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stamped steel ar-15 lowers?

21K views 76 replies 31 participants last post by  sniper69 
#1 ·
you know with all the BS going down , and some vendors going $$$ nutz on ar lowers, i think it is time we brought up the roll your own sheet metal lower --from days gone by.

i think the sheet metal lower may be doable--has any one tried it?
 
#34 ·
The ar-180 can be made from a two piece metal stamping with a piece of rectancular tubing at the stock end of the reciever. It can also be made to where the ar-15 parts including magazine will be able to be used for completing the lower. The only problem is that you will have to use longer pins for the FCG.
This is accomplished by cutting out the sheet metal for the sides and inside of the mag well as a single piece and then bending them to shape.
The bottom of the FCG well is then cut out of a different piece so that it can be bent to make the rear of the magwell, the bottom of the FCG pocket, and the rear of the reciever with the two guide rod holes for the upper.
 
#35 ·
Back a couple years ago I was looking at doing a stamped steel AR lower, and Bellson and someone else were guiding me to information. Someone sent me a huge file with a complete write up on a fairly easy stamped steel AR lower. I have it somewhere, but I printed it out and made a folder/notebook complete with pics. Whoever the original builder was is a smart cookie. Not sure if I would p*ss off whoever sent it to me, or the original builder if I posted this info, or emailed it to someone else to post, but I don't remember who it was, so what the heck.
 
#36 ·
hell i have even thought of doing a wood lower sort of like AK furniture--a laminate with 11 layers and probably a little fiber glass too--

and steel connection points for the pins --then just build the stock into the upper --sort of like cav-arms did on their polymer.

it should be pretty damn strong and the steel pin holes shouldn't wear out--

it might have a sheet-metal wear plate added for the FCG pins---LOL

hell there are more than one way to skin an AR---
 
#38 ·
now who was it telling us those plastic er carbon fiber/polymer thingys don't break?--

it broke where the buffer tube extension attaches near the back pin?

maybe you could bond it to a wooden back section?

being a vulcan/hess you might want to add some reinforcements at various stress points --like pins --

there is a way to patch up about any thing if you put time and thought into it--
 
#41 ·
I will soon have an aluminum bolt together AR lower that the main function would be being able to unbolt the 5.56 magwell and bolt a .308 one on (DPMS 308 upper type) and have the same "lower" for both guns to shoot.
 
#44 ·
Thats neat! I'd like to build a 308 ar. Does the extra length of the upper cause any problems with matching up the rear take down pin location with the buffer tower and rear of the firing pin/hammer locations....if that makes any sense.
 
#42 ·
Well, I found the file. It's pretty big, so if someone wants me to email it to them, PM me with your address.
 
#43 ·
I'd like to try a stamped AR lower. Sent you a PM. I have been working on an AR-18 design in 308. The tough part has been figuring out how to use an AR-10 bolt in a rectangular bolt carrier. The cam pin hole is not at a great angle for that. I may have to recess the cam slot in the bolt carrier somehow.
 
#60 ·
ya talking ar-180s?

back a few years ago you could get a cut up ar-180 rifle as a kit. i wish i had bought some just for giggles.

numrich might have a few parts --though i doubt they got any uppers for the 180/18.

i am seriously considering doing a sheet metal ar-15 lower if for no other reason just the 1-off it would be.

and with the ar-15 stripped lowers with $800 asking prices??--LOL!

there has got to be a better way!
 
#67 ·
AR-180's

ya talking ar-180s?

back a few years ago you could get a cut up ar-180 rifle as a kit. i wish i had bought some just for giggles.

numrich might have a few parts --though i doubt they got any uppers for the 180/18.

i am seriously considering doing a sheet metal ar-15 lower if for no other reason just the 1-off it would be.

and with the ar-15 stripped lowers with $800 asking prices??--LOL!

there has got to be a better way!

