BeeKay

The most recent thing I have been told is that the makers of 80% lowers can legally ship to 49 states. The one exception is New Jersey... This was as of Sat April 4 2020 Something may have changed since then.... In CA as a buyer, beginning sometime in 2018, you're supposed to have it numbered, so the company I bought it from, a California company, offers a service of engraving. There's been another change since then... or probably more than one change... and to legally own an AR, someone needs to take it to an FFL and register it, after it's been turned from a paperweight to a firearm. But there isn't any law against a company producing and shipping 80% lowers in or to CA. When they engrave a # on my lower, it isn't recorded with the DOJ. Yes, people are scrambling to buy up AR lowers right now - They are becoming unavailable, because they're being bought up so quickly. I am one of those people... Today there might be some pink ones left, if you hurry. Trump was good to people in the firearms business and he declared firearms an essential business. The California governor came out and said the opposite, but gun shop owners are opting to remain open, and there are lines to get in.

I'm doing it because I can Same reason as a bunch of other people I got the engraved CA approved lower as is shown on the link, earlier.

Nobody asked I just said I'll go to General Discussion and continue there. So I did and on my first post I gave as much info as seemed relevant.

No on searching for legal advice - I called vendors and inquired and the company that sells the lower sold me a CA compliant one for 2x$$ what they usually cost. The info I need is only clarification on compatability of parts because everywhere I go I hear about how if you don't get everything from the same vendor, it might not fit... But then I see another guy who built one and it's made from stuff from all over the place, and it's just great. So - I appreciate that you straightened me out on the 16" barrel from Wilson. I'm not sure exactly what guys are talking about with non compatability issues - I'm getting all Gen1 stuff but still I hear that there can be issues with stuff being wrong because of bad fit. That is what I'm wanting to avoid

https://forum.308ar.com/topic/19164-i-should-have-joined-here-first/ I seriously thought i was doing this the right way

I thought I gave enough relevant information on my first post here, including where I live

I've been on the Calgun boards for a while now.. Years , not weeks. The thing I need is .308 AR specific info. I've worked it out with the vendors on what they can legally sell and ship to me and visited the intro board as well. Is it illegal to advise someone from CA on the compatibility of .308 AR components? I've been going at this for the past 2 weeks just to find all the proper info to do this correctly.

It may be my lucky day I noticed that I gave an incorrect billing address when I ordered that 19" barrel so it may cancel. If it does, I'll get a Wilson. They seem better

Calif - Not as bad as NY or NJ

Another reason for wanting a .358 Win AR is that guys seem to get better medium/long range accuracy with an AR than I have ever been able to accomplish with my BLR .358 or .308 and addition to that the recoil appears to be much less punishing, between the muzzle device and the gas system. So I just thought it would be fun to go out and be able to fire over 20 rds without losing accuracy between flinch and barrel distortion.

I'm glad I didn't go around telling everybody about that headspace adjustment method. Thanks for correcting me on that

I have a .358 Win hunting rifle and I have thought I'd like to try a semi auto in that chambering. For a while I even thought about getting a BAR and have it re barreled, but that's ridiculously labor intensive. I started hearing that 80% lowers may be unavailable soon - Politicians - So I had some time on my hands, since my employers aren't expecting much out of me over the past couple weeks. It just seems like a good time to do a bit of research and act. The AR makes sense because if they extend our range , I can get a different barrel for that purpose, too.

@Albroswift Hmm... Should I be able to get a jig from the outfit that you mentioned earlier and expect it to work with the lower I have?

Well - OK I feel more educated - 😉 I placed my order on Friday night and on Monday I'll check to see whether I can get a shorter barrel. That makes sense to me and it's the one I wanted originally... Someone convinced me that I should get a barrel length that's the same as my other rifle, For some reason... I guess some guys just think you need a longer barrel.

Thanks - I went with this companies 80% lower because they offer engraving to help with compliance issues, and another company I was about to order through had just sold out, so I sort of felt pressured.

On this matter, someone told me that if the bolt and barrel aren't paired, headspacing issues are likely and to correct that a barrel and bolt need to be adjusted to match by pulling the barrel extension... NO?

I was undecided on the length and I decided on that length because my hunting gun is that length... Or close Over the past couple weeks, I've been listening to advice from various sources, All of them more experienced at this than I am. Our local range is only 300 yd max. There's a tentative plan to extend it, and if they do I may buy a different barrel... maybe a .243 or 7mm ? I guess that I was just thinking that with a 19" barrel, I could do well out to 300 yd. Maybe better than with a shorter barrel.

I'll check into that. Thanks for the info So what would be an 80% lower that is compatible with WC barrels and whatever upper accompanies that?

I don't know that it is better. I just shopped around a bit and they had one in stock that seems like it ought to be right. It is the length and the chambering I wanted also, 19". But I won't know for sure til I try it. It seemed like I remember reading good reviews of KAK on a different site.

Yes

Something that has me confused is the headspacing issue with various BCGs when used in different barrels. I understand how there can be issues and the solution is to correct headspacing by pulling the barrel end and adjusting it there (I think that's what it's called) The thing that confuses me is how it's even possible that there would NOT be headspacing issues, considering the close tolerances, and having to send a barrel in to someone to have it headspaced professionally when mixing and matching. So with that in mind; Would it not be best to buy an entire upper from the same company that makes the barrel?

https://www.80percentarms.com/products/custom-ca-compliant-serialized-80-lowers/ https://www.kakindustry.com/lr-308-parts/358-winchester-parts/kak-358-stainless-19-inch-rifle-stainless-barrel Let's see if these links work

I ought to add that I have experience working on every gun I have owned on some level And I have experience as a machinist, although I do not own any precision machining equipment. But I have taken the time to school myself on the concepts of timing of moving parts and how .001" can sometimes make a large difference.

I bought a .358 lever gun and have always wanted a semi auto in that chambering... So that's what got me started. I started reading up on the stuff that's out there and all the countless ways a guy can throw money away, and I decided to toss the dice. To make it more interesting, I ordered an 80% lower. And at this point I'm wondering whether I may be setting myself up for a frustrating project. I've only ordered 2 pieces so far: an 80% lower from 80% Arms Co. and a barrel chambered in .358 from KAK These are both California companies and I am a CA resident so just being able to discuss possible complications with someone in-state swayed me to purchase from them, although they both are slightly higher priced. Anyhow it was after ordering, that additional questions on compatability came to mind, and nobody is there on the weekends to pick up the phone. I'm curious what anyone thinks of these components in terms of compatability? I expect I will be ordering a BCG and upper assembly from KAK . Is there anything special I need to know about whether the two components I'm getting, so far, and the way they fit together? Thanks for welcoming me to the group - Replies greatly appreciated

I have a lever rifle in .358 and sometimes I think it would be fun to go semi auto with that I'll move to General Discussion - More views there