AR-15 Build Cost Index
Three fixed AR-15 parts lists, repriced every month at the cheapest in-stock offer we track. The lists never change, so the line moves only when parts prices move.
- 3
- build tiers tracked
- 11
- parts in each basket
- August 2026
- latest published month
Latest snapshot
What an AR-15 costs to build right now
Each figure is the sum of one complete parts basket, excluding the optic and the slots listed further down. Change is measured against the previous month and against March 2026, the first published month.
Budget build
$970.90
parts total, no optic
- Month over month
- -0.7%
- Since March 2026
- +0.6%
- Optic add-on
- $139.99
- With optic
- $1,110.89
Entry-grade parts that still carry a real warranty and a tracked price: nitrided pencil barrel, mil-spec carrier, and a polished single-stage trigger.
Mid-tier build
$1,315.30
parts total, no optic
- Month over month
- +1.9%
- Since March 2026
- +3.0%
- Optic add-on
- $460.80
- With optic
- $1,776.10
The parts most duty-pattern builds land on: a mid-length Hanson barrel with its gas block, a BCM carrier and rail, and a drop-in single-stage trigger.
Premium build
$1,823.12
parts total, no optic
- Month over month
- +1.4%
- Since March 2026
- +1.9%
- Optic add-on
- $986.00
- With optic
- $2,809.12
Chrome-lined match barrel, USASOC-pattern rail, two-stage trigger, and the heavy adjustable stock that carries its own receiver extension.
The series
Monthly basket cost since March 2026
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<p>Source: <a href="https://www.rifleconfigurator.com/build-cost-index">Rifle Configurator AR-15 Build Cost Index</a></p>The baskets
Every part in every basket
These lists are frozen. A part is replaced only at a year boundary, with the revision noted here, because swapping one mid-series would rewrite every earlier total. Prices below are the August 2026 figures.
Budget build
$970.90 parts total
| Slot | Part | Price | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel | Faxon Firearms Pencil 5.56 | $173.00 | In stock |
| Handguard | BCM MCMR M-LOK Handguard | $206.95 | In stock |
| Muzzle device | KAK Plan B A2 Flash Hider | $63.99 | In stock |
| Bolt carrier group | Toolcraft Phosphate 5.56 BCG | $124.25 | In stock |
| Charging handle | Radian Raptor-LT Charging Handle | $79.95 | In stock |
| Trigger | ALG Defense QMS | $64.84 | In stock |
| Lower parts kit | Aero Precision LPK (No Fire Control Group) | $63.99 | In stock |
| Pistol grip | B5 Systems Type 23 P-Grip | $16.99 | In stock |
| Buffer and spring | Geissele Super 42 Spring and H2 Buffer | $114.00 | In stock |
| Stock | Magpul MOE Carbine Stock | $47.45 | In stock |
| Magazine | Magpul PMAG Gen 3 30-Round | $15.49 | In stock |
| Optic add-on | Sig Sauer Romeo 5 Gen 2 | $139.99 | In stock |
Mid-tier build
$1,315.30 parts total
| Slot | Part | Price | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel | Ballistic Advantage Hanson Performance Series | $228.00 | In stock |
| Handguard | BCM MCMR M-LOK Handguard | $206.95 | In stock |
| Muzzle device | BCM Compensator Mod 0 | $89.95 | In stock |
| Bolt carrier group | BCM Bolt Carrier Group | $234.99 | In stock |
| Charging handle | Radian Raptor Ambidextrous Charging Handle | $104.95 | In stock |
| Trigger | CMC Single Stage Trigger | $174.00 | In stock |
| Lower parts kit | Aero Precision LPK (No Fire Control Group) | $63.99 | In stock |
| Pistol grip | BCM Gunfighter Grip Mod 3 | $21.99 | In stock |
| Buffer and spring | Geissele Super 42 Spring and H2 Buffer | $114.00 | In stock |
| Stock | BCM Gunfighter Stock Mod 0 | $60.99 | In stock |
| Magazine | Magpul PMAG Gen 3 30-Round | $15.49 | In stock |
| Optic add-on | Aimpoint PRO | $460.80 | In stock |
Premium build
$1,823.12 parts total
| Slot | Part | Price | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel | Criterion CORE Mid-Length Barrel | $313.49 | In stock |
| Handguard | Geissele MK16 Super Modular Rail | $325.00 | In stock |
| Muzzle device | SureFire WARCOMP | $152.00 | In stock |
| Bolt carrier group | Daniel Defense M16 Bolt Carrier Group | $247.00 | In stock |
| Charging handle | Geissele Airborne Charging Handle | $110.00 | In stock |
| Trigger | Geissele SSA Trigger | $250.00 | In stock |
| Lower parts kit | Aero Precision LPK (No Fire Control Group) | $63.99 | In stock |
| Pistol grip | Magpul MOE-K2+ Grip | $23.70 | In stock |
| Buffer and spring | Geissele Super 42 Spring and H2 Buffer | $114.00 | In stock |
| Stock | Magpul UBR Gen 2 | $189.95 | In stock |
| Magazine | Daniel Defense 32-Round Magazine | $33.99 | In stock |
| Optic add-on | Aimpoint Micro T-2 | $986.00 | In stock |
Methodology
How each month is priced
Each basket is a fixed list of AR-15 parts that does not change between months. For every month, each part is priced at the cheapest in-stock offer among the retailers we track, read on the last observed day at or before month end. A part that is out of stock everywhere keeps its last in-stock price and is counted separately rather than being swapped for a different product. Basket cost is the sum of those part prices; the optic is priced the same way but reported beside the basket instead of inside it. Prices are advertised item prices and exclude shipping, tax, and transfer fees.
