All this talk about the LGC AR-15 lower has made me really excited about putting it together. I plan to just build the lower and buy a fully assembled upper (I'm not messing around with gas tubes or head spacing)

Anyway I've come across conflicting information as to what tools I will need. There is this video.



He only uses a few punches and some other tools. Pretty much everything aside from the punches and mag well vise block I can borrow/use my inlaws tools.

Then there is Brownells great videos on assembling an AR-15. They list some tools that I feel I may not need unless I plan on putting together a lot of AR-15's (I'm not at the moment). I feel that punch guides are a good idea for me because I hate guiding in tiny roll pins by hand. Here is a link to the video as I can't embed from their website.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=11419/learn/

What tools do you guys think I will need? If you have done work on an AR-15 what tools did you find you must have and ones that you would like but can get by with a cheap MacGyver solution if you had to. I'm trying to keep total costs down but I don't want to make the work so hard on myself I will give up and never finish the project. I also don't want to get into a cycle of "Well if I only had this tool for the job..." and never get it done either.

The way this is going I think we should have a "how to assemble an AR-15" workshop at the annual meeting.

Mag-block makes all of this work easy. I don't have it so it takes a little struggle, but still it's doable. Very good video because he shows how to do it with simple tools and points everything that is important to pay attention at (how not to scratch lower, breake a parts or loose a spring).

whitey wrote:The way this is going I think we should have a "how to assemble an AR-15" workshop at the annual meeting.

good idea. so, what time do you want to present that?

I used a flat head screwdriver and a hammer for my first AR lower. It took me a while but I was able to do it with just those tools.

mark wrote:

whitey wrote:The way this is going I think we should have a "how to assemble an AR-15" workshop at the annual meeting.

good idea. so, what time do you want to present that?

No no no, I'd be one of the students not the teacher.

Watching it, I don't see a real need for any special tools whatsoever, not even the castle nut. To deal with the one on my mossberg, vise grips and a dish rag works fine with no scratches, just don't get all HULK SMASH and act like you're trying to crush a beer can, you just need enough for a secure hold..

Visit a crafts store, look in their bead section for inexpensive pliers of various shapes and contortions, toothed and smooth jaws, for those little bits. No, I don't do bead stuff, but the tools for it are useful for all sorts of little area tasks.

Finishing nails and brads work fine as punches.

I would imagine you could get everything you need at Harbor Freight tools for $25.

It's easy to build because it is a LEGO gun. Duh!

Paladin wrote:Finishing nails and brads work fine as punches.

I have no idea what those are.

These finishing nails are probably something like 1.5 inches long

Brad nails usually have some sort of nailer, or they fit into your staple gun.