Originally Posted By: Dixiedog1The cost savings of building your own isn't really there. I've built a couple and when I looked at pricing to build a different variant about 6 months ago I noticed 2 things....many parts weren't available due to back orders and the ones that were available were very expensive.
I'll be your huckleberry on this. I've built around a hundred AR's in the last 15yrs, and am currently building 3 complete rifles + one complete upper. You CAN INDEED save money by building your own.
Nobody can argue that it's hard to beat the price point on the cheap carbines out there in the $700 mark, but it's REALLY easy to build an equivalent carbine for $600 (savings gets soaked up by the tool cost to build it, as you need about $100 in specific tools). BUT, the second you add anything to that cheap carbine, you're losing money. The differential on any upgrades to that factory model is just added cost, whereas you could have bought a slightly more expensive part - the same part you upgraded to for the cheap carbine - and saved money.
When you compare enhanced rifles, then building your own blows the factory models out of the water, especially the super tricked out models like Black Rain with ridiculous price points.
Best way to save money on anything: Be patient and wait for sales For example: Brownells just had a sale on Bushmaster Stripped Uppers and Lowers for $50 each, NOT BLEMS. Bushy BCG assy's were on sale for $80 (bolt included). Normal list price for these puts the receivers + BCG at $400, but on sale they could be had for $180, saves you $220 on your home brew. Cabelas just had an online sale for Nikon M-223 1" scope mounts for $40, normal list of $80+, saves you another $40. Cabelas had a sale on stainless steel Blackhawk Mags last month (or month before) for $5.99 each, which is cheaper even than poly mags normally, and about 1/2 price for what you'd normally expect to pay for 30rnd stainless steel mags - buy 5 mags, you're $30 saved. Black Hole Weaponry has a deal that if you're a member of their online forum, you get 10% off on their barrels - saved me ~$30 each on the 3 barrels I just ordered.
Rem R-15's, Bushmaster Predators/Varminters, Rock River Coyotes/Predators, etc etc, most all of these models run somewhere in the $1000-1200 mark.
So let's look at what those are: heavy match barrel rifles with slick/round float tubes, and good triggers. Comparatively, for $1050 each, I have 2 rifles on my bench right now, with heavy match barrels, good triggers, customizable float tubes, oversized mag releases, forward assists, and bolt stops, and adjustable gas blocks. If I were to upgrade an R-15, Coyote, or Varminter to an adjustable gas block, enhanced mag release, trigger guard, and bolt stops, and add the two short rails that I want to the forend, I would have almost $1350 into them, but mine were $1050. If I would have used White Oak Barrels, I could have gotten them done for about $50 less, and if I'd have gone with something like a DPMS barrel, $100+ less.
It's not a lot of savings, but it's a REAL savings.
EDIT: Now, I WILL concede that when you build your own, it's really easy to get carried away and "spend a little more" on every part of the rifle, then end up with $2500-3000 sunk into it. It's really easy to justify spending an extra $30 on a gas block, just like it'd be really easy to justify spending an extra $100 on a complete rifle, but when you spend an extra $50 for a nickel boron bcg, an extra $10 on a dust cover with your cartridge stamped on it, an extra $50 for an adjustable gas block, an extra $15 for a CS buffer spring, an extra $40 for a captured spring buffer, an extra $80 for a carbon fiber float tube, an extra $100 to get a fluted barrel, an extra $50 for a better trigger, add a brake for $50-100, heck, maybe just throw a piston drive on it too for $180-250... Before you know it, you're an extra thousand bucks into your build!