AR-15 80% Lower Receiver

[TheWatchman]

Hello everyone, I'm thinking about building an AR-15. I was particularly inspired by the video series by ITS Tactical:

http://www.itstactical.com/warcom/firea ... -required/

But did come across something that intrigued me but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra step. I found that people were buying the unfinished lower receiver to avoid registration and serial number. The dag-gone thing can be shipped to your house! Apparently it's a loophole in the firearms act that if you build your own gun AND mill out the lower receiver, you don't have to have a FFL dealer. This is the info here:

http://monderno.com/monderno/legally-bu ... red-ar-15/

Basically, what I'm wanting to know if indeed this is legal and if I didn't want to do the work myself who would I take it to? I'm thinking about just getting a stripped lower receiver and building from there instead of taking a chance of messing up the 80% one.

 

[John A.]

At this minute it is legal to do on a federal level, however if you are not allowed to possess an AR15 on a state level, then it would not be lawful.

That may change shortly with our incompetant senators debating gun control today.

You cannot take it to someone else to finish it.

The whole point of building yourself a firearm, obviously is YOU building it.

If someone else were to complete a firearm for you, they would be manufacturing and without the proper class 7 manufacturing license is a felony.

 

[MikeD]

If you have it shipped to you there is a record of that. If you pay with a personal check or credit card there is a record. Just something to think about iof you are truly trying to keep it undocumented.

As John stated, you will need to check you're local laws.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

According to the ATF, building a firearm from an 80% lower is legal provided that the firearm is not being manufactured with intent to sell.

However laws vary by state, so I would recommend contacting your local sheriff's department for the particulars regarding your state laws. The officers in your area will be the first ones to raise a red flag if you get pulled over with an "unmarked" firearm in your posession and you'll want to know that you have already cleared it with you chief LEO.

Personally, I would find a finished lower. Here in TN, firearm purchases are not reqistered. The serial number is used to track the transfer of a firearm from a dealer to a buyer at the point of sale, but the firearm is not registered to the buyer. I don't see any real benefit to owning a firearm with no serial number, especially if you already own or have ever purchased a firearm through regular channels. If big brother does already know that you have guns, buying another isn't gonna make a difference. Just seems like building out an 80% lower is a lot of extra work for a little false sense of security.

Also, the demand for complete rifles has depleted the commercially available supply of these 80% lowers and driven the prices up significantly. By the time you find one and buy the tools/equipment, you will have sunk more money into it than you would have to just buy one that's already finished.

Just my $.02.

Either way you decide to go, good luck. Finding parts these days is a frustrating process. Expect a lot of back-orders and over inflated prices. Let us know if you need any help along the way...

 

[TheWatchman]

Thanks for the responses! Just to be clear, I have full plans of doing it myself but doing such modifications without much skill in it made me nervous (hence me wanting to find somebody to do it). But it is correct I would have to do it for it to be legal. So I'll go the route of the stripped lower and build from there.