A scoped service rifle on the left, good old fashioned iron sights on the right.

It took a lot of words below to say:
Get a lower, build it up with a decent trigger and stock, get a flat top upper and a decent scope.

Another option is is "build" the rifle from the ground up.

Start on the https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/ website. They often have a sale in January!

You will need:

• Stripped Lower receiver purchased locally*
• Lower parts kit, LPK *
• Trigger *
• buttstock, tube, spring and buffer. *
• extended bolt release.
• Uppper
• scope mount
• scope
• you might get the weights installed in the upper and buttstock.
  
• and also: a sling, magazines, case to carry the rifle, cleaning stuff, ammo.... etc etc etc...

* WOA will gladly sell you the assembled lower, shipped to your FFL.
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/service-rifle-lower-kit-w-geissele-trigger-ubr-stock-aero-precision-lower-and-more.html

You can get the stripped lower locally  for $50 to $120 (at a licensed dealer/store, this is the "firearm" you do the paperwork and the background check for) It doesn't matter the brand, but it must be true mil-spec, none of the funny modifications like checkering, ribs or skulls on the front of the magwell, expanded mag well, integral trigger guard etc. Those lowers would not qualify for Service Rifle. Marking variations are OK, so if its marked "pew" and "shhhh" instead of "fire" and "safe", its still OK for Service Rifle.

Get a $45 LPK (locally or from WOA), you will throw away the trigger parts and put in a proper trigger. The other springs, pins and the grip and just fine.

Do NOT get an ambi safety.

You can use an extended bolt release such as the clamp-on Magpul "B.A.T." lever. https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/lower-parts/lower-receiver-parts/magpul-bad-lever-battery-assist-device.html
If you are shooting scope you probably will prefer it, but it can cause failures to hold open.



You can get either an A2 buttstock, tube, spring and buffer, OR the Magpul UBR gen 1 https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/lower-parts/buttstock-parts/magpul-ar-15-ubr-stock-1357.html (NOT gen 2, https://d3fknx2v3di431.cloudfront.net/media/wysiwyg/files/UBR_gen1_2_comparison.pdf) from WOA with the required tube, spring and buffer (carbine length I think confirm with WOA when you buy it).

Trigger. Decisions. I'll make it easy: Get the Geissele National Match 2-stage.
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/lower-parts/trigger-parts/geissele-automatics-national-match-2-stage-trigger.html There are other choices, make certain the one you choose makes the 4.5 lb Service Rifle limit. The National Match trigger that RRA installs in their rifles is decent too. Most of us prefer 2-stage triggers.

If you have the skill to read this webpage, you probably have the skill to put a lower together.

search Youtube, Bill Geissele himself has a video on installing his trigger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rCa3pUsPvw

The upper:

You can build it, but the custom, service-rifle dedicated vendors can do build it for you.

https://compasslake.com/ is one such vendor.
https://compasslake.com/?product_cat=service-rifle-upper

Another (the one I will make more references to) is:
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/complete-uppers/white-oak-standard-service-rifle-uppers.html
Now you have decisions to make. Get a pre-ban (with flashhider) not a post ban unless you live in a ban state.
Ignore the Match Rifle uppers (unless that is what you are building). A "match rifle" is not a Service Rifle. Start with Service Rifle, after you go distinguished you can consider trying match rifle category. Ignore the A2 with the handle and the flat-top with A2 front sight tower, unless that is what you are building.

Mk7 rail or A2 style handguard, honestly either is just fine. The rail looks cooler, it grips (and sometimes damages) your glove better. The cheap rubber rail covers make the rail FE a bit more comfortable.

Barrel: There are numerous options and twist rates. WOA won't sell you a service rifle in a twist slower than 1 in 8, good. Get a 1 in 7 or 1 in 7.7, something like that.

For a beginner, get the least expensive one, after you wear it out, you will be shooting Master Class scores and can decide for your self if you want to spend the extra money on a Krieger or Shilen.

Now, scopes and mounts. Whether you are putting it on a RRA NMA4 or the WOA upper and home-assembled lower.

The problem with scopes is, in this daytime sport, we don't need hubble telescope optics, you're not counting antler tines hidden in the shade at dusk... the target market for nearly all affordable scopes... so we don't need really good glass... we turn the know maybe 50 times a day, literally! We need Mack Truck mechanics! the part that fails on a cheap, or not so cheap, scope is the adjustment mechanics.

The easy answer is hardest on the wallet:
Geissele Mount
Nightforce 4.5X service rifle scope.
WOA reducer & cap.

https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/highpower-competition/service-rifle-optics/geissele-super-precision-30mm-high-power-scope-mount.html

https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/highpower-competition/service-rifle-scopes/nightforce-competitiontm-sr-1-2-fixed-4-5x24.html
as to the reticle:
https://d3fknx2v3di431.cloudfront.net/media/wysiwyg/files/SR1_Reticle-final-2.pdf
https://d3fknx2v3di431.cloudfront.net/media/wysiwyg/files/NFO_SR_ReticleSheet_1.pdf
most of us get one of these too:
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/highpower-competition/service-rifle-optics/white-oak-lens-reducer-for-nightforce-sr-scopes.html

The Geissele mount:  https://geissele.com/super-precision-scope-mount-30mm-high-power-mount-long.html  WOA should have it.

But what if $2500 worth of glass and tax is overwhelming:
a lot of AZ shooters like the Hi Lux
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/highpower-competition/service-rifle-scopes/hi-lux-xtc-1-4x34-service-rifle-scope.html
made in China Peoples Optics Factory Number 26, but they seem to be doing a good job.

The Athlon on WOA website is similarly priced
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/highpower-competition/service-rifle-scopes/athlon-helos-btr-1-4-5-24-atsr3-sfp-ir-moa.html

The "freedom reaper" mount is less expensive.
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/freedom-reaper-picantinny-rail-30mm-matte-black-20-moa.html

The scope mount must mount to the receiver (per rules), not the rail, so we need some type of cantelever mount to hold the scope far enough forward you can shoot prone with the proper field of view.

WOA makes an extended Picatinny rail for use with standard rings.
https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/shop/highpower-competition/service-rifle-optics/extended-scope-rail-10-min-elev-1827.html.
But you may need to experiment with the rings you buy to get ones high enough for the scope bells, but not too high for head position.

some other info from my older page on this topic:

Sling: Most of us use a good leather one. The standard M1907 is not long enough for most humans to use with an AR. Turner Sadlery and others make good extra long slings. 50" or 52". I find the "all weather" slings to not be as good as the leather slings. The CANVAS web slings from the M1 days are actually quite usable and can be found for $10. The "nylon" web slings from the M14 days are just about worthless DO NOT BUY ONE! Creedmoor usually has an assortment of good slings. 

shoot good!

This was written in Dec 2019, check club calendars and my main website to confirm everything is still up to date!

Some of the photos were shamelessly borrowed from the internet. Linked to their source where possible.

http://arizona-rifleshooting.com/Service-Rifle-Scopes.html

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