Posted on 03/01/2015 8:59:35 AM PST by Second Amendment First
I built a semi-automatic rifle in my kitchen. I’ll bet that’s one sentence you’d never thought you’d hear. Neither did I, until the day I decided to do it.
The job required drilling aluminum, and tiny shards and slivers of metal were going to fly everywhere. It’s not something you want to do over carpet, so I decided to do it in my kitchen.
Did it work? Hell yes, it did. After three hours of work with light tools, I had built the essential component of an AR-15 rifle. America has now reached a point where people can construct modern weapons in their kitchens.
Is this awesome, crazy—or both?
In my extended group of friends, seven of us own AR-15-type rifles. Perhaps not coincidentally, we each bought one after turning 40.
Buying this kind of rifle is the modern version of getting a Corvette during your mid-life crisis—but cheaper and probably less dangerous.
There’s a subculture—and cottage industry to support it—around AR-15 rifles. After adding accessories to my first rifle, swapping out parts and purchasing tools, I realized I had a knack for it.
I was an AR-15 grease monkey. During the course of several projects, I’d built an entire rifle from scratch. But I’d never built the lower receiver of an AR-15. By U.S. government standards, I’d be manufacturing a firearm.
The Last 20 Percent
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms controls the sale of AR-15 lower receivers. As far as the law is concerned, the lower receiver is the weapon. It’s one of the few parts you absolutely need to make a functioning firearm, and they’re usually stamped with a serial number.
AR-15 enthusiasts who build their rifles at home must go to a gun store to buy a complete lower receiver. They undergo a federal background check, and other state laws—such as a 10-day waiting period—may apply.
But there’s a way to dispense with the background check and other state laws—and that’s a so-called “80-percent” lower receiver. This is a lower receiver with only four-fifths of the aluminum finishing done. You do the rest yourself.
The ATF recognizes the right of Americans to build their own firearms. It also recognizes that a lower receiver, only 80-percent finished, is technically not a firearm and thus not subject to regulation.
Anyone can go online and order an unfinished lower receiver for delivery to his or her home. All you need to finish it is a router, hand drill, vise and drill bits. Patience, a willingness to follow directions and more patience are also essential.
Once you’ve completed the remaining 20 percent of the machining, you’ve got yourself what the ATF considers a firearm. You don’t have to register it, do a background check or add a serial number. You can now buy the rest of the rifle off the shelf and build it yourself.
The idea of completing the circle by building my own AR-15 lower was something I couldn’t get out of my head. The zen aspect—like completing a bonsai tree by trimming away everything that wasn’t the tree—held particular appeal.
Trial and Error
My first stop was a company in Santa Ana, California that makes 80-percent lower receivers. I bought the receiver, a jig—which showed me what to mill—and a drill bit kit.
To round out my supplies, I ordered a router—the kind that builds furniture—from Amazon. I would use my own electric drill.
I assembled the vise in my kitchen and went to work. This would be my first time working with metal. First, I drilled six holes into the top of the lower receiver. As I drilled into the receiver’s 6061 aluminum body, tiny pieces of metal piled up on the floor.
Starting now, I was across the legal Rubicon. Once I’d drilled out the tiniest bit of aluminum from the lower, this hunk of metal legally became, according to the ATF, an “other” firearm.
After I drilled out the holes, I turned to the router. Using an end mill, I slowly connected the freshly-drilled holes, forming a pocket where I’d later insert the trigger and safety.
It was delicate work. Trying to mill out too much aluminum at once risked shattering the end mill. Go slow and it cuts aluminum like butter. Go too fast and you can, as I learned the hard way, shatter an end mill.
Three hours of work later, the job was done. The milled pocket exposed raw aluminum—and the result wasn’t pretty. My first complete lower looked like a monkey made it with a Dremel tool.
But the mess was on the inside of the rifle, and once I had installed the proper parts, nobody was going to notice.
Isn’t This Dangerous?
Should people be concerned that you can make a gun with a 30-round magazine in your own home, completely undetected by the government?
Theoretically, yes. Just like theoretically, it’s not a good idea to let people own cars that drive 200 miles per hour.
The reality is that Americans use AR-15s and their assorted variants in a surprisingly small number of gun crimes. In 2013, the latest year for which the FBI has statistics, 12,253 people were murdered in America. Of those, handgun deaths comprised 5,782.
Total long gun deaths, covering everything from hunting rifles to AR-15s, comprised 285. By comparison, in 2011 Americans killed 428 of their fellow citizens with blunt objects, such as clubs and hammers.
AR-15s may seem like an ideal weapon for criminals, but most of them are more than 30 inches long, making them really, really hard to hide. A criminal has to conceal a gun before—and often after—committing a crime. It’s no coincidence that handguns outnumber rifles 20 to one in gun-related homicides.
Still, not everyone needs to be discreet. Some, like mass shooters, just want to kill a lot of people.
Will people like these circumvent the law and mill out their own 80-percent receivers? There are always exceptions, but generally no. Education and personality factors create a threshold not everyone can cross.
If you’re a regular person, it’s not difficult to build an AR-15. If you’re an outlier, beset by a mental health issues that warp your perception of reality, it’s probably not going to work out for you.
Back at my desk, I took the finished lower and set about making it into a functional weapon. I installed the trigger, safety selector and other parts inside the newly-milled pocket.
To my mild surprise, everything fit. The safety selector, in particular, has a gritty feel to it. But it works.
