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Best budget lower


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4 minutes ago, DannyBoyy said:

Would you vote a for:

  a new frontier 290

https://www.newfrontierarmory.com/shop/complete-c-5-lower-b5-milspec-stock/ 

 

or a fox trot mike 299

https://www.newfrontierarmory.com/shop/complete-c-5-lower-b5-milspec-stock/

 

or is there a solid other choice that offers LRBHO?

 

or this complete rifle?

https://www.primaryweapons.com/product-url-5959

I would strongly steer you towards a QC10 lower.  They are terrific, and have the mag angle correct.  It's a proven lower on this forum time and time again.

Yes, you will spend another $75 to get a lower parts kit from somewhere, but it will be worth frustration saved due to potential feeding issues from other lowers.

 

https://www.quartercircle10.com/products/receivers/lower-receivers/glock-small-frame-lower-receiver.html

They currently have blems for $242.50
 

As far as a LRBHO.  I just remove mine.  If you're shooting a high-cap PCC  I'm not sure what purpose it serves to have one. It's just more mechanicals to potentially malfunction.

 

Good luck!

 

 

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To make the gun shoot fast and flat, you’ll be short-stroking the gun enough that you can’t lock the bolt back anyway.

 

Don’t purchase based on bolt holdopen.

 

And buy a QC10 lower. No one is better, (unless you’re lefthanded and NEED an ambi mag release.)

 

Edited by MemphisMechanic
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2 hours ago, DannyBoyy said:

Would you vote a for:

  a new frontier 290

https://www.newfrontierarmory.com/shop/complete-c-5-lower-b5-milspec-stock/ 

 

or a fox trot mike 299

https://www.newfrontierarmory.com/shop/complete-c-5-lower-b5-milspec-stock/

 

or is there a solid other choice that offers LRBHO?

 

or this complete rifle?

https://www.primaryweapons.com/product-url-5959

 

your first two links are the same - also they are for mp5 magazines and no mp5 mag offer LRBHO

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FWIW, a foxtrot mike complete lower minus the stock is $279 shipped from Brownells using coupon WBB.

 

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/receivers/lower-receivers/ar-15-fm-9-premium-complete-rifle-lower-receiver-assembly-prod124527.aspx

 

Since I'm new I can't comment how good it is compared to QC/JP,  just noticed its a pretty good deal IMO pair with a Battlelink minimalist stock and whatever upper your budget allows.

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3 hours ago, andrewt556 said:

palmetto is cheapppppp 

I’ve been running my psa glock AR for the past few matches.  It runs great on factory ammo.  Had two fail to fires of some freedom munitions reloads that appear to have short brass.  Otherwise, it’s the least expensive ar9 I have found and runs great.  

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1 hour ago, Startingover said:

The lower is going to be one of the most important parts in building a reliable PCC.

 

you will be much better off in the long run.

 

Then you can go low budget other places 

Really? I never noticed I allways go cheap on the lower care to explain? sounds sarcastic but im actually curious 

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8 hours ago, dbgeek said:

I’ve been running my psa glock AR for the past few matches.  It runs great on factory ammo.  Had two fail to fires of some freedom munitions reloads that appear to have short brass.  Otherwise, it’s the least expensive ar9 I have found and runs great.  

I shot maybe 5k ish without many malfunctions maybe 3 fte 

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1 hour ago, andrewt556 said:

Really? I never noticed I allways go cheap on the lower care to explain? sounds sarcastic but im actually curious 

Even though the upper gets all the glory, I strongly agree with the premise of spending your money on the lower from the start and then moving forward, whether you're talking PCC or AR.  When folks ask me about building their own AR, I tell them to research a part or two a month and build slowly with quality in mind, starting with the lower first and foremost.  This is based on the premise that you can own one lower and run a dozen different uppers on it either at once or over time, but if the lower is garbage then all you have is a dozen garbage guns.  I currently run one lower, am on my second upper for it, and am in the process of building a third upper.  While I tend to tweak the lower (I'm a tinkerer) it has pretty well stayed consistent even longer than I've owned a PCC because I based it off my previous AR platform, built up for years before PCC's were even a thing.

