While at the gun show yesterday there was a guy selling 80% glock kits. I’m not a glock fan at all. While I think their great great guns. I hate the way they feel in my hand. I did like the way the 80% frames felt. He had several completed guns on hand and they point very well. I just can’t imagine using one these as a carry gun. I believe my local district attorney would have a field day with a gun you built yourself. So would you carry one?

A Glock . . . NO

A firearm I built myself . . . without hesitation

I am sorry to hear that your District Attorney in Pennsylvania is that way

Sounds like it is time to elect better politicians.

Here is Florida, I can not imagine our States Attorneys making an issue of of carrying a personally built firearm.

Florida has no no laws regulating the personal manufacture of a firearm

Nobody in Missouri would care if you finished out an 80%, but I don't see the point, unless you just want to say you did it. Guaranteed that my work wouldn't be pretty . . .

__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Not unless it was made from wood...my only skill

I would if I could make a revolver.

I'd say no because they are just as expensive or more expensive than buying a regular one.I could do it, but there is no way I could carry it here ( communist state of NY ) so no point.

__________________
1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

I know guys who have built revolver kits, Mostly Colt Style Ball and Caps.
Talk about your results may vary!
I never wanted any of their guns or a kit to build my own.
So I’ll pass on the 80% Glock.
I have-had a 100% Glock.
Already passed it down to my Son!

__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER

I ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT ! ! !

WHATEVER COURT PROCEEDINGS YOU MIGHT BE SUBJECTED TO, AFTER A SHOOTING, WOULD BE FURTHER COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THAT YOU USED A HOMEMADE GUN.....

I ASSUME THAT YOU ARE NOT A CERTIFIED GUNSMITH, OR A FFL HOLDER......

__________________
'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I'm not that good with my hands , I have little to no gunsmithing skills, I have no tools ...

I do know my limitations....they tell me NO !
Gary

Even if I lived in a state that allowed me to own a firearm that I completed from an 80% frame, I would NOT consider it as a concealed carry arm.

I subscribe to Murphy's law. I would not want to risk my life on the possibility that my engineering skill didn't welcome a critical flaw. Besides, if my firearm fails at a critical moment and I perish, I want my children to have a legal recourse against manufacturer.

__________________
Judge control not gun control!

There was a moderator on THR named "Bullfrog Ken" who made a 1911 from barstock (IOW he milled the whole frame and slide himself) I don't remember if he made the barrel and I'm pretty sure he bought the grips and springs but he made the gun and it worked(s) just fine.

__________________
Retired Career Security Guard

I carry a 60's vintage Great Western in 44 mag. my father built from a kit in the early 60's.........works like a champ!

While I’m not a gunsmith or ffl manufacture. I do feel comfortable with my mechanical abilities to repair most any fire I own. With ghost guns in the media. I can only imagine what the family deceased lawyer would do with a homemade case. Just my thoughts.

Nope, I am not mechanically inclined and I wouldn't trust a gun that I made.

A man has got to know his limitations.

I spent my entire working life in machining or jobs connected to machining. I have designed machining fixtures, helped people design them. I have been given jobs that the Boss didn't have a clue how to make a finished part and I was able to machine them to drawing.

That being said, I know that I would not want to build, say a 1911 copy, from scratch because of the tooling and fixtures involved. When I was 30 years old, maybe, but now I can buy one cheaper than I can build one. Besides, I have better things to do.

If a person wants too, as Frisco Darling said: "More power to ye."

Have a blessed day,

Leon

...wouldn't be my first choice...

__________________
A Country Boy Can Survive

Looks like a bottom feeder. H20 at 30 PSI!

Best,
Rick

Depends on how you define the term "built". If you mean forged slide and frame, milled the barrel, cast internal parts, etc. that's one thing. If you mean taking commercially produced parts and assembling them into a working firearm, that's another. I have a 1911 that I assembled using a Caspian frame, Essex CNC machined slide, mostly Ed Brown internal parts, and a Colt National Match barrel. I've put over 1,000 rounds through it, and it has never failed to go bang, and it's more accurate than I am. I don't hesitate to carry it, and as far as any legal ramifications, I have yet to find any court case where assembling a weapon as described was an issue. In the event that an over zealous prosecutor attempted to make it an issue, that is easily overcome by the introduction of expert witness testimony, e.g. yes, the parts are commercially produced, yes it was assembled IAW established gunsmithing procedures, no, there was no interference with any safety functions, it is neither more or less a deadly weapon than one commercially produced and purchased, etc. It's no different than carrying your own hand loaded ammunition.

I have a old 25rf Rem RB, rebarreled to 22lr. I don't think it looks
that bad. One time when I was going to shoot a steer one of the
local farmers present said my rifle looked like a "plummn' fitting"
It was a ornery Angus that we couldn't get in the barn. They
wanted me to use a HP rifle because you couldn't get near it.
The RB did the job, one shot.

