Building Your Own AR (Part 3)

Welcome to The Firearms Creed! We are still on the topic of building your own AR. At this point, you have all the parts for a complete lower receiver.

At this point, you should be looking at upper receivers. Some will just buy a matching upper and lower receiver; this isn't necessary. As long as you aren't buying proprietary parts, something to consider is matching your upper receiver to your handguard. It also isn't necessary, but manufacturers usually determine their tolerances based on their own design. So, all may fit, but tolerances may be tighter when they are all the same brand. With that said, these tolerances will be unnoticeable to most, and functionally, the gun will still operate the same if you decide to mix and match. There are benefits to both matching sets and mix and match sets; this will be for you to determine.

Handguards are a matter of preference, as long as you are going with reliable quality parts. You can go with picatinny it's a great option, extremely strong and rigid. But it is also heavy. There's M-lok it is lightweight but also strong. Then there is key mod. Key-mod is a little outdated and obsolete, but it's also lightweight and strong as well. You may just have a harder time finding accessories that are made in key-mod options. I think more important than what you choose is mounting options. Daniel Defense has a great mounting system that is perfect for anti-rotation and keeping your optics and lasers zeroed.

Thanks, and we will see you next time!