The AR-15 rifle is considered the home defense rifle in America. This is because it is a lightweight weapon and can be handled easily. Here is your complete guide if you want to build your own AR-15 rifle. The rifle you would be building following the instructions mentioned below consists of a 16” barrel.
What to Purchase?
To build your own AR-Rifle, you will have to buy several things. For better understanding, let’s divide the rifle into two parts: the upper receiver and the lower receiver.
The Upper Receiver Part
For building the upper receiver part, you would need a barrel, a gas tube, a hand guard, bolt carrier group, charging handle, stripped upper receiver, and a gas block.
The Lower Receiver Part
The lower receiver consists of the stripped lower receiver or 80% lower. It is an essential part of the rifles. Look into 80% arms from 80percentarms.com for an excellent deal and reliable after-sales services. You will also have to buy an 80% lower jig along with a lower parts kit, buffer, buffer tube, buffer spring, and buttstock.
Things to Consider
When buying the barrel, make sure you consider the length. As mentioned above, a 16-inch barrel would be a great choice. Usually, an AR-15 rifle with a 5.56 caliber is ideal for military purposes, and a .223/ is considered good enough for civilian use.
Tools
The tools you will require to assemble your AR-15 rifle are roll pins, hammer, c-clamp, utility knife, AR-15 combo tool, and armorer’s wrench.
How to Build?
First of all, secure your 80% lower receiver and lower jig. It won’t take too much time as it is pretty easy; all you will need is a drill and drill bits for the job. Find the magazine spring; it would be the largest spring in terms of width. Push the spring into the hole on the magazine and place the magazine receiver button on top. Now look for the longest roll pin in the kit and attach the trigger guard with the magazine with this pin and install the trigger pin. Next, insert the safety selector and safety detent. After this, you will have to screw in the grip. Place the end plate on the buffer tube and fix it with the help of a screw. Now screw in the castle butt and tighten it as much as possible. Now it’s time to insert the front pivot pin. Insert the buffer spring, slide on the stock, and you’re done.
The only part of your AR-15 rifle that should be licensed in the United States is the lower receiver. However, there is an exception; the 80% lower receivers don’t require serialization; therefore, a license is not essential. As long as the gun is used for personal or safety purposes, gun licenses are not a requirement. If you have all the parts of the AR-15 rifle, then it would take you around 2 to 3 hours to create your own rifle.
