Once you go 80%.......

DJBrad

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Do you ever go back to buying new or used? Based on cost savings, and more importantly the quality of the finished product, how do you all feel about your builds? When carefully built from the lower and finished up do you feel proud of the finished product? Of course the purpose of these needs not be discussed here.

My learning curve is progressing and as with everything I put my efforts into I do not regret the money spent on the beginnings. I do regret the lack of knowledge going in but of course the resources available beforehand pay dividends.
 
Yes. Just bought a used pistol today.
There was no cost savings. I just wanted to do it.
I’m not so much proud as much appreciative that I have a better working knowledge of the product and the designers intentions.

Aside from building a 1911 or milling a 0% lower, these are really basic erector set guns. Even completely stripping a gun to a bare frame/slide. You’re more of a parts assembler than gunsmith unless you go all out on them.
 
Yes. Just bought a used pistol today.
There was no cost savings. I just wanted to do it.
I’m not so much proud as much appreciative that I have a better working knowledge of the product and the designers intentions.

Aside from building a 1911 or milling a 0% lower, these are really basic erector set guns. Even completely stripping a gun to a bare frame/slide. You’re more of a parts assembler than gunsmith unless you go all out on them.
Great points. I agree I am a parts assembler at this point.

I’ve built my own 28’x10’ porch with a double hip roof. Built it from the ground up and justified getting my Dewalt sliding compound mitre with the rail stand just for it. Roofing angles and all.

When it comes to machining that is like a whole different animal requiring an entirely different set of tools and precise instrumentation of which I could never afford since I stretch myself between so many different trades. I do appreciate the ones who can and do fine machinist work.
 
It was fun. That was it. I might know of a guy that scored several P80 frames on sale several months ago to ensure he had them if hte Toolbags in Boston or DC decide they are no-go.

It was fun. It's a nice gun, the one I built. Trigger has some LoneWolf parts in it that make it nice shooting. Decent night sights. I love the P80 frame but with no grip-swell, I don't lock-in on the sights without thinking like I do with a "regular" Glock. I'd trust my life with the gun(s) I've shot for a long long long time. I can index a Glock without thinking. It just magically appears on-target. Part of the reason I don't tend to stray that much from the platform.
 
I'm giving it my first shot at assembling something on an AR platform. I really want to take my time, but there are so many things to consider and products to review, I don't think I'll ever get around to it! I think I'm in "analysis paralysis" mode with a few things, and I need to snap out of that.
 
Once you go 80%.......Do you ever go back to buying new or used?

Nah - "80%" is just a stepping stone to "0%". If you can't afford to buy 'em, build 'em from scratch.....

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And working on this jobbie .....

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Do you ever go back to buying new or used? Based on cost savings, and more importantly the quality of the finished product, how do you all feel about your builds? When carefully built from the lower and finished up do you feel proud of the finished product? Of course the purpose of these needs not be discussed here.

My learning curve is progressing and as with everything I put my efforts into I do not regret the money spent on the beginnings. I do regret the lack of knowledge going in but of course the resources available beforehand pay dividends.

Different guns for different purposes.
I've got x number of firearms that started as 80% receivers.

I'm building up a 10/22 right now that started with a Brownell's receiver. It's got an Evolution stock and an Arthur Brown barrel so far, waiting for a Timney trigger. There's an 80% receiver I could have gotten for this, but no need, no point.

My latest acquisition was a Glock 31, that's a .357Sig. Factory, except for the sights and trigger.
 
If I have the time and desire someday (post retirement maybe). Work, school, fishing, crabbing and hunting keep me pretty busy. Plus the never ending honey do list.

Lifetime warranty and resale value matter more to me - if it eventually came to that. Good friend of mine put over $1500 into a beautiful 224 Valkyrie AR he built. Cycled great, shot great. Times got tough and he had to sell. Best offer he got for it was $600. Few people want to take a risk on someone else's franken AR in a state where they can buy anything they want.
 
If I have the time and desire someday (post retirement maybe). Work, school, fishing, crabbing and hunting keep me pretty busy. Plus the never ending honey do list.

Lifetime warranty and resale value matter more to me - if it eventually came to that. Good friend of mine put over $1500 into a beautiful 224 Valkyrie AR he built. Cycled great, shot great. Times got tough and he had to sell. Best offer he got for it was $600. Few people want to take a risk on someone else's franken AR in a state where they can buy anything they want.

Selling used guns will generally cause a hose factor anyways, even if its factory built whatever. If you buy the wrong gun it becomes an albatross to move it. Do you really want to predicate your gun buy decisions based around what someone else likes? [laugh]

Better off just buying stuff with a plan to not sell it, or never have to sell it. Next time I get the "I want this gun but dont need it" itch, im just taking the cake I would have spent and throwing it in another bank account and mostly forgetting about it. That way I have a self-insurance policy so that... I don't have to ever sell another gun ever again.

