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Nope, they were not turning 80% receivers into 100%, they were starting with aluminum billets according to this article (see this page for a 0% receiver you can
by hga 11y ago
Nope, they were not turning 80% receivers into 100%, they were starting with aluminum billets according to this article (see this page for a 0% receiver you can buy ^_^: http://www.80percentarms.com/products/0-billet-ar-15-lower-receiver http://www.80percentarms.com/products/0-billet-ar-15-lower-r...).
But in either case, why build when you can, in theory, buy?
Each has different levels of difficultly, and in this case, if true, it was probably harder than buying or stealing. But a different set of risks....
I mean, I've heard of Afgans doing this by hand from scratch, but I've never heard of this level of organization making rifles, heck, most nation states don't.
- varjag 11y agoWell once you have a CNC mill the only difference between machining the full LR and finishing a blank is in run time. As to why, I obviously don't know. But the LRs being the only regulated, and at the same time trivially machinable parts probably have to do something with it.
- hga 11y agoPer the article and what I understand, there's moderately skilled work required in sourcing and perhaps adjusting the right CAM data for a complete billet -> lower receiver machining job. Plus a lot more machining involved; as I understand it, a drill press can finish an 80% receiver. But I suppose such skilled people can be persuaded to do this sort of work for a cartel.
- varjag 11y agoThe difference between programming the 20% finishing and machining the whole part is not that large. Moreover, the finishing would require manual set up and zeroing out each semi-finished piece. Aluminium is cheap material and machines really well, there's not much downside to machining the whole piece. Plus, you save the expense of buying hundreds of pre-fab LR blanks.