Sheet Metal Ar15 Lower

AMATEUR’S SHEET METAL AR LOWER
2020
Tools:
 Welder
o This was done with a stick welder and 1/16” 6013 & 6011 rods at a range of 30-60A
DCEP. AC would work.
o MIG with a thin wire or TIG with MIG wire as a filler would be ideal.
 Aviation shears
 File
 Vise
 Hand drill and #23, #7, 1/4”, & 3/8” bits
 Caliper
 Welding surface preparation:
o Sandpaper
o Mineral spirits or other degreaser
o Muriatic acid (recommended)
 Angle grinder (optional)
 AR-15 upper and aluminum AR-15 magazine (as jigs)
Materials:
 ~1 sq. ft. of 22ga sheet metal

 ~2 ft. of 1 inch EMT electrical conduit
 6x 1/4” fender washers
 2x 2” long 1/4” bolts and nuts
 ~1 ft. 3/16” mild steel rod (Can hammer sheath off 3/16” welding rod)
 Printer
 Rubber cement/other template adhesive
Procedure:
1. Print all the templates at the end of this file at 1:1 scale and verify measurements. Attach to the
sheet metal and cut out the pieces, except for holes.
2. Bend the pieces on a vise. On the body parts it’s important to pay attention to the radius on the
90deg bend lines-a wood shim centered on the inside of a bend will deform to give about the
right radius.
3. Weld the rear body section. Use something around the shop as a spacer to make sure the inside
width is 0.700” while welding.
4. Welding the denial feature in place: There is no template for this-make sure it can’t be removed
without tools. Note that the trigger group pins will be welded in, so it’s questionable whether a
denial is necessary.
5. Weld the magazine catch slot cover pieces to the front body piece. Note that there is no
template for these and a variety of designs will work. Make sure the front body piece is square
before welding.
6. Welding the magazine well rails: a magazine wrapped in electrical tape will give the rails the
right amount of clearance. Hold each rail tight against the magazine and do 2 or 3 large tack
welds against the inside of the front body piece.
7. Installing the magazine catch button tube: No template for this, make a rectangular tube that
the button fits into. Weld a cap of sheet metal on the end and drill a hole for the shaft to go
through. Fold out flanges so it can be welded on the right side with lap welds. It will hold itself in
place by spring force so it can be tested before welding.
8. Welding the front mount on: It is essential to center the front mount on the front body piece.
This can be done by scribing centerlines on both the body and the mount. Align the top of the
mount flush with the top of the body and use lap welds.
9. Welding the front and rear body together: Use the mounting lugs on the upper to align the
pieces for tacking. Washers or sheet metal scraps can be used as spacers for the rear lug. After
tacking, you can use reinforcement pieces as shown to weld the front and back together-it is
very difficult to do an inside fillet weld on thin sheet metal with a stick welder.
10. Drilling holes: Place the holes with a center punch on both sides. The inside front of the
magazine well is used as a horizontal datum for all the holes except the rear mounting holes,
which are in reference to the front mount holes. The top surface is used as a vertical datum.
11. Weld a fender washer with a 3/8” hole on the left side over the safety hole.
12. Install trigger group: make sure the hammer will not slam-fire and that the safety works. Then
weld the hammer and trigger pins to the body. Quench in water after each weld to avoid
damaging the springs. Now install the safety and weld a fender washer to the right side of the
pin. Leave a gap to insert 1 coil of a miscellaneous spring. This is to keep the safety selector in
place.
13. Welding the buffer tube: wrap the rear part of an AR-15 bolt in electrical tape in 2 places so it
fits snug in the buffer tube. Use this to align the buffer tube for tacking. Then use reinforcement
pieces as in step 9 to weld it to the body. Make triangular ribs to weld on the bottom of the tube
for support.
14. Handle and trigger guard: A piece of EMT cut at an angle and squeezed in a vise to 0.700” will
work as a handle.
15. Rear mounting spacers: Cut 4x 1/4" washers or pieces of sheet metal so they will not interfere
with the upper when placed in the rear mounting holes. You need 0.100” of spacing on each
side. They can be JB-welded in place.
16. Buffer tube cap/butt stock. An EMT end cap can be used to cap the buffer tube and attack a butt
stock.
17. Surface finish: Cheap lacquer was used on this.

Notes:
 Use muriatic acid to remove the galvanized coating from EMT before welding
 Surface preparation is key for welding: Minimize gaps and sand, and degrease before tacking
and then again before welding
 A bolt catch design was never finished so the bolt catch cutout on the template can be ignored.
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Sheet Metal Ar15 Lower

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AMATEUR’S SHEET METAL AR LOWER

 ~1 sq. ft. of 22ga sheet metal

17. Surface finish: Cheap lacquer was used on this.

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