-Mike
 
Selling used guns will generally cause a hose factor anyways, even if its factory built whatever. If you buy the wrong gun it becomes an albatross to move it. Do you really want to predicate your gun buy decisions based around what someone else likes? [laugh]

Better off just buying stuff with a plan to not sell it, or never have to sell it. Next time I get the "I want this gun but dont need it" itch, im just taking the cake I would have spent and throwing it in another bank account and mostly forgetting about it. That way I have a self-insurance policy so that... I don't have to ever sell another gun ever again.

-Mike

Never plan on selling any of my stuff but sh*t happens. That said I wouldn't buy or build anything that would be worth roughly 30% of my investment. Ive sold some guns in the past but never took a hit like that.
 
Never plan on selling any of my stuff but sh*t happens. That said I wouldn't buy or build anything that would be worth roughly 30% of my investment. Ive sold some guns in the past but never took a hit like that.

I'm of the mind that, for the intended purpose, an 80% that's built right is likely worth its weight in gold, just not in the typical context. Having a few guns
around you're not going to sell is not really a huge liability, unless you're one of those shoestring guys that owns like 4 guns or something, but that's not going to generate a lot of revenue anyways, so what difference does it make? (not to quote shitlery, but still). A couple of guns I can't sell is like noise pretty much.

I've been in a position a few times where I had to move crap, and every time it happened it's made me put in more protection against having to do it
ever again. It sucks, and you will get hosed.

-Mike
 
I've only sold two guns.

1st was an Auto Ordnance M1 Carbine I'd won from a GOAL raffle. Nice, handy little gun, but I sold it to an NES member in order to raise the funds to build up my FrankenAR 14.5" carbine. More reliable, more powerful, better overall gun for about the same $$ all in (OK the AR with sling, optic, light, etc. was a few hundred more, but my wife doesn't need to know that). Other than the BUIS, buttstock, and sling all being MagPul, no two other components are from the same manufacturer. I'd bought the stripped lower for that build exactly four days before Healey went rogue. Good timing.

My other sale was I sold an NES-engraved group buy lower & an A2 buttstock to a friend when I moved out of the Commonwealth in 2017, so that it stayed in-state. I bought a couple Andersons when I got here, and re-built my 20" rifle upper with a PRS stock. Still have a $49 Anderson for future build.

I like my .308 AR "SASS rifle" built on the NES GB 80% lower. It's a good shooter. I probably wouldn't go out & buy a .308 AR if I didn't build it like this. A commercial .308 AR or e.g. an M1A are prohibitively expensive, IMHO. I can't imagine ever selling it, although if times got tough I could "part it out" and sell the trigger, barrel, scope, etc. Just can't sell the lower.

I like my handguns, shotgun, and 10/22, and can't imagine ever selling any of them. My kids will get them willed to them, although I can't imagine them keeping them for long.
 
It’s definitely unlike my other endeavors in business. I bought and sold many things from antiques to guitars and the be either made money or sold something for another of better quality. This is not the case with guns unless you have a source for cheap prices in bulk but that just makes you a dealer here in Ma.
 
AR's are a terrible "investment" from perspective of holding value.......

Its a tool not a collectible

I don't think he's talking about an investment as much as retained value. If I bought something like a Colt 6920 and I had to sell it 10 years
later, I'd likely get most of my money back, and in terms of guns that's not too horrendous. It's still dumb concept though. It's still a terrible
strategy for trying to fix a financial problem regardless. It's only one step less dumb than maxing out a credit card or something. I find it personally
degrading after awhile, having been through that circus a couple times myself. It's like selling your shoes so you can eat. It sucks. It's nothing like selling
a gun that's just taking up space or you have no use for, etc.

-Mike
 
I almost sprung for the 80% AR10 lower but found that I’m stretching myself too thin. After my current knowledge I would not buy a commercial or used one.
 
I don't think he's talking about an investment as much as retained value. If I bought something like a Colt 6920 and I had to sell it 10 years
later, I'd likely get most of my money back, and in terms of guns that's not too horrendous. It's still dumb concept though. It's still a terrible
strategy for trying to fix a financial problem regardless. It's only one step less dumb than maxing out a credit card or something. I find it personally
degrading after awhile, having been through that circus a couple times myself. It's like selling your shoes so you can eat. It sucks. It's nothing like selling
a gun that's just taking up space or you have no use for, etc.

-Mike

Its not a dumb concept and I'm not looking at ARs, or guns for that matter, as an investment either (unless another AWB were to actually happen). Its the same reason I drive Toyota pickups and Jeep Wranglers (they hold their value). The fact that if I had to sell them I'd be better off than if I had purchased something like a BMW with a huge depreciation rate. Financially I do very well thanks. I don't plan on selling them but if God forbid I break both legs in a skiing accident, have to be out of work for a 6-8 months, and/or my wife gets laid off I can part with some things if needed and not get butt raped over it. I have other contingencies for this of course but you never know how bad a situation may get and the more cushion I have with any of my expenditures the better.