A friend make me a Glock 19 from an 80%. I help him with it according to the law of course. He says they work flawlessly and take him about 40 to 50 minutes to build. Says once you know what you're doing they are very easy. I have yet to shoot mine, it feels very nice. It just feels like a brand new Glock that had the trigger filed just a tad. Feels very nice, can't wait to shoot it. I'll give report.

Funny how people think or have this idea in their heads that a using a handgun you built yourself in a good shoot will land your on trail for murder, but doing basically the same exact thing with an aww so popular evil black rifle is just fine and dandy.... This topic always comes up with handgun builds and customization; however, I never see this being discussed when it comes to AR, AK, G3, Fal, etc rifle builds...

To answer the question, yes I would. If the gun fit my hand and proved to be reliable, why the hell not?

Back in 1981, I bought a RMT full size aluminum 1911 frame. I had a Remington-Rand slide, a National Match barrel and bushing and most of the various parts and pins. After I put it all together and fired several hundred rounds of ammo, I carried it as my police duty gun for about 18 years.

I realize this isn't quite the same as using a 80% frame, but I had no problem using it to qualify and carry on duty.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I worry about pistols after I field strip them and put them back together......DID I DO THAT RIGHT? Will it shoot? Etc. So, no, I would NEVER trust a firearms that I built myself.

Then, again, I wouldn't try it in the first place.

I doubt it. I don't care how anti-gun the local prosecutors are, if you get into a self defense situation and use justifiable, lethal force you can use a stick, a toothpick, a Bowie knife, a handgun of any kind, etc. Justifiable is justifiable. That ends it right there.

Opposing counsel in a civil suit might try to make a distinction but, for the most part, if you are not outside of the law then the weapon is irrelevant.

...this zip gun isn't actually mine...



...I would guess you unscrew it...insert a 22 rim fire round...and pull the spring loaded striker to fire it...

__________________
A Country Boy Can Survive

Back in the day when I was a young hoodlum living in the hood, we use to make "Zip" guns. We made them outta pieces of cut 2x4, a car radio antenna (22 cal), a slide latch, a million rubber bands & black electrical tape!

I have restored a couple of firearms that were in rather sad shape. It would have been easier and cheaper to build one from scratch instead.

__________________
Certified Curmudgeon

nope.....
not me field of expertise.

Perform a function check.

Sure I've got a FrankinSmith..... 6906 lower with 915 upper... full hammer;I have/do carry from time to time.

While I'm seeking the benefits of a longer sight radius for better accuracy ... I don't see the need for 15/17+1 I'm good with 12 +1

Now if you're talking cutting down a shotgun..... well if I was the prosecutor ......... you'd get 20-life!!!!!

Sure, I built this 6906 (and seven others) at one of my armorer recertification classes in 1989. Carried it both at work and off duty for several years.

__________________
Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I would carry a gun I built from parts.

I would even carry one I built from scratch once I had it right. Sometimes you have to fiddle with things to get them to function perfectly. I notice plenty of new "store bought" guns that need fiddling. It all depends on your abilities and equipment.

A few years back I purchased a new Glock 19 frame and purchased an after market slide and components and assembled it myself. It took time and patience and I've put at least 2k rounds through it, with 0 issues.

So, I would.

Only if I was Les Baer.

If I did build one it would be no different than if I bought one complete. I'd put hundreds of rounds through it to make sure it ran flaulessly before I would carry it.

Carry a gun that was built by myself? Or built by someone else?


Absolutely NOT! I will not risk my freedom or my family by carrying a gun that was not manufactured by a well know reputable company.

IMHO you run the risk of a prosecutor going after you for carrying in public a gun that is untested, unproven, not certified to be drop safe as required by some states such as california, therefore you are irresponsible. And they will put you, your choice of clothing, your social media posts, your choice of music under a microscope in every attempt to prove you are irresponsible & reckless.

Absolutely YES!

Sure, I do have some degree of mechanical aptitude. Like already said
above it all depends on your skills and equipment. If I built a gun either
from scratch or a parts kit and thoroughly tested it I would trust it. Any
gun I built myself would surely have more hand fitting and attention to
detail than most guns from a production line. Hard to imagine how using
a parts kit gun in a SD shooting could override the circumstances of the
event.

Somewhat off topic but when I went to the S&W armorers school in the 80’s, I built 10 model 64’s from scratch that had great triggers and were timed perfect! They were for a law enforcement contract (not revealed) but I would have been happy to owned one of them. Back in the day, many 45’s were built from parts kits that turned out very accurate and dependable.

I have two experiences with firearms that I produced from parts. First was during the 1980's when I purchased the Essex 1911A1 frame and full set of GI surplus parts to complete the pistol, for a price of about $85. Second was about 1990 with the Thompson-Auto Ordnance 1911A1 from the factory as a complete parts kit, which I finished out as a bullseye pistol (target sights, target trigger, everything hand-fitted) for a total of about $150.

