A little ar lower advise please

[hlb14]

I finally got approval from the misses to aquire my first rifle  :woohoo:  and am looking for some advise on the lower.  I picked up a BCM upper last week during their sale and am now looking to complete the gun. I did lots of reading here and elsewhere over the weekend about lower quality and concluded as long as the brand is reputable its good to go. My question is about the quality of parts included in the complete lower. I'm looking at palmetto state armory, spikes and BCM at the moment.

[leftyk82]

congrats on the recent and upcoming purchase!

 

while you'll illicit many opinions..............you probably can't go wrong with the integrity of any of the lower parts from any of those companies, sans the trigger.  of the three you'd mention, if you want a ranking, i'd go:

 

1 BCM

2 Spikes

3 PSA

[TMF]

I have spikes and a PSA. Both are nice, but I like my PSA more because it was half the cost of the Spikes.


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[Omega]

I have a PSA lower, actually two one a pistol and one a rifle, and they both have no issues whatsoever. I am not one to replace triggers or even send one in to a gunsmith to work on one so a standard trigger works fine for me, but that is one thing that many will replace due to personal preference. If you are one to get new triggers, go with the cheapest lower to use the rest on the trigger.

[rugerla1]

I have spikes and a PSA. Both are nice, but I like my PSA more because it was half the cost of the Spikes.
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+1

[Dolomite_supafly]

The BEST milspec lower parts kit is the DPMS. I have never had, nor have I never heard, of a problem with DPMS LPK's. Are the others as good, possibly, but I have heard of issues with PSA and Spikes LPKs. I have personally had a problem with a PSA LPK in the past. The trigger was not machined on the front and was rounded over. It still worked but it was not something I would have trusted.

 

BCM is definitely as good as DPMS but you will also pay more.

 

DPMS makes a lot of junk but their LPKs are great. For the last 10 years their LPKs have been great. When I am searching for a milspec LPK I ALWAYS tried to find DPMS before looking anywhere else.

 

Now with that being said most LPKs are a combination of parts from various manufacturers. And most LPKs, regardless of brand, are more than likely made up of the same parts.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Dolomite_supafly

[jmevis]

I'd go BCM to make the upper and lower match but that's just me. It would be hard for me to buy such a nice upper and then skimp on the lower. For a great cheap mil spec trigger get the ALG Defense ACT its only like $65 and its prob the best value. I had one on a spikes rifle, and if i didn't build another AR with a geissele, i would have gotten another ALG Trigger. 

[dcloudy777]

Ironically, the lower is probably one of the least "performance critical" parts of the whole darn rifle.

 

If possible, I'd take the upper somewhere that would let you "test fit" a bunch of lowers and pick the one that had the tightest fit in the lugs.  it doesn't really help performance, but does make for a nicer "feel" to have a good upper/lower fit.

[Dolomite_supafly]

It is possible to take a milspec trigger in improve it to a point where it is very competitive. A few have pulled the trigger on my 300 Blackout and it is a reliable sub 2 pound trigger with ZERO take up and less than 1/16" over travel. Took about 20 minutes of work but I will put it up against any $200 trigger.

 

I do not own an AR that has a trigger above 4 pounds and they all have milspec triggers.

[dcloudy777]

I do not own an AR that has a trigger above 4 pounds and they all have milspec triggers.

 

Well, they started out as Mil Spec triggers.   :pleased:

 

Agreed... the milspec parts can be worked fairly easily to get a very good trigger.  But for a ham-fist like me, things like the Geissele SD3G make it not worth the effort.  :rock:

[SouthernLion]

I'd go BCM to make the upper and lower match but that's just me. It would be hard for me to buy such a nice upper and then skimp on the lower. For a great cheap mil spec trigger get the ALG Defense ACT its only like $65 and its prob the best value. I had one on a spikes rifle, and if i didn't build another AR with a geissele, i would have gotten another ALG Trigger.

I did this. I got one of the BCM uppers that were on sale. I went with a BCM lower just because I wanted a matching upper and lower. Did it need it to perform just as well? No. Could have gone with a cheaper one, but just personal preference.

I also have a Spikes lower mated with a PSA upper that shots great as well. Edited October 7, 2014 by SouthernLion

[hlb14]

thanks for the replies, gave me some things to think about when the next rifle starts coming together.... wound up ordering a BCM lower with a geissele trigger and i am so excited!

[Guest tangojuliet]

psa lower and tr enabling lower parts kit   ( a boy out of knoxville started the company) 

[jmevis]

thanks for the replies, gave me some things to think about when the next rifle starts coming together.... wound up ordering a BCM lower with a geissele trigger and i am so excited!

 

 

You will not be disappointed. What geissele did you go with. I love my SD-E.

[hlb14]

You will not be disappointed. What geissele did you go with. I love my SD-E.

 

went with the SSA

Edited October 8, 2014 by hlb14

[MPGlock]

I'd go BCM to make the upper and lower match but that's just me. It would be hard for me to buy such a nice upper and then skimp on the lower. For a great cheap mil spec trigger get the ALG Defense ACT its only like $65 and its prob the best value. I had one on a spikes rifle, and if i didn't build another AR with a geissele, i would have gotten another ALG Trigger.

+1. Then you'd have a complete BCM and trust me, you would not be disappointed