Build Considerations
In addition to the topics covered in our Design section (if you haven’t read through these PLEASE DO), there are a few things you need to know when building your own AR. The articles in this section will walk you through these topics.
If you want to build an AR, you need a minimal set of tools. To build it right, you need the right tools.
In this article, we explain which tools are required, recommended, and optional, what you might need each tool for, and provide our recommendations.
There is a lot of bad information out there about using thread locker and lubrication in the AR platform.
In this article, we explore the need for thread locker and lubrication. We offer our advice on what to use (or what not to use) and where to use it (or where not to use it).
Staking is probably the least appreciated and observed practice by DIY-ers.
In this article, we explore the meaning and purpose of staking, as well as review the specific components that need to be staked (and why). If you skip over this article, at least accept the following principle at face value: thread locker is not a substitute for staking.
One thing you will read over and over again is “torque appropriately”; failure to do so will either result in a loose part (at best), or a stripped part.
In this article, we explain the proper way to calculate the adjusted torque, based on the torque wrench and attachments that you use.
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