Well if he'd listen to what you guys are saying he'd know what is going on by now.
My guess is he put a hell of a radial twist in EVERYTHING, not just the upper.
Hence the by the numbers of water boarding,WTF over
Do you even know what a retention rod does?
I would not call how you used that plastic piece in the magwell proper.
They are used for LITE mantainence.
Search for a couple of videos on using a retention rod while installing a barrel and nut.
What part of the country are you from?
You can buy a retention rod from Primary arms or Brownells for around $40.
Depending where you are from I'd loan you one,I just don't want my tool stuck in the mail for 10 days
Oil it up till it's dripping and break the rifle in.
As for running a heavier buffer, I'm running a 10oz buffer from Clint.
http://heavybuffers.com/ar10rifle.html
If you're in no hurry and when Primary arms start having it's normal weekend sales you get some deals.
I bought one similar for $119
Usually they all go on sale within a months time
I honestly think you would enjoy building your own.
There's no hurry here so why not take a week and read up?
I think you will find it very gratifying in the end.
As for mistakes,just speak up and ask questions it's not like you're spinning up raw steel.to make your components.
You'll do fine.