Gun building in regards to personal use and whats legal

Much of this depends on the laws in your state, so you need to identify your (state) location.

Federally:
You are free to make your own rifles, pistols and shotguns without any associated paperwork.

As a 20 year old, FFL's are prohibited from transferring a handgun to someone under 21 years old. There is no prohibition on a 20 year old from making, owning, or buying (from a private party) a handgun, however.

You may not make a machine gun, short barreled rifle, short barreled shotgun, silencer, destructive device, or "any other weapon" (a specific term related to specific types of firearms), without registering with a Form 1 and associated tax. You cannot register a machine gun as a private individual, however, so that is completely off the table.

Be sure to actually find out what each of those terms actually means.

State laws vary, however.

pdsmith505 is correct.

You can NOT make anything that is considered a NFA item without the proper paperwork and taxes paid first. So you can NOT make any full auto firearms or parts capable of converting a semi-auto to full auto without doing the proper paperwork, taxes and background check. This also includes suppressors, short barrels raffles, short barreled shotguns, explosive devices (grenade launchers and ammo), guns disguised as something else or classified as "Any Other Weapon". And NO we will NOT help you break the law. DO NOT ASK HOW TO MAKE ANYTHING ILLEGAL HERE!

You need to read all the pertinent federal firearm laws and follow them. You also need to read and follow your state laws too.

Now for my cynical side to come out yet again. Is the far left and the ATF really trolling us this much lately?????????

Because I'm bored, I took a look at your other post in the introductions:

Theben169 said:

Hi my name is ben and I have quite a few questions about guns as well as looking forward to meeting people with like interests. I live here in the states in new mexico and have always wanted to get into the hobby a little more

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As far as NM is concerned, all firearms transfers must be completed through an FFL since July 1, 2019.

Edit: Specifically, N.M. Stat. § 30-7-7.1 prohibits sales without background checks. It specifically exempts sales between immediate family members

https://casetext.com/statute/new-me...-sale-of-a-firearm-without-a-background-check

Your only legal paths to a handgun are through an immediate family member or by building one yourself. Keep in mind, the frame or receiver of the handgun is the firearm, so you will have to complete the frame or receiver on your own from non-firearm parts if you decide to build a handgun.

Sadly you can not any longer make full Auto stuff. The Feds will not let you paper it. This got cut off a long time ago which is why the legal ones have gone to insane prices. As for just making something from what are called "80%" it's ok for now in most states assuming you can legally own a gun but, it is on the radar now and many are trying to stop this. As for a 20 year old having a hand gun some states allow this. A 20 YO can't buy a hand gun from a dealer but, state law does allow many to have one. This and ALL laws about firearms are something I cringe when watching someone ask on line. Anyone can say anything. You see a LOT of people say stuff that is just not true about firearm law. Most of them probably "think" what they are saying is accurate even when it's not. So before you take anyone's word for something be careful. If you end up in front of a black robe they will not care what you read on the net. Enjoy the shooting sport but be careful not to end up in a bind son.

Theben169 said:

I'm only 20 and cant legally register a handgun in my name is there any law that says I cant make my own?

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In a finer point, NM has no registration requirements for any firearm. The reason why you can't register a handgun in your name is because there is no registry to register it in. Federally, NFA items (mentioned above) have registration requirements.

14.5in is too short for a rifle.

Take some time and read the federal laws, it will answer many of your questions and hopefully, keep you out of trouble.

Theben169 said:

Also the state doesnt however the local county bernaillo is a registration county

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I looked for such a requirement in Bernalillo county, but could not find one. I searched county code for the terms "firearm" and "registration" separately and didn't find anything that requires registration of firearms.

Probably because of NM Const. Art II Section 6:

Sec. 6. [Right to bear arms.] No law shall abridge the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms for security and defense, for lawful hunting and recreational use and for other lawful purposes, but nothing herein shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons. No municipality or county shall regulate, in any way, an incident of the right to keep and bear arms. (As amended November 2, 1971 and November 2, 1986.)

