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where to buy receiver blanks?

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Sprat 
#1 ·
I have completed sevral ak47s and now i want to take on something with a little bit more challenge. i have access to an end mill and im considering building my first ar15. I am pretty ignerent to where to begin when it comes to what receiver blank to start with. how complete can i find one that is still less than 80% and where should i look for it at. again any and all information for a first time builder would be appriciated.
tac-wolf
 
#4 ·
The DSA is not anywhere close to "80%", it is the raw forging that manufacturers start out with. You have the exterior profile mostly complete from the forging dies but all the machine cuts and holes have to be done by you. The magwell is solid and so is the FCG area. Cutting the magwell is probably the most difficult operation as the cuts need to be square and flat bottomed, hard to do with an end mill. What I have seen people do is cut the major portion of the magwell out with an end mill then make either a homemade broach to cut the final profile (either all at once or in sections) or rig up a "poor man's shaper" and use a scraping tool to make the final cleanup cuts.

If you can do the machine work, the DSA is probably the best in terms of strength. Most of the other "blanks" start out as castings or just barstock.

The Tannery Shop is probably the #1 source for "mostly completed" blanks, most of the operations required to finish are drilling and some tapping. He does now carry forged receiver blanks, but you can buy a completed receiver for less.

http://www.tanneryshop.com/80-ar15.htm
 
#6 ·
Yes

I have done a DSA 0 % by hand and yes they used to sell them and I see them at gun shows frequently.
I bought one about 5 years ago for $ 25 from DSA it was the basic form no cuts, I bought a 80% tannery cast as a guide.
I did this build with a drill press, dremel and hand files with the proper die for the buffer tube. This 0% was forged I use this build for my Nation Match upper. I have yet to anodize it.
I realized recently if I could do a AR-15 0%, I can do a FnFal 70%
this is good project to do to determine your skill

I CAN BE DONE

Sprat
 
#7 ·
thanks for this information, i mostly wanted to know if the DSA receiver was a good one to go with. im pretty confident that i can accomplish one of these receivers. I have D.A. Hanks' book "The Workbench AR-15 project..." this covers most of the information except the internal milling but i have a bushmaster lower that i can use for reference. i was thinking that i could mill out most of the magwell then finish it up with files. the part im most concerned with is drilling and tapping the hole for the buffer tube (how to locate it right and make it straight) . if anyone has a good way to do this i would sure like to know. again thanks for the info.
Tac-Wolf
 
#8 ·
DSA 0 %

Yes
0% ar forged paperweight
I drilled out the mag well and the FCG area and the buffer hole with a sears drill press, I used a rat file to open up the buffer area. Then I used a stone attachment and placed it in the drill press to grind out the inside of the trigger fcg area, the interior of the magwell was taken down with a series of flat files, the base for the pistol grip must be fled down, this area I used a dremel grinding bit and finished with barrel sanders on the dremel. I rented a tap years ago from someone on Ar-15. com and did it by hand/eye. a few years later a friend bought a OSI jig for hole alignment he gave it to me when he was done and I have done a few since but they were tannery 80% cast and they don't count. currently my jig it is on loan and I have the tap for the buffer tube and the instructions and blueprints.
my reciever is still in the white because I am waiting to mark it, I tried dies to mark it, the outside is to hard.so I will take it to a engraver and I have a guy in Va who anodize's for under $ 50

this is fairly easy, don't let anyone tell you it can't be done cause it has. this can be done by hand and with simple power tools as any build for that matter. you don't need a bridgeport, just the ability to read plans and read a micrometer.

sprat
 
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