Any tips or advice for a first time gun builder?
I'm planning to get an 80% lower and finish it myself, but I don't have any of the necessary tools yet. I'd love if there were some local service where I could just take an 80% to and they'd finish it for me or walk me through finishing it myself, but I couldn't find anything like that from a cursory search, so I think I'm on my own. I was originally going to try and 3D print a jig and then mill the thing out with a hand drill and file, but after some more research I'm not at all confident that I can manage good enough accuracy with that setup. So now my plan is to buy a real jig and a desktop drill press and do it that way. Can I get away with less? Is there more I should know? What are the chances that I'm going to permanently frick up the first lower I attempt this on since I have no experience doing this whatsoever? Once I'm done putting the whole thing together, should I take it straight to a range to test it, or are there safety tests I should apply before that?
Do a polymer first before you ruin an aluminum lower on your first attempt.
Yeah? I was planning to do that when I was considering just using a hand drill, but you think I'm still pretty likely to frick up my first attempt with a proper drill press? It seems pretty hard to frick up with a metal jig and a press, so I was just going to jump straight to an aluminum lower. I guess using a polymer one for practice might still be a good idea, but the ones I've seen aren't all that much cheaper in the first place.
You should be using a router for most of the material removal. The 80 percent arms jig requires you to use a hand drill, router, and workbench vise.
There's only 7 weeks remaining until the ATF rule goes into effect. Jig lead times are pretty much at that point already. good luck finding one now.
>You should be using a router for most of the material removal
Do I have to? I don't have a router and most of what I'm reading implies I should be fine with just a press.
>There's only 7 weeks remaining until the ATF rule goes into effect
What rule? Did I decide to try out gun building right as jigs are getting outlawed? I was wondering why so many of the were out of stock.
The ATF changed the definition of a firearm. After 8/24/22, 80% lowers are considered firearms.
https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/definition-frame-or-receiver
So my re-weld bits are safe and I don't need to try and defcon emergency horde them now?
The 80s are one thing, I just want to make steel things in the future.
Are ak and g3 flats being banned too or is that still good?
how are they defining "readily be made to function?" if it takes me 6 minutes using a cnc mill but op 2 weeks with a drill press and a file are those both equally "readily?" I hope the supreme court fricks all of these homosexuals following the recent west virginia ruling.
>7 weeks remaining until the ATF rule goes into effect.
What exactly are the rules they're running with now re: 80s and related?
Total ban of anything that can be used like the Form 1 can stuff, or will things like the Uzi "repair" channels still be legal?
What this guy is saying.
>Do I have to? I don't have a router and most of what I'm reading implies I should be fine with just a press.
Do you want to have a nice finished product or something that looks like fricking dogshit and maybe functions?
The RT0701C Makita router you need with the router jigs is $120. It's also a very good compact router in general.
I have the 5D jig and every lower I've milled on it has been great. Spray a lot of WD40 - don't mill aluminum dry.
>Do you want to have a nice finished product or something that looks like fricking dogshit and maybe functions?
Have you finished an 80% lower with a drill press and it turned out poorly? Everything I'm seeing says it should turn out fine and be perfectly serviceable. Why do you think it'll be a poor quality result?
You do realize the final finishing of an 80% lower with a drill press is milling all the not flat stuff you just made by using a drill, correct?
This is what you get with just a drill press.
No, I did not realize that. Damn.
>I'm planning on getting a diy project and having someone else do it for me
men in 2022, everyone
seriously, came to post lmao. if that's your mindset why not just buy a stripped or complete lower?
I'm primarily interested in the end product. I'm perfectly willing to do DIY shit but I'm not going to waste time on it if I have a reasonable alternative. I have plenty of other DIY projects on the backlog that I'd prefer to spend my time on.
I want something unregistered. I'm not looking forward to my state accidentally leaking their gun owner database so I can get harassed by anti-gun activists and denied access to air travel in ten years during periods of left-wing political control.
I'm not planning to do it without a jig. Thanks, it sounds like you're saying I probably won't frick it up with a proper jig, so I shouldn't need a test run with a polymer lower.
>Thanks, it sounds like you're saying I probably won't frick it up with a proper jig, so I shouldn't need a test run with a polymer lower.
Probably not. I would just go for it dude. Maybe buy another 80 lower just in case or something too.
Use cutting fluid or lube, high quality drill bits, and go slow, and you'll be fine.
