Least Expensive CA "Compliant" AR Fixed Mag Setup 2025! Less than $10!

[xounlistedxox]

For those with multiple builds, this is a great way to not spend a fortune to outfit them all. Initial investment about $10-15 (providing you already have a drill), and each subsequent build will be less than $1!!!

Those of us that have been around awhile have seen and experienced having to use multiple devices over the years to stay compliant. I shared this a couple years ago, figured I would share again since I run into folks often complaining about the extra costs associated with the newer CA Compliance devices for their pews.

I've have previously used (I no longer use any of these kits and spent hundreds on all of this stuff now it's all worthless):

• California "Approved" Lowers from Vulcan. They had a 10/20 Magazine that was glued in and a set screw in the front of the receiver.
• Prince 50 Kit (set screw through the mag release button)
• Bullet Button
• Raddlock (like a bullet button, but better)

Other option:

• Featureless

After buying several different kits for each build over the years I was looking for the least expensive way possible to outfit my builds. When you go to a free state, you can simply remove one screw and you're all set. Takes 10 seconds. Before coming back, simply replace the screw, takes 15 seconds.

Tools & Parts Needed:
Drill or Drill Press
4-40 X 1/2" Set Screws (0.65 each at the local hardware store as of this post)
4-40 Tap & Tap Handle (can be found along with drill bit under $10 online as of this post)
#43 Drill Bit
Oil/Cutting Fluid

[OLD-skool454#3]

When I had AR's, I fashioned my own way of making them fixed mag for about $.05 per AR because I too did not like the idea of spending hundreds of dollars. Mine were not high end, just some colts and some YHM builds. I had no plans of selling any of them so I didn't care about drilling into them. For mine, I used an aluminum rivet and it worked perfect. I used mine with speed loaders and never had any problems.

[ar15barrels]

Just make sure that the setscrew which keeps the mag release from working is not removable without "disassembly of the action" as required under the current law.
A standard mag release button with a 4-40 setscrew added parallel to the 10-32 threads fails the legal test because it is accessible without disassembly of the action.

[xounlistedxox]

Just make sure that the setscrew which keeps the mag release from working is not removable without "disassembly of the action" as required under the current law.
A standard mag release button with a 4-40 setscrew added parallel to the 10-32 threads fails the legal test because it is accessible without disassembly of the action.

Appreciate the tidbit, if you watched the video you would already know that the set screw is not accessible without disassembling the action of the weapon.

[ar15barrels]

Appreciate the tidbit, if you watched the video you would already know that the set screw is not accessible without disassembling the action of the weapon.

I don't follow unsolicited youtube links placed here for the purposes of growing a youtube channel.

https://www.calguns.net/search?searchJSON=%7B%22authorid%22%3A%5B%2232951%22%5D%2C%22channel%22%3A%222%22%2C%22exclude_type%22%3A%5B%22vBForum_PrivateMessage%22%2C+%22vBForum_Channel%22%5D%2C%22starter_only%22%3A%221%22%7D

[xounlistedxox]

I don't follow unsolicited youtube links placed here for the purposes of growing a youtube channel.
https://www.calguns.net/search?searc...2%3A%221%22%7D

Very few folks watch these videos from the forum(s) typically around 5% of total viewers in my experience. I don't care about growing the channel here, I care about sharing valuable information to the community. Glad to see you are opposed to folks that would be trying to grow their channel... as someone that advertises their services here I would figure you would be supportive. Thanks for the free bump!

[tacticalcity]

You can find great deals on lowers from brands like Anderson, and they are in-spec. I could be wrong and don't want to bash a brand, but I think the first lower I had back when Prince 50 first created the bullet button and stripped lowers from off-brands became a thing was from Vulcan and it was horribly out of spec. Of course, that was so long ago I could have the wrong brand, or it could be a different brand with the same or similar name. That and it has been so long they most likely fixed that issue if it was them.

It is a good idea to shop around when looking for a lower. Ya never know when your local gun store or a fellow Calguns member will decide to unload them for cheap.

J&R Sports in Livermore has a really cool maglock, but it is not cheap. It is a "convertible" version. Inside California you keep it screwed down tight so the only way to release the magazine is to break the action. Outside of California you loosen the device, and it creates space between the blocking bar and the upper receiver and then functions like a normal magazine button. Just sticking further out from the side of the rifle. It is a one-piece design that replaced just the button of your magazine release button and uses the rest of the standard magazine release latch assembly. Conceptually it is a lot like the old Vamfire bullet button insert.

If you want to travel out of state for a course, this is a great option.

If you have AR Pistols and cannot go featureless, this is a great option.

Also, I have no problem clicking on YouTube video links. The more gun culture guys use it the more YouTube will realize how important we are to their bottom line and less anti-gun nonsense they will embrace. It's about money to them. Not politics. They'll only be antigun if helps their bottom line. But I do understand opinions will differ. I have just found YouTube to be a very useful resource.

[xounlistedxox]

You can find great deals on lowers from brands like Anderson, and they are in-spec. I could be wrong and don't want to bash a brand, but I think the first lower I had back when Prince 50 first created the bullet button and stripped lowers from off-brands became a thing was from Vulcan and it was horribly out of spec. Of course, that was so long ago I could have the wrong brand, or it could be a different brand with the same or similar name. That and it has been so long they most likely fixed that issue if it was them.

