Any AR-15 "scratch" builders here?

Highpower

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About to boldly go where this man has never gone before.... ;)

Just wondering if anyone here has been down the path, and can offer any words of wisdom.
Thanks.

Forged_Lower.jpg
 
Highpower,
If anyone here is making AR15's from scratch they would not post it here, as making guns without a licence is frowned upon by the ATF. I would check with your local and Federal laws just to be on the safe side. You might just need to buy a licence to do it but not sure. The ATF boys do not play nice for sure. Better to be safe than sorry.
Paul
 
Hi Paul,

Thanks for your concern on this issue. Individuals intending to SELL the firearms they manufacture absolutely need a manufacturers license! I have held a (03) FFL (Collectors License) for several years. Even though I do not hold a manufacturers license, Federal regulations do indeed allow for a "non-licensed individual" (John Q. Public) to make a firearm for their own use as outlined here:

(A6) Does the GCA prohibit anyone from making a handgun, shotgun or rifle?

With certain exceptions a firearm may be made by a nonlicensee provided it is not for sale and the maker is not prohibited from possessing
firearms. However, a person is prohibited from assembling a nonsporting semi-automatic rifle or nonsporting shotgun from imported parts. In addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and approval by ATF. An application to make a machinegun will not be approved
unless documentation is submitted showing that the firearm is being made for a Federal or State agency.


[18 U.S.C. 922(o) and (r), 26 U.S.C. 5822, 27 CFR 478.39, 479.62 and 479.105]

As this firearm will indeed be for my own use and will never be sold to another individual, I can assure you that what I am doing is quite legal and within the letter of the law. It was written into the gun control act of 1968 (GCA) that is a part of the federal regulations. Many people have made their own firearms over the years and continue to do so. There are some restrictions of course, but in my case I'm not making an NFA firearm nor using imported parts.

I hope this clears things up a bit. :D
 
Hey Highpower the only advice that i can give you is Measure about 20 times and then start to cut nice and slowly try not to get off, are you using a jig or setting it up in the mill vise?, Is the mag well broached yet?, and one more thing if you are using a jig the most important holes that you are going to drill are the take down pins for that is what the jig locates on any other questions just ask, the only other thing is get some good milling cutters and instead of drilling the pin holes to size best to sink the money and get reamers for the size of holes that you are going to use.

Justin Bowerman
JB Enterprise
07 FFL in Central CA.
 
Hi JB,

I'm working with a couple of raw forgings, so I'll have to hog out the magazine well along with everything else, myself.
I don't have a jig per se, but I did machine a couple of fixture plates (per Ray Brandes method) to hold the forgings up off of the machine table for clearance. I am putting some pictures in the gallery as things progress that will give you an idea of where I'm at currently.

I'm not under any time crunch to get these done, and I just work on it here and there when I can set aside some quiet time.
That way I can work slow and try to concentrate on what I'm doing. ;)

Thanks for the tips about the tooling. I'm just a DIY guy, so I can't afford the best cutters and such - but so far I have been getting by with what I have. My biggest issue at the moment is trying to determine the centerline of the forgings at different points, because the thickness varies quite a bit. It's thicker at the center than on the ends. But then I suppose most hammer forging operations don't work to within tenths of thousandths either. :-[

Any other suggestions, please fire away! :D
 
Well, I learned a valuable lesson last night while working on the right side of my receiver project.
I made a STUPID, STUPID, STUPID mistake and ruined many hours of careful work already done.
I can't kick myself hard enough, and I am just livid right now!
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