>want something unregistered
just 3D print a lower if that's your main goal, or buy one from someone
>just 3D print a lower
I would rather my gun not blow up in my face, thanks.
>or buy one from someone
I don't know anyone who could sell me one, and my understanding is that selling unregistered lowers is very illegal, so it's not like I can just search someone up.
>if don't already own tools but think you're just going to somehow hand file out an 80% lower
Are you implying this is some kind of supremely difficult masterwork that I'll never be able to figure out? It's drilling into a metal block with a physical guide dude. You thinking it's some kind of impossible task says more about you than it does me.
>Are you implying this is some kind of supremely difficult masterwork that I'll never be able to figure out? It's drilling into a metal block with a physical guide dude. You thinking it's some kind of impossible task says more about you than it does me.
You even writing this says more about you than it does me. Go ahead and pretend you're going to hand file and drill a lower by eye, underaged poster.
>Go ahead and pretend you're going to hand file and drill a lower by eye
I've said multiple times that I'm planning to use a jig and a drill press. Learn to read
>alright you're trolling
What, 3D printed lowers don't break? All the aluminum lowers are just being bought by morons who don't know that they could just be using a cheap plastic lower with similar reliability? I really doubt it, so what are you actually trying to say?
>possible
Whatever shit you have to do to make a 3D printed lower reliable, my 3D printer probably can't do it.
>If it breaks, just print another one
And meanwhile? While I'm in the middle of trying to shoot things? Again, I'd rather my gun not just regularly break while I'm in the middle of using it. I don't think that's unreasonable.
kid, just stop
you're not fooling anybody
>I would rather my gun not blow up in my face, thanks.
alright you're trolling
homie have you been living under a rock? Full power .308 upper and lowers are possible with thousand round counts. Plus, it's just the lower, it contains 0% of the bang, it's job is to hold the fire control group in alignment. If it breaks, just print another one or swap one of the six you should have lying around after you start printing lowers.
>some local service where I could just take an 80% to and they'd finish it for me or walk me through finishing it myself
Dude the whole point is you're supposed to be building it yourself. If anyone offered that, even just careful instruction, the ATF would immediately rape them in half.
>What are the chances that I'm going to permanently frick up the first lower I attempt this on since I have no experience doing this whatsoever?
Chances are high if you are doing it without a jig. I have a milling machine and fabrication experience, and even with that I've fricked two up in the past (both still functional, one trigger hole too large, one safety selector off-center).
I've never used any printed jigs, but I imagine they'd be useful if you could just use it as a simple locating template if you are using a milling machine with your work clamped and immobile. If you're doing it by hand that probably will frick you fast.
With a real jig, it's dead fricking simple. If you bolt it all together and make sure there's no wiggle room, you'll be fine, so long as you take your time and think about what you're doing.
My advice is buy the fricking jig, and do it once.
If you don't you're going to go through two or three lowers before you cave and buy the jig anyway and get it right the fourth time, then hit yourself in the face and say "Why the frick did I not just do this in the first place?"
I'm surprised you put this much effort into the post
Even if op isn't a larping teenager with neither an 80% lower nor any plans on buying one, he's probably some onions homosexual borrowing his boyfriend's dad's black and decker dremel
Christ man, I'm an electrical engineer in my mid 20s who wants to get into guns, and I have some preferences and concerns that I think are pretty reasonable. Chill out.
you're moronic, is what you are
if don't already own tools but think you're just going to somehow hand file out an 80% lower you're either more moronic than you've let on or you're just pretending to want to do this project just to feel like you have something to talk about online on an anonymous anime forum
either case, kys
Fair. I just really like building things (AR 80s and a stack of re-welds) so I've got a lot to say about it.
Thanks for the help /k/. Went ahead and bought a forged aluminum lower with a polymer jig, and a basic drill press, plus a lower parts kit. Haven't decided on an upper yet.
someday thinking about guns (thought forms?) will be illegal
Not trying to shit on OP but bruh....
Well I'm assuming OP has never used a press drill in his life I'd recommend buying some aluminum scrap or something to get the feel for it. Aluminum is very forgiving, just use some cutting oil. Been a while since i worked with aluminum but I don't think it work hardens. Just to be safe know what to expect before cutting your lower.
I mean good luck to ya personally I'd recommend just buying a 3d printer and print away.