American Spirit Arms
AR-15
Kits
Over
the course of the last few months, We have received
e-mail from quite a few readers who have been asking
us about building various types of AR-15 rifles
from kits. We decided to get in a couple of kits,
build the rifles and "see what we could see".
I contacted American Spirit Arms, of Scottsdale
Arizona, about reviewing one of their kits. I asked
which kit they would like to have reviewed and they
quickly requested that we review two different kits.
One of the kits would be a 24-inch bull barrel flat
top model, the other a 20-inch A2 model. I spoke
with the staff at American Spirit Arms for quite
awhile about their kits, the quality of parts they
used, how fast they are able to ship orders, and
the various models of completed rifles that they
offer. I came away from the conversation feeling
pretty good about the quality of the kits that we
would be receiving and even better about confidence
the staff of American Spirit Arms has in their products.
We received the kits as well as the lower receivers
that we ordered in 3 days. This is a very major
plus for American Spirit Arms, especially because
I know for a fact there are other companies out
there who offer kits, lowers and complete rifles
as well as a month or more of waiting time for their
products to ship.
While I was in the military, I had the opportunity
to attend Unit Armorer school. It was not in the
scope of my military occupation, but I really enjoyed
tinkering with weapons and I took the advice of
someone older and wiser who told me never to turn
down any type of school in the military. I finished
the school as the Distinguished Honor Grad, which
means that with the proper manuals, tools, parts
and a workbench to bang my head on, it is entirely
possible that I can figure out what is wrong with
a weapon and, on occasion, fix it.
The first thing I did with the kits was a serious
" quality control" check of the small parts. All
of the small parts, from the trigger to the detent
pins, were clean and free of any burring. Next came
a thorough check of the lower receivers. Usually,
you can find some type of debris in one of the holes
for a detent spring, inside the trigger group area
or in the buffer detent area, there was none present.
The debris found in these areas, the result of finishing
the lower, is not a major concern but does add an
extra step to building the lower when you have to
clean them out. The finish of both lower receivers
showed no sign of flaws and was an even matte black.
After checking all of the components involved, I
started to build the lowers. Everything went pretty
smoothly and the fit of each part was exceptional.
After checking and re-checking the assembly of the
lowers, I switched over to the uppers.
The
first upper I picked up was the 20-inch A2. The staff
at American Spirit Arms assembled both of the entire
upper receivers, a service that they offer for free
with the purchase of a kit. I went through anyway and
checked the head spacing and function of all the other
parts involved. Everything was assembled correctly.
I then switched over to the 24-inch bull barrel. Everything
checked out so now it was time to look more closely
at each upper.
The
finishes, on the forged uppers were also free from defects
and were also an even matte black. The barrel on the
A2 model is a 20 inch Wilson national match with a 1in
8 twist. The bull barreled model featured a Wilson 24inch
1:8 twist stainless steel National Match bull barrel,
a forged free floating aluminum handguard, gas block,
and Harris Bipod. The bull barrel model also included
a hard chrome plated bolt carrier assembly. Both of
the uppers mated with both lowers perfectly, showing
the tight tolerances that American Spirit Arms demands.
We will be mounting a few different types of optics
on this rifle in the very near future. Check back for
part two of this article, which will cover the actual
test firing of this weapon. Until then check out American
Spirit Arms at www.gunkits.com
By: Ron England
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