I can't remember... are 80% Glock frames still off the table or are they back?

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Last I recall companies like Polymer 80 had to start serializing their frames and selling them as "firearms", at least for a while. Including frame kits that just had an incomplete lower and some bits/instructions/vise fixtures or something. Is that still the case or can you get 80% pistol lowers again?

TIA
 
I haven't kept up with the proposed rule change lately when it comes to personally built firearms. But Polymer 80 is no longer in business. They had to close up due to all of the lawsuits.

It as still NOT illegal to make your own firearm under the proposed rule change. And a serial number is still not required on a firearm you build yourself for personal use. The proposed rule change affected manufacturers and FFL's only.
 
Oregon has outlawed buying, selling or owning 80% frames without serial numbers.

The Polymer 80's were a farse. 5 minutes to convert a chunk of plastic to a functioning receiver is what caused all the push back about manufacturing your own firearm. To bad it killed the hobby for 1911 builders that took knowledge and skill to complete a frame.
 


I assume they are either reorganized or not fully dead yet? Or is the above a scam site?



 
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Oregon has outlawed buying, selling or owning 80% frames without serial numbers.

The Polymer 80's were a farse. 5 minutes to convert a chunk of plastic to a functioning receiver is what caused all the push back about manufacturing your own firearm. To bad it killed the hobby for 1911 builders that took knowledge and skill to complete a frame.
Have you tried building a Polymer 80 frame? Because it definitely takes more than 5 minute to build a complete 100% functioning and safe pistol with one of these frames. It would take me 30 minutes from start to finish to complete and do all of the function and safety tests when building a P80. That was with having all of the required parts on hand first. I also have extensive experience as a machinist/tool and die maker and as a gun smith.

If you go look on forums such was The Marine Gun Builder for or Glock Talk, you will see that a lot of people have issues with trying to build a P80 and have it 100% functional and safe.

Don't believe all of the media hype about Polymer 80 frames. Even the so called ATF expert could not build a fully functional and safe pistol using one of the P80 kits.
 
If you go look on forums such was The Marine Gun Builder for or Glock Talk, you will see that a lot of people have issues with trying to build a P80 and have it 100% functional and safe.
I was always wondering about the trouble posts. My first and only P80 Glock functioned flawlessly and I completed it with my Swiss Army pocket knife (and a hand drill).
 
I was always wondering about the trouble posts. My first and only P80 Glock functioned flawlessly and I completed it with my Swiss Army pocket knife (and a hand drill).

There are several issues on why people have problems.

  • Part of the problem is that too many believe the Lame Stream Media on how easy theses kits are to finish.
  • Not everyone fully understands exactly how a Glock functions
  • Not everyone is mechanically inclined.
If you add the last two together then one will have problems building a fully functioning and safe P80.

I was very active on the old Marine Gun Builder forum trying to help new builders. Quite a few of my technical write-ups have also been posted to the Marine Gun Builder Blog.
 
Don’t know if this is true, but heard the outgoing atf director was gifted an 80% lower as a retirement present. Funny thing is that 80% lowers are illegal in D.C.
 
Anybody who thinks any version of the P80 is a five minute or so is an easy build than they either have never built one or are ill-informed, I'll go that far. My build was a 80% Arms edition. Preparing the frame is easily at minimum an hour and that's if everything go perfect most times a lot less. P80 frame is probably 10x that due to the material needed to be removed in the channel and the fire control cavity. Drilling pin holes is a one shot deal and getting that wrong the frame may bot be salvageable. Frame prep is vital to safe and reliable operation. P80 the company is out of business but may come back if SCOTUS is fair and honest in their decision. My build took around 3 weeks from start to finish with issues with brand new Lone Wolf connector keeping the slide from being released from frame, drop safe procedure ck, function check, to first shot. My build is as reliable as the G19 sitting next to it or my Dagger. So don't believe the left wing telling you that Privately Made Firearm can be built in 15 minutes or less.
 
Have you tried building a Polymer 80 frame? Because it definitely takes more than 5 minute to build a complete 100% functioning and safe pistol with one of these frames. It would take me 30 minutes from start to finish to complete and do all of the function and safety tests when building a P80. That was with having all of the required parts on hand first. I also have extensive experience as a machinist/tool and die maker and as a gun smith.

