Hey there, I'm Tye with Palmetto State Armory. And today, we're going to show you how to take all these parts and put them together in a complete AR-15 upper receiver.
AR-15 Parts List:
- AR-15 Stripped Upper Receiver
- Gas Block
- Gas Tube Set
- Flash Hider
- Crush Washer
- Barrel
- Handguard
- Charging Handle
- Bolt Carrier Group
Tools List:
So before we get into assembly, let's start with the parts and the tools that we're getting. First, you're going to need a stripped upper receiver from Palmetto State Armory.
Then we'll go with a forward assist set dust cover set. You're going to need your gas block and gas tube set as well as a flash hider or muzzle device with a crush washer. You'll need an AR-15 barrel, and you will also need your handguard. The screws that come along with that. And of course, you need an AR-15 charging handle and a bolt carrier group.
So now that we've covered the parts in the tools, let's get into the first part of our assembly.
Step 1: Installing the Forward Assist into the Upper Reciever [1:11]
So for this first part, we're going to install our forward assist into the upper receiver. We're going to use our bench block for that. We're going to need a hammer and a punch set. So the first thing we need to do is put this spring into the forward assist hole.
Then the forward assist. You need to do it where the flat part of the claw is facing into the receiver. And you need to make sure that you're looking into the receiver and get a good look at that. Make sure it's going in right.
So this is now on the tension and we want to use our bench block. You just drop it into this hole here, and then you use there's a tab on the bench block, and you're going to use that to catch it. So next we want to put our pin in this hole right here. And we'll use a roll pin holder for that.
And of course, we'll use a hammer. Tap it in.
Then we'll use a 3/16th punch to drive it the rest of the way in.
So now we'll just take out the upper receiver and check it for function.
Step 2: Installing the Ejection Port Cover [2:52]
Now that we have the forward assist installed, we're going to install the ejection port cover. And for that, we'll just need a pair of pliers. So now we're going to put this tiny C clip onto the ejection port rod, and I'm just going to hold it with the pliers here like this.
Okay. So I'm just going to leave this here on the table and...
So now we're going to put the ejection port cover together on the upper. So with the C clip towards the front of the receiver, we're going to thread this in here and we're going to put in the dusk cover. And, you want to, you want to have this nipple upright. Cause when it closes, the nipple is going to fit into this little notch here.
So you want to have that nipple up, if that makes any sense, hold on. And I'm not going to go all the way through just enough to get it, to sit on. And then we're going to go to the spring.
So with the spring, you want to have the long leg facing towards you and you want to turn it one complete rotation around to preload it before you put it on the rod.
All right. So this is one of the more challenging parts of this installation. So take your time with it. And then once you're done, make sure you test it to make sure that there's actual tension on that.
Step 3: Installing the Barrel [5:19]
So now that we've got the ejection port cover installed, we want to move on to installing our barrel, that we're actually going to need the barrel itself. We're gonna need, our vice block, a barrel nut.
And of course an AR-15 tool. First, we want to put the upper into the vice block and then we want to put that on to our vice. And lock it in
Then with the barrel, we want to make sure that the pin is pointing up and going in. There's a notch right there that it needs to sit in to hold it in place. And of course, with the barrel nut. And this application, we need to make sure that the square end is facing out as we put it on the barrel.
And while I'm getting this hand-tight, this is a good time to remind you guys that PSA suggests that you torque this down to 45 foot-pounds.
Step 4: Installing the Gas Block [6:26]
So the next step here we need to put on the gas block. Let's start with the parts you need a gas block, gas tube, and a roll pin. Let's go get our parts out. We need a hammer, screwdriver, roll pin holder punch set, and a bench block. So next we need to install the roll pin into the gas block. So I'm going to put it on our bench block here.
Use the roll pin holder.
And we're just going to get this started.
Use our hammer.
Step 5: Installing the Gas Tube [7:23]
Just want to get that started so next we need to install the gas tube. Think about here is that your gas port needs to be facing down and you need to line up the two pinholes as you put it into the gas block.
So once we make sure the tube is aligned properly with the pin, we'll just drive it all the way home.
So the next step here, we're going to take the upper out of the vice and out of the vice block. And we're going to install our gas tube and gas block. And the first thing before I do that, you want to make sure that your set screws here are loose enough that you can actually get this onto the barrel without interrupting it.
And you also want to check the alignment of your gas tube here. Make sure that's all straight.
And then you want to tighten your screws.
Step 6: Installing the Handguard [8:53]
Next, we get to install our PSA custom handguard. Here it goes. And we're going to need a few things for that: Allen key, our screwdriver. You might need a mallet, and we're definitely going to need the screws.
Now with this handguard, it has these two tabs here that help you align it. And when you're putting it on, this is the part where you may need to use the rubber mallet just to get it to fit. But in our case, we don't need that. So we can just move on to the screws. You've got three regular screws here, and then a set screw.
I'm going to go with the regular ones first. And they just drop in right here.
And then finally, we're going to put in this set screw with our allen key.
Now, of course, every handguard is going to go on differently. So make sure you read your instructions on that.
Step 7: Installing the Muzzle Device [10:27]
At this point, you can put on your muzzle device, you can use whatever muzzle device works best for you here. We're just going to use a flat. So for that, we need the actual flash hider, a crush washer.
We're going to need our vice block again, and we're going to use our AR-15 tool. We'll start by putting the upper into the vice block and locking it back on the vice.
With your crush washer, you always want to make sure that the bowl part of it is facing out from the barrel. And then you want to thread on the flash hider here.
And with the timing of this flash hider, once you go to bring it on, you want to make sure that your ports are facing up. PSA recommends torquing this down to 20 foot-pounds. At this point, we're almost done. We need to get this out of the vice and put in our bolt carrier group, as well as charging handle.
Step 8: Installing the Bolt Carrier Group & Charging Handle [11:55]
There's our charging handle bolt carrier group on the charging handle. You'll notice these little tabs, and they go into the corresponding cutout in the channel here and drop in. You might want to add a little loop to this to make it go easier. And then on the bolt group, You want to make sure that it's facing in this way and this pulled out, drop it in like that.
So now we're going to mate this up with our lower. If you want to see how to assemble a lower, checkout the first video in this series, what you want to do here is make sure that the takedown pins are open. And then I usually start by putting it into the front, putting both of them in.
All right, Tye, I think we just need to put some optics on this and get out to the range and zero it. I agree, Hank. For complete parts and tools list. Check out the description below. And if you have any questions, hit us up in the comments.
Timecodes
00:00
1:11 - Installing the Forward Assist into the Upper Reciever
2:52 - Installing the Ejection Port Cover
5:19 - Installing the Barrel
6:26 - Installation of the Gas Block
7:23 - Installing the Gas Tube
8:53 - Installing the Handguard
10:27 - Installing the Muzzle Device
11:55 - Installing the Bolt Carrier Group and Charging Handle