S&W AR-15 complete lower receiver?
I want to buy an AR-15 before/if they're banned, but don't have enough money at the moment. I can get a great deal on a complete S&W M&P .223/5.56 NATO lower receiver. I'm just wondering what else I would have to buy later down the road to complete it.
Please don't post anything about politics, laws, or bans, just about what parts I need. Thanks!
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Hello "... Artist"!
As Egon and Medic have suggested, you can get a complete upper, and just attach it with the front and rear pins on the lower, and you are good to go. As you have noted, not only are complete ARs scarce, so are the components. It may take you a few months to find a complete upper or the parts to build one. I purchased a complete match rifle upper well before the current panic buying spree, and that took almost 14 weeks before I saw it.
As Egon said, the barrel is the heart of the rifle, but the lower, which you can obtain, is the central nervous system!
If you purchase the lower, then go to get an upper down the road, you have to really consider what you will be using your rifle for before you select the barrel! The two points to keep in mind is the barrel length and the rifling twist. If you want a very universal rifle, you need the fastest twist possible and the longest barrel you can get, especially if you are planning on shooting long range (i.e.: 1000 yards). [Footnote: the faster the twist, the heavier the bullet you can shoot the farthest, accurately.]
Concerning magazines, there is a panic on-going. Magazines (10 round) that MidwayUSA currently lists for under $15, are selling on-line for over $30 a piece, and sometimes in excess of $70. You may want to consider purchasing just the 10 rounders, since you may get stuck with 20s or 30s that you may have to register (hard to since they do not have a serial number) or surrender in the event of a prohibition.
Good luck and good shooting!
The AR platform is very modular, which means that a complete upper will fit right on with very few tools / specialized knowledge required. You actually don't save that much by buying piece by piece (if anything you get a "bulk" discount for the whole upper).
In terms of what upper to get, there are all sorts of kits at all sorts of price points. But I'd go with one that includes a match barrel and skimp on some of the "tacticool" accessories if money is a problem. You can always add accessories, but a good barrel is the heart and soul of an AR.
Also, if you're worried about a ban, I'd stock up on a couple PMAGs too, which you can get on GunBroker or any of the bigger gun shops in your area. The AR platform almost certainly won't get fully banned, but the magazine capacity bill has a decent chance of going through.
You need a complete UPPER.
Meaning:
1) Barrel
2) All barrel hardware (gas block/front sight, handguard cap, delta ring, barrel nut, spring weld, and snap ring)
3) Bolt carrier group (Bolt, carrier, carrier key, firing pin, firing pin retaining pin)
4) All upper receiver hardware (ejection port door, shaft, and spring; forward assist, pawl, pins and spring; rear sight assemby, sight unit, both sight adjustment knobs, appropriate pins, and the knowledge to install it correctly to spec)
If you are very fortunate, you can purchase a completed upper as a unit. If you're not, you'll have to build it yourself, which could be a bit problematic considering you're asking this question here.
What do you consider a "great deal"?
Why just the lower? What happened to the rest of the rifle?