There is always a better way to build a miuse trap or in this case a firearms receiver. if they could be made to a 80% complete, and other machienest made othe parts I wiould thing that the price may be able to be reduced. Just a thought, this way people on here that are interested can purchase a part form each other, the receiver is the only part that currenty requires a FFL License, but if it the receiver is only 80 % done to where ATF considers it a paperweight, and all other parts are semi auto there is no propblem selling them with the exception of overseas and to the states that have violated the second amendment, NY CALI ETC. what do you think and it also a great way to make some moolaw for other projests...Doc
 
#62 ·
i kind of like the idea of a stamped steel ar-15 ish lower that will accept an standard ar-15 upper assembly.

the neat thing is you could have a bolt on mag well --that could accept mags other than standard size ar-15 mags--

this would open up the platform to longer ammo which has been an AR-15 shortcoming for decades--

a longer 6.5 grendel or 6.8SPC 2 could solve a lot of ballistic problems--LOL!
 
#63 ·
Homemaking an AR15 and Hi cap mags. Ideas welcome.


you know a sheetmetal ar upper and lower could well be doable even some of the ninjas are looking at the project.

i would like to do one with a sheet metal upper as well. it could be made from steel tubing i am thinking.

there is nothing really critical in the AR-15 aside from the bolt carrier group and the barrel assembly. the rest could be built on the fly.

the DOD adopted the m15 for this very reason. they wanted to out source the parts to hundreds of small facilities just in case of WW3, there would be a few surviving small shops turning out parts for the m16.

sort of the ?dispersal under fire" concept.

this being built into the design leaves many things open for substitution.
 
#64 ·
Has anyone been working on this since we all talked about it?? I know I had sent the file (limited though it may be) to a bunch of folks. I have some materials, but I just haven't had the time to work on it. I would love to get one or more bending jigs made, like what is shown in the file, and then send them around to everyone kind of like AK jigs in the old days. Or preferably find a shop willing to make a "builders kit" with all of the main parts, pre-bent, as well as the block for the rear of the magwell, the buffer tube ring section (already threaded) and all the little tabs already cut and drilled, where all that the builder needed to do would be to hand fit the parts and weld. I wonder how expensive that would be if we could find someone to make say 20 "kits"?? (I may have already said all this earlier in the thread, as it sounds familiar as I'm typing, so sorry if i am repeating myself.)
 
#65 ·
Also, I like 427's idead of a "bolt on" magwell, depending on the caliber. That would definitely make things more interesting.
 
#66 ·
for the record not my idea--

seems like MGI had one years ago and i may have seen that "top secret" ass-pukastan special 5.56/5.45 convertable lower that takes ak74 mags OR m16 mags with various blocks.

today there are mags for the soviet ammo soo--

what i want to do is an ar--but with a longer mag-well so you can get a longer length round in there.

a longer 6.5g opens up some "interesting" possibilities reloading wise--LOL--
 
#69 ·
Making a longer magwell to accept longer rounds does nothing for an AR unless the upper and BCG are also longer by the same amount. You would have a gap at rear of upper and also hammer would not contact firing pin.

While not exactly all "sheet metal", I've scratch built from sheet metal, plate, and tubing with no machine work an AR lower and upper.

Need to figure out how to post pictures from phone.
 
#71 ·
It looks like one would need to be a member of that forum to view the pictures? Maybe you could contact the original poster there and see if he would want to join gunco and post a thread of it here? :)
 
#73 ·
Thanks, but when clicking on the images in the first post of the thread - it says one has to be logged in to see them. Since I'm not a member there I can't see the pictures. :)
 
#75 ·
The spammer has been dumped...
 
#76 ·
I m confused i don't know which is the spammer, I actually saw a templete set up to make the individual plates to be brazed, welded or bolted together it was such a longtime ago,
in addition there was a guy "wolf " could have been grey or lone or something, that made one of these on roderus in the early 2000's

again this works at the end of WW2 the lower receivers for M-1 carbines were made this way, they were brazed
 
#77 ·
When a spammer gets banned - there posts get removed to a particular section of the forum - so they aren't viewed. The discussion of the spammer doesn't make sense with their posts removed. :D
 
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