First AR Build - going 5.45x39 - opinions needed

[patracy]

Are you only assembeling the lower or are you going to build your upper as well? I would go 5.56/ .223..... more options with a .22 conversion bolt..... cheaper to trane with.. The fundamentals of marksmanship are the same.....Cant to that with another caliber..

5.45 is cheaper than 5.56. Yet more expensive than .22LR. For $140 you can get 1080 rounds of 5.45. A little cheaper if you buy it by the crate like I did.

 

[user 71]

5.45 is cheaper than 5.56. Yet more expensive than .22LR. For $140 you can get 1080 rounds of 5.45. A little cheaper if you buy it by the crate like I did.

how corrosive was it?

 

[Hayata]

Midway has the AA's for sale like you said for $650. But they're always having sales. I just checked my emails. I got mine for $565.63 shipped after discounts.

I got mine on sale earlier this year but they also had a big sale around July 4th.

Another thing I like about the AA upper is the melonite finish on the metal. Seems like a nice piece of kit, all in all. You could just about clean it with a cloth only, but I go through the normal routine anyway just to be sure. Just takes less time than a direct impingement system.

I only have a thousand rounds or so through her but she never fails to impress. That, and I like things a little different. Added a Miculek muzzle brake. Ask anyone at Ian's bbq, she is LOUD.

I don't have an DI AR's in 5.45 so I can't speak to them directly. Good luck in your decision.

 

[patracy]

how corrosive was it?

I'm pretty methodical about cleaning. But I simply break the upper down, spray it with windex. (Ammonia counteracts the salts) Then proceed to clean. The Adams Arms upper is a quality well built upper.

 

[Radar363]

Windex is mostly water. I've heard that just pushing wet patches through (just one way, don't pull them back through) and then using dry patches to remove any excess moisture works just as well.
It worked in the Mosin I bought for my youngest son.

 

[user 71]

I saw a video where a guy was taking his mosin and washing the barrel out with a water hose.

Hilarious!

 

[NWSharpshooter]

I'm pretty methodical about cleaning. But I simply break the upper down, spray it with windex. (Ammonia counteracts the salts) Then proceed to clean. The Adams Arms upper is a quality well built upper.

Ammonia does not counteract the salts, it dissolves copper deposits. The only thing that counteracts the salts is water which is mostly what windex is. I used to use windex, now I just use bottled water with a touch of soap.

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I saw a video where a guy was taking his mosin and washing the barrel out with a water hose.Hilarious!

I have done this as well after shooting corrosive through several guns.

 

[Junior_357]

I know the smith uppers are around $550 the Adams are more like $650, That's an expensive 1st build

That's me...go big, or go home. Wait...I am big, can I still go home?

To me it's more about doing things differently. I might regret it...I might not. I've added up the parts, and the build will be sub-$1K even with the AA upper and iron sites. I can do that over a period of 6 months or so without missing the money greatly. I can beat the $650 mark by a wide margin on the AA upper when/if my supplier gets them back in stock...and the assembled lower is going to be around $250 (already ordered the stripped lower...LPK and stock will be ordered next paycheck).

Thanks, people. I'm sure I'll be in touch once I start putting parts together.

 

[Junior_357]

Midway has the AA's for sale like you said for $650. But they're always having sales. I just checked my emails. I got mine for $565.63 shipped after discounts.

The place I have found the AA's at the cheapest price has them listed for less than $550...probably with shipping about in the same price range you listed.

Luckily...I am not in a hurry to build it, so I can take my time and catch bargains when I can. I bought one of the second run ODT lowers...mainly as speculation. Now I have the build bug...so it is what it is.

 

[Junior_357]

I saw a video where a guy was taking his mosin and washing the barrel out with a water hose.

Hilarious!

This is not that uncommon...I know a guy who shoots competitively, and literally runs the guts of his pistol through his dishwasher periodically. Taking a water hose to an old battle rifle doesn't strike me as too strange...as long as you dry it out well and oil it up afterward.