Best 80% Lower Receivers & Jigs [AR-15, Glock, AR-10, AR-9]

Biden unveiled a new rule that would make it illegal as of August 24, 2022 to manufacture a kit without a serial and for resellers to sell without conducting a background check. It's currently being challenged so we'll see what happens!

Update: As of November 2022, 80% Arms is exempt from the current ban so you're able to buy both jigs and receivers together.

Looking to complete your own AR 80% lower receiver?

Today, we’re going to go over the best 80% AR-15, AR-10, and AR-9 lower receivers out there.  And...we've done our fair share of 80% through the years.

Plus, the best jigs to help you get to the 100% mark.

And most recently...we've even added our favorite Glock 80% frame projects.

Here's our favorite picks...but given the current situation things are selling out fast.

And for Polymer80 Glock-style builds, check these quick links (selling fast):

• PF940V2 for Glock 17 Gen 3
• PF9SS Single Stack for Glock 43
• PF940SC for Glock 26/27 Gen 3
• PF320 for a Sig P320 Build
• PFS9 Full Size AFT Builder Kit

{
  "blockName": "core/shortcode",
  "attrs": [],
  "innerBlocks": [],
  "innerHTML": "\n[toc]\n",
  "innerContent": [
    "\n[toc]\n"
  ]
}

Brief Overview of 80% Lowers

First, you should really check out our other article on what exactly is an 80% lower.  

TLDR; an 80% lower receiver is an unfinished lower that is nominally sold as a “paperweight” or other novelty and not a firearm.

If you’re buying a finished AR lower, you’re technically buying a firearm in the eyes of the ATF.

Meanwhile, an 80% lower is technically not a firearm until you finish machining it, so you can get them delivered straight to your house without paying FFL fees.  

As long as you’re manufacturing the firearm for personal use, and are otherwise allowed to own said firearm in your state, you’re good to go.

Yes...it's a "ghost gun" in that most places don't require serializing/registration, but that's a loaded term so we won't be using it for the rest of the article.

Best AR-15 80% Lower Receivers

Let's start with the most popular of 80% lowers...the AR-15.

1. 80% Arms

Their AR-15 80% lower is 6061 billet but is cleanly machine and is anodized very well in the two our team has completed.

Billet gives you the ability to have some slight differences from more mil-spec lowers...such as more aggresive lines which I like.

The 6061 aluminum also made it possible to do deeper milling cuts each time which saves time (more on this in the jigs section).

Plus they work perfectly with 80% Arms' jig.

And the finished product has worked in all our tested uppers.

Check out the full review of the entire process here. We've gone through both Gen 2 and Gen 3 versions.

AR-15 80% Aluminum Pick

Type III Hard Anodized Billet AR-15 80% Lower

$99

at 80% Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$99 at 80% Arms

Or check out their other 80% versions like raw billet and even flat dark earth versions.

Want an easy kit to finish your lower build? Check out PSA's MOE Lower Build Kit.

4. Polymer80

Polymer80 is the other contender for my first polymer lower, especially if I decide to go the 80% route.  These guys and gals specialize in polymer 80% lowers...hence the name.

Of course...we've done tons of their Glock 17 and 19 80% builds.

They also have a freakin’ ton of cool colors available which is perfect if you like to personalize your builds a bit more.

For me, I like building AR’s not just to shoot, but also for the mechanical challenge that comes with this type of thing.  

Its really fun to take a box of parts and turn it into a working rifle that you can hunt, compete, and even defend yourself with if need be.

The cool thing about Polymer80 lowers, besides the awesome colors, is the jig sets you can get with them.

For $80, you can get the lower, the bits you need, and the jig to guide you...basically, everything but you need except for the drill.  

Hard to find as well nowadays.

Polymer80 AR-15 Lower

$75

at Rainier Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$75 at Rainier Arms

Brownells (see price)

Best AR-10 and AR-9 80% Lower Receivers

1. 80% Arms

There's not as many AR-10 and AR-9 80% lowers out there so I gotta give it to 80% Arms since we tried them and they work well.

Check out the size difference in the AR-10 80% Lower.

AR-10 .308 80% Pick

Black Anodized Billet .308 80% Lower

$139

at 80% Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$139 at 80% Arms

And I'm glad the mag latch is already installed in the AR-9 Lower.  YES...it takes Glock mags.

9mm AR 80% Pick

80% Arms AR-9 80% Lower Receiver

$139

at 80% Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$139 at 80% Arms

Now...onto the jigs!

Best AR 80% Jigs

We've built a couple 80% lowers through the years...starting years with a jig where we had to send a money order to some guy.  Or silver dollars...he took those too.

And for the longest time it was the same design...drill a bunch of little holes with your drill press first.

Then attempt to "mill" or cut off material in a horizontal manner with a drill press...something that was never meant to do that.

Result...lowers that still worked but took forever (~3-4 hours) and looked gross in the fire control pocket.

Enter the next generation of 80% jigs...where you only need a normal drill and a router.

Note: an 80% lower requires some pretty advanced machining, so the quality, fit, and finish of the final product is going to depend entirely on you. 

1. 80% Arms Easy Jig 3

Hands down the best 80% jig we've used is the Easy Jig 3.

