What matters in an AR lower?

[zanthor]

I'm building an AR and I've noticed a great disparity in the cost of stripped lowers. With deals as low as $90 and as high as $420 for essentially a hunk of aluminum. What makes one lower better than the next?

[EkuJustice]

When it comes to standard lowers a lot of it is the name on the side honestly. Outside of the standard lowers you are seeing some made with flared mag wells etc that sell for more. I have build several on the Anderson uppers and lowers which are one of the low priced ones and have had go fit and finish on every one I have built. They actually make the lowers themselves as well as making lowers for other much more known companies. If you can find it they have one with an integral trigger guard that is nice and AIM usually has them. The uppers, they have one that's a "sporter" which has a deflector but no dust cover or forward assist and is nice if you don't want or need those on the gun(competition gun with JP lightened bolt carrier with no serrations). On any of them just stick with the aluminum ones and avoid the other plastic, magnesium ones etc. These days the companies are pretty much all turning out a nice in spec lower

[IHMSA15151]

Right now Brownell's has Bushmaster stripped lowers on sale for $49.99. Hard to beat for a name brand product with years of good history in the AR field.

[Baer45]

Right now Brownell's has Bushmaster stripped lowers on sale for $49.99. Hard to beat for a name brand product with years of good history in the AR field.

+1

C

Marine Corp

Colonial Shooting Academy

[AKJD]

Right now Brownell's has Bushmaster stripped lowers on sale for $49.99. Hard to beat for a name brand product with years of good history in the AR field.

That good history is debatable.

For the average stripped lower other than the name and finish, as long as its in spec not much difference. I have built guns on lowers from S&W, Bushmaster, DPMS, LMT, Aero, Bushmaster, Spikes, Colt, BCM, and a few others and they all work.

[aquaticvisions]

I recently bought 3 stripped basic Anderson lowers from AIM for $39.95 each. Their Sporter uppers are currently also $39.95 available directly from Anderson.

For what it's worth, there is no benefit in a billet lower versus a forged lower of the same spec.

[Graham Smith]

Other than certain features, the quality of materials and tolerances to spec are probably the main differences. Whether or not that really matters that much to you is for you to decide.

[troupe]

The forces on your lowers are less than your upper. As mentioned earlier, if it is in spec, that will be all you need. There is a lot of hype about forged, billet, etc. I have used the plastic with no problems. It is trendy to have the best, as in another post elsewhere , if it makes your mind think that it is better, and you can afford it, go for it. Remember , these are guns that get dumped in barrels and such.

[dauntedfuture]

I have several lowers and I don't think that I can tell a difference. The finish on a few is more matte and others are a little more black then grey. The only one that I have that's any different is the Tactical Innovations lower. It has a set screw to hold in the rear take down buffer retaining pin and spring as well as a rubber bumper in the back of the lower to assist in slop elimination. I think at the time it was 100.00, now there are so many on the market ill go with what ever is cheep.

[Butterpuc]

The only issues I have seen are some lowers will not drop PMAGS free. For me that's an issue. I do have some aluminum and steel mags, but Pmags are my magazine of choice.

[Woodsk]

It 's only a sample set of 1, but the 1 billet lower I have will not let PMags drop free.

[openclassterror]

For me, the flared mag-well is THE feature on a lower. As long as it is good quality and the pin holes are in spec, there really isn't much difference among mil-spec type forged lowers. I like an integral trigger guard, but that isn't make or break, as I have never broken one of the hinged military type. BUT, having a huge mag well opening means I can throw the mag in faster, and swap mags while running without fumbling for the opening. While I will admit that mag changes are a small part of the match, and there are many other places to pick up speed, none of them result from changes to the lower. There is no other feature of a lower that will speed you up or slow you down, besides the mag well. I dislike the plastic add-on versions. For me, the king of this hill is the Noveske Gen2 or Gen3.

[prairiefire]

I'm sure it's just me, but I do like the Noveske lowers - I think mostly because of the magwells.

[Dewberry]

I think an integrated trigger guard makes for a very nice feature but it's not needed

[warpspeed]

I think an integrated trigger guard makes for a very nice feature but it's not needed

For those assembling their own AR15 for the first time, I'd suggest one of those.

putting the trigger guard on is one of the hardest things to do. Many have broken off the ears.

[Ming the Merciless]

Personally I don't like lowers with flared magwells because they've caused problems for me with Surfire mags and coupled mags. After years of shooting single stack pistols hitting the 'giant' standard AR magwell isn't a problem.

[Alaskapopo]

Bushmaster and years of good history. HA HA HA. Sorry but you should go into stand up.

Pat

[Solidgun]

It comes down to tolerance, which is easy to see when you are fitting in triggers, upper to lower match and tightness of pins.

Strength, which takes a while to see, but I have seen take down pin areas and trigger pin areas getting loose over time. Could be just bad finish.

Finish, I have seen some wear off, but not sure whether it was the factory finish or someone that coated them.

Is it worth the price tag? I don't spend the extreme high end of the price tag, but I see sloppy fit with lower end upper and lower receivers and haven't seen them with high end ones.

Some companies also had the issue with out of spec magwell which was apparent when it was very difficult to fit usgi mags and yes, quality control can slip and bring on the minor annoyance, but how many receivers will you really buy? (stupid question for some of us as I seem to find a roll pin and build rifles around it from time to time....)

[CJW]

I use the Arredondo aftermarket magwell chute. It does not work with typical coupled magazines but is just fine with the bottom coupler (Firebird/Brownells/whoever else makes them). Also, since it is polymer, I have no problem taking a dremel to it when I find, say, that PMAG-40s need a little more clearance.

I use a BAD lever on my competition ARs, but I would consider ambi bolt controls on the actual receiver to be a very nice, although not must-have, feature. That's true ambi—hold open and release, like the Aero Precision ambi lower—not just bolt release (like on the Lancer, which is otherwise a very nice lower).