 

In my case, and I think with a lot of folks, once you get your lower dialed in the way you want it (ie, trigger, ergonomics, and preferred buffer impulse), it will tend to stay pretty stable over time, whereas the upper is more dynamic as your intended use changes.  For instance, my current upper is really geared towards Steel Challenge.  As I'm shifting to USPSA matches, I'm finding that I want a sufficiently different setup for USPSA in terms of optics and a few other things, so now I'm building a USPSA-specific upper and will swap back and forth between the two uppers based on the type of match I'm attending on that date.  The lower, meanwhile, is static and doesn't require me to "learn a new trigger" as I swap back and forth between the different setups.  It's also saving me money to invest elsewhere rather than owning two completely separate guns.

 

To put it in scientific terminology, if over time you're likely to experiment with your setup as your skills and style develops, then make your lower the constant and your upper the variable.  

 

(All that said, I have a cheap-as-it-gets NFA receiver and won't complain too much about it, except that I wish it was ambi.  When I talk about spending money on the lower, I'm mainly talking about trigger, etc.  Knowing what I know now, if I were to do it over again I'd invest in a more expensive ambi lower, but that's mainly because I'm left-handed.)

Edited by jkrispies
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Really? I never noticed I allways go cheap on the lower care to explain? sounds sarcastic but im actually curious 
Less about price than what works. AR9 has his gap between the mag and the chamber that causes feeding issues. Particularly when u add a high cap mag that changes the bullet angle. This is why you see things like ramped barrels.

There's no mil spec on this. Different lowers do it differently. QC10/JP have it down. The others are hit or miss.

Truth is the AR 9 platform is sort of a mess. Jams, breaking "gas keys", ejector issues, broken firing pins. Most of the things recommended by regulars on this form can save a lot of frustration.

Entirely possible to have a flawless PCC. Just takes the right combination of parts.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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9 hours ago, andrewt556 said:

I shot maybe 5k ish without many malfunctions maybe 3 fte 

 My issue was a little tough to isolate.   Just got 'click' which running a stage, pull mag, and cycle charging handle - which wouldn't grab the (unfired) case.  Switching from the reloads to WWB seems to have cured it.  Measuring the round length seemed fine, but the case was slightly shorter than the rest.

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1 hour ago, DannyBoyy said:

Thanks for the help, I went with a QC10 lower due to the outstanding responses and a help from member on this forum.  Now to figure out a 16" side charger upper.  And figure out what buffer tube/ buffer system to run.

 

Give Brian at blitzkrieg a call, he is very knowledgeable on the subject. I called to ask about a prior order I made on a spring, he talked to me on a Friday after 6pm for over an hour. He went over all the details of the different buffers, his making recoil turn to heat energy vs dual spring buffer being stored energy, what setups have the best results, explained the weight needed for longer lockup ect ect. Great service I have maybe 2-3k rounds on my blitzkrieg 5015 without issue. I use  carbine buffer tube, 5015 hd buffer, red sprinco, 1/2” delrin spacer, 95 inch lbs wave spring. Lrbho is disabled with this setup but my dot doesn’t move off target during recoil. Mbx and taccom also make good buffers and solid service. 

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On 1/13/2019 at 10:24 AM, hessy2000 said:

Based on my experience, I would vote Foxtrot Mike everyday. The quality of the parts versus price is outstanding, and the customer support is just phenomenal. I went all FM-9 for my first build and do not regret it.

Agreed, I built my first using their build kit and a CMMG Guard bolt & barrel. It went together great, their fit & finish is first rate and their customer service is the best in the business. I'd recommend them to anybody looking to build a quality PCC.

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