Tundra1 391 Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 I don't know if I've been living under a rock for too long or what, but I was just made aware that these kits exist. I'm intrigued. How hard are these to complete? What tools are needed? Shit, should a guy be stacking these kits in his closet with his hoard of .22lr? Someone school me on this please! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fast2gnt 16 Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 I was doing 80% lowers when I couldn't find a lower under $150 during the peak of the gun buying spree. Now you can find lowers for $50. Not really worth your time unless you want a gun off the books. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mostholycerebus 415 Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 (edited) They are the only way to build an AR pistol in California. They also dont require a 4473, so if you are in Connecticut (or a soon to be similar state) when they come for your illegal 'assault rifles' the 80% wont show on their list. They come in multiple colors in polymer, so you dont have to pay to get duracoated. They are also the only way you can get an AK guy to respect your AR: you actually BUILT it not assembled it. The polymer ones can be done with a drill press. I have read that many drill presses wont take the lateral forces often that you get with an aluminum lower. For that you need a mill, which is designed to take those forces. Edited March 1, 2014 by mostholycerebus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrance@iacwds.com 716 Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 It's not the money it's doing gun stuff. Looking to do this when I have more time. But bending an AK into the world is real fun 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tundra1 391 Posted March 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 ^^^This. I think it would be fun and rewarding, and its always a good thing to have a few off the books. Kinda makes me feel like a rebel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sim_Player 1,939 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) For the record, building a rifle from 80% is NOT easy. It takes special tools, and sometimes, hundreds of hours (and $) to make a proper gun. (My disclaimer, for the anti-gun folks). Edited March 3, 2014 by Sim_Player 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
magsite20 1,664 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 That's got to be a tough row to hoe. Where I work we have a full machine shop and I wouldn't go down that road unless all the other ways to get to an AR were gone. To those who've done it my hat's off to you. One quick question did you have to buy fixtures and tools to finish the job and what was the total cost to get it completed? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 That's got to be a tough row to hoe. Where I work we have a full machine shop and I wouldn't go down that road unless all the other ways to get to an AR were gone. To those who've done it my hat's off to you. One quick question did you have to buy fixtures and tools to finish the job and what was the total cost to get it completed? Ha Ha so what does that have to do with it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big John! 2,062 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 If you want a lower off the books it's much easier these days to just do a totally legal FTF purchase. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM0358 107 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 No FTF in California, so it was big for a while. I never really saw the point, but it was quite something to watch it get crazy here. When the post Newtown AR craze hit and lowers were nowhere to be found, the 80% world just exploded. CNC machine shops were offering "build parties" where you would "rent" their CNC machine for $50. There would be lines around the block with people waiting at opening time for a "build party." You'd pay your $50 and load the 80% into a fixture in the CNC mill, then push "start" and stand back and watch for 10 minutes. Technically you made it yourself so you walked out with a legal AR lower with no serial number and no California required 10 day waiting period. Then these ARs started showing up a crime scenes such as the Santa Monica College shooting and on corpses in Mexico drug war shootouts and predictably ATF shut all that down. Now if you offer your mill to someone to complete an 80% = very big headache and possibly go to jail. I have a mill and guys ask me all the time and I have to say no. Once the build party scene ended guys got more creative and I've seen guys do it will drill presses, others with routers (that scares the crap out of me -- somehow a router hogging out aluminum just doesn't seems like a good idea - if it got away from you it would be very ugly), and still others just hogging it out with a Dremel tool. Now you can even buy a polymer lower with the part that needs to be removed color coded with a different color -- you just use a Dremel and remove all the soft white plastic until just the hard black plastic remains and you're done. Heck, I'm waiting for one that you drop in boiling water and just dissolve out the part that needs to be removed. The inside of many of these home built lowers looked utterly embarrassing -- like a rat chewed it out. But even if a rat chewed it, in an 80% the only dimensions that are really critical are 1) the location and diameter of the two axis pin holes and the selector hole and 2) the width and centering of the opening in the receiver where the rear tang on the upper inserts into the lower and the takedown pin goes through. The rest is just clearance. The axis pin and selector holes are easily located with a jig. The rear takedown area is best cut a little at a time, then checked with the upper until there is a good fit without a rattle. Of course for anyone with a vertical mill it's a no-brainer. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 If you want one for a rainy day, these don't require a jig and can be done with with simple tools you already have in your garage. http://aresarmor.com/store/Category/Polymer If for some reason you mess up, you can use jb weld to fix your mistakes. After you are done, they melt into nothingness. You could make your own jig for the metal ones or purchase one for about what it costs for a receiver. http://aresarmor.com/store/Category/hmgar15 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
termite 463 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Ah crap, hogging a 80% AR receiver with a router is nothing, there is a guy up the road from me that has a 50 BMG barrel and bolt, and decided to make his own receiver, BY HAND. He did it ALL with a dremel and actually shot it, twice. It was clamped to a vise, up against a tree, and the trigger was pulled with a 50 ft. rope. NO Shit, it worked, but he found a crack in it, after the second shot. Rube Goldberg ain't got shit on this guy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwelhse 1,285 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Ah crap, hogging a 80% AR receiver with a router is nothing, there is a guy up the road from me that has a 50 BMG barrel and bolt, and decided to make his own receiver, BY HAND. He did it ALL with a dremel and actually shot it, twice. It was clamped to a vise, up against a tree, and the trigger was pulled with a 50 ft. rope. NO Shit, it worked, but he found a crack in it, after the second shot. Rube Goldberg ain't got shit on this guy. A Dremel isn't much more than a faster version of a file. If you have enough time you can use files to make just about anything you want... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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