Milling a cast AR-15 lower...

[rockydog]

rockydog, how difficult would it be to make your own jig? my goal for this project is to see how far i can go without buying any specialized equipment, and get a functioning lower.

If you have a mill, and know how to use it, it woudn't be that bad. really easy if you have one to look at

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

Most mag wells are BROACHED not milled. This ensures that corners are square and better dimensional tolerances. Not sure how well a drill press is going to hold tolerances....

I'm going to most of the material removal with the drill press, but as far as the inside corners and finer details go, I am going to be doing those with a dremmel or hand file, with a mag on hand to test fit.

If you have a mill, and know how to use it, it woudn't be that bad. really easy if you have one to look at

What about actually casting one? for example, heating my 0% lower and pressing it into styrofoam until it melts the styrofoam into the correct profile, then using the styrofoam in a lost-foam-casting to cast the jig...

Lost-foam casting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[rockydog]

I'm going to most of the material removal with the drill press, but as far as the inside corners and finer details go, I am going to be doing those with a dremmel or hand file, with a mag on hand to test fit.



What about actually casting one? for example, heating my 0% lower and pressing it into styrofoam until it melts the styrofoam into the correct profile, then using the styrofoam in a lost-foam-casting to cast the jig...

Lost-foam casting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was talking about using a mill to make a drill jig,

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

I was talking about using a mill to make a drill jig,

Yeah, I understood that. The only issue is I don't have a mill... I'm attempting to make a 0% lower into a functioning one with tools I have, just to see if I can do it.

 

[luckydog465]

got it done yet?

 

[IndyGunworks]

Yeah, I understood that. The only issue is I don't have a mill... I'm attempting to make a 0% lower into a functioning one with tools I have, just to see if I can do it.

your welcome to use my mill, i could use some company while i am in the shop. dont know if i have all the tooling required though.

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

your welcome to use my mill, i could use some company while i am in the shop. dont know if i have all the tooling required though.

Really? That would be most generous!

got it done yet?

I currently am at school, and making what is legally considered a firearm at school tends to be a no-no, as I attend school in a state where it is illegal (sadly)

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

Well, spent today working on a plexi-glass lower. It's surprisingly light, and seems pretty darn tough...

Thoughts? As of yet I don't have a kit or an upper to drop into/onto it, but I hope to get the parts kit at the 1500 this weekend. Unless of course someone has an old moldy parts kit or random doo-dads I could have for free...worth a try...

It only took me about 6 hours of actual work, there was a lot of downtime to allow my various bits to cool. Something about the plexi-glass really heats things up.

Still need to cut the buffer hole and tap it, but I don't feel comfortable doing that myself...

 

[WeAreNotAlone]

I just ordered a solid-cast AR-15 lower for $35 after shipping, and also have downloaded some CAD drawings of all the various dimensions/specifications of a finished receiver. I don't know much about CAD, but from the little research I have done, it seems like there should be a scale-reference somewhere on the blueprint, which does not seem to be there...

Anyone know what they are doing?

Anyone done this before? Any tips?

Any help is much appreciated!

-David

Here's a site that you might want to preview/archive:


Building a AR-15 without a machine shop


Mujahadeen AR-15

PDF
http://survivaloptions.com/index.php?option=com_jdownloads&Itemid=0&task=finish&cid=622&catid=69


[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]AR15 80% lower receiver tutorial[/FONT]

CNCGUNSMITHING - www.cncguns.com - AR15 80% Lower Receiver Tutorial

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Quick Start Guide that's included with the jigs and adapters.[/FONT]
http://www.cncguns.com/downloads/AR15/Quick Start Guide rev 12-3-08.pdf
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