Why the FUCK do you need to be 21 to purchase a stripped lower receiver??! I was all excited to start my first build. Ordered an Aero stripped lower and was doing a bunch of research to find the best, most cost-friendly parts. Then, I hear that you must be 21+ to pick up a STRIPPED LOWER from an FFL. That is the dumbest fucking shit I have ever heard. I mean, what's preventing me from taking the lower off of my legally owned AR and slapping a short barrel on it? Literally nothing. Fuck this. Guess I'm either gonna have to wait half a year until I turn 21 or buy an 80% lower and figure out how the fuck to work with that.
Here is my obligatory gun image so this doesn't get taken down.
And yes, I know this is an Arby's you fucking 'tists.
Update: Thanks for all the advice and help. Just ordered two 80 lowers and a jig. Time to get to work boys.
That 18-21 window on drinking and gun law shit is dumb as hell. You can enlist go to Afghanistan and shoot towelheads, but no beer or handguns for you. I never understood it when I was that age. Get an 80%.
Luckily there is a little loophole in the handgun law. In my state you can buy a pistol from a private seller as long as you're 18, so I just filled out the paperwork and bought one from my dad.
Hey now, say whatever you want about me but leave alcohol out of this. It kills germs and makes me less pissed off about a world full of advertisements and boot lickers.
Buy an 80%, get it shipped to your door, and finish it on a mill. Unless you're in CT or HI you should have no problem.
I live in a relatively non-commie state so I'm considering doing that. Not very mechanically savvy though so I got a lot of research to do. Also mills/drill presses/routers are pretty expensive but I guess it's worth the investment.
Even a cheap jig makes it stupid easy. I have an 80% Arms easy jig 1st gen, it was like $75. You need a router ($100-$150) and a drill press ($80) to do it properly (if you're getting a metal lower, you can probably do a polymer one with one of those dremel press stands).
Takes a while to mill out the aluminum (plastic is much faster) but it's not difficult at all. I was wary of it, but buy a jig and watch a couple videos.
Worst case, spend another $40 on a second 80% lower and then you can have either a practice piece or 2 ARs depending on how difficult you find the milling process.
I may or may not have seen good results from just an old craftsmen drill press with an X Y table from Horrible Freight. The purists will REEEEE, but as long as you keep it wet with wd40 (yes, wd40) and go slow the results are very good. But that friend died in a boat wreck with everything on board including the press.
If going this route, check your chuck for tightness often. Having a bit drop can be disastrous. Also make sure to take passes the correct way for the rotation of the bit. If it chatters excessively, try taking the pass from the opposite direction.
Yup! I ended up getting everything I need. I left a few updates in the comments but this post has so many now so I understand how you might not have seen them lol. I ended up getting a 5D Tactical jig, two 80 lowers (one AR15 and one AR10) and my grandpa has a router that he's going to let me use. I'm holding off on buying all the other shit to build my rifle(s) (upper, BCG, etc) until I save up more money cuz I kinda broke the bank buying all that other shit.
Thanks and have a good one brother
There are ghetto fixtures you can set up to use with a hand-drill for your pin holes and a router for the pockets ($300ish), you can buy a ghostgunner (CNC mill set up specifically for AR lowers) for $500, or buy a legit minimill for $1000-2000.
Thanks for the advice. Turns out my grandpa has a router though and he's going to let me use it.
Where are you seeing ghostgunners for $500, Borther? Cheapest I can find is $2,800 on EBay
Whoops, I was looking at a different product. Idk why anyone would want to buy one of those unless they were mass-producing 80% lowers to sell (which is illegal AFAIK) when you can get a legit minimill, for way less money and have money left over to convert it to CNC
Lol yes very illegal. When I was doing my research, literally every article I read was like "YOU CANNOT MACHINE 80% LOWERS WITH THE SOLE INTENT TO SELL THEM"
Then how does anyone get them? Do people make them just to admire them on their shelf until they get bored of it and sell it? Maybe because it's just after 1am and I'm already tired of all the stupid laws and regulations that serve no purpose other than to piss people off, but I think if you can make it then you should be able to sell it.
80 lower and a jig, then find a drill press.
Router is easier and faster with the new jigs.
Do you not need both? I watched a video and the guy used both a drill press and a router. Can you do it with just one of the two?
Just a router is the way to go. Look at 5D tactical website. They have a list of recommended routers. I went with DeWalt
Yup just ordered the complete kit from 5D with both a AR15 and AR10 80% lower. Broke the bank but probably worth the investment. My grandpa has a DeWalt router and he said he'd help me out with machining the lower since he knows power tools like the back of his hand and I have virtually no experience with them.
One month lead time for shipping and handling though which really sucks.
Atta boy
It's suggested to get two, because you will screw the first one up. You got this.
Yeah good call dude. The gov was infringing on your rights, and you found a legal way to circumvent the red tape and do it anyway, while producing lowers they can't track. I love a happy ending.
Not just a happy ending, but a goddamn American one.
Well, a true American ending would be me buying a fully auto m16 and having it shipped straight to my door, but I'll take this for now.
Are the jigs a one time use thing?
Nope, should last you forever then your illegitimate kids can fight over it at your sparsely attended funeral.
Nope, reusable, unless you're a gorilla and fuck them up. After buying a lower+jig kit, you can buy just 80% lowers from then on.
The only jigs I have seen that are single use are the crappy plastic ones that come with some polymer lowers. I have also seen "jigs" that are literally just stickers that you stick onto a lower and it shows you where to drill. I don't recommend any of these.
An aftermarket metal jig should last pretty much forever. The good ones even have carbide steel inserts around the drill holes to protect them from your drill bit.
I picked up one from 5D with three raw lowers. I also got one of their glocks with a jig but I think they say it's a one time use only. I guess I'll find out when it gets here. Now I'm looking for a good set if tools to complete them. Things like punches and blocks and stuff I already have all the big stuff.
Can you buy a lower already built as a rifle? More expensive but still you get a gat for cheap. I know PSA sells lowers already built out with rifle stocks.
Good luck man, once a billion years ago I was in your shoes not old enough to buy the treasures I wanted. It gets better.
Pretty sure you need to be 21 for that too. Are you talking about a complete lower? Like everything except for the upper, BCG, and charging handle? Palmetto says you must be 21 for that as well. It's ridiculous.
Also, thanks for the encouragement. I turn 21 relatively soon (but sadly after the election) so then I won't have to deal with this shit.
Just wait until we have mandatory registration of "assault weapons" as NFA items and a "voluntary" buyback under biden.
Or just a mandatory buyback under Harris
Lot of boating accidents coming
I really fucking hope not man. Boog time I guess.
If I don't loose everything in a boating accident first then they can buy back my ammo first, one bullet at a time.
just do 80 percent.
"Ma'am, this is a Chick-Fil-A."
But seriously, go the 80% lower route, build an AR pistol instead and fuck 'em.