E-Mail 'Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver - Part 1, by 2A Advocate' To A Friend

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1. Thank you for writing this. Looking forward to the rest of the series!

2. The easy jig is a great setup. I have milled about 4 5.56 lowers and have a DPMS AR-10 lower to mill next. Highly recommend.

3. Completed my own personal batch of lowers a couple of years ago, just as our CA “registration but not registration” law was about to become effective. I joke about the hashtag because CADOJ says it isn’t “registration”, but when you’re required by law now to inform them of your intent to finish a receiver, undergo a BGC, and wait to be issued their own serial number, how can it be anything else?

   I completed some full AR builds, and placed the remaining finished receivers in the safe. Since then, with the increasing likelihood of BGCs for mere parts(!) looming on the horizon, I’m stocking up on the small things like pins, springs, triggers, and of course (with last year’s Freedom Week) lots of full capacity mags.

4. There was an article in the NRA magazine America’s First Freedom recently on this. The author claimed that legally you are allowed to only make ONE gun.

   1. I’d like to see the case citation for that one.

   2. I had a friend point out this article to me. It is the August issue, pages 16-17, written by Clayton Cramer, who writes lots of articles. I emailed him July 29, 2020 with this message:

      Mr Cramer:

      Thank you for answering so quickly!

      Early in the article you state “It is lawful for Americans…to make one firearm for personal use.”

      and “You are allowed to make only one.”

      Would you kindly forward your source for these statements? I have been looking into this subject and note that intent is a key factor in determining whether an individual is considered a manufacturer who would need to be licensed, or just an individual making a firearm for his own personal use. But I have not seen any information limiting the individual to one or for that matter any specific number of personally manufactured firearms.

      What entity is allowing me to produce only one firearm? Federal? State? Is there a law or regulation? I see nothing about this on the ATF website?

      I thank you in advance for your reply and for helping me clarify this subject.

      Here is Mr Cramer’s response:

      “You are correct, you can make as many as you want as long as you do not sell or distribute. If you don’t sell or distribute, I doubt BATF will notice that you made 1000.”

      Be careful who you listen to; there is a lot of misinformation out there on this subject!!!!!

5. You are wrong when you said you cannot “borrow the tools, or have a build party where everyone comes and shares a CNC machine”. As long as you do ALL of the work, machining/drilling holes on the lower, it’s completely legal to borrow or loan out the jig, drill bits, and/or router, etc. What you can’t do is ANY machining or work on another person’s 80% lower. Also, there’s no restrictions on how many rifles you can build using an 80% lower and parts, as long as they are not sold, gifted, or traded.

   1. That may be technically correct at the Federal level, but the California DOJ has attempted to prosecute some folks for this. Be sure to check your state and local laws, folks!

6. I must be missing the point why build a lower with tools that cost at least $1500 to $2000 that could be made illegal in either a Blue State or nationally if Harris becomes President?

   I agree with the essay by Mr. Rawles on a government attempt at confiscation of weapons. It will go poorly for them.

   1. Skip:

      Tools required for the finishing technique I reviewed are as follows:

      Easy Jig 3 or similar – $300.00 https://www.80percentarms.com/products/easy-jig-gen-3-multi-platform-ar-15-ar-9-and-308-80-lower-jig/

      Tool Kit (End mill & drill bits) – $60.00 https://www.80percentarms.com/products/easy-jig-gen-3-tool-kit/

      Router – About $100.00 to $130.00

      Hand drill, vise, and a few miscellaneous items.

      The cost is far less than the $1500 to $2000 you mention above. I think there is likely a ready market to sell these tools after you have finished your lowers if you choose not to keep the tools. However, your point is still valid in that you can just buy a serialized, finished stripped lower with a background check for less cost. Finishing an 80% lower isn’t for everyone.

   2. Skip, the entire purpose for most people is to have a firearm that is NOT listed in any database or on paperwork residing in your local licensed gun dealer’s file cabinet. That’s why Congress calls them “Ghost Guns”. If “they” don’t know you have it, “they” won’t come kick in your door in the middle of the night to take it. If it makes it easier, consider it as a lifesaving measure for LEOs since you won’t feel a need to shoot 0300 intruders.
      As for the possibility of semi-auto firearms being made illegal by a Harris/Biden administration: Are you ready to comply with that? The old adage about only criminals having guns applies perfectly. Most of Europe has strict gun ownership laws but I would bet there are hundreds of thousands of “missing” machine guns and other small arms stashed away in walls and basements – those people learned to pretend to comply but also knew what could happen.
      A smart person might turn in his registered gun(s) under threat of prosecution but have others “they” don’t know to ask for – i.e., the “ghost guns” they fear so much.

      People, we all need to look beyond the obvious on this gun issue. The leftists know that the key to the whole situation is ammunition. A forward-thinking person might have a deep stockpile of materials and equipment for reloading. Or getting ready to go full-Negan with a spiked baseball bat, or a spear, to defend his garden from raccoons.

      One last point. While the initial cost of a GG CNC machine is steep, it is also so simple to use that as long as you have electricity, a laptop to run the code and an 80% lower a child could follow the steps. And, that mill uses open-source code so you can use it for making other small items or engraving such if you wanted. I don’t know the legality of doing custom engraving on someone else’s previously finished lower receiver but it seems like a possible income source, and there is a market with people who might want to personalize their firearm.

7. I have finished several lowers, and am interested in how people have serialized or etched identifying info on their polymer lowers. Also, how does CA expect the Serial # to be applied?

   1. Here is one option for engraving:

      https://www.80percentarms.com/products/custom-ca-compliant-serialized-80-lowers/

      After you receive your serial number from the CA DOJ, you send the information to 80% Arms and they engrave a lower and send it to you. Apparently CA is the only state to require serial numbers on an 80% lower at this time.

8. The 80% rule didn’t stop the ATF from forcing people to put their serial number on Bob Stewart’s 80% 50 cal receivers and kits when purchaced, with the threat of confiscation . If you get anything through the mail, or don’t pay cash, trade or barter, you are being tracked.

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