The source is our own daily price tracking across the retailers we link to, not a survey of the whole US market. Prices are recorded only when they change, so a month reads the last recorded value at or before month end and the current month reads the newest observation. The published figure is labeled Cheapest in-stock tracked retailer price, summed across a frozen parts basket.
Every basket is repriced from scratch on each run, so a corrected price record rewrites the affected months instead of leaving a bad snapshot in place. Nothing is added for tools, assembly labor, or an FFL transfer.
Where our tracked data has no cheaper equivalent for a slot, two baskets share the same part rather than substituting an untracked one. The handguard is shared by the budget and mid-tier baskets; the lower parts kit and buffer are shared by all three.
Scope
What the total leaves out
A basket is not a finished rifle. These slots are excluded because no tracked product covers them with a continuous price series back to March 2026, and a frozen or invented number would be worse than an omission.
- Stripped lower receiver
- The serialized part. Tracked retailers list receivers intermittently and no receiver carries a priced series back to the start month, so including one would freeze a stale number inside every basket.
- Stripped upper receiver
- Every tracked upper receiver has sat out of stock for most of the series, which would hold a fixed price in the total for months at a time.
- Gas block and gas tube
- The mid-tier barrel ships with its gas block; standalone gas blocks entered price tracking in May 2026, after the index start month.
- Receiver extension, castle nut, and end plate
- Sold as generic hardware with no tracked SKU. The premium basket's stock carries its own receiver extension.
The optic is tracked but reported beside each basket so the headline number stays the rifle itself.
Questions
Common questions about AR-15 build cost
How much does it cost to build an AR-15?
As of August 2026, a budget build runs $970.90, a mid-tier build runs $1,315.30, and a premium build runs $1,823.12 in parts. Each total covers 11 parts — barrel, handguard, muzzle device, bolt carrier group, charging handle, trigger, lower parts kit, grip, buffer and spring, stock, and one magazine — priced at the cheapest in-stock offer among the retailers we track. They exclude the stripped upper and lower receivers, the receiver extension hardware, a gas block where the barrel does not include one, an optic, shipping, tax, and transfer fees.
Does the index include the stripped lower receiver?
No. The stripped lower receiver is the serialized part and has to ship to a licensed dealer, and the receivers our tracked retailers list appear and disappear too often to carry a continuous monthly price. Adding one would freeze a stale number inside every historical total, so it is excluded and disclosed rather than estimated.
Why does the basket never change parts?
Because a price index only measures price if the goods stay the same. Swapping in a cheaper barrel would show up as a falling market when nothing in the market moved. The lists are frozen for the publication year, and any revision is dated and noted on this page.
What happens when a part goes out of stock?
The part keeps its last in-stock price and the month records how many parts were carried forward that way. Nothing is substituted, and the part is never dropped from the total, so a stocking gap shows up as a flat line rather than a fake price move.
How often is the index updated?
Monthly. Prices are recorded daily as they change and the whole series is recomputed each month from that record, so a correction upstream repairs every affected month. The current edition is priced through August 15, 2026.
Is the optic included in the headline number?
No. Each tier carries a separate optic line — Sig Sauer Romeo 5 Gen 2 at $139.99 for the budget basket and Aimpoint Micro T-2 at $986.00 for the premium basket — so the headline figure stays the rifle itself and optic spending does not distort the trend.
Can I republish the chart or the data?
Yes. The chart, tables, JSON, and CSV are free to reuse in commercial and non-commercial work as long as the Rifle Configurator AR-15 Build Cost Index source link stays intact and visible. The chart URL serves a self-updating SVG, so an embedded copy tracks new months automatically.
Data downloads
Take the numbers with you
Both files carry every month, every basket, and every per-part price, so any figure on this page can be rebuilt from them.
Download the JSON datasetDownload the CSV of per-part pricesCitation and reuse
Built to be cited
Cite this edition as Rifle Configurator AR-15 Build Cost Index, August 2026, with a link to this page. The tables and chart are free to reuse in commercial and non-commercial work as long as the source link stays intact. Attribution is site-level; the research carries no individual byline.
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