Experience with unfinished AR lowers?

Have any of you finished an AR lower, and if so how easy/difficult was it?

I have thought of getting a couple of these as a challenge (and because they are easier to find), but only if there is little to no chance of screwing them up because they are expensive enough <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

The one I'm specifically looking at is the American Spirit Arms 95% lower.

I have never built an AR at all, but how hard can it be?

Hey MD. Unless you are good at working with metal I wouldn't suggest it. Lowers are starting to show up again around here at normal prices. I picked up a DPMS lower last weekend for $129 which is what I will be using to build my AR. Also, AR's are starting to show up on the shelves again for normal prices. Last weekend DPMS AR's were starting at $699 at one of the local stores. The weekend before they had Stag's for $899 and this weekeend they are putting out M&P and Bushmaster AR's. Hope this helps.

i have a friend that has finished an 80% lower and he said it was cake as long as you have some equipment. also said the lower functions great.

Only attempt if you have the tooling to finish it properly.
I would recommend getting a stripped or complete lower.

have you built on a stripped lower before?

dont know anything about the unfinished lowers myself but if you are willing to invest in the tools and spend the time then I think you should go for. can't beat having that kind of knowledge and experience these days. and with added expense you have from dealing with your FFLs it seems like this would be the most cost effective way to go if you plan to have multiple ARs.

sounds like a good thing to have under our belt. plus you keep your builds off the books.

The tooling and knowledge are a extremely valuable skill. As long as you stick within specs it should work as well as a factory machined one. I've never considered going this route but with my lathe and milling attachment. And using a friends drill press I could probably do a good job on one.
Could you post a link to where you see them?

there are also some tutorials out there that show the process. i would review those to better understand what is required. i think it's a great route to go if you are inclined to that sort of work <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

lazi, you nailed it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I never built a stripped lower, but from what I have seen that doesn't scare me. I'm comfortable with delicate mechanics and electronics.

My interest isn't in saving money, they cost the same as a stripped lower, but rather the satisfaction of doing something like this, and because I can still do it legally. Think of it as "opting out because I can."

I wasn't aware that you could actually find lowers again, and there is nothing prohibiting me from going through an FFL, and I have done so several times. But the ones I usually deal with makes it an ordeal despite the fact that I tend to pass NICS faster than most people for some reason. Its just the general attitude that bothers me, maybe I just need a wider selection of experiences? So if I can swap the ordeal and headache for a fun project, why not?

Difficulty is certainly scary and a concern, and I do not want to mess up more than one (hence thinking of getting two), but I do have some experience with basic metalworking (shaping, drilling, welding, etc.) For a few years now I've not had the room or opportunity to play around with anything like this, but that is about to change.

The lower I was looking at only needs to have room milled out for the trigger group and have pin holes drilled for it. Basically the manufacturer claims it can be done with a drill press, a mill bit, and a steel jig/guide which you can buy separately.

Make sure you have specs to mill to and go for it if you want

i think a lot of people are going to start "opting out" in the next few years. you will just be ahead of the crowd. i think you are on the right track.

probably just requires being a little ocd the first time out. as far as the milling just check, double check, then check again. go slow and take off a little at a time. when it's done you will has a lifetime of confidence in your ability. maybe even start looking at the 80% lowers... should be a very fulfilling project. worst case you have the resources in place for a rainy day.

always somthing to wish i had gotten into back when it was cheaper. and probably in five years i will be wishing i had gotten into unfinished lowers. but it comes down to making the chioce and taking steps to get it done. sounds like you are there. I'm hoping you go for it and keep us posted.

I'm sure that with some basic machining skills it would be doable, but I would want to make certain that I could get it hard coat anodized. That will help with long term durability during assembly/ disassembly and any issues with hammer and trigger pin rotation.

the jig takes care of all the milling specs. i've seen a walk through and it looked straight fwd to me.

If they have a jig for it half the hard work is done.

so what did you decide?

Nothing yet.

In the process of moving from an apartment to a house, once I'm settled in I'll give it some more thought.

So far I looked around, it seems is a little painful with a press drill vs. a mill, but obviously even a cheap mill is pretty expensive. But it still looks doable.

As for anodizing, that apparently only requires a bucket, some acid and a battery charger. Doesn't look hard or expensive to do at all.

In the works now.

SN - That's superb, sir!

