balancing look and function

[mikeinmd]

So i have been thinking about owning a firearm since I cant remember when and I finally was able to justify it in my head to go forward with building my very first Ar. I recently decided I wanted to do some pro 2a art pieces as well as incorporating firearms into some other work I am doing. This is what helped me justify the financial aspect of ownership. So right off the bat my instinct tells me i need to have the strongest most durable product when i am dealing with a tool that could potentially be a threat to myself if something was to fail. Having been a pyrotechnic hobbyist you learn quickly to stay away from the lower quality stuff( its just not worth the consequences and it further gives the uneducated masses reasons to stop other hobbyists from enjoying their passions.) Then my creative side kicks in and i want it to look like the meanest sexiest functioning tool you could fathom ...Obviously this just wont work for a poor fella with limited knowledge. So im trying to to do my best and still keep it original, clean, and very functional but i am sort of hung up on the rails/barrel/suppressor aspect. I was hoping to get some advice or maybe get steered in a certain direction or be warned not to go in another direction in regards to the upper front end assembly basically. ill go ahead and list my whole build and then some ideas i was throwing around and hopefully i can get some feedback.

Upper Receiver: mega arms billet
BCG: spikes nib
charging handle: mega
Barrel: lilja 16" m4 patrolman 8 twist 223 wylde
flash suppressor: spikes st dynacomp extreme 556

lower receiver:black rain ordnance billet ..ordering seekins when back in stock... think i want a noveske chainsaw to...[crazy]
lpk: JP
trigger: spikes battle trigger nib
grip: magpul moe+
stock: magpul acs l also plan on gettin the ergo f93

So thats what I have so far and its coming along slowly. Originally i had wanted to have the noveske pig on the end of the barrel with a seekins mcsr and i read that that was absolutely not a good choice and so my vision was crushed. I am not for the idea of paying someone 200 bucks to make me wait 6 months for them to say ok you can have it now.. so a silencer is out of the question until the addiction gets worse. The idea from what i gather would not have worked on the 16" barrel anyhow now looking back so now I am throwing around the idea of a troy claymore pinned to a 14.5 inch barrel with the mcsr 15" rail system, this way the rail overlaps the suppressor giving a tiered effect, just not as nice as a silencer. Essentially I am going for the same look however the troy is quite a bit skinnier than the pig.. Looks wise i think it sounds great but function wise im not so sure it is an optimal setup as i have no clue really. I was hoping to get some feedback on that shorter barrel pinned suppressor idea and if it is really worth the trouble and look or if there is other options to go ahead with. I also wouldnt mind finding a spikes warthog suppressor but again it most likely would not be a optimal setup i am going to assume, as its not much different than the pig. Im hoping to get some help with the barrel rail setup and which route i should maybe go. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

[Eric]

I know a lot of folks hate to hear this, but for a first AR15, I recommend a factory built rifle from a known quality manufacturer. This will give you a solid starting point and it comes with factory support. Wait to get all the bells and whistles until you have some time behind a primarily stock rifle. What role will this be used in?

[TripleBravo]

If you are already considering the Mega billet upper receiver, why not consider the entire Mega Arms monolithic upper? That solves your rail choice. Then you might also consider a Mega Arms billet lower to go with the upper. The Seekins lower IS super unique looking though.

I'd also suggest taking a look at the Battle Comp in lieu of the Dynacomp, and the new ALG Defense ACT trigger in lieu of the Battle Trigger.

[mikeinmd]

The items listed are what I already have in my possession. The dynacomp was about half the price of a battlecomp. I also like the idea of not having to hand over a grand at once..I may go ahead and try out one of those alg triggers. Mega stuff is hard to come by as well. The gun will be used for target shooting and maybe some carbine courses once I get some basic training out of the way. Will also be used as a prop a lot for artwork.

[Stickman]

Mega stuff shouldn't be hard to come by at all.

Since you already have the above items, why not ask about the other parts you are considering? Telling us what you already have isn't going to do much aside from getting you opinions on things its too late to change.