We've also completed our Full Review of the Easy Jig with a corresponding video as well:

We got the multicaliber version which can easily make the AR-15, AR-45 and AR-9 platforms.

And that's the router that basically spins the end mill bit...for our Gen 2 project we used a Ridgid R2401 Router ($90) that didn't need any extra parts to work with the Easy Jig 2. For the Gen 3 build, we grabbed a router from 80% Arms.

We recommended getting the drill bits kit since it does need a special end mill.  Or if you want to save a little money...get the end mill and the other things at Home Depot.

MUCH easier than the older jig designs and only took me about 1.5 hours.

Here's the final product...

It's definitely on the pricier side at around $250...but you're looking to save up to 2.5 hours per lower.  I'd highly recommend just building more (lol) or splitting the cost with friends.

Editor's Pick 80% Jig

Easy Jig Gen 3 Multi-Platform

$349

at 80% Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$349 at 80% Arms

What's your take on the Easy Jig 3?

{
  "blockName": "core/shortcode",
  "attrs": [],
  "innerBlocks": [],
  "innerHTML": "\n[ar]\n",
  "innerContent": [
    "\n[ar]\n"
  ]
}

2. 5D Tactical Universal 80% Jig

Another contender in the router-based universal jig world is the 5D Tactical Universal Jig ($259).

Like the Easy Jig 3, it can do AR-15, AR-9, and AR-10 80% lower receivers.

So far it looks like it has great reviews (and tons of fans in the comments) but is priced a little higher at $289.

We're looking forward to testing this bad boy out in the future too!

Best Glock 80% Frames

1. Polymer80

I alluded to Polymer 80's Glock frames above but now we'll dive a little deeper. There's also a ton of options based on what you want.

The OG Glock-clone Kit

Polymer 80 Kits

$95

at Rainier Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$95 at Rainier Arms

Brownells (see price)

There's also tons of options for size of handgun (things are selling fast):

• PF940V2 for Glock 17 Gen 3
• PF9SS Single Stack for Glock 43
• PF940SC for Glock 26/27 Gen 3
• PF320 for a Sig P320 Build
• PFS9 Full Size AFT Builder Kit

Fancy a super custom Gucci Glock with all its parts handpicked? Or simply want the satisfaction of building one yourself without the hassle of going to the gun store?

P80's kits now range from the Glock 19, Glock 17...

And now even the single stack G43 series.

They are MUCH easier to complete than AR-15 lowers since you're dealing with polymer material instead of aluminum. And there's a lot less to remove.

You still need to be careful especially with the hardest part which is milling out the barrel block.

But I go through everything you need in my Polymer80 Glock Build Guide.

• kit overviews
• additional tools needed
• step by step instruction
• tips & tricks
• full parts list

2. 80% Arms

A relative newcomer to the Glock world is 80% Arms (which you should be tired of hearing by now) with their GST-9.

It's similar in process to the Polymer80 but there's some grip enhancements that let you switch between sizes.

Fancy a subcompact grip...boom! Want it a little larger to mimic a G19...boom!

Also Good Pistol Build

80% Arms GST-9

$149

at 80% Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$149 at 80% Arms

We go through the entire process and build list...complete with video in [Review] 80% Arms GST-9 Build.

What Makes a Good 80% Lower?

There are a few things to consider when choosing your first AR-15 80% lower...  

Name Brand

First, tempting as it may be, don’t buy from Uncle Leroy’s Backwoods Firearms.  

Small manufacturers are extremely hit or miss, and often lack the precision of a larger, well-known manufacturer.

In firearms, as with most things, the “cover your ass” rule is firmly in place.

During one of the previous panic buy periods...we bought a no-name 80% that had multiple alignment problems and required re-drilling of pivot pin holes.

Materials

Polymer lowers are easier to machine, but are more prone to scratching and gouging as well as full-on breakage if you aren’t careful. 

Make sure they are reinforced around the buffer tube area as well since that's where most can fail.

Aluminum comes in two flavors, forged and billet.  

Basically, the only thing you need to know is that forged aluminum is generally considered to be stronger, but almost no-one will get near the stress levels for it to come into play.

There's also the issue of 6061 vs 7075 aluminum...6061 is softer and will be easier to machine.

7075 is the standard for "real" lower receivers but the difference in strength is so little that I doubt someone could break a 6061.

Plus, 6061 is actually more corrosion resistant.

Coating

One final consideration is the choice between anodized and non-anodized 80% lowers, assuming you’re working with an aluminum lower.  

Personally, I would go with a non-anodized lower because you’re going to be milling out large portions of it and exposing non-anodized metal anyway.

Usually, that means you’re just going to have the thing re-anodized or paint anyway so I’d just go with the cheaper option of the raw aluminum.

Of course, you don’t have to worry about that with polymer as you’re just exposing more of the same polymer as you’re doing your machining.

Parting Shots

There you have it, folks.  These are our favorite 80% lower manufacturers AND jigs.

Check our Best AR-15 Lower Parts Kits to finalize your lower and also our AR-15 Ultimate Resources if you need any help assembling or choosing parts.

There's a good amount of choices for 80% lower receivers...from 6061 to 7075.

Need to choose other parts to complete your AR-15?  Check our Best AR-15 Lower Parts Kits and also our AR-15 Ultimate Resources.