The AR-15 Project
Gear Review: Lucid HD7 Red Dot Sight (and magnifier)
So I recently built an AR-15. I don’t remember but I might have written a couple of posts on it. Maybe a video or two…
Anyway, after getting it finished, I had slapped some pop-up iron sights on it then set out to find a nice red dot sight. If you’ve ever priced a red dot sight, they’re not cheap. Ok, some of them are cheap but therein lies the problem. After dumping all this money into the gun, I didn’t have a hefty sum of cash for an EOTech or Aimpoint. I did, however, find a generic red dot at a gun show for $70. Score!
As it turns out…no…not “score”. I could not get this thing to zero to save my life. I finally gave up and said “for now I’ll just aim 2 feet above the target”. That’s not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. It looked like I was going to have to start saving a bunch of cash for an EOTech.
I was complaining about my poor purchase to TJ when he suggested I look into the Lucid HD7. I had never heard of it before but he said he loved his so I checked it out. My first stop was Amazon. The price was good at under $300 ($279 + shipping, in this case). Even more importantly, it was pretty much universally loved in the customer review section. That’s almost unheard of at Amazon. I wasn’t able to order it immediately but it was at the top of my wish list. I finally put in the order recently and now hold it in my grubby little hands.
So let’s talk about it for a moment… Continue reading
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The AR-15 Project: Done!
Well, the AR is “finished”. I say that with quotes because, like any project of mine, it’s never really finished. I just have to stop working on it….for now. You can bet that, as time goes by, I’m going to have a nice collection of different uppers for this gun. That’s much later though. Right now I’m getting everything together that I need to take this to the range. I can’t begin to describe the feeling of accomplishment when I snapped the front hand guard into the delta ring assembly. Actually, it didn’t happen immediately. Once it was firmly in place, I said to myself “ok, what next?”
That’s when it hit me: there wasn’t anything. That was the last piece. I was recording it and I was at a complete loss for words. I just quickly signed off and stopped the camera then just sat there for a while holding my newly finished AR. I carried it out of the studio to show Mrs. Noob. I didn’t even have to say anything. She could tell from the grin on my face. I still can’t help but stare at it and say “I can’t believe I built it”.
Now that it is “done”, I think a retrospective on the project is in order.
What did I learn?
- Building this thing was a lot easier than I expected – I don’t know why I was convinced that I needed to have a degree in Gunsmithing in order to build this thing. Maybe if I was doing something more than assembling it, perhaps. In the end, though, this was just that: assembling a rifle. Compared to some of the LEGO sets I built as a kid, this was a breeze.
- Even though some of the recommended tools may not be necessary, they make life so much easier – One of my main resources was a free online video series that Brownells has on their site. As I was going through them I kept thinking “ok, I will need that tool but I should be able to get by without that one” and so on and so forth. Now that I’m all done, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I really should have gotten all the tools instead of trying to MacGyver my way through some of it.
- Don’t skimp on the damn vise – Because I was doing this on video and in my studio, a run of the mill bench vise would have been difficult to use. I figured one of those suction cup vices (for building models and such) would suffice. That thing was a constant thorn in my side the entire project. After multiple injuries and a lot of swearing, I wound up getting a regular bench vise and figured out a way to use it in my studio. Seriously, there is a permanent blood stain on my table because of the roll pin incident. Then the suction cup couldn’t stand up to the torque necessary to attach the barrel. The next AR I build will be done in my garage with a proper vice.
- Brownells makes a roll pin holder – It’s just a punch with a shallow hole drilled into one end. It’s for the sole purpose of holding the pin aligned to the hole so you can get it started, then switch to the appropriate punch to finish the job. They charge around $15 apiece for them and $50 for a set. After screwing up a pin and driving one of those punches through the tip of my finger, they could charge $250 for the set and I’d still be saying “shut up and take my money”.
- Read the online manuals first – The Magpul MBUS front sight is not to be used on a picatinny gas block and especially not a low profile picatinny gas block. They’re also not compatible with Magpul’s handguard either. The more you know.
What will I do different on the next one?
I think I’m going to make an upper with a 20 or 24 inch barrel and a free-floating handguard. I’m leaning towards upping the caliber a bit on the next one as well. I’m hoping the .300 BLK stuff will be a bit more common by the time I get around to it. I like the things I’ve read about it so far. There are only a handful of larger calibers that don’t require a whole different lower receiver.
Quick Product/Retailer Reviews
The lower receiver from S
pike’s Tactical was great as was the dust cover. This thing was made perfectly and I didn’t have any trouble getting anything to fit on to it. Spike’s seems to have a reputation for making really good stuff for absurdly good prices.
