I think we need a thread for the best currently available LPKs and their features, and where to get them from. I’ll update the first post as information becomes available. If you want to put an LPK in the #1 list, be prepared to explain why.
We all have heard the bullshit ‘LPKs are all the same’, so I hope we don’t have to go down this path here, since HERE we know they are NOT the same.
I’m assuming the following:
a true Colt parts kit is the standard - as found in a new 6920 lower. I can tell a gun with Colt parts from another almost with my eyes closed, just based on how the feel when I operate the controls. This is NOT the reason I choose Colt, but they definitely feel smoother and more solid to me.
The top-quality parts list:
Guaranteed Colt parts - Source: Brownells, G&R?, Specialized Armament Warehouse.
Can anyone comment on DD LPKs?
The “OK, but not Colt level parts” list. Usable and should not give problems.
Stag? I’ve used two in range guns and they seem to be OK.
The “plinker” list:
DPMS
Bushhamster
The “Pot-Metal Fucking Junk” list
Oly
Sherluk
Model 1
I just ordered a G&R lower parts kit. I like that he gives the customer options on the trigger / trigger guard, spring, end plate, receiver extension, castle nut, etc. Thats the main reason I went with G&R…that and the great service in the past.
No experience with DD. What about Armalite kits?
My personal experience with DD kits is that they produce a heavier than Colt trigger pull, which also has a cleaner break. Reading reviews at various websites, I have found that many others have had the same experience.
I would rate them above Stag but below Colt.
One DD kit I installed had a bad bolt catch spring, which was easily replaced. I consider this a “luck of the draw” QC occurrence and would not hesitate to use their kits again.
As a dealer that puts together his own LPK’s, I have shopped around a lot and looked at tons of parts.
IMHO, there is only ONE king for LPK’s. That is Colt. They hold the TDP and have to make parts to a KNOWN/SET standard. No one else has to do this (less FNH).
So from what I know, I rate LPK’s in this order:
Colt
LMT/KAC (both have .Mil contracts for guns and parts)
G&R LPK (we use several LMT components in our kits)
3A. DD/BCM/Noveske/S&W (These companies care about the components they put into their guns and always choose quality. Some of them also make some parts in house).
Due to the .Mil contracts wouldn’t that place Colt, KAC, and LMT all in the same place due to the fact that they also have to uphold the TDP with their LPKs?
Also, if you rate Colt, KAC, and LMT parts kits above yours, would you recommend their kits over using your kit?
I’m happy to see this post as it is something that I have been wondering about for a while. I am currently slowly building a carbine for my son (he is only 11 months old so I have some time), but the object of this build is to build a simple but very high quality gun. As a result, I am very interested in the results of this discussion.
I have assembled 4 rifles using various parts kits. 1 back in 1994 with a Bushy kit, 2 about 4 years ago with Stag kits, and one last year with a DD kit.
I’m not the best at telling, but I really didn’t have any real issues with any of the LPKs. The bushy’s bolt catch was kind of loose, but I attribute that to the poor dimensional tolerances of the 1st gen DPMS lower it went in. The two Stags went together with no problems.
At that time, I was under the impression that parts is parts. After coming to this site and learning, I wanted to buy better parts for my next latest SPR build. I chose the DD kit on price and its good reputation. The kit went together well, the A2 handguard had far less flash on it than the previous three kits, and the Magpul trigger guard was nice, but the trigger was very gritty probably the worse out of any of the parts kits I have dealt with. It required some light filing with an emery board to smooth out and now it is smooth, but as has been mentioned, a little heavier that normal (it might just be springs now). The bolt catch has since picked up a little gouge in it which I have not noticed on any other rifles of mine. Function however is flawless.
The trigger however disappointed me as I was looking for a smoother trigger like what you get with new rifles. My M&P has the smoothest trigger out of the box of any stock AR or M16 I have used. My Colt is an old 1990s large pin so it may not be of the quality of the latest Colts, but I certainly consider Smiths stock trigger much better.
So this raises the question to me, do the manufacturers perform some sort of post machining on some parts when they receive them from their suppliers? Do they smooth out the trigger before they ship out the rifle? My DD fire control parts have the same “S” markings that the Colts on Grant’s website have, but I assure you that most would consider the stock DD trigger unacceptable on a new Colt rifle?
No. LMT and KAC do not have the issued TPD and they do not have filed reports and .Gov inspectors checking their parts.
Yes. I recommend Colt/LMT/KAC parts above mine because they either machine or QC their parts in house. So they will generally have better control over everything IMHO. Let us also remember that you cannot buy LMT or KAC LPK’s. So that leaves Colt.
I rarely buy LPKs that have trigger groups. Obviously I buy from G&R because of this.
Before I got hooked up with Daniel Defense, I would buy from companies that were known for having all of the correct parts in the LPK. I can’t tell you how many times that I used to start assembling a lower and there was a part missing.
I choose G&R for my personal rifles because I drop in a Geissele and a BAD A.S.S. right away. There truly is a difference in the springs and how the parts fit with a G&R parts kit.
When I am building a rifle for someone else, I use a DD parts kit. I choose these because there are always the right parts in the kits. Years ago, I would use Rock River LPKs because there were always the correct number of parts. Saying that the triggers sucked on these kits would be an under statement. Stag kits were always missing parts when I got them.
I have used the GandR kit and was good go. I have also used Daniel Defense and Stag. No issues with those either. I currently have Colt hammer and triggers because I got them for a good price.
We offer a high quality, 100% USA made, lower parts kit. FN does not make our LPK. Our fire control group is made by the same company that also supplies them for FN. Our standard LPK is competitively priced, and we stand behind our product. http://palmettostatearmory.com/417.php
So then what are the differences in parts that would distinguish one LPK from another? Why did you select one part supplier versus another one in your home brewed high end LPKs?
Spring quality has already been mentioned. Adherence to military standards? Forged versus cast versus injected parts? Material and heat treating/tempering of the pins? US versus foreign (3rd world) produced?
So Colt and DD both get their fire control parts from the same forge, what will Colt do to them that DD might not as far as final “finishing” goes? Will neither perform final finishing on LPK parts since that step would be considered part of the final assembly of a rifle? I have just never been able to get a trigger pull out of an LPK that is as smooth as one from a factory built rifle (be the rifle a Colt, Daniel Defense, Smith, or even DPMS).
I am fully ready to believe that there is a wide range of differences concerning quality in LPKs (I have seen some first hand), I am just trying to wrap my brain around what they are.
Between my rifles and those built for relatives, I’ve ordered four G&R kits. No failures or problems, the best range of options and great prices. Thanks Grant!
