80 Percent Lower
An 80 percent lower is the easiest and most affordable way to become the proud new owner of an AR-15 rifle or pistol without having to deal with an FFL, government paperwork, or extra taxes and bureaucratic fees. Available in standard 5.56 NATO or .223 Win, .308 Win, and 9mm, these 80% lowers afford you the same quality stripped receiver that you’d find at the local gun store, minus the high price! All that's required of you, the builder, is some basic cutting and drilling with a tool called an 80% jig, and some simple hand tools.
"Is building a rifle or handgun like this legal?"
Excellent question: The Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) both say it's perfectly legal to craft a gun at home, from scratch. You don't need any paperwork, an FFL license, or a background check. As long as you're not a felon and can otherwise legally own a firearm in your state, you can build a gun at home. Because an 80% lower (or 80% frame for a handgun) is not fully fabricated and is not functional, it's not considered a firearm.
State Laws May Vary
Contrary to federal law, some states have either restricted or banned the sale, transfer, and ownership of 80% lowers, firearm blanks, and other gun parts. Because of these restrictions, we cannot ship our products to certain states. Please confirm whether your state is restricted on our Shipping & Return Policy before placing an order. We cannot fulfill orders to restricted states if placed.
To learn more about 80% percent lowers (state and federal), click here.
Fabricating Your Receiver at Home
Every 80 percent lower is built to standard, "mil-spec" specifications so they’re compatible with any AR-15 lower parts kit trigger assembly, buffer kit, and upper assembly you’d otherwise buy for an off-the-shelf AR-15 receiver. No serialization is required for most states (read the laws linked above to learn more about this) and each 80 percent lower is built using the same billet and forged aluminum alloys as your standard AR-15.
To fabricate your receiver and make it ready for assembly, you'll need to perform four steps:
- Drill the trigger pin hole
- Drill the hammer pin hole
- Drill the safety lever hole
- Cut the main cavity for the parts kit
These four steps take less than two hours for most builders with no experience. Experienced "smiths" can complete a receiver blank in around 30 minutes to 1 hour. You'll need a drill press (which can also be used to cut the main cavity with center-cut end mill bits and plunge cutting), a bench top vise, and some machining oil. All 80% jigs and kits include the required drill bits, including a center-cut end mill.
Benefits of an 80 Percent Lower:
- 100% legal to own and build in all 50 states
- Requires no FFL to buy, ship, own, or build
- Maintains same specifications and an off-the-shelf AR-15
- Requires little to no mechanical knowledge to build!
- Made from quality billet and forged aluminum alloys
- CNC machined to military specifications
- Proudly made in the USA
- Ships discreetly and legally to your front door!
DISCLAIMER: If you are new to the world of DIY gun building, you likely have a lot of questions and rightfully so. It’s an area that has a lot of questions that, without the correct answers, could have some serious implications. At 80-lower.com, we are by no means providing this content on our website to serve as legal advice or legal counsel. We encourage each and every builder to perform their own research around their respective State laws as well as educating themselves on the Federal laws. When performing your own research, please be sure that you are getting your information from a reliable source.