first time gun builder, is a budget bcg or barrel worth it?

[alamo5000]

so i'm in the process of building my first AR...looking into the upper parts category. as of now, at the current stage of my life, i don't make it to the range as much as i want to. i also lack the funds to shoot thousands of rounds each time i go out. so for now, the probability of me shooting out a barrel, or wearing out a bcg...so in your opinions, what are the benefits of a $200 bolt carrier group vs a $100 or less bcg?

as far as the barrel goes, i'm finding it "cheaper" to buy an assembled upper from aero than it is to buy all the parts separate and assembling them myself (which is sad, because i really enjoyed assembling the lower and want to do an upper now) am i sacrificing quality and accuracy for going a cheaper route?

I have my own feelings and opinions that in ways mimic what you've been hearing here. First off there is nothing wrong with building if that's what you really want to do. Everything has pros and cons to it. I will concentrate my opinions on the 'build' side because that is what I did (with some help and lots of input from others here).

Basically if you have a specific plan, goal, mission, or configuration in mind--I am on the build side. Keep in mind I derived just as much enjoyment from building the rifle as I get from shooting it. If this sounds like you then don't be scared off of building regardless of how much you shoot on a day to day basis.

I am in this for the sport of it. I am not a cop, warrior, special operator, or any of that stuff. I get my jollies off of learning from others and then seeing that knowledge being put into use. For me, building was part of the hobby. Yes you will probably need some special tools but that's not the end of the world.

Furthering the idea of 'concept' for a rifle you have to decide on a concept. For example I have one that is more of an SPR type that is easily sub MOA and I can ding plates out to 800 yards with it. That one is shot with a bipod, hand loaded match ammo, and all that stuff 99% of the time. The other one I have is a 10.5 SBR and I am not concerned so much with tiny little groups with it. Two ARs with two entirely different purposes behind them.

For building a general back yard plinker you can get good quality BCG for $120 bucks or so. I bought one from Rainier Arms, one from Griffin Armament, and another from Cross Machine Tool. As for barrels...consider it as a 'wear out part' sort of like wind shield wiper blades, but a decent barrel for general use won't be that much. Odds are you won't be shooting full auto fire and all that and you probably won't be reloading thousands of rounds of match grade ammo so that opens up a ton of possibilities barrel wise. For $150 to $200 you can get a good barrel that will fit your needs perfectly. That said with a 'normal' use without doing tons of mag dumps and long heat driven sessions you can get up to or more than 15,000 rounds out of a 'decent' budget barrel. If you go shooting a couple hundred rounds here or there it could be more. Long story short you don't need to worry so much about shooting out a barrel.

Whatever you choose to do, I say stick with things that have a proven record. Especially barrels. The ultra cheap knock off stuff might not be stress relieved or might not even be concentric to start with and yes you will get a cheap barrel but then your barrel heats up and your shots start walking all over the place.

Long story short if you enjoy thinking through a build and learning about stuff by all means do it. I took that route and I am 110% glad that I did. I took my time and learned as I went and it was great. If you don't have patience or inclination to learn about choices about seemingly small things and just want to 'get it done' then buying is a fantastic option too. No right or wrong answers.

[GOST]

Yeah my post wasn't in the ballpark of that.

[fledge]

Yeah my post wasn't in the ballpark of that.

You gotta keep practicing to reach expert level.

Your comment had me LOLing in a quiet room.

[poimen]

ok i think i've got my barrel picked out. but what have people heard about aim surplus bcg's? they've got budget nitride https://www.aimsurplus.com/product.a...oup&search=bcg and budget NiB https://www.aimsurplus.com/product.a...oup&search=bcg for under $100.

thoughts? or not worth my time.

[Dstrbdmedic167]

Pyzik has a few that I don't think he's had any issues with. Others can chime in.


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[poimen]

i also found this "nickel boron" coated "enhanced" bcg that i was looking for input on. doesn't really look coated to me, but i don't really know what i'm looking for. http://www.surplusammo.com/saa-ar-15...-bcg-223-5-56/

[UWone77]

i also found this "nickel boron" coated "enhanced" bcg that i was looking for input on. doesn't really look coated to me, but i don't really know what i'm looking for. http://www.surplusammo.com/saa-ar-15...-bcg-223-5-56/

SAA is garbage.

