gun: AR-15 Lower Build Kit $79.99+ship

Quote from Hrshycro : So is everything included mil-spec? I'm planning on building an AR soon; I'll be swapping out the furniture, though. This seems like a good deal, but I want to stay as mil-spec as possible.

The stock and the all important buffer tube are mil-spec, so the door will be open for you to swap out mil-spec furniture to your heart's delight. I don't exactly know what makes a lower parts kit "mil-spec". But I do know that the AR I built uses the same PSA classic lower parts kit and it is extremely high quality. Everything went together beautifully, passed all function checks on the first try and the trigger and fire control group all have an extremely positive, smooth feel during operation.

For people considering building their first AR and who are looking to bring it in under the mythical $600 barrier while still using top quality parts, this kit at this price is an excellent place to start.

If you follow OP's link you'll see PSA is having a fall parts sale. I see they have their excellent 7075 T6 forged mil-spec charging handle on sale for just $15, an excellent price. I mention that because some vendors are have killer deals on assembled uppers - minus the bolt carrier group and charging handle. If you're considering going that route, this would be a good opportunity to pick up a high quality mil-spec charging handle that you're going to need down the line.

Quote from securety10 : Yes, they can be used together but no it is not a complete rifle. You still need a bolt carrier group [palmettostatearmory.com] (~$140), charge hangle [palmettostatearmory.com] (~$18), and a stripped lower reciever [palmettostatearmory.com](~$70-250) <- also requires FFL transfer usually ~$30. That above will make it go boom, but you'll also need at minimum a rear site (~$45) if you intend to hit anything Lower reciever might also be helpful

But that doesn't include an M203, right?

Quote from majorhavoc : The stock and the all important buffer tube are mil-spec, so the door will be open for you to swap out mil-spec furniture to your heart's delight. I don't exactly know what makes a lower parts kit "mil-spec". But I do know that the AR I built uses the same PSA classic lower parts kit and it is extremely high quality. Everything went together beautifully, passed all function checks on the first try and the trigger and fire control group all have an extremely positive, smooth feel during operation. For people considering building their first AR and who are looking to bring it in under the mythical $600 barrier while still using top quality parts, this kit at this price is an excellent place to start. If you follow OP's link you'll see PSA is having a fall parts sale. I see they have their excellent 7075 T6 forged mil-spec charging handle on sale for just $15, an excellent price. I mention that because some vendors are have killer deals on assembled uppers - minus the bolt carrier group and charging handle. If you're considering going that route, this would be a good opportunity to pick up a high quality mil-spec charging handle that you're going to need down the line.

Thanks and repped for the detailed reply! I know PSA is a great place to order AR parts from, and was planning on ordering though them. I'm not worried about having mil-spec furniture (figure I'll go with Magpul), but would like the rest of the upper and lower to be mil-spec. I'm willing to go to around the $1k range, without an optic, but cheaper is always better.

If I remember correctly, the only thing that has to be shipped to an FFL is the receiver, right?

Thanks again, and feel free to post links to parts you think are best/a good deal right now.

Quote from Hrshycro : If I remember correctly, the only thing that has to be shipped to an FFL is the receiver, right?

The lower receiver, yes. That's the crucial part that the Feds consider to be "the gun". Although when you look at the assembled upper you can have delivered to your door, you sometimes wonder what the Feds were thinking.

PSA is a great place to order parts, but they have a backlog right now. Depending on what you order, it could be shipped the next business day or in the case of their assembled uppers, up to 15 business days. That's three weeks to you and me.

Sign up for PSA's email deal alerts if you're actively in the market for various AR parts. (I don't because I don't need that kind of temptation.) They always seem have a daily deal or weekend special going. If you're patient and willing to play AR component roulette, you can conceivably buy every single blessed part of your AR from them at a sale price. Just not all at once.

Also, PSA (as do most AR vendors) maintains an industry forum over at AR15.com (http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_2/30...rmory.html). It's a good place to go to see how far behind they are on filling orders, delivery times, and any customer service issues that might crop up. WWW.ar15.com is an excellent site in general to get information and assistance in building your own AR, but they can be a little ornery at times.

Another surprisingly good online resource is a quirky disaster relief charity site called www.zombiehunters.org, which hosts a preparedness forum. There are a number of very experienced AR enthusiasts there who really try to help out new AR builders.

Thanks for this post. I'm somewhat fire-arm savvy, but not very familiar with the AR15 platform specifically. I had a few questions:

1) Is this lower receiver California legal? Alternatively, anyone know how I can find out?
2) My familiarity with an AR15 lower is what's depicted in this link [impactguns.com]. The item being sold looks very different. Are these two different things? Thanks for any clarification.
3) A lower does not determine the caliber of the rifle, correct? That's the upper/barrel? So one can use this to make an AR15 of various calibers?

