Thoughts on a company? Ideas for a 2nd build

[chem_guy]

Anybody with any experience or thoughts on M&A Parts. My brother worked with a nationally renown SWAT guy who swore by them. I have heard a lot of things - both good and bad - about some of the "other" parts and kits houses, but not so much about M&A Parts.

Operating under the Costaism of "One is none, two is one."

I am working on an extremely low budget for my second build and while I tend to like what I see at Bravo Company, Rainier and Noveske, it would take even longer to budget for a purchase from those companies. I have been budgeting for the last two years...I am getting very antsy.

I have pencil whipped this project to death and I think I need some fresh perspective.

Purpose is two fold - home defense and pleasure shooting with the family (spouse plus the three older kids - we have five:o)

I am open to all suggestions!

[chem_guy]

Any takers or suggestions?

[Paulo_Santos]

What do you have so far?

[Army Chief]

I don't mean to sound trite, but there are only two kinds of ARs in my view: those that are expensive when you buy them, and those that will become expensive after you buy them (and realize all of the things that need to be changed out and/or corrected).

In your stead, I would likely wait until BCM components were within budget; especially since you aren't ruling out a potential defensive application. It makes little sense to me to spend money on something that I am going to regret owning in a year or two, and I am simply not wealthy enough to make mistakes at the time of initial outlay.

To borrow a line from the film Ronin, "When in doubt, there is no doubt."

AC

[federalist22]

I don't mean to sound trite, but there are only two kinds of ARs in my view: those that are expensive when you buy them, and those that will become expensive after you buy them (and realize all of the things that need to be changed out and/or corrected).

Well put AC. Owning any type of firearm is a slippery slope. Owning/building an AR is about as slippery as one can get.

[Gator]

I don't mean to sound trite, but there are only two kinds of ARs in my view: those that are expensive when you buy them, and those that will become expensive after you buy them (and realize all of the things that need to be changed out and/or corrected).

In your stead, I would likely wait until BCM components were within budget; especially since you aren't ruling out a potential defensive application. It makes little sense to me to spend money on something that I am going to regret owning in a year or two, and I am simply not wealthy enough to make mistakes at the time of initial outlay.

To borrow a line from the film Ronin, "When in doubt, there is no doubt."

AC
I completely agree. -- speaking from personal experience which I now call a "life lesson" just to make myself feel better about it. :o

[Army Chief]

Chem Guy,

To put all of this in slightly different terms, consider this: your introduction to the AR platform has largely been defined by military specification rifles, and as such, you are probably taking a great many things for granted. That's actually a good thing, provided you use it to your advantage.

Unfortunately, commercial rifles (and the overwhelming majority of parts kits) are rarely built to anything approaching this standard, and looks are very, very deceiving. Just because a gun appears to be a first-cousin to your issued M4 does not mean that it is in any way deserving of a place in your gun locker.

I'm not leveling specific criticisms against M&A or anyone else here, but I am saying that, in the AR-build game, budget friendly is essentially just an innocuous-sounding synonym for inferior quality. As a professional Soldier, you are accustomed to professional tools, and if you try to build a backup gun "on the cheap," your near-term pride in assembly will inevitably yield to your disappointment with the quality of the components used.

Fortunately, there is another possibility: if a premium quality rifle is out of reach, then why not tackle half of the problem now, and begin saving for the rest later? For example, if you want to try a different barrel configuration, why not just buy a completed upper? Conversely, if you're more concerned about changes in the law eventually pushing prices for a second rifle out of reach, why not just buy a completed lower (since you can always add an upper later)?

Perhaps you're already waiting for the UPS man to show up; if so, then you enjoy your build and learn as much as you can while doing it. If not, then realize that what you're being faced with right now is a great opportunity -- an opportunity to take your time and avoid all of the costly mistakes that seem to be an unfortunate rite of passage among new AR owners.

AC

[chem_guy]

Gentlemen,

All I can say is wow. You have given me much more to think about and budget for. AC-very, very, well put. I really appreciate the fresh perspective, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Thank you all.

[SDDuc996]

Anybody with any experience or thoughts on M&A Parts. My brother worked with a nationally renown SWAT guy who swore by them. I have heard a lot of things - both good and bad - about some of the "other" parts and kits houses, but not so much about M&A Parts.

Operating under the Costaism of "One is none, two is one."

I am working on an extremely low budget for my second build and while I tend to like what I see at Bravo Company, Rainier and Noveske, it would take even longer to budget for a purchase from those companies. I have been budgeting for the last two years...I am getting very antsy.

I have pencil whipped this project to death and I think I need some fresh perspective.

Purpose is two fold - home defense and pleasure shooting with the family (spouse plus the three older kids - we have five:o)

I am open to all suggestions!


Navy quote long before he ever picked up a gun.