Wait till the Aero Nitride is back in stock:

https://aeroprecisionusa.com/ar15-55...k-nitride.html

[poimen]

SAA is garbage.

Wait till the Aero Nitride is back in stock:

https://aeroprecisionusa.com/ar15-55...k-nitride.html

thanks man. this is what i was hoping for when i came here. i appreciate the help. and yeah, i was gonna do the aero nitride for sure if i ended up getting the entire aero upper...but then i saw that it was out of stock. hopefully they have them back by memorial day. i should have the money by then. haha.

[poimen]

something else i don't understand...maybe it's just marketing, maybe it's supply and demand (i'm not an economist by any means, so i have no idea with these kinds of things) but why is one barrel (say, the ballistic advantage 16" middy gov't profile barrel) $165 one on their own website, but if i go to cheaperthandirt it's $115? why wouldn't the manufacturer have it cheaper? there's not middle man.

as i'm typing this i wonder if cheaperthandirt gets a discount if they buy barrels in bulk, but the only thing i think is that cheaperthandirt is getting the "factory rejects" or "blems" that BA doesn't want to sell firsthand...

[BoilerUp]

something else i don't understand...maybe it's just marketing, maybe it's supply and demand (i'm not an economist by any means, so i have no idea with these kinds of things) but why is one barrel (say, the ballistic advantage 16" middy gov't profile barrel) $165 one on their own website, but if i go to cheaperthandirt it's $115? why wouldn't the manufacturer have it cheaper? there's not middle man.

as i'm typing this i wonder if cheaperthandirt gets a discount if they buy barrels in bulk, but the only thing i think is that cheaperthandirt is getting the "factory rejects" or "blems" that BA doesn't want to sell firsthand...

If a manufacturer always had the best price on their website they would quickly find that no one else wants to stock / carry their line. There are a few manufacturers that chose to be their only primary merchandiser, but the risk they take is less access to the market.

My general understanding (but no first hand experience) is that the AIM Surplus BCGs are generally a pretty good value, especially the ones with C158 bolts. This is a good deal: https://www.aimsurplus.com/product.a...p&groupid=6981

Edit: I'm a 6.8 SPC shooter, and the AIM 6.8 BCGs have gotten pretty favorable reviews over on 68Forums.

Here is the best price I can currently find on the Aero Precision Nitride BCG (also with a C158 bolt): http://www.monmouthreloading.com/sho...carrier-group/

[UWone77]

Manufacturers can also concentrate on producing product instead of fulfilling customer orders. When the Manufacturer keeps their prices on their website at MSRP, and allows a lower MAP for their dealers, everyone wins.

You touched on this, which is marketing. Why be the only guy selling the product when you can have dealers across the country all selling your gear? You may make less margin having dealers, but you're also moving more.

[GOST]

If you're building a rifle from scratch you may want to consider a Rainier Arms Apex membership. You get discounted pricing and free shipping.

https://www.rainierarms.com/apex

[poimen]

If you're building a rifle from scratch you may want to consider a Rainier Arms Apex membership. You get discounted pricing and free shipping.

https://www.rainierarms.com/apex

thanks for the tip, but how easy is it to make that $80 in membership fees back? haha.

ps, diggin the sig. deut 6:5 is one of my favorites. Acts 20:24

[GOST]

Acts 20:24 is a good one.

[Joelski]

You'll make back your membership fee, plus within the span of one build, plus if you source everything from RA, you won't make the mistake of buying a garbage part by mistake. Where you really save is shipping; having the ability to buy a couple small parts without a shipping hit tends to speed up time between orders as you aren't making a list so your shipping fee counts.

Toolcraft BCG's are another one the diehard Colt guys swear by. Do yourself a favor and spread the build out over time if your budget is small. Buy once/cry once is firmly in play in the AR world. If you are going to shoot it once and put it away, then fine; buy a cheap gun. If you are going to be training, shooting often for any reason or most importantly, letting your kids fire it, don't risk getting hurt with cheap, bottom of the barrell pricing, knock-off parts, or non-standard (Mil-Spec) parts.