If someone wants to build an AR that wont sell for what you paid for the BCG, barrel and magpul furniture that is their prerogative. Its just not mine. Maybe I'm a cheap prick, but its served me well so far. If I had a net worth of 30 million I'd still be this way [laugh]
 
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Its not a dumb concept

It's dumb because you'll always get hosed when you sell guns under exigent circumstances. I've only done it enough times to really f***ing hate it at this
point. I'd rather take out a HELOC or a hardship withdrawal from my retirement or some shit like that than sell my guns ever again.

and I'm not looking at ARs, or guns for that matter, as an investment either (unless another AWB were to actually happen). Its the same reason I drive Toyota pickups and Jeep Wranglers (they hold their value). The fact that if I had to sell them I'd be better off than if I had purchased something like a BMW with a huge depreciation rate. Financially I do very well thanks. I don't plan on selling them but if God forbid I break both legs in a skiing accident, have to be out of work for a 6-8 months, and/or my wife gets laid off I can part with some things if needed and not get butt raped over it. I have other contingencies for this of course but you never know how bad a situation may get and the more cushion I have with any of my expenditures the better.

If someone wants to build an AR that wont sell for what you paid for the BCG, barrel and magpul furniture that is their prerogative. Its just not mine. Maybe I'm a cheap prick, but its served me well so far. [laugh]

Yeah but let's be real, is a few 80% guns in an otherwise decent collection going to kill the value of the whole thing? Probably not, unless you're one of those dudes that owns like 4 guns total or something (and given the crew around here, I doubt that).

There's a big difference from a couple of ARs that cost like a grand or two at the most and a 20-30K wrangler... too... etc.

I agree with what you're getting at- the retard factor of making everything out of 80 just because. It's usually pretty inefficient. But most people don't build 80s
based off that reasoning. If you don't see the other side of the coin, then I can see why you wouldn't want one at all.

-Mike
 
I dont think there is anything retarded with it at all. In a way I wish I wasnt such a cheap bastard because it sounds like fun. Maybe someday once the kids are grown and Im not such a skinflint. Right now I have 3 college tuitions and a daughter's eventual wedding on the horizon. If you consider mitigating future financial losses from substantial purchases as being dumb, then I hope to be the biggest idiot since Forrest Gump. At least I'll be an idiot with a huge savings account and a decent retirement. BTW I have a modest firearm collection. Probably a handful over 30 at this point. Not many given the company on this forum I'm sure.
 
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The way I see it, when you buy tools they are always too be handed down unless extreme circumstances exist. The only tools that are forlorn are those from Harbor Freight. Those are the ones I use once, throw away, or give to my friends never to seek them back.

I can’t say that about my guns.
 
I love the allure of an 80% lower but I have never done one because assembled quality ones are so damn cheap it’s just like kind of a waste of money. I definitely have a building addiction and may do some 80%ers just for the fun of it, and I realize that there could be certain benefits to the 80% route but that’s pretty low down on my list of worries at this point.

I’m no rich guy, I’ve had to sell toys that I wanted to keep to pay bills. Luckily I’ve never HAD to sell a firearm, and hope I never will.
 
I love the allure of an 80% lower but I have never done one because assembled quality ones are so damn cheap it’s just like kind of a waste of money. I definitely have a building addiction and may do some 80%ers just for the fun of it, and I realize that there could be certain benefits to the 80% route but that’s pretty low down on my list of worries at this point.

I’m no rich guy, I’ve had to sell toys that I wanted to keep to pay bills. Luckily I’ve never HAD to sell a firearm, and hope I never will.
There’s only one good reason for an 80% lower.
 
I love the allure of an 80% lower but I have never done one because assembled quality ones are so damn cheap it’s just like kind of a waste of money. I definitely have a building addiction and may do some 80%ers just for the fun of it, and I realize that there could be certain benefits to the 80% route but that’s pretty low down on my list of worries at this point.

I’m no rich guy, I’ve had to sell toys that I wanted to keep to pay bills. Luckily I’ve never HAD to sell a firearm, and hope I never will.

I concur for an AR. It is cheap. And you only need so many lowers. UPPERS are what gitz'ya.

There’s only one good reason for an 80% lower.

In Mass, maybe. In free states, it's not really a bother. Which is why some Congresscritters want to pass a full background law. Because in most states, it's a handshake and cash exchange and nothing more. Sure Beadreaux bought those 5 lowers from Betcherass Gun Shop. And then sold them to 5 (or 1) other people. Gun traces aren't for solving crimes a la Law & Order.

I have to say - I was futzing with my P80 the other night seeing if it would fit into a CAA MCK (it doesn't - not even close) and realized how cool of a pistol it really is. Fits nice. It's 100% mine. Trigger is amazing. (And I can handle a normal Glock trigger with no issues.) I'm pretty proud of "making" it. That's the primary joy.

Yes, it's registered. Retarded MA laws. And no, I'd never carry it because if I HAD to use it, I'd stand more of a chance of being boned.
 
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