Workable AR15 from LEGO bricks

[Dean Weingarten]

<deleted>
This Young Lady is holding a rifle made with a Cavalry Arms Lower

The article below is from backbencher . I just added the picture and title.

The AR for Plastic Brick Lovers

You're going wait, wait, wait. Even if you WANT to build a gun out of plastic blocks, a gun made out of plastic is just a toy. Even that 3-D printed single shot is just a single shot toy.

Ah. Let's talk about the AR-15, designed by Eugene Stoner in 1958. In the conventional fashion, he attached the barrel to a metal receiver that the bolt slides back and forth in. The bolt is roughly a cylinder that slides back and forth on most guns, and has little hooks and lips to pull the fired case out of the barrel, and push the new one in.

What Mr Stoner did differently in the AR was use TWO receivers - an UPPER receiver, that the barrel screws into and the bolt slides in, and a LOWER receiver, that holds the trigger, the hammer, the magazine, and the stock. Since the magazine well (what the magazine slides into) has a nice flat surface, Colt ended up putting the serial number on the LOWER receiver when they began civilian sales in 1963.

In the 1980's, it became popular to build one's own AR, using parts from various manufacturers, and at some point, the BATFE (who regulates guns in the US) made the decision the LOWER receiver was the actual gun. That is, you can buy barrels, triggers, stocks, and the UPPER receiver all day long off the interwebs, but you can only buy a new LOWER receiver from a Federally licensed gun dealer - unless you make one yourself.

So it turns out, an AR lower is just a hunk of aluminum with certain holes in certain places. It doesn't weigh very much. Any reasonably competent machinist can make one - and they do. You can even make one at home, if you have a $500 Chinese mill. There has been an explosion in companies that produce AR lower receivers.

Home for the Feinstein Project

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2013/05/workable-ar15-from-lego-bricks.html

 

[blueskyjaunte]

Ironically I have the book "Forbidden Lego: Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against!" and could not find an AR-15 lower anywhere in it.

 

[Dean Weingarten]

Maybe it will be in the next edition.

 

[silicosys4]

So can you post a link to an article that explains better the title of the thread, how to build an AR-15 from lego's?
I am having trouble finding anything through the links provided, just a few articles about 3d printed guns
Or is that just sarcasm?

 

[Doc Savage]

Saw an article a while back of a kid in the UK who does realistic weapons with legos. He did one not sure if it was an AR or similar EBR, but it did shoot lego bricks

 

[gspn]

I saw one made from Playdough once...but you had to first harden it in an Easybake oven. It's no small feat to find an Easybake oven big enough to hold a lower receiver.

 

[rcmodel]

There is a guy in gunsmithing who has posted several times about a Lego-Block AR-15 they are trying to build.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=715371

ANd another:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=714615

Haven't heard much out of it lately though.

rc

 

[Dean Weingarten]

silicosys4:

The first link to backbencher is to a story about how they are working on making a lower out of LEGO type ABS blocks. The second link, at the end of the post, Is to the same story.

The thrird link is to the Gun Watch blog story which has the picture and the same links.

Those links are all to pretty much the story as posted above.

I do no t see the links about 3D printed guns, except as referenced in the story about how the "Feinstein Project" is working on making a lower out of glued to gether ABS plastic blocks.

Are those the links to 3D printed gun stories that you are you seeing?

 

[Nickel Plated]

An interesting thought. Would a "LEGO" lower be considered a firearm? Assuming the pieces have the necessary holes and cavities cut in them, all you need to do is snap (maybe glue for strength) them together.

On the one hand in it's unassembled form, the kit would look absolutely nothing like an AR lower. Just a bunch of (say 100) individual plastic blocks and odd shapes.
On the other this would be much easier to turn into a functional lower than even an 80% blank. Those require atleast a drill-press and some modicum of skill. This could be put together by literally a five year old.

 

[Dean Weingarten]

I think it would not be considered a legal firearm. I like the the way you think. Someone could easily make ABS block compatable and critical parts such as the magazine well and 3D print them and sell them as parts, or invest in injection molds for the above.

 

[backbencher]

The latest bits I've posted is 60+ MB of pictures of how to modify an AirSoft G36->AR magwell adapter to accept an AR mag - that's a link on the Effort Bloomberg page. The Virginian has sent some pics of his .22"LR lower design w/ a mag inserted as well, but I've not gotten around to posting them yet.

Only three lines of effort are started so far, and they're paused at the moment. If you'd like to help, pick a Line of Effort here.

 

[backbencher]

Nickel Plated, an assembled plastic brick lower would certainly be a firearm. Prior to assembly, it's a collection of toy plastic bricks & some ABS glue. Want to give us a hand?

 

[barnbwt]

On the other this would be much easier to turn into a functional lower than even an 80% blank. Those require atleast a drill-press and some modicum of skill. This could be put together by literally a five year old.

That "80%" moniker is just marketing, the ATF has determined that it requires enough effort to complete that it shouldn't be considered a firearm until the specified holes are drilled/etc. The 80% lower is called that because anything closer to being a completed configuration is considered a functional receiver.

If the LEGO design is easier to build with fewer tools or in less time, the ATF would doubtless consider the collection of parts a firearm; same as if you tried to sell a field-stripped gun as a parts kit. Legally though, they'd have a hard time enforcing anything but illegal possession of all parts needed to complete the "firearm", since the blocks are little more than raw materials individually. They would also have a high burden of proof demonstrating intent to configure the blocks into a firearm. It's not like they could legally ban LEGO from selling their product to non FFLs just because some punks found a way to shoehorn their toys into firearms

Maybe this will culminate in the ATF re-interpreting their stupidity and naming the upper receiver the "firearm" like they should have long ago

TCB