If I buy a Drilling Jig would anyone in the Austin are want to do a group buy on 80% recievers. We could set up a day to get together and do all the drilling. Also would you be able to help ofset the cost of the jig. Maybe $15 to 20$ a person? How does this sound!!!

Quoted: Hell, I'm up in DFW and would be interested. Pencil me in. Plus if its in Austin, on a Sat. I may cruise down on a Fri. and hit 6th Street.

Me too.
I use to live in Austin.
I'm in.

I'm with them. I'll drive from Ft worth.

what do the 80% receivers cost?  I might could go for one to finish up and stash away...


LT, if you do come down, drop me a line, I'll meet ya down on 6th!

Keep me up to date with the details, and I'll be in!

Hey Everyone
We need about 4 more people to make this really
viable. The 80% lowers are from National Ordance in Houston and can be had in powdercoated or non powder coated. With tigger guard cast in or not. I picked up a powdercoated last week with the trigger guard for $110. I think that the non coated woould be the best way to go since the one I got needes a bit more finish work. So I am guessing around $90 for the lower. There is about a 5 week leadtime on the jig if I can't get one from National Ordance. I would be willing to go to Houston and avoid shipping cost.
Jay

FWIW, make certain ya got a high quality drill press, the reamer and taps (for buffer and grip screw) as well as that ultra long "high carbon" steel bit for drilling the pin that holds the bolt release lever, (which has to be long in order to reach from buffer end of lower, it's only about $7-8 bucks, or was, but something alot of folk forget about, till ya think your done).

Make certain ya got the blue-print, which should come w/ the jig, if purchased from the Tannery Shop.

Oh yea, don't forget someone who knows how to run the drill press, preferably that should be a "skilled" someone as there will be some creativity involved in "how to do" certain aspects of finishing 80% lowers.

It's been quite a while since I did this and had the fellow who's press and equipment I used, been less skilled and not known where I could order the small "long" drill bit, as well as helped with figuring out how to modify the press w/ different chucks and placement of the jig, to get the needed vertical travel during certain aspects of completion, I'd have never been able to complete the ones I did.

Looks easy-peasy, japanesey, but there's more to it than most realize. First the fitting of the 80% lower to the jig, ya have to file, (w/ standard flat file) the interior of the mag well, so that it will accept a USGI mag, then you'll find, it's still not large enough to fit over the mag squares in the jig. After ya get it to fit, (can't be loose, has to be tight to insure the rest of the holes are in proper placement), then you generally have to plane the top to match the jig. Then there's placing the jig, getting it mounted on the drill press, so that it's square and so bit cuts the holes without reaming out the holes in the jig.

Not trying to dissuade ya here, just trying to let ya know that the fella I got my jig, reamers and bits from told me "I'd screw up a few before I got one right", well, had the drill press not been top-notch and the machinist helper, who showed me how to do things properly, been less skilled, I have no doubt the advice given me, would have been true. FWIW, I managed 2 that worked perfectly.

Just don't think that w/ a jig, and a drill your gonna get a completed lower, it takes some high dollar equipment and real skill in the machinist areas to get to where ya want to be, with a quality lower as an end result.

That said, there was an enormous satisfaction in completion of the project, and a healthy appreciation for anyone who has done it, best of luck to ya guys.

Mike

PS - it's been awhile since I did this, but if ya need some help or want to ask a question or two, I think I still have some of the info on what it took to get a finished product, but understand I am not a machinist and credit for the ones I built really belong to the machinist who helped me. I may have drill and filed and tapped the holes, but he was the one with the smarts to help w/ the settings and showing how to control the depths of drills and technical aspects of the press, which in the long run was THE most beneficial and necessary tool, IMO of the entire process.