Quote from apurvab : Thanks for this post. I'm somewhat fire-arm savvy, but not very familiar with the AR15 platform specifically. I had a few questions: 1) Is this lower receiver California legal? Alternatively, anyone know how I can find out? 2) My familiarity with an AR15 lower is what's depicted in this link [impactguns.com]. The item being sold looks very different. Are these two different things? Thanks for any clarification. 3) A lower does not determine the caliber of the rifle, correct? That's the upper/barrel? So one can use this to make an AR15 of various calibers?

I'm fairly certain they're selling a parts kit for a lower receiver, not the receiver itself. That alone would/will be 100 bucks. You're better off doing that at your local gun store as most tack on fees for transfers (upward of 50 dollars).

2. Different compared to what?

3. Correct, you however cannot exceed a 308 platform, that's what a AR10 is for. So you can make the AR15 shoot anything from 22LR to 7.62x39 (AK round) or if you're smart, 5.45x39 for cheap surplus ammo that is similar to a 223.

Quote from Rawimpact : I'm fairly certain they're selling a parts kit for a lower receiver, not the receiver itself. That alone would/will be 100 bucks. You're better off doing that at your local gun store as most tack on fees for transfers (upward of 50 dollars). 2. Different compared to what? 3. Correct, you however cannot exceed a 308 platform, that's what a AR10 is for. So you can make the AR15 shoot anything from 22LR to 7.62x39 (AK round) or if you're smart, 5.45x39 for cheap surplus ammo that is similar to a 223.

Thank you. I thought this was a lower, but I now understand this is for parts to complete the lower. Good advice on buying the lower locally. I'll look into that. Thanks again!

Quote from apurvab : Thank you. I thought this was a lower, but I now understand this is for parts to complete the lower. Good advice on buying the lower locally. I'll look into that. Thanks again!

Honestly, if you don't plan on going all psycho with your rifle, polymer lowers are a real good option. The lower receiver receives almost no heat or stress outside of the springs.

http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/N...w15blk.htm

Make sure you add the bullet button option since we are in california. 130 dollars for a complete lower receiver... you can purchase a upper for 260 DSArms and make it a sub 500-dollar AR15.

Quote from diveborg : Agreed, just don't buy everything on the same invoice. There is a federal excise tax of 11% on complete firearms purchases. If you buy the parts separately, no 11% tax.

That is false, there is no Federal 11% excise tax on firearms paid by the end-customer. There is an excise tax charged to manufacturers, but nothing to end consumers at a federal level.
http://www.ttb.gov/firearms/faet-..._-Treasury

"What is Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET)?

Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET) is a tax imposed by Chapter 32 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 4181) on the sale of firearms and ammunition by manufacturers, producers, and importers."

Taxes
Liability
Am I liable for FAET?

You are liable for FAET if you:
•Manufacture or produce an article in the 50 States of the United States or the District of Columbia ; or
•Import an article into the 50 States of the United States or the District of Columbia from a source outside of the United States .

[Refer to 26 U.S.C. 4181 and 27 CFR 53.61 ]

There may be state taxes, here in WA State we have to pay sales tax [wa.gov]on complete firearms, and only the AR lower receiver must be sold via an FFL and the sale is recorded and taxed. Everything else can be shipped directly to my house without paying any taxes.

Can't speak for The Peoples Republic of Oregon and my favorite search engines didn't yield anything productive.

Quote from Rawimpact : Honestly, if you don't plan on going all psycho with your rifle, polymer lowers are a real good option. The lower receiver receives almost no heat or stress outside of the springs. http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/N...w15blk.htm Make sure you add the bullet button option since we are in california. 130 dollars for a complete lower receiver... you can purchase a upper for 260 DSArms and make it a sub 500-dollar AR15.

May as well just get the S&W M&P15 for $650 [budsgunshop.com]ish and have a good warranty.

I am not sure I'd recommend someone build their first AR unless you've got local support for debugging. It's not 100% idiotproof, and you could create a safety issue if you do it wrong.

Quote from Darkmatter : May as well just get the S&W M&P15 for $650 [budsgunshop.com]ish and have a good warranty. I am not sure I'd recommend someone build their first AR unless you've got local support for debugging. It's not 100% idiotproof, and you could create a safety issue if you do it wrong.

?? the lower comes built... nothing wrong or difficult with building a ar15 their first time, i did it... thousands of detailed vids out there.

Quote from Rawimpact : ?? the lower comes built... nothing wrong or difficult with building a ar15 their first time, i did it... thousands of detailed vids out there.

No, the PSA lower kit is not built, it comes like this:
http://palmettostatearmory.com/in...mage/7736/

Certainly not against building (have done it myself as well), and looking back, the OP did mention familiarity with firearms, it's all good.

Quote from Darkmatter : No, the PSA lower kit is not built, it comes like this: http://palmettostatearmory.com/in...mage/7736/ Certainly not against building (have done it myself as well), and looking back, the OP did mention familiarity with firearms, it's all good.

when did i ever recommend that psa? i told him/her to consider a polymer lower by nfa which happens to be a complete lower.