What type of AR would you be interested in?

[Lion Armament LLC]

I am beginning to assemble both spec and semi-custom AR's. This is a sort of dual poll to gauge what you or those that you know would be most interested in purchasing in both quality/price and usage.

Assume the goal with pricing to be competitive with or better than what is generally available. For example, if I were building something to compete with a Daniel Defense or BCM, I would try to get to a similar price-point as those, but with some upgraded features like the trigger, ambi-selectors, etc. so you get more for your money. Or, I might use a DD barrel and BCG, but a non-DD upper, lower, and hand guard of similar or better quality but without the brand-name price to give you a competitive rifle at a lower cost than a factory DD.

Please select all that apply.

[BigNate]

I'm probably not going to give you the answer that you are looking for. I'm more interested in finding a solid local parts supplier - as I'm increasingly building the stuff that I want - not buying it built.

As to complete guns - I'll tell you what I would do... it is just one perspective - just my 2 cents and maybe not worth that...

First - pick your market and focus on it. If I were going to start building guns - I'd build exclusively super-premium custom stuff from premium parts - and then look for some way to create a minor distinction between your guns and the gun that I can build by buying the same parts.

Why? Well - the guy who wants a cheap AR can find one anywhere... you are not going to undercut PSA on their 4th of July sale - and that's where the guy who wants a cheap "first AR" is going to go to get theirs. If they have a little more money they are going to a big box sporting goods store to buy a Smith & Wesson's M&P15 or something like that. If they have more money / want higher quality they are going to be looking at DD or some of their competitors. Competing on those three tiers is going to be rough.

So - if you start out by building super-premium customs with your brand on it - it gives you a couple of advantages.
1) You are selling into a market where people expect to spend money - and who you can sell to through 1:1 relationships.
2) You can build a reputation for very high quality - which will, in the future, be something that will drive sales of lower level firearms. It is much easier to introduce a budget line when everyone thinks that your stuff is gold, than it is to introduce a premium line when the market knows your product to be midline at best or cheap at worst...
3) By focusing on super high end stuff - you can meet demand by hustling (doing the work yourself) instead of scaling out with employees and commercial space.
4) Super-premium stuff supports higher margins...

This is not to say that you can never build mid-tier stuff - or grow to the point that you sell in volume - I'm just suggesting that to get yourself off the ground - picking a high-margin / low volume niche has a bunch of benefits to the small business.

Regardless - wishing you the best of luck as you ramp up!

Just my 2 cents...

[Razai]

What Nate said. Everyone on this forum has a dozen ARs. Standing out (here, at least), will mean top tier.

[QuangTri]

What these guys said. Anyone with mechanical aptitude can assemble an AR to the level they can afford.

Super accurate ARs are a different story, especially very smooth running ARs.

[kenpoprofessor]

What Nate said. Everyone on this forum has a dozen ARs. Standing out (here, at least), will mean top tier.

Yep, I got a ton of 'em I've assembled, I chose which parts I wanted and put them together how I liked. Only newbies buy "off the shelf" ARs, or people with little to no mechanical aptitude, but even then, they'll find a friend who can do it for/with them.

Zeus Arms has been producing some pretty high end stuff to compete with DD, and theirs is cheaper, and possibly better.


Buy a few 5D tactical sets and rent them out for folks who want to do their own lowers.

Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde

[QuietM4]

You won't get anywhere in the DIY AR arena. It is the very definition of "market saturation". Unless you have some trick that no one has ever heard of, you are just going to be another AR assembler. Don't invest any money in parts to have on hand...guaranteed whatever you have "in stock" is not going to be what your customer wants. Build on a 1:1 customer basis, order parts as needed.

[Lion Armament LLC]

I'm probably not going to give you the answer that you are looking for. I'm more interested in finding a solid local parts supplier - as I'm increasingly building the stuff that I want - not buying it built.

As to complete guns - I'll tell you what I would do... it is just one perspective - just my 2 cents and maybe not worth that...

First - pick your market and focus on it. If I were going to start building guns - I'd build exclusively super-premium custom stuff from premium parts - and then look for some way to create a minor distinction between your guns and the gun that I can build by buying the same parts.

Why? Well - the guy who wants a cheap AR can find one anywhere... you are not going to undercut PSA on their 4th of July sale - and that's where the guy who wants a cheap "first AR" is going to go to get theirs. If they have a little more money they are going to a big box sporting goods store to buy a Smith & Wesson's M&P15 or something like that. If they have more money / want higher quality they are going to be looking at DD or some of their competitors. Competing on those three tiers is going to be rough.

So - if you start out by building super-premium customs with your brand on it - it gives you a couple of advantages.
1) You are selling into a market where people expect to spend money - and who you can sell to through 1:1 relationships.
2) You can build a reputation for very high quality - which will, in the future, be something that will drive sales of lower level firearms. It is much easier to introduce a budget line when everyone thinks that your stuff is gold, than it is to introduce a premium line when the market knows your product to be midline at best or cheap at worst...
3) By focusing on super high end stuff - you can meet demand by hustling (doing the work yourself) instead of scaling out with employees and commercial space.
4) Super-premium stuff supports higher margins...

This is not to say that you can never build mid-tier stuff - or grow to the point that you sell in volume - I'm just suggesting that to get yourself off the ground - picking a high-margin / low volume niche has a bunch of benefits to the small business.

Regardless - wishing you the best of luck as you ramp up!

Just my 2 cents...

Great feedback. I can likely be your parts supplier. What are you looking for?

I'm currently building an LMT MRP upper/MARS-LS lower with upgraded parts (Geiselle SSA-E, Forward Controls Design TD/P Pins, Geiselle Super-42 Spring). Would this be along the lines of what you are thinking?

[BigNate]

@Lion Armament LLC - Sent you a DM