Sharps Bros. founder John Sharps has always been a gun enthusiast, and in 2012 he decided to leverage his decades of manufacturing and product development experience to begin building a series of custom AR-15 lower receivers. Sharps Bros. has since evolved from a one-man business to a full-fledged product design and manufacturing organization, with products in multiple firearm categories.    

Our AR pattern receivers contain a number of aesthetic and performance improvements over standard receivers and our AK receivers all have integrated AR buffer extensions, a utility feature we patented in 2014.     

Each design starts as a rough sketch on paper before a 3D model is created in SolidWorks. Designs typically go through months of refinement and prototyping before we take the final step of converting the 3D data into CNC machine language. After programming and fixture development we begin milling the designs out of premium quality 7075-T6 billet aluminum (or 4140 steel in the case of the AK receivers).

Milling from billet allows us a level of detail that can be difficult to achieve in standard firearm design. When you use our products, you see why we hold our craftsmanship to such high standards: each element is crisply defined, and everything you see and feel has taken an immense amount of consideration — down to the precise size, shape, and placement of every curve and intersection.

It takes a team of exceptionally skilled craftsman to bring our receiver details to life. We had fun designing them, we love shooting them, and we have talented people who work hard to perfect each one so you’ll enjoy yours too.

All of our available receivers are sold through partners nationwide. Purchase links are found on each of the individual product pages.

Hear more about the origin story at the following podcast:

Skillset Magazine: Skillset Live Episode #66 - Gun Entrepreneur - John Sharps - Skillset Live (Spotify).