03-03-2016, 04:32 PM
How hard is it to build an upper? It's really not hard at all. Since you reload, I suspect you have all of the mechanical skill necessary. You will need a few tools such as a bench vise, receiver vise block or reaction rod, barrel nut wrench and torque wrench. You'll probably also want a receiver lapping tool to square the front face of the receiver. You could probably gather this stuff up for around $250 or you may be able to find a local forum member who has the tools.
Can you save money? Probably not, but you'll have exactly the components you want in your upper. I added up the cost of a complete upper, using a $200 barrel, an $80 bolt, and $150 free float hand guard and then checked Midway USA for their lower range costs on all the other parts. My total came to about $670. The folks that are selling assembled uppers have to be getting their components for much lower prices than we can.
With that said, there's quite a bit of personal satisfaction to be had from building your own, and you end up with a better feel for how the rifle works.
Welcome aboard and good luck choosing!
Can you save money? Probably not, but you'll have exactly the components you want in your upper. I added up the cost of a complete upper, using a $200 barrel, an $80 bolt, and $150 free float hand guard and then checked Midway USA for their lower range costs on all the other parts. My total came to about $670. The folks that are selling assembled uppers have to be getting their components for much lower prices than we can.
With that said, there's quite a bit of personal satisfaction to be had from building your own, and you end up with a better feel for how the rifle works.
Welcome aboard and good luck choosing!