Are there any lowers that I need to stay away from?

[Genius.]

My dealer called me yesterday and said he was getting a few lowers in for $125 a piece. He said he is getting one complete lower for $175.

I get first dibs on them when they come in and am going to grab two of them, if they are decent.

Is there anything to stay away from or are all lowers that are produced GTG?



I'm wanting to build my first AR and starting to collect parts and pieces.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

A lot of people will tell you that a lower is a lower but I disagree. I've assembled a metric crap ton of lowers and there are major differences in quality. A lot of lowers can be severely out of spec and cause anything from slop to functioning issues. Personally I won't use or recommend any stripped lowers other than Stag, Seekins, Novekse, RRA and S&W.

DSG arms has been getting in Seekins lowers regularly for $130 and several places have been getting Stags for around the same price. You can get on the notify list and get an email when they come in.

Lower parts kits are the same story, RRA, Stag, and Daniel Defense are the best available to purchase. I've had numerous problems with Palmetto, DPMS, and more recently CMMG. The CMMG I've only had one from with and it was a sticky safety selector and detent that took brute force to move but its still a problem. I've never experienced problems with RRA, Stag, or DD.

You can assemble a reliable "franken gun" but quality parts are a must for that to happen.

 

[Genius.]

When He gets these lowers in what should I look for out of spec wise?

 

[ORD]

Didn't your dealer tell you the make/model of the lower receivers he was expecting to receive? Certainly if he's getting them in...he should know full well what he's getting.

That'd make this whole question a lot easier rather than trying to list every lower receiver that has ever had an issue, been out-of-spec, etc.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Until you assemble it, inspect it, and slap a upper on it you won't know. Your best best is to just buy a known quality lower.

 

[Crosshair]

It is my understanding that there are only about 4 or 5 main manufactures that mill receivers for most of the brands out there. This link is from awhile back but illustrates how things are somewhat:

AR Lower Receiver FAQ (56k beware) MMS, CMT, LAR, LMT compared... - AR15.COM

The exception would be polymer lowers (plum crazy, new frontier poly, etc) and a few oddball makers (vulcan) out there.
For example I have an aluminum New Frontier Armory lower that is made by Aero Precision, who also makes the lowers for Spikes, Armalite, and several other quality brands.

 

[EricCartmann]

I think they are all the same and it is really luck of the draw. These things are mass produced, and with any manufacturing, even lowers from reputable companies can be off spec a little every once in awhile.

 

[EricCartmann]

I should add, I have never had problems with any lowers as far as function goes. Also never had problems with lowers not taking the aftermarket bolt ons (buffer tube, pistol grip, LPK, etc).

If you are looking for tight upper to lower fit, I would stick the the same manufacturer, but even then that does not guarantee any tight fit. All my AR15 uppers and lowers are mismatched now, and I am satisfied with the fit of all of them. My tightest upper to lower fit are with Armalite AR10s. So tight that there is absolutely zero movement once the pins are in.

 

[Genius.]

The lowers are COR and Delton.

The CORE15 lowers come with the lower parts kit, the Delton lowers are stripped.

What's the word on them?

 

[Crosshair]

The lowers are COR and Delton.

The CORE15 lowers come with the lower parts kit, the Delton lowers are stripped.

What's the word on them?

From my reading, both of those are good to go. I'd probably opt for a stripped lower and build it with the exact trigger, safety and stock and buffer that you want, if you are into tinkering with them. Also the stripped lowers have the advantage of being made into a pistol as well if an SBR would ever be in your future. But if the complete one has the stuff already on it that you like, go for it. Either one should be fine. My $.02...

 

[tylerw02]

For the most part, lowers are the same if you go with a descent brand from one of the known forgers.

I've had a few billet lowers that were difficult to assemble, fit too tightly, and have issues with installing aftermarket parts (like grips) and using P-Mags.

I have several Sun Devil lowers that P-Mags won't drop free on. I even had problems with an early Gen II run of P-Mags fitting the lower at all because the mag well was too tight. Sun Devil said they were tighter so that USGI mags wouldn't rattle around.

 

[SomeOtherGuy]

A lot of people will tell you that a lower is a lower but I disagree. I've assembled a metric crap ton of lowers and there are major differences in quality. A lot of lowers can be severely out of spec and cause anything from slop to functioning issues. ***Lower parts kits are the same story, RRA, Stag, and Daniel Defense are the best available to purchase. I've had numerous problems with Palmetto, DPMS, and more recently CMMG. The CMMG I've only had one from with and it was a sticky safety selector and detent that took brute force to move but its still a problem. I've never experienced problems with RRA, Stag, or DD.

You can assemble a reliable "franken gun" but quality parts are a must for that to happen.

I've had a very similar experience with the 15 or so lowers I've assembled. My favorite stripped lowers are MEGA and Noveske. The relatively obscure company Kies Firearms also makes a good product, and the defunct Charles Daly Defense lowers were very good too. I've had minor issues with Aero Precision-made lowers.

On the LPK side my first choice is the G&R Tactical LPK, my second choice is Spike's Tactical (yeah, that may surprise you). Armalite LPKs are also decent, especially if you want their 2-stage trigger. I've had fit issue with DPMS LPKs. With any LPK, a good sign is when the bigger parts are marked with an S in a square, which stands for LW Schneider, a major contractor of AR small parts whose parts are used by Colt and some other good brands, including Daniel Defense depending on the date the DD LPK was put together. (This does not mean you are getting a Colt or equivalent LPK just because the trigger, hammer, or selector is marked with the "S", but it's a positive sign.)