TGO Lowers "what your going to build" "how to build" General discussion thread

[tomthumb_KTM]

I ordered an upper and lower.  I will be putting a 3-gun rifle together.  

 

Tom 

Edited October 14, 2013 by tomthumb_KTM

[Lumber_Jack]

Im in for the win. Now the decision to build a pistol caliber or switch my .300 to the billet and build the spikes as a pistol caliber

[vontar]

exactly what are all the caliber choices we have

 

.223/.556, 300 blk,

 

I think I saw someone say something about 7.62x39 for cheap ammo.

 

Anything else?

 

They all can be built as a pistol first from what I have been reading right?

[Garufa]

You can do 5.45x39 also.

[mikegideon]

exactly what are all the caliber choices we have

 

.223/.556, 300 blk,

 

I think I saw someone say something about 7.62x39 for cheap ammo.

 

Anything else?

 

They all can be built as a pistol first from what I have been reading right?

 

7.62 x 39 is bad juju in an AR because of the straight mag well. I know... some folks do it.

[Oh Shoot]

 

They all can be built as a pistol first from what I have been reading right?

 

No caliber restrictions for making a pistol.

 

- OS

[mikegideon]

No caliber restrictions for making a pistol.

 

- OS

 

.458 SOCOM! We'll get Erik to shoot it first :)

[vontar]

.458 SOCOM! We'll get Erik to shoot it first :)

 

 

Hell, I might line up for that.  Move Erik.

[Oh Shoot]

.458 SOCOM! We'll get Erik to shoot it first :)

 

Ouch. In two ways.  :)

 

- OS

[vontar]

7.62 x 39 is bad juju in an AR because of the straight mag well. I know... some folks do it.

  lol

 

I actually meant to say 5.45x39 instead of 7.62 but I see that has been covered by Garufa

 

[mikegideon]

Hell, I might line up for that.  Move Erik.

 

Gotta let Erik go first. It will spin him around like a top. Fun to watch :)

[Lumber_Jack]

So, would building a pistol caliber be a waste of a good billet pair? Any reasons not to do it?

[vontar]

So, would building a pistol caliber be a waste of a good billet pair? Any reasons not to do it?

 

From what I am reading, build as a pistol first, take a picture for record and then build anything you want.

In short to keep all your options open for down the road.

 

:D

 

I am planning a .556 and a 300 blk. currently.  I might be open to other ideas.

Edited October 15, 2013 by vontar

[Lumber_Jack]

From what I am reading, build as a pistol first, take a picture for record and then build anything you want.

:D

I am planning a .556 and a 300 blk. currently. I might be open to other ideas.

No,no, no.... pistol Caliber, Ya know 9mm, 45Acp :D

[MacGyver]

All the stuff to do a pistol caliber build on a standard lower is removable.  I say go for it.

 

I sure do like DDLES's dedicated glock mag lower, though.  Works just like it should.

[Fourtyfive]

As it's been said , if you have a pistol upper , attach the pistol upper to the lower first. No full stock attached , viola , it's a pistol , then do as you please.

[R_Bert]

As it's been said , if you have a pistol upper , attach the pistol upper to the lower first. No full stock attached , viola , it's a pistol , then do as you please.

So do you have to own the upper, or will a borrowed one do ?

[Fourtyfive]

I assume a borrowed one will do , the law reads it is as just as it is first assembled.

First a pistol , then a pistol , legal to go rifle and back and forth ; but not the reverse. Edited October 15, 2013 by Threeeighty

[Oh Shoot]

I assume a borrowed one will do , the law reads it is as just as it is first assembled.

First a pistol , then a pistol , legal to go rifle and back and forth ; but not the reverse.

 

Yep.

 

In the real world, would take some extraordinary circumstances to got popped someday for having first made a rifle from a virgin lower, but hey, do it according to the book and you never have to think of a lie, eh?

 

(A quirk of this ruling is that federal law has no maximum length for a barrel to be classed a handgun, so really, anyone who builds an AR and puts the stock on last, first made a handgun, cause it can't be a rifle without a stock.)  But don't necessarily take that advice as your statement. :)

 

- OS

Edited October 15, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Fourtyfive]

Yep.
 
In the real world, would take some extraordinary circumstances to got popped someday for having first made a rifle from a virgin lower, but hey, do it according to the book and you never have to think of a lie, eh?
 
(A quirk of this ruling is that federal law has no maximum length for a barrel to be classed a handgun, so really, anyone who builds an AR and puts the stock on last, first made a handgun, cause it can't be a rifle without a stock.)  But don't necessarily take that advice as your statement. :)
 
- OS

True as can be , A+++++

[TMF]

So, would building a pistol caliber be a waste of a good billet pair? Any reasons not to do it?