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Theben169 said:

For everyone asking I live in new mexico and thankyou all for the feedback. Ive been interested in building the "expedient homemade firearms 9mm" if you guys arent familiar it has a 14.5 inch barrel and is constructed of standard pipe and tube from any steel supplier. Would something like that be against the laws to make?

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Ohen Cepel said:

14.5in is too short for a rifle.

Take some time and read the federal laws, it will answer many of your questions and hopefully, keep you out of trouble.

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If built as a pistol, the barrel length wouldn't matter.

Theben169 said:

Also something I forgot to mention is that this would be full auto as in the set up listed in the book if anyone could discuss how to set up a proper trigger system to make it semi instead of full or just basic knowledge on how a trigger system normally would work inside a regular firearm

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As mentioned previously, there is no legal way for you to build your own machinegun (short of the proper federal licenses). A discussion of how to modify plans for an open-bolt submachine gun to be a closed-bolt semi-automatic would be a better topic for the Gunsmithing and Repairs section of the forum.

Theben169 said:

For everyone asking I live in new mexico and thankyou all for the feedback. Ive been interested in building the "expedient homemade firearms 9mm" if you guys arent familiar it has a 14.5 inch barrel and is constructed of standard pipe and tube from any steel supplier. Would something like that be against the laws to make?

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As long as your state has not yet told people they can not turn an 80% into a working firearm you could make one out of pipe. Really not sure why you would want to but assuming you can legally own a firearm? Then yes so far. Unless google boys have scrubbed them there are or were lots of video of people making a firearm with steep pipe and some common parts. Often slam fire. There is or was video of how to make common guns like the Sten. The Sten was probably they easiest to make working clones of but of course doing this as most wanted to make them made you eligible for bed and breakfast at a Fed prison for the fun. Again not really sure what it is you want here. You are playing a dangerous game trying to build what used to be known as "zip guns". You can end up making something that is dangerous to the person holding it as well as anyone around it. If you end up in some ER will it still be as much fun as the idea seemed?

Theben169 said:

I'm trying to find where it would specify what I would need to make it as but I'm not finding anything good could someone link me the laws or a reference guide on what to avoid

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Since you have net access try searching Federal law on making your own firearm. The info is not hidden. The same laws about building an 80% into a working firearm work no matter how you start out. Federal law is easily searched. Your state laws should be online too. Again easily searched.

Theben169 said:

I'm trying to find where it would specify what I would need to make it as but I'm not finding anything good could someone link me the laws or a reference guide on what to avoid

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18 USC 921 and 18 USC 922 would be a good place to start.

Theben169 said:

Ive been interested in building the "expedient homemade firearms 9mm" if you guys arent familiar it has a 14.5 inch barrel and is constructed of standard pipe and tube from any steel supplier. Would something like that be against the laws to make?

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Uhh... yeah don’t build that. Those are plans for an open bolt submachine gun. As discussed above, new machine guns are a no-go. Same with any open bolt firearm even if it functions as a semi-auto only (though there are some small exceptions that aren’t worth getting into here).

Changing an open bolt submachine gun design into a legal closed bolt semi-auto design is a significant undertaking involving a lot of receiver and parts redesign. You’re literally changing everything about how the gun operates. Even manufacturers have trouble with the transition sometimes. Not to be mean, but if you don’t know how triggers work, you shouldn’t attempt a conversion like this as a first build.

There are lots of other issues with that design, but the glaring one is that it was designed to be made in an environment where no gun parts are readily available. That is NOT the case with us here in the US.

For example, if you use a barrel made out of some random pipe, you don’t have good (if any) rifling and likely won’t have a correct chamber reamed. That means you either run the risk of cartridges going too far down the barrel or firing before they are fully seated, resulting in an out of battery detonation. It is much easier and safer to just buy a real barrel, especially when they are unregulated.

