80 % lowers

[Sgt.K]

Sgt.K
Thanks, not only for the advice, but for the education on "online Jargon".

I did get grief once (from someone here) for referring to Mrs.K as SWMBO, but realistically when SHTF - or worse, TEOTWAWKI - I won't really GAF what others think.

As far as the 80% stuff, you need to do for yourself, because TANSTAAFL.

My 2¢

[Berncly]

I did get grief once (from someone here) for referring to Mrs.K as SWMBO, but realistically when SHTF - or worse, TEOTWAWKI - I won't really GAF what others think.
As far as the 80% stuff, you need to do for yourself, because TANSTAAFL.
My 2¢

Sort of like ROTFLBTCDICAJTTWADBSIHPWTRHITSBKABAYB.
:P

[Sgt.K]

Sort of like ROTFLBTCDICAJTTWADBSIHPWTRHITSBKABAYB.
:P

[Nopetrol]

There's some good points in this thread, but I'll give you my thoughts. Just my thoughts and opinions...

I've done more than a few of these in AR15 format. If you want to start out, the AR is the easier receiver to finish. The 1911's are not for beginners.

There's a good/better/best the scenario. I generally see things this way: if you want one done, yes, you can use a drill press. It's sloppy, it's ugly, but it gets the job done. Because you have to get the cutting edge of the drill bit to engage the surface, you have to 'push' into the receiver to get cutting going. It makes for nasty looking FCG pockets, and you run the risk of thinning the wall, or blowing through. Drill presses can't spin the bits fast enough to make clean edges and cuts in aluminum.. If you insist on using a press; The most important thing is buying good drill bits for all the pin holes. They need to be within spec, and square. Dull, cheap drill bits flex when they hit the surface, deflect, and make funny shaped holes. You can run mill bits in a press, the results would be way better as compared to drill bits, but since you lack the speed, it still won't be as clean.

A better option, is a jig with a high-speed router. A quality router from the hardware store will still do better than your big $$ press. As an example, there's a company called 5D Tactical that sells a kit that I think is the best option for this route. They sell a good, quality steel jig, they sell good bits, but none of it's cheap. With a good jig, and a high-speed router, you can run mill bits that make more precise cuts. It also spins a lot faster than a drill press. The faster you can spin a mill bit, the better the cuts are with aluminum. Speed is your friend when milling aluminum. The biggest thing you want to ensure when using a router jig setup, is the surface. If you bought a jig like the 5D tactical, whatever table or bench you mount it to, you need to make sure it's very secure. A good vice, married to a good solid bench, to ensure stability is key to good success. This route is a lot cheaper than buying a mill, and it gets the job done. With a router and jig set up, your return on investment would come much sooner.

The best, of course, is having access to a mill with a good stable base, or even better yet a CNC machine. I shouldn't need to explain why that's the best. They aren't cheap, and not everyone has the space to set up even a small pedestal mill. My brother has a small mill, but he bought it because he also makes stuff for his hobby farm, HAM equipment, and various mounts, brackets, and such. I've finished paperweights on his mill, and my jig kit. You'd be awfully hard pressed to examine a complete one and say which it came from.

Tactical Machining dot-com usually has the best price on paperweights. If you wait around, they do a three-pack deal periodically that makes them pretty cheap. I would buy one, and make up your mind from the beginning you're probably going to ruin it, so that you can experiment and get a feel for it. Starting with a paperweight AR, and moving towards a functioning firearm is a lot of fun, it's a nice source of pride, but it's not actually terribly difficult. With ARs, my brother and I do them all the time, but we've determined that a 1911 frame is just not worth it. There are several specialized tools you still need, beyond a mill or jig setup that tend to be very expensive, it's extremely time-consuming, and very exact. I'm only doing when I'm a little older, and I retire and have more time. Right now however, unless I knew I was going to do a bunch of them, the tools alone make it cost prohibitive.

For what it's worth, I heard every time you complete an 80% receiver into a fully functioning firearm a democrat Senator's teeth fall out. Or an angel gets its wings. I don't remember which one, but I heard one of those.

