If you wanted to put together as AR-15 weapon for home defense but had to stay in a budget of, say $750 or less, what parts would you choose to build with? Also, this is for home defense so needs to be .223 or .556.
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S&W M&P 15 Sport II
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Bear Creek arsenal upper or barrel.
Free floating handguard from Chandler Hardwoods.
Palmetto state armory lower kit with the EPT -enhanced polished trigger.
Or just get an entire kit from PSA. They always have something in the daily deals.
You should be able to build something decent for $500 if you shop around.
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Ruger AR-556
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I have an AR from PSA set up for home defense with a red dot. It is perfectly reliable and reasonably accurate. If you keep an eye out for sales you should be able to get an upper and lower from them and throw in a decent entry level red dot for under your budget.
I have also read nothing but good things about the M&P Sport 2 and have a friend who really likes his Ruger AR.
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Correct. Love mine. Iâve had zero issues. Plus the S&W warranty is good.
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Other than @Barry54 , it looks like the answers are âgo buy something completeâ.
Aero Precision upper and lower recievers, the M4E1 lower would be preferred. I would not hesitate to look at their âblemishedâ products Blemished Products | Aero Precision (aeroprecisionusa.com)
I have a âTrybeâ barrel from OpticsPlanet.com that groups well at 100 yards, I am not a long range shooter, so donât know how good it is past there, but pretty much any barrel is going to be defensive accurate inside your house.
Drop-in triggers are supposed to be great, but Iâve read good reviews on the PSA EPT -enhanced polished trigger @Barry54 suggested. I polished my own "no-name MIL-Spec and used Aero Precision springs and it breaks very consistantly at 5 lbs.
Pick out the rest of the furniture and see how much budget you have left for sights - iron and optics. A red dot from AT3 wonât set you back much $90 right now: AT3⢠RD-50 PRO Micro Red Dot w/ Riser Mount & Armor (at3tactical.com).
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For a budget red dot BTW Iâd go Vortex all the way.
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Or another approach, check out outdoorsportsusa.com for kits to put together or individual parts. This kit is $325 and includes every thing except a striped lower receiver and sights: AR-15 .223/5.56 16" Barrel W/ 10ââ Quad Handguard W/ BCG| ââCLASSICââ Carbine Kit Not Assembled- OutdoorSportsUSA
Edit: It is confusing whether it includes the BCG, but they have other kits that do. A phone call should clear up the BCG question
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Says nitrided bcg is included, near the $3xxx
I was thinking Aero myself, but came up to $810 ish, no bcg or charging handle. Darn solid gun though, I have an all aero build and an Aero lower/DD upper.
My third AR is a New Frontier Armory. Might be worth checking into.
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I know 
, this part below the pictures is what is throwing me off:
âThis kit does not include Bolt Carrier Group, Lower Receiver or Magazineâ
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Requires machining? Sounds like an 80% lower is included.
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I guess the bcg thatâs included is not includedâŚhmmm, maybe the bcg thatâs not included is included 
. Betting itâs one or the other, or maybe both or neither.
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Optional, 2 choices, another $57 or $72ish⌠already forgotâŚthat ad is making my remaining brain cells hurt 
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If itâs for âhome defenseâ why wouldnât you buy factory made? If you make a mistake âbuildingâ
one and it fails, then what? 
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Yeah I donât see buying this bargain basement never-heard-of-it put it together yourself whatâs that part made of oh donât worry about it cheap stuff for something that you might ever NEED.
Itâs not like itâs expensive to get a factory build from a highly reputable manufacturer like S&W or RugerâŚno itâs not a top shelf or take-it-to-war first choice in that $750 ish price range but you bet your ass Iâd take the Smith or Ruger over all that other cheap for the sake of cheap rando crap
If you canât afford the basic bottom shelf rifle from a major manufacturer, an AR type just isnât in the cards for you at this point in time, IMO
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Actually, itâs more about the desire to build one myself. I knew I set the budget pretty low but didnât want to start a conversation about building a dream gun, as that could get way over any budget pretty quick. I have picked up a lot of good ideaâs though on things to look at and avoid when starting the build. As for home defense itâs more of an additional item to go to, than the base for me. In most situations. I prefer a Glock and a shotgun for home protection but thatâs a different discussion. Thanks for all the good feedback though.
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In that case, you want to always know
Twist rate of the barrel
Material barrel is made from
Gas system length
Gas port size
Material the bolt is made from
Weight of the buffer
Buffer spring used
Accepted reliability with all ammo/primers of the FCG chosen, harder to find âspecsâ for this have to go by reputation more
Whether or not the rail is free float, and what attachment method it uses
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@Nathan57 oh good you just made this a whole lot harder but should be a great learning tool. Thank you for all the information!
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Add to that: Are the bolts HPT/MPI? And if so are they batch or individually HPT/MPI?
As you research those things youâll see whatâs better and whatâs cheaper and get a better idea of what youâre buying and what you want to be looking for
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