just went and checked out a PLUM CRAZY at a local shop

[ccarrier]

my first thoughts were... its plastic.

but it felt good. was light weight and looked quality

one HUGE selling point was they are 125.00 for a complete lower. i mean complete as in lower with parts kit installed and a stock.

[Caster]

Could you name the "local shop"? Been wanting one, might head there.

[sigrug17]

Intrested. who's selling these?

[ccarrier]

brakens gun alley in johnson city tn

( i wasnt sure if i could provide the name on here)

he is a stand up guy. i have purchased many firearms from him

[JeffsSig]

He just lost a sale from to me.

I just called to confirm if he had any in-stock and what the total price was. He told me he don't give that info over the phone only in person at the store.

Oh well I can save a few on the taxes and order on the net.

[Caster]

Whaaaaaat? What kind of bull crap business practice is that?

..I'll tell you, most likely it's the "I don't wanna fool with you" practice. Been through that before. Keep a list and move on.

[ccarrier]

never heard of that before?

hes always treated me right

[East_TN_Patriot]

He just lost a sale from to me.

I just called to confirm if he had any in-stock and what the total price was. He told me he don't give that info over the phone only in person at the store.

Oh well I can save a few on the taxes and order on the net.

I've had places do that to me. They are doing it to keep their competition from posing as a customer trying to undercut their prices, but it usually peeves more people than it's worth.

I am now intrigued... anyone know of a place near Knoxville that has them in stock? Now I must research how to build an ultralight upper...

Edited June 10, 2011 by East_TN_Patriot

[Keyless]

I bought one from Gun Brokers. I was looking for a low cost AR . I have run about 40 rounds through it so far and no problems. I am going to run a few hundred through it next week. It and a Del Ton upper was around 560.00 and that fell in my price range.

Edited June 17, 2011 by Keyless

[JoeBobOutfitters]

He just lost a sale from to me.

I just called to confirm if he had any in-stock and what the total price was. He told me he don't give that info over the phone only in person at the store.

Oh well I can save a few on the taxes and order on the net.

Thanks Jeff! We always appreciate the business AND our prices are upfront

The Minimum Advertised Price for Plum Crazy lowers is $119.95. If he's selling them for $125 he could advertise it with any media, or tell people on the phone without fear of manufacturers being upset. Sounds a little...

We got cleaned out for the most part this week, but do have a couple Plum Crazy Lowers ($119.95 w/ free ship) left at this time. We have another shipment that's supposed to hit us ~ end of next week with more. For the money, they really are hard to beat and the triggers are on par or better than many OEM mil-spec triggers like the Bushmaster, DPMS, etc.

[Guest Aces&8s]

Just bought one from Brackin's today, actually. I went by a couple of weeks ago, and he had an order put together and had two left that weren't spoken for, so I went ahead and reserved one for myself. I have to say that I was not really expecting much, but it looks and feels really well-made. The trigger is very good... I am not sure if it really comes in at 4.5 lbs like they advertise, but it is dang close, and smooth for a factory trigger. I was thinking of using it for a dedicated .22LR build, but after actually holding it and seeing how sturdy it feels, I am now toying with the idea of doing an ultra-light 5.56 build, if I can find a good deal on a lightweight upper.

I haven't spent a lot of time at Brackin's, but every time I have been in there, he has been very friendly and helpful. And I still try to spend my gun money locally, if at all possible, even as tempting as some of those internet offers are beginning to look...

[JeffsSig]

Oh I am very sure Brackin's is good people.

I just wanted to confirm the price and if he had any before I drove 60 miles to pick em up.

But I will have mine in a few days. And Ill give a report if it was worth the buy or not.

[Bubbas]

Theres a guy at the gun shows that sells them for 149, 175 out the door if your too impatient to wait. I have owned one for about 5 months and love it. Very hard to beat for the money.

[zgunbear]

I like mine. I have several hundred rounds of .22lr through it and about 200 rounds of 5.56.

Pretty good trigger for an AR15.

I have an upper from JSE surplus on it, DTI 18 inch 1:8 hbar. I think It is going to be a very good shooter

[CM1021]

I've had kinda the same experience with brackins...He is a cool guy but kinda acts all crazy when you ask him about his prices and doing a transfer...he almost refused to do a transfer for me one time because he thought I was trying to undercut him on a price when I totally wasn't...but he just acts like he has to have every penny he can get...I understand the economy sucks but without good customer service he will be shut down quicker than he knows!!

[Guest Aces&8s]

I have an upper from JSE surplus on it, DTI 18 inch 1:8 hbar. I think It is going to be a very good shooter

I have been looking at those. JSE has really good prices on their complete uppers. I have also been looking at the uppers at Palmetto State... they have some good deals right now too. Decisions, decisions...

What kind of mags are you running on your PCF lower? I have read on some other forums that magpuls don't always want to drop free.

