Buy vs Built: Which is the Best Option for a Custom-Built AR-15
The AR-15 is one of the most popular firearms sold in the United States. This platform’s popularity and the ability to customize the platform have created a HUGE custom-built AR-15 market. Never before have there been more gun owners having their AR-15 built, and not buying a premade AR from a store.
So we have to answer the question is it worth it to have a custom-built AR-15, or buy a custom buy an AR-15?
Buying a Complete AR-15 Pros and Cons
When you purchase an AR-15, you are buying a design that has been used by the military for over 50 years. Buying a complete AR-15 usually comes with a warranty to cover any problems or defects. Premade AR-15s are readily available in many cases and can be purchased from brick-and-mortar retailers, or online.
Within a short amount of time, you can be a gun owner and be headed to the range. Retail purchases of AR-15s provide a basic configuration made with compatible components. The manufacturer has designed the model with complementary parts that work right “out of the box.”
Premade AR-15s are not customized to the shooter or the use of the firearm. Features of the firearms are most basic in nature and may require an experienced gunsmith to replace or upgrade components to fit your personal shooting style or specific use. This can take your purchase from affordable to out-of-budget very quickly.
Building a Custom-Built AR-15 Pros and Cons
Quality and satisfaction are the major benefits of building a custom AR-15. Creating a custom build means that you can tailor-make a weapon specific to the shooter and the use. Each component can be chosen to get exactly what the gun owner desires. From the right stock to fit your shoulder, handguards, trigger options, components that control recoil, optics, and all the way down to color options, you can customize every detail.
Working with a gunsmith to create a custom AR-15 allows you to get to know your rifle extremely well as you walk through the design and build process. A hand-designed and assembled AR-15 provides the gunsmith to review every detail to ensure perfection.
Building a custom product of any type comes with a cost. However, in our experience gun buyers are always shocked at the cost of a high-end, custom-built AR-15. If you do the math over time, you generally spend more money buying a cheaper mass-produced gun and slowly upgrading it than buying a custom-built AR-15.
Be sure to check out our Build Your Own Rifle page to get your custom-built AR-15. For more information, you can contact us at (360) 559-6210.