Best AR lower for the money....

[jtmaze]

I have always wanted an AR and have never had all the money to buy one at one time. My plan is to purchase a bare lower one month, trigger kit next month,ect and build when I get all the parts I want. Now I just want some reasonably price lower opinions.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

[Guest FIST]

The most common thing you hear "Only difference is the rollmark"

It's partially true. Everyone makes a lemon from time to time. If you buy a quality parts kit, barrel, and bolt carrier group, then the stripped upper and lower aren't really that important.

Brands I have used and liked,

Colt

LMT

Aero Precision

Didn't like,

DTI (out of spec, poor finish)

Surplus Ammo and Arms (Didn't care for the grim reaper roll mark)

The DTI was probably a fluke and I should have passed on the SAA. There is supposedly 4-5 forges that make them and then the manufacturer does the finishing. I don't know that as fact but it seems to be the word.

Good luck with the build, it's fun and not as difficult as it would seem.

[PackinMama]

Imo, Palmetto State Armory makes the finest lower for the money that you can find. http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/featured/psa-ar15-lower.html

[Guest nysos]

PSA used to be the best bang for your buck. Their normal price used to be $79, and occasionally would go on sale for $49. With the new normal price of $99, unless your local gun store stocks them you might be able to find a quality lower for less once you factor in shipping and transfer fee.

You can always go polymer and get a full lower for pretty much the same price.

http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/New_Frontier_Armory_LW_15_Complete_Poly_Lower_p/nfa-lw15blk.htm

[141FE]

Any forged lower for less than $80 is fine with me.

Here's a good read:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_12/318113_AR_Lower_Receiver_FAQ__56k_beware__MMS__CMT__LAR__LMT_compared___.html

[Dolomite_supafly]

For durability you want a forged lower. They are better than billet lowers. Billet lowers are softer than forged lowers.

All forged lowers start out the same way, as a rough casting. Then they either go to a middleman or to the manfuacturer for the finish machining. It is the middleman or the manufacturer that does the final machining.

The middleman is the facility that finishes a lower for another company, like Spikes. They do not have the facilities or the need to make them in house so they contract the middleman to finish the forged lowers with their logo. And then some companies, like Colt, take the raw castings and finish them in house.

And with the CNC equipment being used today all lowers are going to be pretty much the same as long as you choose an established company. Lowers from a middleman is going to be as good as ones made in house in most cases.

Then after all the machining is the finishing which to me is the most important part of a quality lower. Anodizing is a surface treatment that hardens the lower making them more durable. To me this is a must. But some manufacturers are no longer annodizing. They are just painting them which is cheaper but also a lot less durable.

I have seen some really bad lowers though. One is a local manufacturer/ middleman that released some lowers that were so bad that only 30 out of 100 were even useable.

Dolomite

[ShamGlock]

Another vote for PSA. I've done 3 builds around their lowers so far and haven't had a problem yet. Only negative I will say about them right now is that they seemed to have grown faster than they were prepared for. Or they bit off more than they could chew right now. Their shipping times are lengthy for items that are supposed to be "in stock", also getting through to customer service can be a hassle. To their credit I know they are staffing these departments and I hope this is only temporary growing pains because I have been very happy with their products.

[jtmaze]

Thanks for the comments. Is there anything I should look for to as proof it is a forged lower.

JTM

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Dolomite_supafly]

If it doesn't say billet then it is forged.

Another indicator is a trigger guard. If it is replaceable it will be a forged lower for the most part.

Dolomite

[1gewehr]

The lower receiver on an AR is a low-stress part. As mentioned above, the bolt group, barrel, and upper are the parts that contribute to accuracy and durability. The most stressed parts on an AR lower are the front locking pin lugs. That's because people pull the rear pin to open the rifle for cleaning and let the upper swing forward to drop against the magazine well. Some polymer lowers have had issues with that.

As an example, I've used a really cheap cast EA Co. lower receiver for my Ferret .50 for over 10 years. It's had well over 500 rounds of .50 BMG put through it. That includes one day where it had over 100rds put through it in a bit over two hours. The lower still looks the same and there have been no cracks or signs of stress. If the .50 BMG isn't putting stress on the lower, the little 5.56mm certainly won't.

I built my 6.5 Grendel on a SA&A (Surplus Arms & AMMO) lower. It's been perfectly reliable and more accurate than I am. My wife's XM177E2 clone is built on a Century Arms receiver. Again, it works perfectly and looks fine.

The most important aspect of the lower is if everything fits properly. Mags should fit smoothly, but not have too much slop. All internal parts should fit properly and allow perfect functioning. The upper should fit properly and have no slop or wiggle. The bolt carrier should line up properly and slide smoothly into the recoil tube.

[CM1021]

I have 3 PSA lowers and they're all great!! But when the heck did you up they're prices on lowers???

[Lumber_Jack]

Id say the best lower, is the one you can find in stock!

[ShamGlock]

I have 3 PSA lowers and they're all great!! But when the heck did you up they're prices on lowers???

Last week. And BCM also uped their price on bolt carrier groups last week.

[Guest nysos]

Supply, and demand....

[gjohnsoniv]

I used Spikes for mine. Haven't had a problem yet.

[CM1021]

Well crap...Better order a few before they go up more...

[mikegideon]

Here...

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/51953-joebob-outfitters-has-ar-lowers/

[Lumber_Jack]

Here...

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/51953-joebob-outfitters-has-ar-lowers/

Well thy have one less now

[VolunteerGuns]

PSA Here as well. I have sold a LOAD of these. Zero complaints. I have built a couple of the PSA's as well and they work as well as any other, for a better price. I like the looks of the PSA Gadsden (don't tread on me) too!

If its all about the $$$ you CAN'T GO WRONG with the New Frontier Armory polymer complete lowers. They can be had for around $110 and are ready for an upper. I have a guy who only owns Noveske, Daniel Defense, etc. but wanted to build his son an economy rifle. He decided to try the New Frontier for this build. About two weeks later he calls me about transferring two more he's just ordered from Joe Bob's!

I've got a New Frontier on order for my 1st full auto build as well.

Sent from my LePanII using Tapatalk 2

[Murgatroy]

I have used PSA for my builds. I got them when they were on sale, $57 shipped, $70 transferred and TICs.

[ProjectDexter]

BCM blem lowers bro