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Posted: 3/27/2010 9:36:12 AM EDT
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these seem to be hard to find, and all the ones i do find cost more than a finished lower.
what gives? am i looking at the wrong vendors? checked DS Arms, American Spirit Arms, Tactical Machining. |
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tactical machining is really the only choice right now. they are so superior to all the rest its not fair. while the build is fun, be advised it will cost 2-3 times a finished lower, depending how you finish it,and how much engraving /anodizing you have done. they are out of stock at the moment. it'll have to wait. i may buy a couple. probably be a summer project. as for the finishing. i'll just have it anodized. |
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(snip) and all the ones i do find cost more than a finished lower. what gives? am i looking at the wrong vendors? This would tend to explain why people think you expect them to be cheaper than finished lowers, rather than looking for the challenge. simple logic would dictate that an unfinished lower would not cost as much as a finished lower. my assumption was wrong. i wanted to pick up a few 80% for the f-up factor. if i wanted a cheap lower, DSA has blemishes for $60. i'm slowly learning that logic is NOT a factor in the firearms industry. and when you ask a n00b type question on barfcom, people tend to turn their nose up at you. |
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Your simple logic only works if it's one of the big manufacturers turning out both finished and 80% lowers. When you buy an 80% lower, you're buying it from some mom and pop shop that doesn't have that kind of economy of scale. They are also selling to a market that does not buy enough 80% product to pay back an investment in the heavy industrial CNC machinery that makes those finished lowers so inexpensively.
If you could buy all the parts to make GMC truck, you still couldn't put 80% of it together and then sell it cheaper than GM can sell one ready to roll, and make a living at it. |
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Your simple logic only works if it's one of the big manufacturers turning out both finished and 80% lowers. When you buy an 80% lower, you're buying it from some mom and pop shop that doesn't have that kind of economy of scale. They are also selling to a market that does not buy enough 80% product to pay back an investment in the heavy industrial CNC machinery that makes those finished lowers so inexpensively. this makes sense. i really wanted to get a few because of the possible OOPS factor. 
i guess the tactical machining set with the jig and the lower are looking like a really good deal right now. still out of stock though... |
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they are out of stock at the moment. it'll have to wait. i may buy a couple. probably be a summer project. as for the finishing. i'll just have it anodized.[/quote] I saw a post somewhere that stated Tactical Machining is gearing up. New machines that can literally product 1000 times more than what they can put out now, so “out of stock” should be a thing of the past soon. |
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they are out of stock at the moment. it'll have to wait. i may buy a couple. probably be a summer project. as for the finishing. i'll just have it anodized.[/quote] I saw a post somewhere that stated Tactical Machining is gearing up. New machines that can literally product 1000 times more than what they can put out now, so “out of stock” should be a thing of the past soon.[/quote] cool! 
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tactical machining is really the only choice right now. they are so superior to all the rest its not fair. while the build is fun, be advised it will cost 2-3 times a finished lower, depending how you finish it,and how much engraving /anodizing you have done. Another option. http://quentin-laser.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=27&products_id=159 |
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i'm not really hip to the billet lowers. i'd worry if it would fit in a jig. thanks for the link though!  Are you planning to completed these with a knee mill? bench mill/drill? mini mill? drill press? Dremel and vise? I have a RF45 mill/drill and have done 80%ers and a 0% lower to completion and while it definitely cost more than buying a finished lower, it was a lot of fun to do. |
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i'm not really hip to the billet lowers. i'd worry if it would fit in a jig. thanks for the link though! Are you planning to completed these with a knee mill? bench mill/drill? mini mill? drill press? Dremel and vise? I have a RF45 mill/drill and have done 80%ers and a 0% lower to completion and while it definitely cost more than buying a finished lower, it was a lot of fun to do. bridgeport |
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If you're using a Bridgeport for an 80%, you don't need a jig. Just follow the drawing and you should be good to go.
You can always make your own jig plates (just to hold the lower stable and flat) using the Ray-Vin tutorial if you'd like. I completed an 80% without the aid of DRO just using the vernier dials on the handwheels. Jump in and DO IT! |
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