re: AR-15 for dummies.

quote:

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I can buy these two items, and have a complete AR build for $500?

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EDIT: The below is if the upper doesn't come with those items, of course. I believe PSA is one of the companies that often includes these with completed uppers, so if what you're looking at already has a BCG/charging handle and sights included, then you likely won't need to buy additional stuff. Need and want are two different things, though...

Probably more in the $800-$1200 range after you add the items bbvdd mentioned that don't come with the upper that you'll need for the rifle to be functional and able to hit what you want to hit.

Figure $150 to $300 for a bolt carrier group and charging handle, depending on exactly what you pick. Then figure another $150 to $400, depending on the optics you choose. The low end of that would be what you can expect to pay for a set of dependable iron sights and the higher end of that scale would get you something like an entry level 1-6 Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO) scope.

Of course, you can easily spend WAY more than that for those two pieces of kit, but given the price range of the upper and lower you're looking at, the prices I mentioned seem about right for what you'd likely select to go on that rifle.