Hi all.
I know that this question has probably been asked before, but I went through the search and couldn’t find any answer directly pertained.
I’m in the process of building my second AR and I’d like to know if there is really any difference between the various manufactures out there concerning lower receivers. Now I know that a lot if not most of the outfits hang their name & logo on receivers made by someone else. But is there really any difference between them.
And I’m not interested in getting involved with a billet lower so let’s not go there.
For example, there are T 6061 and T 7075 forgings. Is there a standard for this or are the 7075 only carried by the better names? Or is 7075 the standard.
We all know that certain name are “supposed” to be better, but are they? For example, I read recently that Andersons are just as good as the others but are cheaper because Anderson doesn’t advertise as much and therefore has to sell for less.
It seems to me that what it comes down to is that all the pins fit the right way; not to tight and not too lose.
Not all lowers are created equal. 7075 T6 is the standard - it is much stronger than 6061. No one making 6061 lowers deserves any of your time or money. Just like everything else it comes down to the reputation and documented end user experiences of the company in question. Colt (of course), BCM, Daniel Defense, Aero, Mega, to name a few, all make good lowers and other products in general. I don’t think many people here will recommend an Anderson lower - No personal experience with them but I’ve followed some threads where its obvious they are not well liked.
As you mentioned many companies outsource production and simply have their logo stamped on the finished product. CMT does a lot of machine work for the consumer firearms industry. The thing about contracted machine shop work is that the shop will produce the product to whatever specs they are given and that information is almost never made public. That’s where the difference lies. Reputable companies are going to adhere to the specs set forth in the orignal Colt TDP as best they can, others will cut corners where they can (anywhere they can) to save a few pennies. So again, it comes down to reputation.
You can find drawings for lower receivers online, don’t know how accurate they all are, but it will give you an idea of the degree of complexity. Granted, in today’s world there are things much more complicated but there are plenty of areas to go worng, not just pin fitment.
Many things can affect the cost of a receiver set. Some shops run their tooling harder and longer. Combined with no quality control you will see bad ones. Some only spot check 1 of X# pieces produced. Others like BCM inspect every single receiver. With the difference in cost between a known receiver and a cheap one being small compared to the build cost why would you take a chance.
I’ve used Stag, Colt and Anderson (just one) lowers. I’ve used Stag, Colt and BCM uppers. All have been fine except the Anderson lower. It took work to get the BCM lower parts kit to fit. So it’s just a range toy.
The BCM upper was the tightest upper I ever used. We had to mildly cool the Colt SOCOM barrel and mildly warm the BCM upper. I looked around online and the tight upper/barrel fit seemed to be normal.
BCM does that by design on their uppers. BCM uppers are unique because they are made exclusively by a shop BCM controls. There was a time they were buying up upper receivers in the commercial marketplace and had a reject rate as high as 50%. That should say something.
I paid a premium for a couple of these lowers a few years ago, but I am fine with that, with no regrets, I wanted what I wanted. They were worth it to me, but to most people they would not be. They are like a fine balanced and blue printed racing engine, everthing is to spec and spot on, with no surprises.
Battle Arms Development Gen 2 Premium Forged AR15 Lower Receiver
Not all forged lower receivers are created equal. Battle Arms development set out to create the best forged lower receiver on the market at a level not done before in a production level for forged lowers.
Specifications:
Quality Aerospace 7075-T6 Aluminum Alloy Raw Forging (No Seconds or Improperly Heat Treated Forgings)
Ultra Precise Wire EDM Cut Magwell for Dimensional Consistency and Reliability (Not CNC or Broached)
3D High Power, Deep Laser Engraved Logo, Text and Fire Markings Prior to Anodization. Razor Sharp Image Quality (No Logo Blurr or Inconsistent Engraving Depths)
Precision Reamed to Size Holes for the Pivot Pin, Takedown Pin, Hammer Pin, Trigger Pin, and Safety Selector (Not Simply Drilled to Size)
Receiver Extension Thread Machined with High Precision and Low Stress Helical Threading (Not Drilled and Tapped)
Bead Blast & Acid Etch Immediately Prior to Anodizing for Uniform Finish and to Avoid Oxidation and Contamination
MIL-A-8625F, Type III, Class 2, Hard Anodized Flat Black Finish
Compatible with TDP/Mil Standard AR Lower Receiver Parts
Dimensional Accuracy Inspection
All sharp edges de-burred by hand
Legacy M16/M4 Selector Stops Removed and Blended Smooth to Receiver (No Trace of Selector Stops Remain)
Pictograph Selector Markings Properly Marked for 90° Safety or BAD-ASS-ST / BAD-CASS-ST Short Throw Ambidextrous Safety Selectors
Receiver Safety Selector Hole Machined with Relief Cut for Battle Arms Development “SHORT THROW” Ambidextrous Safety Selectors
Multi Caliber Marking for Build Versatility
Deep Magwell Bevel Cut
All Components, material, and packaging made in the USA
Within a good process standpoint, do you believe that this above process is a better solution than some other options available? The density for some surfaces and interactions could be done in other ways. We can look into this further, If you’d want to pursue that.
