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Quality AR Lowers ?

4K views 33 replies 13 participants last post by  Coils 
#1 ·
A guy at work is thinking about piecing together an AR and wants to know what companies make quality lowers.
So what do you AR gurus recommend? I don't know enough to try and help him
 
#3 ·
Coils..

Bill as posted above would know, also j4 and the other AR guys..
I have not touched one of them in 40+ plus years until recently..
Forged, molded, whatever, I do not know one from the other..
But. With major major receiver manufacturing companies near me.. One I stop in at makes and sells either 5 thousand a week or a month?
Super top quality from solid blocks. Place is as clean as a surgical operating room, with huge computer operating machines..
Now do some companies make their own? I am sure they do..
But if you want your own "Coils receivers" stamped on it. Hell they will sell you a thousand or 10 thousand..
Now are their different qualities of receivers out there, I am sure their are.
But when two guys are arguing which is the best, they may have receivers with different names on them, made by the same company..
 
#4 ·
As long as it's mil-spec it doesn't much matter who mfg it. In fact until recently if it did not say colt or bushmaster on the side it was probably made by continental machine tool no matter who's name was on it. They were privately labeling lowers for just about everybody. They market their own under the stag name. I have built two AR's on stag lowers, two on olympic and one on a bushmaster. No difference in any of them in my experience.
 
#5 ·
every lower i have used turned out fine. i don't think it matters much what roll mark any of them have as far as function goes --provided their in spec -- and so far they all have been.

my favorites are the LMT made lowers --there is something super tough about how they make their forgings. they don't appear to fit any better than any of the others though.


these would be DSA, armalite and LMT branded and a few others.

that said any lower made by LAR, CMT, mega machine ect will provide excellent results. these are sold by a multitude of well known brands.

people argue all the time about this lower is better than that lower-- i haven't seen much variation myself in about a dozen brands -- a few have had tight roll pin holes and minor things. but they all built fine rifles. i thought one DPMS had a tight mag well--turned out my old P-mags were slightly over-sized--LOL

JSE has some CMMG blems for $80-- now i would be tempted to get one of their 6.5 grendel AA lowers cause their made by mega machine -- i think they are about $20 more--

only thing wrong with DSA is they are a bit slow to ship--last time i ordered lowers it was a few weeks before they shipped them-- other than that DSA is the best bang for $$ out there.

i think the thing to do is ask if they guy wants a "brand" name --to some that is worth an extra $20 or two.

an armalite lower is like $150 a DSA goes for about half that --same damn thing minus the roll mark--
 
#6 ·
every lower i have used turned out fine. i don't think it matters much what roll mark any of them have as far as function goes --provided their in spec -- and so far they all have been.

... any lower made by LAR, CMT, mega machine ect will provide excellent results. these are sold by a multitude of well known brands.

...people argue all the time about this lower is better than that lower-- i haven't seen much variation myself in about a dozen brands
LOL, not only did we say the same basic thing, check the time stamp:)
 
#7 ·
In small talk with the manufacturing company over here... Problem their having is their machines sitting idle. Their ready to roll. With the weapons buy rush on, they can not get the materials to make the receivers..
Guess all manufactures are pulling strings and begging for the materials needed.
Once again Nappy will get "Gun Salesman of the Year." Thank you Nappy.. :)
 
#9 ·
Yes...

LOL

I thank you all for your two cents.
Maybe I should have asked "Are there any AR lowers to stay away from?", does that make it easier to answer? :D

Thanks again, I'll pass on the info
Yes. All of them.. Damn I thought AKs were addictive. Like potato chips, you can't just buy one.. :)
 
#15 ·
I'd considered doing up a AR platform, but am a bit of a sticlker for quality, so after pricing all the "good stuff" and a heavier profile chrome lined barrel I just broke down and bought a Sig Sauer today at wally world,, a flat top with a 3x lighted Sig scope on it and collapsible stock mid weight barrel chrome lined and it ended up only costing about 125 bucks more than to build one with everything considered. And like ya say,,, it's just an assembly process,, that and I don't have head space gauges and reciever blocks, spaners ect,, ect ,,, ect,,, See where I'm going? Probibley would have cost more in the long run to build one sense I probibly won't have more. Or plan on assembling any more. I could have saved 300+ but needed every AR tool to do a clean "build/assembly". Not cost effective for me.

The trigger on the one I got is a bit gritty,,, actually,, allot gritty, but predictible and consistant. Guess what I'll be doing after hunting tomorrow,,, you guessed it,,,, polishing stuff !!! Here we go again. Bad part,, no place to try it out till after deer season,,, DAMN!!! I'll just fuss around and tweek the stuff I can on this one.
 