[Berncly]

There's some good points in this thread, but I'll give you my thoughts. I've done more than a few of these, in AR15 format. If you want to start out, the AR is the easier receiver to finish. There's kind of a good/better/best the scenario. I generally see things this way: if you want one done, yes, you can use a drill press. It's sloppy, it's ugly, but it gets the job done. The most important thing is buying good drill bits for all the pin holes. They need to be within spec, and square. Dull, cheap drill bits flex when they hit the surface, deflect, and make funny shaped holes. A better option, is a jig with a high-speed router. There is a company called 5D Tactical that sells a kit that I think is the best option for this route. They sell a good, quality steel jig, they sell good bits, but none of it's cheap. With a good jig, and a high-speed router, you can run mill bits that make more precise cuts. It also spends a lot faster than a drill press. The faster you can spin a mill bit, the better the cuts are with aluminum. Speed is your friend when milling aluminum. The biggest thing you want to ensure when using a router jig setup, is the surface. If you bought a jig like the 5D tactical, whatever table or bench you mount it to, you need to make sure it's very secure. A good Vice, married to a good solid bench, to ensure stability is key to good success. This route is a lot cheaper than buying a mill, but it gets the job done. The best, of course, is having access to a milling with a good stable base, or even better yet a CNC machine. I shouldn't need to explain why that's the best. Tactical Machining dot-com usually has the best price on paperweights. If you wait around, they do a three-pack deal periodically that makes them pretty cheap. I would buy one, and make up your mind from the beginning you're probably going to ruin it, so that you can experiment and get a feel for it. Starting with a paperweight AR, and moving towards a functioning firearm is a lot of fun, it's a nice source of pride, but it's not actually terribly difficult. My brother and I do them all the time, and we've determined that a 1911 frame is just not worth it. There are several specialized tools, that tend to be very expensive, it's extremely time-consuming, and very exact. I'm only doing when I'm a little older, and I retire, and have more time. Right now however, unless I knew I was going to do a bunch of them, the tools alone make it cost prohibitive.
For what it's worth, I heard every time you complete an 80% receiver into a fully functioning firearm a democrat Senator's teeth fall out. Or an angel gets its wings. I don't remember which one, but I heard one of those.

I imagine that right now, you’re feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole? … I see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, that’s not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Neo? … I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about? … Do you want to know what it is?… The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. … That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind. … Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. … This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all I’m offering is the truth, nothing more. … Follow me.

Paragraphs por favor.
Good info, thanks for the post.

[DonBiase]

I made a terrible mistake in early 1968, a mistake I don't intend to repeat!
I'll take the red pill.
Thanks to all

[Bang]

Me too. I didn't buy a 1968 GTX

[DonBiase]

That too.
Or other things.

[DonBiase]

Instead of buying my 1968 Ford Ranchero, with a 429, I should have loaded up on paperweights, purchased mail order.

[Nopetrol]

I imagine that right now, you’re feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole? … I see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, that’s not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Neo? … I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about? … Do you want to know what it is?… The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. … That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind. … Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. … This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all I’m offering is the truth, nothing more. … Follow me.

Paragraphs por favor.
Good info, thanks for the post.

I had to Google to find out what you are referring to. I suppose now I have to go watch that movie lol. No, I've never actually seen it.

If I get the gist of what you're saying, yeah, paperweights are a terrible rabbit hole. During the mooslim's 2 terms in office, an AR from a reasonable assembler was about 50% parts, and 50% labor when you paid for it. Considering some mid-grade guns were going for near 2k, that is expensive to my brother and I. Once you have a couple good guns, 'extras' are a luxury. We had to cut down the cost in order to maintain domestic peace! Plus, when you teach a friend to set up the jig, table, and mill, you're multiplying American ability to defend lol. Starting from a paperweight, you could buy smart, wait for sales or buy parts with cosmetic blems, and cut that down significantly. With market now, you can pay for 5D's kit on about the 3rd project. Buying smart, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday this week, and one decent gun show or classified ad for some used furniture.... I can put together a functional m4 carbine style for right around $250. But it's not reeeeeeaaaallly rabbit hole. More like a squirrel stash for that terrible winter lol.


Somewhere, there's an ATF man reading this and touching his naughty parts. "I got him...ooohh, I got him.". No, you don't. I still possess every one I've ever done, and I've never did one for some body. I taught them how to do it for themselves.


Added after thought: Going back to your 1911 question. To me, not worth it, right now. However, the Polymer 80 kits to make a Glock style 19 or 17???? Do it. They are stupid simple, provided you take your time. You won't save much money versus buying a new G19 or 17, it will come pretty close to same. But, you get the pride and satisfaction. That's worth a lot to me.



Got take a shower, ATF man.