[mikeinmd]

i was asking about barrels and pinning vs non pinning and trying to find something close to a canned under rail look without actually going canned.
maybe im just not aware of the mega dealers that still currently have stuff in stock..seems everything is on back order.
i mentioned the stuff i have as a way to give an idea of what the rifle will be made up of.
i have no idea if certain rails dont match up well with certain uppers and what not.
Can pinning a pig to a 14.5 inch barrel be severely detramental to the rifle? i hear a lot about how it is front heavy but im still trying to get a definitive it is just plain bad for the system and could cause a big failure.
there is just a lot of options with barrels, lengths, gas systems, blocks, blocks with flip ups.

[Stickman]

Pinning a pig is pointless on a 14.5 as it will make it longer than the legal 16" OAL. You can use a 13.7" barrel if you want a shorter look, and still hit 16" OAL. You could argue that it would look coo on a long barrel like a 14.5 or 16", but in reality you would get made fun of any time you posted a picture. Will the weapon still function, yes.

There are lots of options out there, and lots of ways to spend money, some good, and some not so good. If sounds like you are fairly new to everything, so if you have questions, feel free to ask first. No one here is going to give you a hard time for asking beginner questions unless you act like a jerk, which I don't think will be an issue. This board deals with more knowledge and humility than other boards which tend to tolerate obnoxious or false info spewing trolls.

[TangoSauce]

I know a lot of folks hate to hear this, but for a first AR15, I recommend a factory built rifle from a known quality manufacturer. This will give you a solid starting point and it comes with factory support. Wait to get all the bells and whistles until you have some time behind a primarily stock rifle. What role will this be used in?

I agree so long as it's from a reputible company. I just dropped $2,500 on my latest build withought optics or light. I could have picked up a DD and new pistol instead...

[mikeinmd]

Pinning a pig is pointless on a 14.5 as it will make it longer than the legal 16" OAL. You can use a 13.7" barrel if you want a shorter look, and still hit 16" OAL. You could argue that it would look coo on a long barrel like a 14.5 or 16", but in reality you would get made fun of any time you posted a picture. Will the weapon still function, yes.

There are lots of options out there, and lots of ways to spend money, some good, and some not so good. If sounds like you are fairly new to everything, so if you have questions, feel free to ask first. No one here is going to give you a hard time for asking beginner questions unless you act like a jerk, which I don't think will be an issue. This board deals with more knowledge and humility than other boards which tend to tolerate obnoxious or false info spewing trolls.

Yea this has most definitely become my go to forum as it seems everyone here is very respectful and its very obvious to me there are a lot of hobbyist/professional photographers which may be a bit more understanding of my want for a good looking rifle . I do realize i would get funny looks if i did attach a pig to a 14.5 but i figured it would be the cheapest route i could take to achieve a certain look. i cannot find a noveske 13.7 barrel alone anywhere and i can only imagine what one would cost. Im not all that worried about what people think i am more concerned with making sure the system would run fine if i chose to go that route. Yes i am completely new to firearms and im still trying to process everything that comes along with getting into this hobby. I am beginning to think that i should maybe just concentrate on hammering out my first build and worry more about the great looking build once i get a good undestanding of the ar. At this point i need to find a place to get my lilja barrel beaded and then coated for protection and then find a rail.

[mikeinmd]

I agree so long as it's from a reputible company. I just dropped $2,500 on my latest build withought optics or light. I could have picked up a DD and new pistol instead...

I was tempted to buy the dd v4 m5 and then i saw the 1500 dollar price tag and i said there is no way i can surely build something along the same lines cheaper. Needless to say it is very easy to lose track of how much you are spending when you buy the pieces seperately. i think i am getting very close to the dd price i was determined not to pay.

[chazthebiker]

You may wabt to check out www.rainierarms.com. These are great folks. White Oak Armament (WOA) makes a fine 13.7" barrel if you must have the Pig without going the NFA route. Rainier has just about everything one might need and brands you can trust.

[mikeinmd]

Thanks for the tip on the woa. Ive decided i am just gonna put off the whole 13.7 pig pinned look idea for now and just conentrate on the barrel i already purchased and try and get it finished. Ive heard nothing but good things about rainier arms. i may get my handguard from them.