 

Personally, I feel like the billet pair is too nice to make into a simple pistol plinker, unless the ultimate goal is to SBR it.  To each his own and all, but there is no substantial reason not to turn it into a pistol.  I'm putting my billet pair on my super go-fast rifle, and putting the upper/lower I pull off into my next el-cheapo plinker.

[Oh Shoot]

Oh, meant to mention one other legal quirk regarding the AR rifle/pistol thing, since we're talking letter of the law:

 

if any of you are deciding to build a pistol only, and don't also own an AR rifle, or at least also have a 16" barrel, having that pistol only (or the unassembled parts for one) and a stock, you could be charged with making an NFA firearm, whether you intended to, or actually did, or not. Same with a vertical forward grip.

 

IOW, if all you own is an AR pistol or the parts for one,  regardless of what type of buffer tube is on it, don't have a stock too. Or a vertical forward grip if the pistol config isn't legally 26" or more in overall length.

 

Simpler than it sounds: look at a part or component:

- Is there an illegal config I could use this with?

- If no, cool.

- if yes, then

- is there also a legal config I could use this with?

- if yes, cool

- if no, don't have it

 

Extremely unlikely, sure, but ....

 

- OS

Edited October 15, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[TMF]

Oh, meant to mention one other legal quirk regarding the AR rifle/pistol thing, since we're talking letter of the law:

 

if any of you are deciding to build a pistol only, and don't also own an AR rifle, or at least also have a 16" barrel, having that pistol only (or the unassembled parts for one) and a stock, you could be charged with making an NFA firearm, whether you intended to, or actually did, or not. Same with a vertical forward grip.

 

IOW, if all you own is an AR pistol or the parts for one,  regardless of what type of buffer tube is on it, don't have a stock too. Or a vertical forward grip if the pistol config isn't legally 26" or more in overall length.

 

Extremely unlikely, sure, but ....

 

- OS

 

This is part of the reason I have yet to build an AR pistol.  I always have extra AR parts on hand, to include extra buffer tubes, stocks, internals, fore grips and so on.  I could easily get nailed on constructive content if I was to add a short barrel to the list of extra parts, let alone an entirely assembled pistol.  But I guess that's if they really wanted to nail me and had something else hanging over my head.  Nonetheless, I hate the idea that if the feds really wanted to they could charge me with a felony when I haven't willfully broken any law nor intended to.  So, for that reason I don't have a pistol yet.  Maybe if I build one you'll see a bunch of extra parts being put up in the "pay it forward" thread.

[Oh Shoot]

This is part of the reason I have yet to build an AR pistol.  I always have extra AR parts on hand, to include extra buffer tubes, stocks, internals, fore grips and so on.  I could easily get nailed on constructive content if I was to add a short barrel to the list of extra parts, let alone an entirely assembled pistol.

 

Probably not. See my added walk through I added above:

 

look at a part or component:

- Is there an illegal config I could use this with?

- If no, cool.

- if yes, then

- is there also a legal config I could use this with?

- if yes, cool

- if no, don't have it

 

Only if you have part or groups of parts that have no "useful purpose OTHER than to make an NFA firearm" could you possibly be culpable. And extra parts are just that, extra parts. As long as any can be used in legal config among everything you have, doesn't matter how many you have. It's not a "one on one matchup" type thang.

 

The only time you could be culpable for a short barrel is if you don't have a legal lower for it to go on, but also had the rest of the parts to use it, (which could include a complete AR rifle, they don't have to disassembled).

 

- OS

Edited October 15, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[TMF]

Probably not. See my added walk through I added above:

 

look at a part or component:

- Is there an illegal config I could use this with?

- If no, cool.

- if yes, then

- is there also a legal config I could use this with?

- if yes, cool

- if no, don't have it

 

Only if you have part or groups of parts that have no "useful purpose OTHER than to make an NFA firearm" could you possibly be culpable. And extra parts are just that, extra parts. As long as any can be used in legal config among everything you have, doesn't matter how many you have. It's not a "one on one matchup" type thang.

 

The only time you could be culpable for a short barrel is if you don't have a legal lower for it to go on, but also had the rest of the parts to use it, (which could include a complete AR rifle, they don't have to disassembled).

 

- OS

 

Okay, I was to understand that it was a one for one thing, as in I have 4 x AR rifles yet two extra buffer tubes and buttstocks for a total of 6, and at least a half dozen vertical fore grips, yet only 3 x ARs that can accept a VFG.  Also add to that 4 x virgin lowers and 2 x stripped uppers.  One could see that an addition of a 7.5 inch barrel to the mix could signify constructive intent, especially if I build a pistol the way you have yours, with the standard buffer tube that can accept a buttstock and a rail system with an angled foregrip that can be switched out with one of my VFG if desired.  Seems like a very murky area.  Certainly wouldn't want to have any marijuana plants growing wild in my back yard or be present at any white supremacist meetings with such a subjectively written law.