#16 ·
I thought I was going to get away with loading a program in into one of the CNC machines at work. But, they keep an eye on stuff like that there. I am stuck just like the rest of you who hope to find some 80% lowers here and there.

The last ones I did out of Weaponsguild turned out pretty good. Its just a labor intensive deal to make up a bunch of them though on a manual Bridgeport milling machine.

Ar15 is a sweet KIT to assemble. Its great that business is still allowed to churn these components out.
 
#20 ·
I have used the Palmetto State Armory and Spike's Tactical stripped lowers with both of their lower parts kits without any issues. I still prefer to assemble with the parts I want, than what they stuff into the assembled lowers. I don't think I would ever purchase a complete assembled AR rifle.
 
#22 ·
ezveedub..



Florida.. If your near Deland A.O.. Go direct too the factories to purchase..
Tactical Machine will give you 10% off, if your a Vet or say you saw them on Facebook..
Hell they will even put it together for you and have it ready when you get there.

Musibike. "AR sweet to assemble." All those damn flying springs and crap..
The AK is a cake walk compared too that flying spring, small pin crap..
My cat ate one spring, went in his food dish. He is fine, it passed..
 
#24 ·
Well j4

Keep in mind here. Your talking too a guy who along with his Nam Marine D.I. retired Bro. Took us 2 hours to figure how to take the damn bolt and charging handle out..
"Meathead your a retired Marine D.I. and you do not know how the hell this thing comes apart?"
"Shut up Doggie, it's been a few years, we will figure it out."
 
#26 · (Edited)
yep full panic mode-- i am glad i bought that 9mm lower when i did.

don't look like there is going to be any in stock for a long time--

Rock River Lower Parts Kit last lower parts kits in stock they got 70 RR with OD green pistol grips--all other LPKs are OOS

looks like MY LPK got shipped cause these are long gone--

JSE is very good about restocking --if you have something on BO with them --most of the time there is not a long wait.
 
#30 ·
Hello Gents.

This time around, I have been watching this with some amusement, since I have already taken all of the needed steps and preps.

As of today, ALL of the major manufacturers and distributors are OUT. They have nothing to sell. Everyone who had a wish list, big or small has blown their wad.

The most conservative backorder estimate is 6 months. The doom and gloom is 2014.

Prices have risen beyond 30%. It now costs just as much to buy the parts to assemble an AK-74 as it does to assemble an AR-15 in a similar configuration ($425-$490). That is if you can find the parts for sale.
 
#31 ·
well we have all seen this before, everybody that follows this site has had plenty of time and plenty of warnings that the BS was about to hit the fan.

what i don't get is where did all these sheeple come from with all this last minute panic buying?

they have had at least the last 4 years to get caught up --and everybody has known the big "O" wants all firearms gone and the entire firearms industry gone --all this time. no secret--he has said as much repeatedly.

i think many knew the pot was about to boil over cause ammo,mags, firearms and certain parts have been selling well for the last 4 years. they were even selling out the glut before the panic started full on.

i watch a couple of my favorite venders stocks of various things --like lowers and rifles and so on and they have been running out a lot before all this. but it was everything "cheap"--now it is just out of EVERYTHING.

many have heeded the alarm bells and did take action long before the panic.

this incident was sort of sudden and even myself has a few things i wish i had picked up before the panic struck full force.

honestly there ain't that much i''ll need to buy in the next few months.

if i do anything in 2013 i'll build a 1911 --or hell maybe a flintlock?--LOL!
 
#32 ·
Yup what bellson said..

I only have one AK left.. Tossed the rest in the canal to appease Feinwit..
2 months ago my Bro looked at the price tag I put on it in case I croaked.
"Uh Tim wanna sell that thing?' :rofl: Get bent... You laughed at the price before, still laughing? Get bent..
Like the stock market, they had 4+ years to follow the damn market..
They voted for Nappie, they got em.. Good ruck..
 
#34 ·
many have heeded the alarm bells and did take action long before the panic.

this incident was sort of sudden and even myself has a few things i wish i had picked up before the panic struck full force
Mainly replying to the bold part.
This incident was very sudden, remember the shooting happened on friday, sunday bigO made his speech and said he'd do everything in his power to ban these weapons. The panic started sunday night and monday



And yes this sucks, I was planning on getting a long barreled upper or putting one together to make a tack driver style target rifle :(
 
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