texas and, when I need the ultimate in accuracy and precision, I accept no substitute. I will note that I have not, as of yet, had very good luck with carbon fiber barrels, but that is a subject for a different article. I have links to some barrels that I like below:
Shilen (top of the line for long range builds)
Rainier Arms (a resource for a variety of very high quality barrels) LaRue Tactical (great all around)
Ballistic Advantage (my favorite budget option)
Bolt Carrier Group adn Charging Handle: If you buy a barrel that comes with a properly headspaced bolt, you should use this in conjunction with whatever bolt carrier group you buy (right now I am only aware of Shilen offering this). There is a lot of what I call "voodoo" out there when it comes to this part. I have never personally used the "low mass" bolt carriers or groups made by companies like JP or the other bolts that claim to have all sorts of extra special features. For an AR-15 build, all I want is a basic M-16 bolt carrier group (these are heavier than those designed specifically for the AR-15, perform better, and are not illegal). Since the AR-15 is so standardized, I have never seen one of these not headspace correctly. However, the AR-10 is far less standardized so - when doing your own build - invest in headspace gauges or borrow them from a friend. As for the charging handle, my personal preference for all of my AR-15 and AR-10 weapons is the Radian Weapons Raptor. However, this is a premium option and what you're really looking for is something that will make things easier for you (especially if your weapon will have a magnified optic). What do I think the best deal is? I really like these bolt carrier groups by Toolcraft.
Gas Block: If you plan to build a 5.56mm rifle with a barrel of 16 inches or longer that you will be using without a silencer, there is no need for anything other than a basic low profile gas block. However, for short barrel rifle (or pistol) builds and for rifles which use a round other than 5.56mm, my experience has been that most of them require an adjustable gas block. Some people like running a gas piston system on their AR and I do think that these can be very nice if they are setup correctly. My favorite source of parts for both adjustable gas blocks and gas pistol builds is Superlative Arms. I have trusted their products for years and haven't been let down.
Rail/Handguard: Last, but not least, we need to talk about the handguard. I am not going to say much about this except to point out that you want one which has no contact with the barrel (they market these as free floating handguards even though it is not possible to truly freefloat an AR-platform rifle because of the design of the weapon system) and that you probably want one that accepts M-LOK pattern accessories (this has become the standard because it's lighter than a Pic rail and allegedly more secure than the Keylock design). I personally like a handguard that runs almost the full length of my barrel for shorter builds and about 15 - 18 inches on long range builds with lengthy barrels. I offer no advice on manufacturer except to state my personal preference for Seekins Precision. As for the crap that you can put on your handguard, my advice is to NOT be like the Zombie gun guys I mentioned at the beginning of the article. You don't need to be carrying a bunch of crap on your rifle. If you like a vertical foregrip - get one (I personally like it on my shorter builds because I can use if for stability when shooting off of a barricade). If you are using your weapon as a truck gun or for home defense, a weapon-mounted light is probably a good idea. For a precision rifle, you will want the ability to mount a bipod (and the ability to take one off quickly as needed). You will also want a good quality sling (another good subject for a later article). Aside from these things, avoid cluttering your gun up with a bunch of crap that you don't need and will make you look like a mall ninja.
I know this has been a long article. However, we have an election coming up in just a few weeks and the time to acquire weapons of this nature is short. If my readers choose to take my advice and get these before the 2022 election, I want to make sure they will have a functional weapon system that will do what they need it to do. Please remember that I wrote a lot about what I like in this article. I do not proclaim to know anything other than what I have personally found to be good and effective. Ultimately, it's up to you to make your own decision on how to set up your rifle and what kind of setup will work best for you. Just - for the love of God - please don't be a mall ninja.
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