Same thing with magazines. Mags are often the main source of weapons malfunctions, and can be tricky to get right. Just buy some real mags as opposed to trying to build your own.

If the gun you build is a rifle, it must have at minimum a 16” barrel (as measured by a rod put down the barrel, resting on the breach face). Best practice is to go just a bit longer than 16” so there’s no question. Getting it wrong is a felony.

I understand the excitement behind wanting to get into your first build, but I HIGHLY recommend you start off with something that is more formulaic and easier. For one, you’re likely to be able to find a lot of people who can help with questions (as opposed to asking “how do I fix this problem with my illegal SMG”).

Remember for legal purposes, the Receiver is the actual firearm - just about everything else can be ordered and shipped to your house. The easiest home build guns I can recommend are something like a Polymer80 (for a pistol) or an 80% AR (if you want a rifle). Those will let you build the lower, and then just order the rest of the parts.

If you want something a little more involved, look at building an AK. But be warned, you’ll need a good bit of machinery and tooling. Definitely doable, but you’re not going to be putting it together at your kitchen table.

Theben169 said:

Also something I forgot to mention is that this would be full auto as in the set up listed in the book if anyone could discuss how to set up a proper trigger system to make it semi instead of full or just basic knowledge on how a trigger system normally would work inside a regular firearm

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Home made - Full Auto is illegal.
If you want one of those, go talk to your local US Army Recruiter.

Otherwise, obtain and build yourself a Polymer 80 Glock. Figure with a Polymer 80 Glock you will spend more on building it than buying a new or used Glock. I built 2 of them. One is perfect the other had issues and I replaced the P80 frame with a factory frame.

Really you would be better off just waiting till your 21st B-Day and buying whatever you want.

In the meantime you can own shotguns and rifles. Learn to shoot a rifle.

Theben169 said:

For everyone asking I live in new mexico and thankyou all for the feedback. Ive been interested in building the "expedient homemade firearms 9mm" if you guys arent familiar it has a 14.5 inch barrel and is constructed of standard pipe and tube from any steel supplier. Would something like that be against the laws to make?

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If you build that with an open bolt or full auto, it is totally against the law to do. IF you plan it it being fired from the shoulder then the barrel will be too short, Again illegal (without NFA registration)

You really need to go to the BATFE website and read the laws along with the links that pdsmith505 posted

pdsmith505 said:

18 USC 921 and 18 USC 922 would be a good place to start.

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Your plans will get you in legal trouble and a lengthy prison sentence. Especially since you are asking on a public forum.

"Field expedient" firearms are not very good choices for amateur builds.
The bad ones will kill you unexpectedly, the decent ones land you in jail.

Open bolt firearms are the easiest to engineer; but at also highly regulated.
Closed bolt firearms are more complicated in that the design is more complicated than it looks.

Out of battery safeties are more than recommended, as are ways to reset the sear so that it does not "follow through." So, there are all sorts of spring tensions and rates to manipulate and control.

This is why 80% builds are preferred--the fine moving parts geometries and the like have already been worked out; you just have to mill the blank to suitably accept those.

An 80% Glock build starts with only $200-250 in parts and jigs. But, those require the sort of precision only practice gives. So, what might be better would be a black powder CVA kit instead.

If price is a serious issue, wait the remaining bit of a year to turn 21 and most pawn shops ought to have a $200 Raven or Jimenez for sale. Which will be less than ideal; but lightyears ahead of a field expedient.

Theben169 said:

I want an expedient gun that I can make and I just wanted advice on what to avoid.

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Having had some of those pointed at me, my recommendation--and the 2¢ it's worth--is avoid them all.

Blacksmithing firearms faded into the dust of history in the early 1800s, and for good reason.

@JohnKSa has a concise listing of things to avoid.

I would also recommend having skills with
Lathe
Milling machine
and heat treating.