Quick followup to my last post. I believe that most every household in America should own a semi-automatic, magazine fed, standard capacity (20+ rds) rifle. The Founding Fathers envisioned a militia of citizens prepared to rise up out of their homes to defend the nation should the need arise (against threats foreign or domestic, but that's a different discussion), and it's tough to do that without relatively modern firearm technology. (Side note: ARs and AKs really aren't even modern... designed in 1957 and 1946/47 respectively. Wouldn't call a 65 year old car or computer "modern" would we?)
A friend asked about the "cheapest AR I can build" so that he, as the head of his household, could join the ranks of rifle owning private citizens. Now... we want it to
run, but within reason I put together a second list to try and
cut out some additional cost. There are a couple of places I'll still be recommending a very small cost increase for some upgrade or another, but still wanted to give the lower cost choice as an option.
Completed Upper: $415 Del-Ton 16" Discovered that Del-Ton sells their uppers directly for slightly less and with free shipping, so I'll be getting my upper there now. The one I'm suggesting for my friend has a 16" barrel again, but a mid-length gas system and an M4 profile barrel since weight is not as much a concern as for Mrs. EDG's build. Stuck with the Del-Ton upper over some possibly cheaper choices because they are known for being well-functioning and accurate for the cost.
