Sportsman's Guide selling mid-length AR15 Del-ton kit for $477

[MarkT]

Here's another rifle for the safe, in case the Hildabeast wins and these become unobtainium.

American made AR-15, Member's price, annual membership $40 - worth it if you buy outdoor equip online. Kit has everything incl fire control parts, except a stripped lower receiver, rear sight and magazines.  Can get the lower online but you need to have it shipped to an FFL if it's finished - I've found them locally at Big R and gun stores for under $100 for black anodized aluminum - might have to ask for a deal, I did.  Of course you can also buy 80% lowers, finish them yourself and no NCIS check if you care about not being listed with the govt. Not for me, I LOVE having my own dossier at the NSA - I feel "special".  If the Hildabeast gets in, betcha she will try to "close" this "loophole" of avoiding the 4473 with her dictator edicts.  IIRC there are NO documented cases of such Modern Sporting Rifles (w/o serial #'s) being used criminally.

You can get free shipping by googling for a coupon for sportsman's guide.

It took me a couple hours for complete assembly including the FCG but it's not my first build. If I had finished an 80% lower myself, it would have taken a couple hours as well. But then I have machining equipment and experience...  I've built half a dozen Del-ton kits for friends (not for hire), usually tutoring sometimes supervising and I (we) have been happy with all of them.  Only once have we had one part missing in the FCG parts.

specs:

    16" chrome moly vanadium  with 1:9 twist, threaded muzzle and A2 flash hider
    Chambered for 5.56x45mm
    Mil.-spec forged 7075 T6 aluminum upper receiver with A3 flat top, M4 feed ramps, right hand eject with ejection port cover, round forward assist
    Hard coat anodized. Bore's surface is coated with dry film lube, over the anodized surface
    Manganese phosphated, including under front sight base
    Taper pins in F-marked front sight base
    Mil.-spec phosphated 8620 steel carrier assembly with HPT / MPI tested Carpenter 158 bolt
    Heat treated and plated, with chrome-lined carrier interior and carrier key attached with Grade 8 screws
    Mid-length handguards with aluminum delta ring and single heat shield
    M4 5-position buttstock made of reinforced fiber with mil.-spec sized tube
    USA made

From the reviews - I agree with this:
"This is a great kit to finish an AR build with. It came with everything needed to complete a stripped lower. I built it on an Anderson lower receiver and everything went together great. The fitting with the lower was tight with no gaps or looseness to speak of. It came built on an Anchor-Harvey upper receiver, many high level manufacturers use receivers cast by them on their own builds. Comes with forward asst. and dust cover. The gas key and bolt carrier are chrome lined and the bolt is HTP/MPI tested. The hand guards have single heat shields in them and are not too fat like some others. The barrel is a heavy profile barrel 1x9 twist,.. which was a little heavier than I was expected, but will dissipate the heat very well. It has an F-marked front sight. The trigger is mil-spec and about what you would expect. The buffer tube is mil-spec also. All in all this is a very nice kit for someone looking to build a nice mid-length AR and not break the bank.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/del-ton-16-mid-length-rifle-kit?a=1784641

[Gavin_Sons]

i think i'll buy that, just need to get an 80% lower

[Jess from VA]

That is a nice deal, but around my neck of the woods, boatloads of used (if at all) ARs of all types and names (high end to run of the mill and home-made ones too), are for sale, many for very decent prices.  During the most recent shortage and ban worry, thousands were bought and stored, and are now being sold for cost or less.  I bet this is also so the case most places.  (Esp for those without adequate skills or assembly tools)

Face to face, due diligence, no paper trail.

Six pages on one of my my VA gun boards. 
http://www.vaguntrader.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/207/1

[MarkT]

IMHO whatever it takes to stay away from the paperwork is worth it.  80% lowers are easy to find online. I'd stay away from the poly ones and go with anodized alum but that's just me.  The machining templates are easy to find too. All you really need is a drill press but also a mill makes it easier.  HF has them.  There's at least one outfit selling a CNC controlled mill for automating the machining specifically of AR's.  And 3D printers for the same.  Gotta think, I'd be leary of getting on their buyer's list.  But again that's just me.  It's illegal to make unserialized lowers for others and the govt esp with the current administration would tend to throw the book at anyone caught doing that. And those machines imply that one is making more than "personal use" AR's.

[Gavin_Sons]

IMHO whatever it takes to stay away from the paperwork is worth it.  80% lowers are easy to find online. I'd stay away from the poly ones and go with anodized alum but that's just me.  The machining templates are easy to find too. All you really need is a drill press but also a mill makes it easier.  HF has them.  There's at least one outfit selling a CNC controlled mill for automating the machining specifically of AR's.  And 3D printers for the same.  Gotta think, I'd be leary of getting on their buyer's list.  But again that's just me.  It's illegal to make unserialized lowers for others and the govt esp with the current administration would tend to throw the book at anyone caught doing that. And those machines imply that one is making more than "personal use" AR's.

My buddy is a big fan of the poly lowers. We have a full blown machine shop at work and one of our guys can do an 80 lower in no time. I'M not a big fan of that hand guard on that rifle, I like the full length quad rails. Several places online sell the whole kit with templates  and lower for around 600. But like jess said you can pick up a nice used one for cheap

[MarkT]

IMHO whatever it takes to stay away from the paperwork is worth it.  80% lowers are easy to find online. I'd stay away from the poly ones and go with anodized alum but that's just me.  The machining templates are easy to find too. All you really need is a drill press but also a mill makes it easier.  HF has them.  There's at least one outfit selling a CNC controlled mill for automating the machining specifically of AR's.  And 3D printers for the same.  Gotta think, I'd be leary of getting on their buyer's list.  But again that's just me.  It's illegal to make unserialized lowers for others and the govt esp with the current administration would tend to throw the book at anyone caught doing that. And those machines imply that one is making more than "personal use" AR's.

My buddy is a big fan of the poly lowers. We have a full blown machine shop at work and one of our guys can do an 80 lower in no time. I'M not a big fan of that hand guard on that rifle, I like the full length quad rails. Several places online sell the whole kit with templates  and lower for around 600. But like jess said you can pick up a nice used one for cheap

I might not mention that here or anywhere; it's illegal for him to make a lower for anybody else and ATF penalties can be severe.  I just threw this out here because it's not looking good for Trump right now; good time to stock up on 2A stuff as much as you can; $477 for the kit is a good price for a basic new AR but it's not gonna include the bells and whistles.  I wouldn't get it either if it was my only AR but it's an inexpensive add-on for the safe and to prep for SHTF/Hildabeast administration.  Personally I don't need templates and I'm not into buying used serialized guns unless it's off the books. You can't do that except face-to-face with a non-dealer.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Good post and a good deal. For those looking to build there own, Hardened Arms and Palmetto State Armory also have some good deals. I've bought from both and have been very satisfied. If you're building your own upper Anderson Manufacturing has barrels available but they're out of many parts right now it looks like.