[East_TN_Patriot]

I'm just pondering the durability of the polymer lower and wonder, is it plausible that it is able to hold up since all of the moving parts are contained in the upper and the buffer catches the majority of the force when fired? In reality, all the lower does is hold the trigger group, magazine, and buffer meaning that so little stress is actually placed on the lower that polymer is completely sufficient. I based that on the idea that the mil-spec lowers are aluminum, a very soft metal compared to the steel pins and parts installed on it. Also, polymer frame pistols absorb some of the recoil through flexing, something aluminum can't do. If the aluminum lower really took that much abuse during firing, it seems to me that over time the steel pins would start elongating the holes and the steel parts rubbing and bumping around would damage the lower. I've not seen either of these happen. Perhaps the aluminum lowers are a special alloy (I really have no idea). The majority of bad reviews PCF lowers have gotten are from people who have never held one, much less owned or fired one. Reminds me of the Glock criticisms during that pistol's early days: plastic = junk.

Just trying to make sense of it all.

[Guest Aces&8s]

I have the same concerns, East_TN_Patriot, but I figured for the price, I would give one a try. It has a lifetime warranty, and even the bad reviews I have seen have admitted that the company was quick to replace those receivers that had broken. I imagine the lower would be fine for a .22LR build, if for nothing else, and to be honest, that is about all I can afford to shoot in large quantities these days, anyway.

[East_TN_Patriot]

I have the same concerns, East_TN_Patriot, but I figured for the price, I would give one a try. It has a lifetime warranty, and even the bad reviews I have seen have admitted that the company was quick to replace those receivers that had broken. I imagine the lower would be fine for a .22LR build, if for nothing else, and to be honest, that is about all I can afford to shoot in large quantities these days, anyway.

Yeah, I was thinking about a plinking carbine. Not like I will be going to war with it or putting thousands of rounds down the pipe. Thought one might make for a nice 9mm carbine perhaps. Hmmm....

[Guest GunTroll]

I'm just pondering the durability of the polymer lower and wonder, is it plausible that it is able to hold up since all of the moving parts are contained in the upper and the buffer catches the majority of the force when fired? In reality, all the lower does is hold the trigger group, magazine, and buffer meaning that so little stress is actually placed on the lower that polymer is completely sufficient. I based that on the idea that the mil-spec lowers are aluminum, a very soft metal compared to the steel pins and parts installed on it. Also, polymer frame pistols absorb some of the recoil through flexing, something aluminum can't do. If the aluminum lower really took that much abuse during firing, it seems to me that over time the steel pins would start elongating the holes and the steel parts rubbing and bumping around would damage the lower. I've not seen either of these happen. Perhaps the aluminum lowers are a special alloy (I really have no idea). The majority of bad reviews PCF lowers have gotten are from people who have never held one, much less owned or fired one. Reminds me of the Glock criticisms during that pistol's early days: plastic = junk.

Just trying to make sense of it all.

That would be mil-spec, match grade, SOCOM approved, aircraft grade quality aluminum FYI.

[East_TN_Patriot]

That would be mil-spec, match grade, SOCOM approved, aircraft grade quality aluminum FYI.

So it is an alloy, which would explain the strength factor. Thanks for that info.

[mikegideon]

I'm pretty intrigued by these things too. I'm not really interested in doing anything other than 5.56. If a part wears out over time, so what? I'm thinking light profile barrel, a receiver with no forward assist, and a composite free float tube. top it off with plastic sights and the lightest reliable reflex optic I can find. Should make a helluva boat rifle.

[Karnage]

I've had kinda the same experience with brackins...He is a cool guy but kinda acts all crazy when you ask him about his prices and doing a transfer...he almost refused to do a transfer for me one time because he thought I was trying to undercut him on a price when I totally wasn't...but he just acts like he has to have every penny he can get...I understand the economy sucks but without good customer service he will be shut down quicker than he knows!!

I have always had the complete opposite experience. He has always been nice to me. He has done three or four transfers for me. When I look at the guns he has in the case the first thing he always says is "if your interested I can work with you on the price". Plus he has the best price on transfers in this area (that I know of) $25.00 including background check.

Back to the topic: I am seriously considering using one of these lowers for a lightweight rifle build. I'm tired of carrying 10 -12 lb rifles.

Edited June 12, 2011 by Karnage

[JeffsSig]

Let me make it a bit clear.

I was not downing the guy at all. I was just puzzled as to not giving the info I asked for over the phone.

It was only a 100$ plus item.

I would buy from him and use his shop if I am ever in his area and he had something I wanted at the time.

So I am not marking this as a bad experience he just lost a sale was all.

[JoeBobOutfitters]

So it is an alloy, which would explain the strength factor. Thanks for that info.

Standard forged/billet lowers are generally made with 7075 T-6 aircraft grade aluminum alloy. This isn't anything crazy strong, just standard aluminum with a T6 hardness. This is relatively strong, but just more or less a "standard" aluminum. Many aircraft's structural skin is made up of ~.032-.040" thick T6 alum.