80% ar lowers

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OARNGESI

OARNGESI

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anyone have experience with 80% lowers? it seems there no real advantages cost wise they are obout the same as finished and coated lowers before you buy the jig drill bits and have it coated. and if you dont want the govt to know you have it cant you just use a ftf transaction in most states? maybe its just slightly more convinient or there is a novelty in doing it your self? what was your reasoning?
 
I haven't finished an 80% lower (just don't have the necessary tools to do so yet) but it's on my list of things to eventually get to. For me the draw is more about the challenge of building the gun yourself, and not the fact that the government doesn't know about it. It's kind of the next step beyond building an AR from a stripped lower.
 
Often times the 80% lower is MORE expensive than a good fully finished lower. Its kind of silly to buy an 80% when you do the math.:barf:
 
If you want to build an 80% lower but don't have metalworking expertise or tools, take a look at the polymer 80% lowers from eplowers.com.

Designed for pretty easy completion by your average semi-handy human.
 
Before you start recommending the EP lower...do you have experience with them? Because I'm seeing a lot of reports about bad QC.

At the end of the day polymer isn't going to be as strong as the aluminum 80% lowers.
 
It doesn't appeal to me at all. Maybe if they were $40 or so. I couldn't care less about the "government doesn't know you have it" rationalization. I have an SBR, an FFL03 and a CCW; pretty sure they know I have some guns.

However, I do plan to eventually finish out a 0% lower from a solid block of stainless. Bugger is, a chunk of stainless that size runs about $170!
 
A lot of FFL's charge outrageous transfer fees. My LGS is $150 or 10% of the gun value; whichever is higher. 80% is no transfer fee, so even if it is more than a 100% upfront, it's cheaper out the door. Plus I have all the machines and tooling to do 80%.
 
My LGS is $150 or 10% of the gun value; whichever is higher
Click to expand...

And he's still in business? Must have really good inventory and decent pricing on in-stock items.

Most of the shops around here are $30-$50. I know of some shops that charge more for a transfer on a firearm they stock, which I can understand. But it's nowhere near $150. If I were ever quoted that kind of cheddar for a simple transfer, I would never darken the doors of that shop again.
 
More than $50 and I'll just save myself the time and headache and buy a Spike's or PSA. If I planned on building 10 or more and could get 80%'ers delivered for $60-70 I might consider it. But those jigs and other small tools aren't free. But someday I think I'm going to pick up a mill and lather and just build my own lowers from scratch.
 
Jackal, perhaps I'm "nuts or stupid", but then again I might want a bright colored low cost light weight lower to build a fun 22 for the kids.

Then again, why smoke fish or make sausage when you can buy it from the grocery store?

Why build a wooden boat when you can buy a fiberglass one made in a factory?

Why build a hot rod when you can purchase a perfectly good Hyundai all ready to drive?

Why buy an old gun and restore it when you can get a new plastic stock one at Wal-Mart?

Some of us like making things and take pride in it....... If you don't, that's fine but don't rain on my parade. And tossing around insults like that is certainly not "High Road".

Also, I have built an EP lower. Got it for $35 as a "blemished" unit. It's actually a rather nice piece of plastic molding, although there is a little texture variation in the finish (thus blemished). It's very well thought out in terms of making it easy to complete. No jigs required and you can do it with a drill and a Dremel tool if you need to. And it's made in California (I'm loving the irony of that....)

I tend to dismiss most of the secondhand information and angry rants on the internet- there are a lot of people who don't have a clue spewing hate about all kinds of things they don't understand, have prejudged, know nothing about, or aren't competent to do. Order one up and check it out before you believe the tactical internet commandos. Aubie, before you start publicly hating on them, have you actually seen- touched- finished one yourself?
 
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MachIVshooter said:
And he's still in business? Must have really good inventory and decent pricing on in-stock items.