If you go look on forums such was The Marine Gun Builder for or Glock Talk, you will see that a lot of people have issues with trying to build a P80 and have it 100% functional and safe.

Don't believe all of the media hype about Polymer 80 frames. Even the so called ATF expert could not build a fully functional and safe pistol using one of the P80 kits.
Yep, definitely not a five minute job!

1737525808060.jpeg
 
I don’t recall how long it took me to modify the P80 frame then assemble the parts into a working pistol. It was probably a couple of hours overall.
I bought mine from a company in Lancaster, CA that sold the frame, Glock lower parts and a Brownells slide with Brownells slide parts. You could pick a P80 frame color then whatever color you wanted on the slide was Cerakote.
I bought it the day after Thanksgiving 2019. It was a “Black Friday” sale. I think I paid $360 for the entire kit. I didn’t assemble it until the CA Governor ticked me off one day in some brainiac statement about “ghost guns” and type of people that build them. I was living in CA at the time.

Here’s mine:
Frame - Coyote
Slide - Patriot Brown
1737641186353.jpeg
 
It’s probably not a 5 min job to finish but they are pretty adamant about using a hand drill vs a mill or even a drill press, for the holes and the rest is removing plastic so other parts can fit.

I could finish out a number of their kits before I could fit a 1911 slide to a frame, for sure.

If one can read/follow instructions and has glock parts to put in it, I’d say it’s easier to finish than some of the model kits I assembled as a child.
 
It’s probably not a 5 min job to finish but they are pretty adamant about using a hand drill vs a mill or even a drill press, for the holes and the rest is removing plastic so other parts can fit.

I could finish out a number of their kits before I could fit a 1911 slide to a frame, for sure.

If one can read/follow instructions and has glock parts to put in it, I’d say it’s easier to finish than some of the model kits I assembled as a child.
Yes a P80 kit is easier to finish compared to a 80% 1911 or even some plastic scale models are.

To have a 100% safe and 100% functioning P80 pistol takes two things: knowing exactly how a Glock works, and having some mechanical skills. The only power tool I sued to complete the last few I did was my Dremel Work Station and that was only for drilling the holes. Everything else was done using hand tools such as fret cutters and a triangle knife. It only took 30 minutes to go from a 80% frame to a complete pistol. Yes I had all parts on hand first. I also have plenty of experiences repairing Glock pistols and am mechanically inclined being a retired machinist.

It will take longer for people that do not know how a Glock works and are not very mechanically inclined to finish one and have it done right. One of the biggest issues with these builds is the use of aftermarket parts. You get into tolerance stacking issues and out of spec parts. Aftermarket parts are also a cause of a factory made Glock going from fully functional to a paperweight too.
 
I’m not sure functioning firearms are ever 100% safe or we wouldn’t have to be a certain age or standing to own them.
When I say that I am talking about performing all of the safety tests to include a drop test. And yes I do that with brand new OEM pistols too. One should definitely do a full safety test when building/assembling their own firearms. That includes doing a drop test.

And you are correct, anything can fail. We use to chuckle at having to have our equipment load tested when I was in the military. It might pass a load test and a cable break the next day.
 
No one has been selling any 80% frames for a while now. They are all waiting for the frame and receiver rule change to play out in court. Plus the biggest player - Polymer 80 shut down. I did find finished and serialized versions of other brands that are available through FFL's.

I have considered the SCT-19 frames since they are the 100% serialized version of the old Strike 80 frame. I prefer the Strike 80 over the P80 frames. The Strike 80 frames could easily be converted to use Gen4/5 slides without making the frame weak at the accessory rail. That was not possible with the Polymer 80 frames, except for the 940CL frame.
 
There are SIG P320 blank fire control units available, as well as a jig to complete it. Parts kits available to finish it. Polymer frames easily available, as are barrel/slides. I've made 1911s, Poly-80s, and the Sigs. All take different lengths of time, and different knowledge set, but it is kinda cool having a few home made pistols to shoot at the range.
 
Last I recall companies like Polymer 80 had to start serializing their frames and selling them as "firearms", at least for a while. Including frame kits that just had an incomplete lower and some bits/instructions/vise fixtures or something. Is that still the case or can you get 80% pistol lowers again?

TIA
Is there a particular size/model you are looking for?
 
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