Engraving options on AR15 lower

[taliv]

so what are the best options out there, given that i don't want to ship it?



local engraver? do jewelers or trophy shops have the equipment normally?

i imagine stamping works pretty well on aluminum but is slightly annoying. i'd hate to crack or bend it and assume you'd need to put a block in the mag well to support it.

will the chemical etching used on stainless barrels and receivers (the little electric pads with the blue templates) also work on aluminum?

i'd rather not freeform engrave with a hand tool as that will look like crap.

what have you done?

 

[GoingQuiet]

Why don't you want to ship it?

You sound like the guy who cannot have his gun sent out for repair because if he does - he won't have a gun.

 

[4thPointOfContact]

Hmmmm...
Taliv - Moderator, Thirteen Thousand posts, active 7 years
GoingQuiet - Member, Three Hundred posts, active 2 years

 

[Jim K]

I don't know what you want in the way of engraving. Just your name or a number would be no big deal and something almost any engraver would do.

But, assuming you want a quality engraving job, I will offer this info FWIW.

First, you are posting on an NFA forum, so is the lower selective fire? If so, there are complications in either sending it out or taking it to a local engraver. The following assumes it is semi auto and NFA rules don't apply. That also has a bearing on insuring it if sent out, since a registered lower is almost irreplaceable, where a semi can be just insured and is easily replaced.

First contact the maker of your lower. Many makers, like Colt, have staff or contract engravers who are familiar with the product and generally do a very good job. If that approach doesn't work, you can try finding an engraver on your own.

Unless you live in or near a big city, chances of finding a good local engraver are pretty slim. Most of the good folks who do things like trophies are at a different level from those who do guns, and will admit it. If you want to try locally, check in advance (never take a gun or a major gun part into a store other than a gun shop without prior clearance) and show the engraver what you want and also ask to see some samples of his work. Engravers usually have a few samples around and also a book with photos of their top jobs.

If you choose to ship it out, again ask for pictures of the engraver's work and get a firm price for the work to be done. Be as specific as you can or cite his work, like "I want your Class 3 engraving with my name inlaid in gold in a banner, with diamonds for punctuation marks..." The telephone bill mgiht be high, but it is a minor cost when dealing with several thousands of dollars in top quality engraving.

And engraving can't be undone. You need to make sure it is right the first time.

Jim

 

[Robert]

Larry does great work. But you'd have to ship it to him... so yeah that is no help.

 

[Flyincedar]

Post count and membership length have absolutely nothing to do with anyone's credibility, or anything else for that matter, so hopefully the post citing that will be completely ignored instead of continuing the childishness.

Jim K,

He's most likely posting in the NFA forum about engraving, due to an SBR build. He is required to engrave his name, trust name, or company name, and his city/state because he is the manufacturer of the SBR. He would have no purpose to have a select fire lower engraved, unless he were wanting decorative engraving like you are speaking of.

That being said, a lot of normal engraving places won't mess with firearms. A trophy shop may be able to help you out with that, if you have one locally. The engraver we use in house for that sort of thing actually came from a trophy shop and works well. We engrave everything that we are required to, with that engraver. Ya might have to find one that likes guns, and probably be willing to explain some NFA stuff to them when they ask why, but these can often be good conversations with people just wanting to satisfy curiosity.

Hopefully you can find someone local. If not, sending it out may be your only option. Granted you don't want to do that, and maybe you won't have to. I've done several for local customers that were the same way. They didn't bother with the SBR thing until they found out that we do engraving. I don't know of anyone else in our area that does it at all, though I'm sure there are some

 

[jman74]

If you have any local (not national chains)jewelry shops you could try asking them. I had one done by a local jeweler, the only rub was I had to sit there while he did it because he didn't want me to leave it. Or maybe a machine shop might be able to help you. Depends on the area you live in a guess.

 

[Bubbles]

If the jeweler or trophy shop does not hold an FFL then you can't leave the gun overnight for engraving. Also you need to make sure that the shop has the capability to engrave to the depth specified by the ATF - the bits for working with softer metals like gold or brass may not touch aluminum and steel. Not all laser engravers will go deep enough either, and chemical etching probably won't as well.

If you don't want to ship then start calling the trophy shops and jewelers to see what they can do. If you decide you want to ship, we charge a flat $25 plus return shipping for all SBR/SBS engraving.