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Nothing is wrong with a 1:9 twist unless you want to shoot 80 grain bullets for the 600 yard slow-fire stage of the National Match course. It is just for 69 grain and lighter.

Some people tell me (and I believe them) that their 1:9 twist barrels stabilize some (not all) 75 and 77 grain bullets, but the "conventional wisdom" is that for heavier than 69 grain, you are better off with at least 1:8 twist. I use 1:8 for across-the-course and it stabilizes 52-80 grain SMK just fine.

For a defensive arm 1:9 is just fine.

Just my 2¢

Regards,
Andrew

Oh - many of the "kits" come with the entire upper assembled and test fired; just assemble your lower and you're good to go.

I thought long and hard about ordering one of the kits last night. But I am going on Saturday to a few of the armories in town to try and negotiate a good deal on a great rifle and try and spend just over $700. We will see. I saw plenty of local armories that were packing up quite a bit at the gun show this past weekend. I was shopping for something else or I would have bought. Lets see if money can talk.

I highly advise hunting around for parts ... the last AR i built was a 16 inch chrome lined 1/7 twist rock river upper with a dpms lower.

total build cost was right around 600 total (including the lower) for all new parts

Did you just shop around local gun shops or a gun show? Where did you find the best pricing on most parts?

I purchased the 20" upper kit from Del-Ton and have had zero problems with it. The kit came with everything you need except for the stripped lower receiver. Showed up in about 2 weeks from the time I ordered it as I recall. I mated the Del-Ton upper with a Superior Arms lower which has a crude trigger adjustment mechanism which works pretty well actually. I have about 600 rounds through it without a single malf to date.

It took me about 45 minutes to assemble the kit per the ar15.com how-to. Super easy. I spent more time locating a roll of electrical tape than I spent assembling the rifle.

I have fired 62 and 55 grain rounds through the 1:9 without a major difference at 100 yds.

I highly recommend purchasing an AR of some fashion as soon as possible as you may not be able to do so in future.

IMO and YMMV Save your money and put it together yourself, you can buy a lot of magazines and ammo with those few hundred extra dollars. And yo uwil probably learn something along the way.

I share similar thoughts about learning something from putting it together and getting it SOON. I'm sure I will do both. Did you notice any fit and finish issues with the Del-ton kit or did you get what you payed for?

RECIT wrote:Did you just shop around local gun shops or a gun show? Where did you find the best pricing on most parts?

Just kept checking the for sale ads on ar15.com made some offers and got it

RECIT wrote:I share similar thoughts about learning something from putting it together and getting it SOON. I'm sure I will do both. Did you notice any fit and finish issues with the Del-ton kit or did you get what you payed for?

My Del-Ton kit came 100%, the finsh even matches my lower nearly exactly. All the parts were there but no extras. :(