Building Confidence

[Riverpigusmc]

is the go to guy. He's a eunuch, but knows building ar's. Mike Van Bibber can help, too. I have a Ruger Ar556, front sight doesnt bother me, I prefer it. 700 bucks. I cowitness the front sight through an Aimpoint Pro. I do recommend both

[AFJuvat]

For an AR build, the three biggest factors for building an accurate rifle are:
1. Fit between upper and lower receiver
2. Barrel
3. Trigger

Upper and lower receivers are pretty subjective. The best ones are machined out of a single block of metal, and are pretty spendy.

For forged receivers, I like Aero Precision or Spikes Tactical. That said, I have built some very accurate rifles using Anderson amd Palmetto State receivers.

For triggers, I like CMC or USGI after truing the surfaces with a stone.

Bolt Carrier Group: I like the extra weight from the M16 BCG.

Barrels: there are good ones at several different price points, look around and find one that meets your needs.

Free floating handguards tend to be more accurate than non free floating.

Regarding tools, you need a regular vice. Just use blocks of wood to cushion the receiver. Wheeler makes a nice upper receiver vice block for installing and torquing the barrel, think it was $30. If you don't own a torque wrench, borrow/rent one from Auto Zone. Otherwise you will need an action wrench (if you are only building one rifle, don't go crazy) and some roll pin punches.