The AR-15 rifle is probably the most ubiquitous firearm within the united states and arguably in the western world. Despite this, there are many out there who still have yet to take the plunge into owning the lightweight intermediate cartridge platform. This is what leads many people to ask the question “should I build or buy my first AR?” Today we’re going to provide the pros and cons of each to give you a better idea of what might be the best course of action for your first AR-15 rifle.
Buying
Buying an AR-15 is a fairly simple affair and there is a litany of options out there that are not only affordable but perfectly serviceable for someone’s first AR. If your goal is just to have an all-around rifle for home defense and general fun, you’d be hard-pressed to find an option that doesn’t suit your budget no matter what that is. Most reputable AR manufacturers have pretty solid quality control and this means that by buying your first AR, you’ll have a properly assembled rifle that will work right out of the box and will be ready to accept any optics or accessories you want to put on it down the road. Buying a properly assembled off-the-shelf AR-15 rifle will also be a great way for you to familiarize yourself with the parts, components, operation, and assembly of the platform.
Some downsides to buying a completed AR-15 from a store will be that you’re far less likely to get the exact components that you want for your first rifle. Second, some AR-15 manufacturers may have proprietary parts that won’t lend themselves well to being replaced down the road if you find something else you like, one notable example is Aero Precision’s M4E1 platform which uses a unique upper receiver and handguard combination that is outright impossible to replace with all but a few aftermarket handguard options on the market - that being said, Aero Precision is probably my favorite “budget” manufacturer of AR-15 parts.
The rub used to be that buying an off-the-shelf AR was the most expensive way to approach things but in recent times, I’ve found that due to my personal preferences in components (specifically internals) buying an AR is rapidly becoming the less expensive approach.
Building
You could have probably guessed that building is the far more complicated method for acquiring your first AR-15. While the AR-15 platform is quite modular, and simple in terms of how its components go together, there are still minor ways that an inexperienced user can improperly assemble a rifle, or even worse, if you are planning on machining your own lower receiver from an 80% lower, just a few wrong passes on the mill could leave your lower as a fancy paperweight rather than a functioning firearm.
However, provided you have the knowledge and the technical skill, purchasing individual AR-15 parts that you prefer is a surefire way to make sure you’re getting all the features you want. This can include more than just furniture like buttstocks, handguards, pistol grips, and receiver sets. You can also pick out your own gas system and barrel length combination to achieve different results for performance and shooting characteristics.
As stated earlier, building an AR used to be the more affordable way to go, but this usually means a significant sacrifice in the quality of your components. These days, premium AR-15 components can easily make a rifle’s price go well north of $1,500 but the performance and reliability you’ll get out of said components are usually worth the extra cost in my opinion.
Closing Thoughts
Both approaches to AR-15 ownership are equally valid and whichever you do first is just going to come down to your confidence level and your needs at the time you’re getting your first rifle. I still buy AR-15s and assemble them myself from individual components. Both methods are fun and educational in their own right and as long as you have the experience and a good handle on the platform, personally assembled ARs can be just as good if not better than off-the-shelf rifles!
We would of course like to hear your thoughts on this subject, if you’ve never owned an AR-15 before, what seems like the more appealing option to you? If you do own ARs was your first rifle built by you or did you buy one off the shelf? Why? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