A quick confession—my new firearm isn’t technically an AR-15, but an AR-10. This variant is similar except that it fires a more powerful 7.62-millimeter NATO bullet, compared to the standard AR-15’s 5.56-millimeter round.
I haven’t turned it into a full-fledged rifle, yet. I didn’t build the lower receiver just so I could add a weapon to my collection.
I did it because I could.
Delton full parts kit without lower $459.00 that’s everything. You can get great uppers all over the place for between $500.00 and $2500.00 on the upper price range.
If I was going to have a ghost rifle it would be the Adcore 5.56 piston with the 18in. barrel mid gas port. The lower would be the James Madison Fiber Tec 80%. Add to this the green spring kit (4.8 lb. trigger pull) lower parts kit from Windham. Than go buy the Ruger AR for something the ATF can come around and pick up.
I built one of these last year. It is definitely overmolded- the inner (white) polymer is molded with deep grooves in it. The (black) overmolded reciever fills and locks into these grooves. It has to be cut out.
Thanks for the defense!
I have considered and researched the benefits of 80% receivers, so I skipped down the post to my detriment.
I would guess others FReepers may have missed the fact that he actually built an AR-10, so my comment was more of a reference to the BATF recent power grab and infringement on 2A right to bear arms through armor-piercing ammo deception.
Unfortunately it was lost in a tragic canoeing accident.
“I would guess others FReepers may have missed the fact that he actually built an AR-10, so my comment was more of a reference to the BATF recent power grab and infringement on 2A right to bear arms through armor-piercing ammo deception.”
I got that. Pro gun folks have to stick together and not be jerks to each other for no reason.
I don’t know much about guns but I did a bit of poking around once. IIRC, the AR-10 is much different than the AR-15. In particular, it is much heavier. This is the very fist thing that I noticed in comparing the two side by side. For me, the immediate implication was that what would be really nice is to have one of each. The lighter weapon is good for closer quarters (ahem) target shooting, while the heavier weapon is better for longer range (ahem) target shooting. In particular, an AR-15 is good for toting around in the field, but an AR-10 will get heavy very quickly when one is traveling longer distances on foot, especially with other gear plus (heavier) ammo.
Ideally, one would have two each in case of a jam.
What would be interesting is a cost breakdown of the machining tools that are needed— particularly the milling machine options.
I am dimly aware that the AR-10 can shoot .308— is that correct?
Me so commie? Really? They think they are being cute and were stupid for not calling them on it. The one that cracks me up is Josh Earnest. Two words that mean lie and true.
The Vietnam era M193 55 grain FMJ ball cartridge is still available, and not in the sights of ATF at present. although I had stocked up on 8500 SS109 rounds before this mess started. I had got some great deals on M193 and have about 500 rounds of those.
Good job, but it’s not wise to bait the anti-Second-Amendment folks into trying to outlaw the practice. It’s not as easy as the author tried convey, and making such a receiver requires diligence, close attention to details and tolerance, and perseverance. Afterward, certain information is also best etched into it for the benefit of the new machinist and receiver owner (see ATF suggestions). The finished work of art should look really good. Proper anodizing is best.
People who complete such a project with good work are probably generally much less likely to commit crimes than those of the general population, just as bullies are less likely to put long, hard work into a formal hand-to-hand martial art.
You may lack faith in yourself, but should not underestimate others. There is no magic in the process, just appropriate tools and some skill. Excellent barrels were made in the 1700's with lesser tools than mine.
You know as well as I that government rules are idiotic. Try that build without the "just purchased parts".
I understand the concept of a drill jig. The rifle is still mostly purchased. Try making the barrel and chamber from scratch.
All you get with one of these builds is a lower receiver without a serial number. I fail to see how that is such an advantage.
They do not have to be heavy, thought the Armalite products usually are. The new DMPS models have a couple that are barely heavier than the AR-15, and lighter than some.
Of course, ammo is always heavier, and when you add a scope to take advantage of a longer range round....
And what are you going to do with your ghost gun when the ATF are picking up the others. Unless you are using its worthless.
I said nothing about more murders, that is your added content. I'm not sure if you do not understand terminal ballistics or if you just want to avoid the truth and defend this BS policy.
Terminal ballistics is how the bullet performs when it hits, enters, and penetrates a target, and how it expands and displaces energy into that body. The crap ammo that they want to ban just punches nice neat little holes in the front, does not expand, and caries most of its energy out the back of a target if it does not hit solid bone.
That is what they want to get rid of. They will not decrease the amount of ammo on the market, just the type of bullets loaded into the ammo.
The bullets that will be mandated will be the expanding type. When they hit a target they instantaneously begin to expand in diameter some even fragmenting. They will still penetrate to vital organs but now they will leave a much larger wound channel and displace almost all of the stored energy into that body. Pretty nasty stuff really. What a concept the mandated bullets are much more lethal than the outlawed ones.... This is obama bot logic at work.
Every word of this is well known fact. All of our states do not allow hunting with bullets that are not of the expanding type because they want the game to be killed and not just wounded.
So you see more murders, as in your fantasy, are not needed in this. More people who are shot with the new mandated bullets will die than would if shot with those that the obama bots are outlawing.
Get a clue. this is a very stupid idea and can not be supported if you understand even the basics of ballistics and terminal ballistics.
Guns and ammunition is the only subject in here that people think they can say anything about using words that they do not understand and then claim that their ignorance doe not effect the validity of their BS statements and claims.
About $15 in parts
Worked for the Filipino guerrillas in WWII. :-)
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