Most of the shops around here are $30-$50. I know of some shops that charge more for a transfer on a firearm they stock, which I can understand. But it's nowhere near $150. If I were ever quoted that kind of cheddar for a simple transfer, I would never darken the doors of that shop again.
Click to expand...
He wants you to buy thru him; hence the high prices for transfers. I've read about a place nearby that charges $10, but haven't tried them.
 
Ken70 said:
A lot of FFL's charge outrageous transfer fees. My LGS is $150 or 10% of the gun value; whichever is higher. 80% is no transfer fee, so even if it is more than a 100% upfront, it's cheaper out the door. Plus I have all the machines and tooling to do 80%.
Click to expand...

That is absurd. $15-$30 around here. And by around here I mean the whole state.
 
Fred in Wisc, dont be overly sensitive. Please see that I said spending $100 on one of those 80% plastic lowers would be insane, which is true. If you spent $35, you did just fine, thats what they SHOULD cost. I have first hand experience with polymer lowers, I had a Plumcrazy, which broke and a New Frontier that had a overly tight magwell. Needless to say, polymer lowers in general are meant for what you purchased it for, a plinking rifle. Ever run with one and trip? I have, the buffer tube snaps off the lower.:banghead:
 
Fred, you make some good points.

IMO the biggest advantage of 80% lowers is supposed to be the reduced cost. But many times standard aluminum lowers are the same price as 80% lowers, and it doesn't require the buyer to spend more of his time/effort and extra money for tools.

The advantage of anonymity and reduced papertrail is good, but negligible since I can buy lowers from FTF sales with no papertrail too. And although I like building things and working on my own vehicles, not everyone is really into milling out the 80% lower. It's just extra unnecessary effort to me when I can get an aluminum stripped lower and install a LPK to build it in minutes.

If completing 80% lowers is your thing, then go for it.
 
I think it would be fun to finish a 80% ar lower or a 1911 frame but remember according to the BATF you can only build one a year and it can never be sold or even given away not even to a family member
 
I can see finishing one up being a fun little project, but kind of an expensive one. I think I would rather have one off a CNC mill holding serious tolerances though. Heck, I even know of a guy custom machining billet lowers and putting them on gun broker for only $135!
 
Ares Armor does an 80% poly lower for 75$ http://aresarmor.com/store/Item/Polymer-Black and you can use a dremel. It says just remove the white plastic. I like working and building my own stuff like my Savage (trigger job by me, barrel, stock) my ARs(too much to list) and my vehicles like welding a new exhaust on, changing a waterpump, or rebuilding the engine. My dad likes woodworking and I like metal, both are different but finishing a project or build gives us both that rare great feeling of accomplishment.

A poly lower might be in my future for my .22lr upper as switching back and forth kind of sucks. The slight weight loss won't hurt either. Finishing a lower might be fun and polymer might be nice as a new material to try working with.
 
Finishing an 80% lower yourself can cost more than a finished lower papered on a 4473. However, have you seen the manufacturers logos on some finished lowers? Ugh, totally tasteless.

To me the appeal of finishing an 80% lower myself would be the kick of having it engraved:
_c___
__n__
___b_
"...I made this!..."*

I have bought used guns face-to-face or have been gifted guns (what do we get Naaman this year? I know, he likes guns!) to the point I do not need another off the books gun.






*(That's the closing slogan on X-Files).
 
Well, an 80% lower gives you a blank slate to make what you want. Some of the manufacturer logos on their receivers are just gaudy. Even the minimalist ones like NDS are still there so kinda mess you up if you want to really make a faithful reproduction for example. With an 80% lower, you can engrave what you want. Want a military contract Colt? Got it. A Vietnam era Hydramatic? Go ahead. A Mattel? Knock yourself out.

Plus if you do want it off the books, you can't always find a stripped lower for FTF sale. Most people tend to sell complete ARs. The chances of finding the stripped lower you want at the time you want it in your area are slim.
 
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