By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
The AR is America’s rifle. One industry source stated that one in ten guns in America is an AR 15 rifle.
I don’t know for certain, but if new gun sales are counted, the total is probably a little higher.
The AR is versatile, reliable, accurate and a lot of fun to fire and use.
There are two ways to obtain a good quality AR 15 rifle. You may purchase a factory rifle such as the Springfield Saint or you may build your own. The AR is a kind of Mr. Potato Head with the possibility of building a rifle of an endless choice in parts. If you are happy with the performance of factory rifles then there is one well suited to your use. If you are planning on modifying the rifle to suit your needs with aftermarket parts, well, that’s fine but you should probably just build your own rifle.
If you don’t have the necessary skills to build a rifle there are usually enterprising local shops with skilled employees. The AR build isn’t like building a bolt-action rifle or even a 1911; it is simpler but attention to detail is necessary. Most of the job is simply assembling. The barrel requires fitting. Cassette type triggers take a lot of fitting out of the equation.
The rifle is much appreciated for personal defense, area defense, hunting including varmint shooting and deer shooting, target shooting, and competition. You may get by in several disciplines with one rifle or build a highly specialized rifle that simply takes the cake or the trophy in a certain field. You must decide where to spend your money.
A personal defense gun must be reliable but all AR rifles are reliable if put together properly. They are difficult to make a mess of. If the rifle is for home defense then short range is the rule and the barrel need not get a lot of attention. For three or four hundred yard varmint shooting the barrel is everything. Don’t go cheap on the trigger, but choose a trigger action that compliments the shooter.
There are two primary considerations- the upper and lower receiver. They don’t even have to be the same make. The rifle illustrated uses a lower receiver from Wilson Combat. A Wilson Combat part eliminates any question of quality. There are good options for the lower receiver including complete lowers with the trigger action in place. It just depends.
As of 2-1 2025 I am certain I could put together a functional AR 15 without sights for around four hundred dollars. But we like a little more bling and accuracy. To some utilitarian is attractive. Others will bend the budget as far as possible.
If you purchase a stripped receiver the trigger guard, pins, grips and grip screw, buffer assembly, bolt release, mag catch, trigger action, hammer, disconnect and stock must be purchased separately. Think about the final equation when you begin calculations.
The upper receiver holds the bolt carrier assembly and attaches to the barrel. A bit of thought must go into this decision. A Wilson Combat bolt carrier is a good start likely to provide excellent results. Barrel twist rate is worthy of its own discussion. Consider heavy or light bullets. A deer hunter will wish to use the 69-grain SMK or Federal Fusion 62-grain. A varmint hunter may use 40-grain V Max loads. This preference dictates a slow or fast spin.
The Ballistic Advantage barrel chosen for my rifle features a Hanson profile. This profile is between a thin and heavy barrel and works out well for most shooting chores. You should order a threaded barrel. Who knows perhaps later you will wish to own a sound suppressor but most definitely you will mount some type of muzzle brake. The forend is another choice. The GI type isn’t used save in the most inexpensive rifles. A good quality full length forend is desirable. I prefer M LOK types for easy attachment of lights and lasers. The Picatinny rail is fine as well but will prove abrasive to the palms without covers. I like the M LOK, some like the easy mounting of the Picatinny. As for the stock: Bravo Company.
I should state that I did not build the Wilson Combat receiver rifle illustrated. I purchased it as it is ready to go at a fair price. It is a sterling example of the right parts put together correctly and in balance. I thought the parts were good, but didn’t realize until later my friend Wesley had built the rifle for the original owner. The wager paid off as it performs very well indeed.
A solid choice for this rifle is a superb trigger. Geissele triggers are always a good choice. (Geissele.com) Actually a great choice. All Geissele triggers are a considerable upgrade over factory triggers. I would recommend you let Geissele and its experts lead you to the correct application. A sharp reset is as important as a smooth break. I was most interested in one hole groups. If you want to shoot fast and want a quicker reset Gieselle will provide, they have an extensive catalog of triggers. The Giselle eliminates a grainy bran like feel in the action. Press the trigger and you come to a slight wall then press the trigger to break against the sear. The break is clean and consistent at 3.45 pounds exactly in my trigger.
MagPul magazines are proven to the point there is little point in choosing anything else. It doesn’t hurt when you already have an MTM Caseguard magazine box filled with magazines. The red dot chosen is the Riton Tactix ARD (A R Dot). This is an affordable red dot at just over $200 but has good features. There are eight illumination settings and night vision compatible settings. A cantilever quick detach mount, low mount, flip up caps, hex key and cleaning cloth are included. This red dot was chosen based on a role in personal defense.
The rifle is in 5.56mm, my favorite AR caliber. It is simple enough to build up a rifle in .300 Blackout if you prefer. A .300 Blackout rifle using Wilson Combat parts, has been reliable and accurate and offers a counter point to the 5.56mm.
I set the red dot up and had it sighted in easily. I have fired the rifle extensively with good results. Most of the ammunition fired has been affordable but clean burning 5.56mm 55 and 62 grain loads from Fiocchi. I fired the 40-grain V MAX at a screaming 3,650 fps as a varmint load, and also tested the 69- grain SMK from Fiocchi. This load breaks about 2,900 fps. At 100 yards the rifle will put three bullets from this load into 1.5 inch. *With the dot at the lowest setting*
Overall, the rifle is well put together and the combination of parts is well chosen. You may note the lightning bolt Cerakote finish. The finish is wild for me true but I am trying new things- and the cerakote shop will do a solid color, FDE, or other finishes. From what I have seen of their work the sky is the limit. MKM Outdoors Cerakote did an attractive and durable job on the rifle.
I feel like this rifle is exceptionally well put together. But it isn’t something you cannot do yourself with proper care and attention to detail. It is all about individualism, of which the AR rifle is often a symbol. I may not have chosen the exact components used in this rifle and yet they turned out very well for me. The next time you get an itch for a new AR maybe you should clear a spot on the kitchen table get the tools out and build your dream gun.
Accuracy Results
I fired a number of handloads that are good but not quite top velocity. They are strong enough for most any application. The distance was fifty yards, fired from a solid bench rest using the MTM Caseguard K Zone rest. The rifle will run! Groups are a three shot average of two groups.
Bullet Powder and Charge Velocity 50 yard group
Hor. V Max 50-grain 26.5 CFE 223 2750 fps 1.0 in.
Hor. V Max 60-grain 26.0 CFE 223 2800 fps .7 in.
Hor. 75-grain BTMatch 21.0 AR Comp 2555 fps .75 in.
Factory loads
Fiocchi 62-grain FMJ 1.0 in.
Fiocchi 40-grain V Max 1.25 in.
Fiocchi 69-grain SMK .55 in.
Further research
If you want to build an AR you must purchase this book- it is the most thoroughly researched hands on book I have yet studied. Rob Reaser went the extra mile on this one.