It is a good idea to shop around when looking for a lower. Ya never know when your local gun store or a fellow Calguns member will decide to unload them for cheap.

J&R Sports in Livermore has a really cool maglock, but it is not cheap. It is a "convertible" version. Inside California you keep it screwed down tight so the only way to release the magazine is to break the action. Outside of California you loosen the device, and it creates space between the blocking bar and the upper receiver and then functions like a normal magazine button. Just sticking further out from the side of the rifle. It is a one-piece design that replaced just the button of your magazine release button and uses the rest of the standard magazine release latch assembly. Conceptually it is a lot like the old Vamfire bullet button insert.

If you want to travel out of state for a course, this is a great option.

If you have AR Pistols and cannot go featureless, this is a great option.

Also, I have no problem clicking on YouTube video links. The more gun culture guys use it the more YouTube will realize how important we are to their bottom line and less anti-gun nonsense they will embrace. It's about money to them. Not politics. They'll only be antigun if helps their bottom line. But I do understand opinions will differ. I have just found YouTube to be a very useful resource.

Lots of great info, thank you!

[xounlistedxox]

Okay, so here is an illustration of how I would make mine Ca Compliant...this of course requires disassembly of the firearm and a tool or tools. I used aluminum rivets and inexpensive magpul polymer mags. The hole is drilled right through the front center of the magwell just behind the front takedown pin. I would then insert my magazine and use the existing hole as a guide to drill into the seated magazine. I would scrape off whatever burrs where visible and pop my aluminum rivet in place. Aluminum just made more sense to me than SS simply because it is easier to drill through or file down in case it needs to be removed or replaced without compromising the receiver or the mag. The red arrow points to where on the receiver I am referring to and the white dot represents the location of where I would install my rivets. A box of rivets was like $1.89-$3.29 and most of gun owners/enthusiasts already own a drill/bits of some kind which is all that is needed...oh, and a punch. Once the firearm halves are assembled and the front take down pin pushed in you can't easily see the rivet (you can paint it black with a sharpie) and you definitely can NOT remove it without without tools and without disassembling the firearm. I had many side loaders loaded up, they were easy to carry, simple to use, and I never experienced any failures so it really worked well for me ..your experience may differ... Hopefully it'll help somebody if not, I hope it serves as an example of what not to do lol.

The access to the parts like the rivet without disassembly of the action is what would concern me here. All of these things are up for interpretation obviously and will be interpreted by those that most likely don't want us to have these types of arms.

My method requires disassembly of the action to reach the set screw. And the biggest benefit is that you can remove this screw (you can remove or replace it in seconds) when in a free state or WROL, and replace it as soon as you come back to your ban state and/or ROL is restored. All of these types of things are ridiculous and unconstitutional.

my .02

[OLD-skool454#3]

Sorry, I thought it was about the least expensive setup. Someone with more knowledge will come along with the perfect option, stay safe

[xounlistedxox]

Sorry, I thought it was about the least expensive setup. Someone with more knowledge will come along with the perfect option, stay safe

Least expensive setup for sure, but it also has to remain compliant...

[Woolly_Bugger]

So for loading it, do you separate the actions and top-load the mag? (Sorry, I'm an AR noob.) And do you really do that over and over, or is more for keeping a gun in CA that you intend to shoot elsewhere?

[xounlistedxox]

So for loading it, do you separate the actions and top-load the mag? (Sorry, I'm an AR noob.) And do you really do that over and over, or is more for keeping a gun in CA that you intend to shoot elsewhere?

While in California I will either do a break action by releasing the rear pin and tilting the upper forward, or remove the upper completely just depends on what I'm doing and what caliber it is. These are great for transitions drills. Let a buddy load a random amount of seeds in there and go run a drill. Transition when you run out.

The idea behind this type of setup (for me) is that you have something that keeps you "compliant" for very little investment and you can change it very easily in seconds when you're out of California, then change it back very easily when returning to California.

This is especially useful for those that have multiple builds. Some of the other newer kits can run you up to $100 each. If you have 10 rifles, that's $1k. You could build a whole other rifle for $1k. Not to mention we've already seen the state make other methods of "fixed" magazine no longer viable like the Prince 50, Bullet Button, Raddlock etc.

Initially I had the CA Approved lowers from Vulcan which had a magazine epoxied in place along with a set screw through the front of the receiver into the magazine. These cost quite a bit more than other OLL's at the time. Then I went with Prince 50 kits, these were like $20 each, then Raddlocks I think these were like $40 each. So it's nice to spend less than $1 for each new build.

[Woolly_Bugger]

This is especially useful for those that have multiple builds. Some of the other newer kits can run you up to $100 each. If you have 10 rifles, that's $1k. You could build a whole other rifle for $1k. Not to mention we've already seen the state make other methods of "fixed" magazine no longer viable like the Prince 50, Bullet Button, Raddlock etc.

Yeah, one of the reasons I've held off even considering an AR is that the state could yank the rug out from whatever I did, compliancewise.

[Bullets&Whitewalls]

been doing this for a few years. Mshill a member here had a post on it back in the BB days. Its legal easy and cheap. Its good to bring it back up for more to know though. I use the BF 10 loaders and it works really well.