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.
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.
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