Both were good reliable pistols. At the time I also carried a badge and when on duty I carried good factory made handguns of the types approved by my department for duty use.

For personal defense I don't see this as much of an issue. Bottom line of any self defense case will always be whether or not the use of the weapon was reasonable and necessary rather than the weapon itself. On the other hand, if there are questionable issues involved in the use of the weapon the provenance of the weapon itself might become an issue.

It is perfectly legal to manufacture a firearm for ones' own personal use, and that would include finishing out one of the 80% complete frame units. Making one for the purpose of selling it, particularly with making a profit by doing so, moves the project into the FFL licensing arena.

Sure would, no problem. If you use it in a self defense scenario to defend your life and felt you had no other choice but to shoot in fear for your life, it makes no difference in a court of law what you used, you're defending your life! It only matters if you say you wished you hadn't done it or you're not sure you did the right thing, or now you have second thoughts your life was in danger, that's what they'll hang you on. This comes from an attorney, not me. Always maintain you had no choice, your life or theirs.

__________________
Dave Ramsey Cultist

A gun? Seriously? A gun? I get nervous eating a breakfast I make for myself.

The one thing I would suggest, regarding assembling Glock-pattern guns from non-OEM parts, is that one must understand how the pistol functions in order to produce a safe example.

Now, this isn't a problem--mostly--with something like a 1911. You can still be an idiot and build a 1911 that's either unsafe, or self-destructs after a couple hundred rounds. But putting together a 1911 requires some degree of know-how just to get a pistol that functions, and you're more likely to just fail outright if you don't know what you're doing. There's really only a very narrow band of stupid where you can build something dangerous, assuming you start with unmolested parts. Yeah, you can assemble a 1911 from a gun show Box o' Pistol, and get something crazy dangerous. As in, literally too dangerous to leave loaded on a shelf.

But building a Glock from a frame and parts isn't like that--it's just a series of assembly jobs. You don't need to fit much of anything, whereas the 1911 may very well requires you to do fitting work for every single damn part. There's no barrier to entry that prevents truly bad ideas from making their way into a finished gun.

Back ( way back) in my serious bulls-eye, pin, and PPC shootin' days, I built three custom 1911 using the Norinco as a basis. But they could literally be built on a kitchen table with components from Wilson, King, Brown, Bomar, etc. since everything was drop in. But anything more complicated than that, I'd convince someone else to do the testing before I shot it

__________________
John

Did you? Or did you just assemble it out of parts? There's a huge difference.

To answer the OP's question, yes, I most certainly would. Any gun that I feel safe shooting is a gun I'd carry. But I haven't built any guns and don't have any intention to do so.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

"Made", a lot of the responses here hinge on the respondents interpretation of this word.

All guns are assembled from parts. Those parts are manufactured. I don't see a difference between a gun (re)assembled from parts manufactured by a reputable company, based on whether you purchased the parts or were putting them back together.

Lots of people swap out slides, barrels, springs, triggers, hammers, grips. No joke, I know someone who bought an inexpensive AR, and over a couple years, kept "upgrading" it until he had a box of parts that with the addition of a lower reciever became his second AR.

__________________
Certified Curmudgeon

It's about the combination of the parts you choose. Lots of guys grab either aftermarket Glock frames, or 80%ers, and start tossing on a bunch of "competition" and "tactical" parts.

The problem is that all of those individual companies maybe tested all their stuff on a factory frame, with factory parts. If you're really lucky, they tested with different combinations from their own line.

But nobody sat around and tested the combination of parts that Bubba threw together from six different companies. And yeah, you can very easily be out-of-spec enough to cause problems, whether it's "hole in the foot" problems, or "no holes in bad guys" problems.

Aside from the fact that most people have no idea just how awful half these companies are.

But yeah, that's also why I frequently make comments suggesting that throwing a bunch of aftermarket parts on your carry gun is a dumb idea.

I have 2 1911s built from 80% frames. Carry them occasionally. Have a sign on the wall, DONT WORRY I WELDED IT MYSELF. Take it how you wish.

__________________
"I'm feeling MUCH better now"

It is lawful per federal statute to build one's own gun, and if not prohibited by state statute, why not. Either you can build a reliable firearm or you cannot. If you don't have confidence in your handiwork, don't build one.

I've built percussion and flintlock rifles from kits that looked and functioned great. Many people build their own ARs, which is more an assembly of parts than "making" a rifle.

Making a reliable Glock facsimile from a 80% frame isn't difficult with time, tools, and patience--2 of 3 of which I don't have in excess these days. Now I lean toward "Measure twice, drill once, get another frame and start over."

Four words: No way in hell.

__________________
Oh well, what the hell.

Just did, turned out pretty well.

My newest Glock...

Attached Images

20180929_212646.jpg (115.7 KB, 24 views)

__________________
Certified Curmudgeon