Thank you !

Yeah? Well, I start making mine by collecting old soda cans first then melting them down.

Seriously, good job. Looks like a fun project too.

Just for giggles. Gotta love Texas: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100661606

sportsnut.. dang, thats pretty hardcore

So, I've bagged this idea for the time being, because using a drill press to finish them apparently isn't the way to go and I cannot afford even a cheap mill right now.

Whats worse, is that the federal government is apparently going to try and move towards putting a definition of "assault weapon" on the books, and all but ban the sale of "parts kits" and "unfinished lowers", and outright ban imported unfinished lowers. All of this is of course easy to change into an allout AWB later on by changing or removing a few words as a rider on another bill.

Read HB2910 and tell your House Rep to just say no:

http://amgoa.org/Proposed-Federal-Gun-Legislation-HB2910/Federal-Law/477

You could pick up the kit now and hold onto it for later.

Definitely a good idea, but I also wanted to let the rest of you know so you could try to help stop this from happening in the first place

Oh I have been fighting since 2000 when I got out of the service and I will continue until the government gets back on track so probably for ever.

My latest paint project ;-)

Thanks for your service, both during and after your service years

Pretty cool decal by the way. Wait, "paint"?? Nice job man

Thanks for the support Monster.

I wish I could take credit for it but I got a stencil for it from here.

http://milspecmonkey.com/store/stencils/40-don-t-tread-stencil.html#

Sorry to revive this old thread, but I finally got around to finding something that fit my lack of a machine shop and desire for a fun project, and thought I would impart this knowledge on you fine folks.

Enter the 80% polymer lower. Specifically from ep lowers.

It is your run of the mill polymer lower, but there are no pin/fire-selector holes, the handle attachment hole should be tapped (can be done carefully with the screw), the trigger hole needs to be widened out, and a big chunk of resin (and support tabs) need to be removed from the fire control pocket.

However, all this can be done with a dremel, a hand drill, a file, careful approach, and a good amount of patience youtube can tell you how. Disregard videos where the person finishing it used an actual mill, that is way too aggressive for the materials it seems, and a dremel or drill press seems much more ideally suited.

There are pitfalls though, using a handheld tool it is extremely easy to let it walk all over the lower and not just the parts you want to remove. And of course if you're not sold on the idea of a polymer lower to begin with, that is a problem too.

Having looked at this particular product in person, it seems like it would work just fine, but they should maybe have reinforced the sides of the fire control pocket and the magwell a little better (there is a tiny amount of flex, but that may not be a bad thing), it seems much like a straight up copy of a metal lower.

There are now several similar products on the market, some have one-time plastic jigs and requires a drill press to finish.

I have to billet lowers that need the magwell put in and the trigger pins and well put in. Anyone have the specs for those and locations? I can't find any

I think they are available on-line from various places, though I've heard that some of those documents do not have good enough tolerances (for regular production.)

Yeah people say they are out there. I just can't find them.

Gun dog, Ask on the ar15.com forums.

i haven't heard anything about the polymer 80% lowers. this sounds like something i can get into.

did these have any markings (branding) on them at all?

i'm thinking 9mm...

No branding, only markings are the safe/semi/auto for the fire selector.

I had a couple in my cart for $35 each. I just couldn't pull the trigger with all the holiday and hunting stuff going . A few hours later they were sold out.. I guess I'll have to be watching for christmas maybe.

Check out battle born tactics Lazi.

There have been some stupid low prices on lowers lately. I'm still leaning towards the polymer lowers because I'm pretty handy with a dremel. I have ni interest in .223 so If the polymer lowers can stand up to 9mm and maybe 7.62x39 then I can see having a couple of them to build on at a later date. I'm sure sure the metal lowers are better quality but I'm not trying to build any teotwawki rifles. I also cant really see putting any money into jigs and milling equipment.

The poly lowers I have had and look at all state they are fine up to 7.62x51/308.

The $35 ones are blems, a lot of people say they are out of spec so you will most likely need a jig to finish the holes. A few people have also gotten ones where the takedown pin holes were a little off (warranty covers that, but being polymer you can fix that with jb weld and a drill

I don't think this was for the blems. if i recall right it put regular priced items jn the cart but i put in a coupon code that knocked the price down. I could be wrong but I'm petty sure especially seeing how the inventory went to zero so fast.