You pick your own path.
Each firearm design is its own education. We might learn bolt rifles. There are methods that are pretty reliable. Nearly always.
Build a Ruger #1 Single shot and there are new quirks to work through. (I have never built one)
Take up building 1911 s and you go back to school. There is a whole new dance to learn.
Just as running a wood fired Neapolitan classic pizza place may be quite different than running a chain commodity pizza place. Each has its own challenges.
Building the classic wood and steel bolt rifle includes the challenge of finding a proper piece of fine grained old growth walnut,properly cured and dried,and sawn,laid out for grain orientation... free of flaws. Go ahead and try to find a supplier ! What are the odds you will get what you hope for?
Whether 95 % inletted or a raw blank,it will have problems. And you will be trying to achieve perfection. Line to line fit. Even one little nibble with the gouge makes a gap. Your eye will go to every flaw you made each time you pick up the gun.
We get spared all that with an AR-15. Its more gun mechanic work than gunsmithing. Buy and assemble. Use a few proper tools. Almost no one cuts a set of threads or a chamber. Or makes a single screw,or drills and taps a hole. Using headspace gauges ? I do.
AR-15's are among the easiest "gunbuilding" you can do.
Yes,they are a semi-auto. There is a process to balance with the ammo. Stoner did pretty well,considering configs from 7 in bbl pistols to 24 in bbl rifles are being home built from 9mm to 300 Rem UltraShort Mag (Yes,for a time Armalite would build you an upper. Two brothers own them)
One brother just built one (AR-15) that is a variant of 6.5 Benchrest Remington.It took some sorting out to get good function. Many frustrating range trips. Among other things,the cartridge pressure curve left it undergassed.
My point is,its amazing to me how flexible and forgiving the AR can be.
Accurate? Its POTENTIALLY accurate. A pencil barreled M-4 non-free float carbine is not going to be a gnat-nutter.
A few years back,little brother's Kreiger barrel for his AR-10-T came in. He installed it,loaded his 168 gr Ballistic tips with Varget and WW brass,and took it out on the Pawnee and sighted it in.
He sent me target pix. I posted them here. Three shot groups. I made no MOA claim. But those orange diamond sight in targets?
As I recall,all three shots inside the orange diamond at 600 yds. He was ready to go hunting.
He shoots with the SWAT team types in a long range competition. They have their Accuracy Intl and their Arctic Warriors and their Schmidt and Benders.
He has his AR-10 T with a Leupold. I recall him telling me about a 2 MOA hanging triangle at 900 yds the breezy day he was the ONLY competitor that hit it.
Peetza,you can get a bad barrel from anywhere. Bad customer service has nothing to do with the AR platform. The same could happen with a Nesika Bay bolt rifle action.
I wonder how many folks order a Nesika Bay Bolt action receiver and fit a McGowen barrel to it.
I've never ordered one. I tried the Midway/Brownells pre-threaded/pre chambered commodity barrels and decided if I was going to take the time and effort to build a rifle the LAST place I would cut corners is the barrel.
20+ years ago, Douglas Premium never disappointed me. I tried Shilen. It was fine. Tried the "bargain" barrels. Learned my lesson. For a chambered,threaded Mauser barrel,I gave Lothar Walther a try. I was happy.
I went with a Criterion for my 1903A4 replica .Shoots good! My 30-338 I went Lilja. Makes me smile!!
I had a bit of an issue with a AR-15 SDMR barrel I ordered from Northern Competition.
It was a cut rifled blank from Badger . These were Veterans setting up competition rifles. I got my barrel with matched bolt. We had some issues.
I have no complaint with customer service. Actually,I have no complaint about anything! Stuff happens!
They figured out torquing the barrel extension to GI spec resulted in distortion so they used a different process for better accuracy. My use of the aluminum barrel vise jaws and the GI armorer's manual resulted in my barrel extension unscrewing from the barrel.
Without hesitation,they sent another barrel. Only my matched bolt thing got disconnected from the new barrel. With the "NoGo" in the chamber,the three bolts I had on hand freely spun around in the locking lugs.
Without hesitation,they said "Send it back" and sent me a new barrel.
There is more,but IMO,this was an honorable outfit giving me their best.
About this time,Badger Barrels was bought out,as far as I know Northern Competition is gone.
Too bad. No hard feelings, I wanted those guys to have continuing success.
From the actual barrel maker...like a Lilja or a Kreiger, Masters, the barrel passes to the AR -15 mechanic building his first or second or third...
Used to be the barrel went to a gunsmith with a lathe who cut threads and reamed chambers..was a professional in his trade. Solved all the little problems every day.Made his own tools.
Now we buy a collection of "Ar-15 parts" from whoever has parts in stock, 9 different manufacturers,7 different suppliers, 18 different you tube videos ,including the guy at his kitchen table with the claw hammer ,two nails for punches,a Dremel and his wifes manicure supplies, and makes youtube gunsmithing videos.
Rodeo day!
OK. We climb on this bull ,wrap up our fist in the bull rope, nod our chin and Yeee Hah!! Build a rifle!!
We might have to get back up and dust off a couple of times.
Building an AR-15 ...at least in 5.56,is easier than resurrecting a basket case lever action or Win 97 pump. Its easier than building the classic Bubba Milsurp Sporter. Its easier than building a kit "Hawkin gun" Its easier than building a properly fitted 1911,
You don't even need a file to build an AR-15.
An AR-15 is as easy as any to get an MOA or less at 100 yds.
I would not let a poor barrel maker or lousy customer service sour me on AR-15's
That would be like judging all pizzas based on the frozen Tombstones they do in the toaster oven at Ollie's bar.
Sometimes those hit the spot. Quaint the way they cut them in half to fit them in the toaster oven. Its that or the pickled turkey gizzards,
They pair with the tall PBR's.