Machining AR Lowers

[G_Stines]

Jealous. I would love to see this.

 

[Ambu]

I would love to see it as well. How did you go about making the drawings? Did you use calipers and measure a pre-existed lower?

 

[Hop]

I'm surprised at how many people jumped in and said you can't do this! Haven't any of you seen flats or forged AR lower blanks at a gun show? Of course you can CNC your own. There are a few rules to follow though.

ATF Online - Firearms - Frequently Asked Questions - General

 

[G_Stines]

I would love to see it as well. How did you go about making the drawings? Did you use calipers and measure a pre-existed lower?

Never question a machinists mind. It has a set of rules usable in our world but a concept formation and thought pattern all its own...

 

[Hop]

I'm really good with a Dremel. One of these days!!!

 

[fast_project]

I used a digitizing probe on an existing lower I already own. The probe pretty much runs back and forth touching the part and creates little cloud points which you can use to make a model in CAD. From there you can modify it anyway you want, even ad something to engrave. I am a student at Ivy Tech and am just learning how to do some of this stuff, but so far I can make pretty much anything I can measure. The probe is like cheating though. If anybody has ideas of something (within reason) they would like to see made, shout it out..

 

[sloughfoot]

Trolls are everywhere..... I know the rules too.

 

[Ambu]

Never question a machinists mind. It has a set of rules usable in our world but a concept formation and thought pattern all its own...

Haha I just questioned because I took a class where we dabbled in doing those sort of things. However, we were making simple things (like tools and such) not firearms. We would measure pre-existing items with the precision calipers and then make a 3-D model of it with our measurement and the 3-D printer would crank one out. They had a CNC machine but I got out of the class (terrible teacher!) before we ever got around to using it.

 

[Boiled Owl]

We built a receiver last winter from a blank forging on the Bridgeport...non CNC

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...wer_machined_my_own_now_what.html#post1839916

 

[fast_project]

I'm new to this and don't know all the machinist rules.......Yet

 

[japartridge]

I'd like to see a lower made for a 9mm that takes XDm mags.

 

[DarkRose]

I used a digitizing probe on an existing lower I already own. The probe pretty much runs back and forth touching the part and creates little cloud points which you can use to make a model in CAD. From there you can modify it anyway you want, even ad something to engrave. I am a student at Ivy Tech and am just learning how to do some of this stuff, but so far I can make pretty much anything I can measure. The probe is like cheating though. If anybody has ideas of something (within reason) they would like to see made, shout it out..

There's also quite a few blueprints and plans out there to double check, stumbled upon many last night when looking for a simple side view of a lower to lay out some engraving artwork...
Some sites charge for them, but they can also be found for free, though often not as high quality or resolution, but still good enough to check dimensions with.

 

[bluto67]

RGUNS sells ar-15 lower receiver forging paperweight for $20

RGUNS - Miscellaneous Items