I have used Aero Precision with good results. I have built 3 rifles using their receivers, and they all seemed very well made. In contrast I bought 3 Anderson receivers during the 2012 panic, and they were not as nicely made as the Aero Precision units. One of them had so much material removed from between the ears of the front pivot pin holes, that every upper receiver I tried with that lower seemed to have about 2mm of side to side play when mounted. Needless to say I sold that one off, and the remaining two I sold off not long after.
OP, I wouldn’t avoid billet. (I just went there! :D) It’s probably unnecessary money from a functionality perspective, but some of them are a work of art and the finish is much nicer than forged.
anderson = walking pins… several folks at our club purchased andersons over the last few years going against recommendations. All now have hammer and trigger pins that walk and require a kns pin set to keep them functional.
Let me get this straight: out of the several who have purchased Anderson lowers at your club in recent years, every single person has issues with their pins walking? Every single one? Okay.
Low tier crap? Sigh… it’s not even worth the effort.
OP, just pick a lower with the rollmark you like best and chances are you’ll be good.
Is the OP referring to complete lowers or stripped lowers? Some of the posts above mentioned Companies that I have not seen their stripped lowers for sale, ie DD, BCM, Colt, LMT. Theoretically, wouldn’t there be more “QC” on complete lowers than just stripped lowers? In addition to the normal stripped lower QC, the person assembling the complete lower/rifle would have to ensure all the parts fit and check functionality; the hammer drops like it should, the mag fits and pushing the mag button releases it, etc. So the chances of getting a lemon is much less with complete lowers. Whereas Anderson probably sells 1,000 stripped lowers for every complete lower/rifle.
You asked if all lowers are created equally. (More or less). While the number of true lower manufacturers are far fewer than those who sell, it is my understanding that one of the differences are wis the level of quality assurance inspections. I am referring to the X out of XX lowers that gets inspected kind of QC. The higher the ratio, the more bad lowers that are caught, the better the lower that is available to the consumer. I believe the inexpensive lowers have fewer QC checks, because it generally takes a person to do that visual inspection and people cost money and that money is one of the factors of consumer cost. That said I have also experienced quality issues where you would think there wouldn’t be an issue. And I have had lowers where so many on here have said they are a POS, but mine worked better than the expensive “name-brand”. So all I can do is offer up what my sampling of data is.
All my AR’s are from stripped lowers.
I’ve built 6 Aero Precision lowers. They have all had a consistent fit and finish. I have not had a single problem and honestly when I want to build, I’m going to probably buy an Aero. I use DSG Arms LPK, in all my builds.
I have built one Noveke Gen 2 lower. It had the absolute best finish of any lower I have bought. It just doesn’t match with any upper. But meh… don’t really care. But fit and function were perfect. I prefer the Gen 2 because I use Redi-Mag’s on all CQ rifles.
I have owned two KAC stripped lowers. One I sent back, the replacement I kept. (Excellent customer service.) Good thing I don’t wig out on the finish, because this one has issues. It’s chalky whitish. Weird. But it shoots and the KAC trigger guard even fit (can I get an amen?)
I own two Anderson lowers. My very first build was an Anderson. This was in 2014. I shot the mess out of it before reading here that it was…ahem… a bad lower. Unfortunately it still keeps operating as advertised. Caveat, it has a CMC trigger which uses anti-walk screws so… I don’t know if standard pins would walk out. I have just read on another thread that anti walk pins are borne from the bowels of hell and are evil, but I put those opines in the “DGAFBA Category”. I have one Anderson 80% and if the trigger pins walk out of that it’s my own fault since I made them. So that doesn’t really count.
So BLUF?
I buy Aero’s because in my experience they are well made and I have had ZERO issues.
I bought the Noveske for a very special build, but they are expensive. I bought the KAC because it was a KAC stripped lower (and pretty expensive. But If you check my spare part bins, you will find Aero stripped lowers, some built out, others waiting for a project.
I would recommend Aero lowers all day long.