Do you have to do all the work necessary to make it a 100% receiver yourself. Or can you make it into an 81% receiver and have a gunsmith do the rest? What is a 100% or an 81% receiver?

I'm interested in the idea of a homebuilt receiver (ie one), just not sure if the investment in tools is justifiable.

well u can buy a flat bender for like 140 if u can afford the extra cash
after u use it u can rent it out or resell it
i know if some1 had 1 for rent i would rent it
but i dont have the extra ends to just buy 1

I think technically you could build it to something higher than the ATF "80%" mark (most 80% receivers are somewhat less than that so you would still have a good bit of work) and then have a smith do the rest.

Of course, by the time you do that you would probably be better off paying for a 100% receiver, though the no paperwork aspect of the 80% receivers is definitely pushing me towards building on them.

The "no paperwork" facet appeals to me too. The cool factor I guess. So, I'm willing to pay for that. Even if it were to end up costing a bit more than just buying a completed gun. If I drilled holes in a bent 80% blank, would it then be considered a receiver? Even if the holes were not perfect? At that point, could a smith legally finish it for me?

In addition, I suppose that it is possible that someday, the 80% threshold will become a politicized loophole that will be somehow closed. At that point, maybe it would be nice to have a stack of 80% blanks that had already been built and grandfathered into gun status. With the minimum amount of work done to get there. Just speculating on a slow day.

who sells flat benders, I am interested