Semi-auto rifle kits

[AndyC]

Being new to the country, I'm not familiar with rifle kits such as the AR15, FAL, AK, Galil, etc - I didn't even know one could "roll your own" until about a week ago.

I was up till the wee hours last night doing research on the subject since I'm very fond of the South African LM5 and LM6 (semi-auto Galil clone) in .223 but couldn't find any for sale in the US. I found that there are various companies who offer these kits but that they seem to be running out of stock - apparently there's an ATF-directive which forbids further importation or something.

Questions:
1. Assuming I would like a Galil variant (this isn't fixed in stone as yet), how hard is it to build from a kit? I'm very familiar with semi- and full-auto rifles as an operator - but I'm not a mechnical engineer.
2. Are there any great savings in doing it this way, or is it better to buy a complete US-made rifle such as the Ohio Rapid Fire variant?
3. What are the legalities involved in buying a kit from, say, Ohio and sending to TX - can the whole kit just come through the mail?

Please excuse the silly questions, but I'm really confused with all the legalities involved and I don't want an ATF no-knock event happening at 0-dark twenty.

 

[Nick1911]

1. It's not real easy, but it really depends on your level of mechanical ability and tooling. It's considerable easier if you buy a receiver already made trough a FFL (Federal Firearm Licenced dealer). But then it costs more and you have to wait while the red tabe is processing...

2. It will cost more to build one, but you will gain the experience of doing it, and have the tooling if you decide to bulid another one. Also - if you build your own receiver, the complete gun will be 'off the books' - no serial numbers and not in any government database.

3. The kit can be sent through the mail to your front door - BUT does not include a receiver (the part the Gov't considers a firearm) You can buy a reciever that needs bent or the holes drilled in it with no paperwork though. But if you want a receiver that's finished, you'll need to buy it through a gun dealer, just like anything else.

4. The resulting firearm you build has to be legal under our current laws. So - even though it would be trivial to add in the auto-sear, doing so would be VERY illegal.

That said, I've built an AK-varient and found it very exciting - I'm actually in the process of building another.

Feel free to reply or PM me with specific questons about building if you decide to.

 

[AndyC]

1. It's not real easy, but it really depends on your level of mechanical ability and tooling. It's considerable easier if you buy a receiver already made trough a FFL (Federal Firearm Licenced dealer). But then it costs more and you have to wait while the red tabe is processing...

I just got off the phone with my brother-in-law who's much more handy with things than I am, and he seems to feel that it would be doable since he has access to welding equipment, hydraulic press, etc - he's much more mechanically-minded than I am.

2. It will cost more to build one, but you will gain the experience of doing it, and have the tooling if you decide to bulid another one. Also - if you build your own receiver, the complete gun will be 'off the books' - no serial numbers and not in any government database.

The experience and knowledge would be nice to have, I must admit - I like being self-sufficient and something being off-the-books is another benefit. I have nothing to hide, but I don't enjoy red tape holding me up if it's not necessary.

3. The kit can be sent through the mail to your front door - BUT does not include a receiver (the part the Gov't considers a firearm) You can buy a reciever that needs bent or the holes drilled in it with no paperwork though. But if you want a receiver that's finished, you'll need to buy it through a gun dealer, just like anything else.

Aha - so finished receivers are bought through dealers but one can buy the non-finished kind without going through a dealer and it's just as legit - excellent.

4. The resulting firearm you build has to be legal under our current laws. So - even though it would be trivial to add in the auto-sear, doing so would be VERY illegal.

Good point - I've had plenty of opportunity to go full-auto in my previous jobs so it's no longer a big deal to me. Semi-auto only is just fine.

That said, I've built an AK-varient and found it very exciting - I'm actually in the process of building another.

Feel free to reply or PM me with specific questons about building if you decide to.

Thank you very much - once my BIL and I get together we'll decide what to get and when we're going to do this. I really appreciate your advice and offer to help