Brownells was wonderful for all the little fiddly bits and, once I discovered all the resources they had available on their site, it was very easy to find the pieces I needed. Unfortunately I only found out about those resources around halfway through the project (I will link them below). They are very good about showing which items were in stock and navigating the site was easier than most. I also love that they don’t gouge you on shipping.
I think it’s safe to say that half of the parts came from Brownells and the other half came from Palmetto State Armory. Like Spike’s, PSA has really good kits and pieces for insanely low prices. They bundle Magpul parts with most of their stuff and I can’t complain about that one bit. Everything I’ve gotten from them was great quality. My only complaint is that their fulfillment department (if there is one) is a bit lacking. There’s a bit of inconsistency when it comes to getting the order out the door. Sometimes it was within a day or so, sometimes it was almost 5. There were a few times where their website showed my order as pending even as I was bringing the shipment in off my front doorstep. It won’t stop me from ordering from them in the future, mind you, because their prices and quality of parts is so awesome. I’m just impatient when it comes to things I’ve ordered online.
Finally, I can’t finish this review section without saying a couple things about Magpul. The quality of their components is incredible. I’m very big on “Form vs. Function” and love it when something looks as good as it works and visa versa. Magpul has developed a reputation for doing just that. My only complaint is that they don’t make a free-floating handguard so I won’t be able to use some of their stuff on my next build. Either way, from their magazines to components to their iPhone cases, their stuff is just awesome.
Yes, I have one of their iPhone cases. My phone matches my AR now.
Final Word
I went into this thinking it would be a lot more difficult than it was. Now that I’m sitting here with a nice AR next to me, I can honestly say that there is no reason why anyone shouldn’t give this a try. I was 100% serious when I earlier said that I’ve put together LEGO sets that were more complicated than this. All it takes is a bit of time and patience and a bit of research. In the end, you wind up with a rifle that is truly yours. On top of that, you gain an intimate understanding of how your rifle works which will make it easier to repair and maintain yourself down the road. If nothing else, the money you save alone should give you good reason to consider building one yourself.
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Price List
| Part | Bought From | Price ($) |
| 16″ Barrel Mid-Length | Palmetto State Armory | 123.95 |
| Bolt Assembly | Brownells | 44.99 |
| Bolt Carrier (pre-keyed) | Brownells | 109.99 |
| Cam Pin | Brownells | 5.99 |
| Charging Handle | Brownells | 23.99 |
| Comp/Flash Hider | Brownells | 25.99 |
| Delta Ring Kit | Brownells | 18.99 |
| Dust Cover (Jolly Roger) | Spike’s Tactical | 9.95 |
| Firing Pin | Brownells | 9.99 |
| Firing Pin Retaining Pin | Brownells | 1.44 |
| Forward Assist | Brownells | 17.99 |
| Gas Tube Roll Pin | Gun Gallery | 0.50 |
| Handguard Cap | Brownells | 3.99 |
| Magpul Mid-length Handguard | Palmetto State Armory | 33.20 |
| Mid Length Gas Tube | Brownells | 14.99 |
| MOE Lower Parts Kit | Palmetto State Armory | 59.95 |
| MOE Stock Kit | Palmetto State Armory | 79.95 |
| Picatinny Gas Block | Brownells | 29.99 |
| Spike’s Tactical Stripped Lower | Gun Show | 79.95 |
| Upper Receiver | Palmetto State Armory | 69.95 |
| Total: 765.73 | ||
Resources
Brownells “How To Build an AR-15 Video Guide
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The AR-15 Project: Installing the Buffer Tube and Stock
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The AR-15 Project: Assembling the Lower
How many times does The Noob launch the front pivot detent spring across the room? Check out Part 2 of the AR-15 Project to find out!
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Handy Dandy Lower Parts Kit Guide.
Ok, so as it turns out, the lower parts kits rarely come with a guide that tells you what the heck all these little pieces are. I sat down and created one for myself real quick for the build. I would be remiss if I didn’t share it with you all.
Click here to download it. You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to real the file.
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The AR-15 Project: Painting the Receiver
The Noob decides to add a splash of color to his lower receiver. Watch in real-time, live and uncensored as he attempts this for the first time so you can learn what to do…and what not to do.
Receiver from Spike’s Tactical.
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A New Project Or A Noob’s Folly…
They say there’s a thin line between bravery and stupidity. If a guy jumps off a giant bridge with nothing but a rubber band tied to his ankle, some people would say he’s brave while others would call him a blithering idiot. I fear that, over the next few months, I will be trying to decide which term to apply to myself. Continue reading
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