New guy, Long term lurker, Second time poster. Relatively new to the AR platform but not totally unfamiliar due to spending time with Uncle Sam. I’ve just put together my first build and I’m looking for feedback. I was limited in what I could buy at the time due to recent events but I’m just about finished.
Here’s my build.
Lower: New Frontier Arms LR15 complete Polymer lower with a commercial spec. collapsible stock. (there were no aluminum lowers at the time)
Upper: Palmetto State Armory Carbine length, with 16" M4 profile chrome lined barrel.
Sights/Optics: UTG match grade rear sight, Leapers (UTG) red/green dot.
Bolt Carrier Group: Waiting on a 5.56 BCG from PSA. Currently running a CMMG 22lr stainless steel conversion. (Imagine my surprise when all the 22lr disappeared… :mad: )
Since I’m setup for 22lr, I haven’t fired it yet because I don’t have the ability to fire .223 for purging yet; I don’t want to clog my gas tube with these dirty Remington 22s.
Is there anything I should look out for? Upgrades, special care with regard to the 22 conversion, polymer durability?
Keep in mind; This is an entry level ‘plinker’ rifle and not setup for matches or combat.
If I was in your shoes, I’d start looking for an Aluminum lower. Prices have come down a bit and they come in and out of availability more often. I’d keep the polymer lower around for the 22lr. If you build or pick the lower right, you’ll end up with a solid AR in 5.56 and a polymer base for later building a dedicated .22LR for plinking.
All that said, I’ve got no experience with polymer lowers so someone that knows more than I, which wouldn’t take much, may have a different take. There’s plenty of info floating on the site about the Bushmaster Carbon 15, a polymer lower 5.56 and it’s pretty ugly stuff. Use the search button on that subject and you’ll find some threads to read through.
I have a NFA lower and the same upper build. I have had mine for alittle over a year and have ran over 1K rounds through it with no issues with 223 and 5.56. I did replace fire controls on the NFA lower with a spikes tactical and i put a WMD BCG in the upper when I was building the rifle and I have not had any issues with it. Oh if you are looking for a aluminum lower check palmetto state their lower pop up at least twice a week. In fact two days ago they have blem lowers for 99 bucks. Good luck and go out and enjoy your AR.
Yeah. PSA is the place to go for almost everything AR-related these days… I’m strongly considering grabbing a blemished stripped lower if they pop up again. Then I’ll try my hand at building it with a basic lower parts kit.
I’d keep the New Frontier lower as a backup. It never hurts to have a spare lower (or rifle for that matter) lying around…
What are your opinions of those conversion kits? Other than firing a few .223s to purge the gas line is there anything I should look out for?
I bought a couple FMK lowers before I came across the PSA lower. The deals were so good, I now have a PSA 16" carbine because I couldn’t pass any of it up. FYI, I picked up my BCG through Core 15.
Ouch! You’re hating on my optic too? That thing’s only for close range acquisition. Besides, the thing took a 12 gauge recoil with no problem.
I know the NFA is not aluminum but they had really good reviews with regard to durability. Have you heard anything bad about NFA lowers or are you just an ‘aluminum only’ kinda guy?
Munch, like many on here, probably looks for components that are MilSpec and/or proven for a solid 5.56 platform. Polymer lowers like the ATI Omni or Bushmaster Carbon 15 are not MilSpec and proven. Same with the NFA polymer lower.
Polymer lowers might be fine for range toys or dedicated .22lr setups, but most here wouldn’t use one for a hard/duty/defense use rifle.
Not hating, just observing (sorry). Most red dot, 1x sights are only meant for close range, I don’t see what that has to do with anything. I’ve personally bought, for the hell of it, some Barska, NCStar, UTG, etc. optics over the past couple years to just see what happened. None held zero, and a few rattled loose in their mounts after a few magazines. Most were returned to the LGS that same day.
How many rounds of 12g did the UTG take? 2.75"? 3"? 3.5"? Shot or slug?
Where are these reviews? I’ve seen and heard bad things. Yessir I am ‘aluminum only’, and never bought a poly lower for that reason. I don’t need to own a gun made of marshmallows to know that it likely won’t work for shit.
It’s relatively new but I took my UTG out for 55-60 rounds of 00 buck and over 75 rounds of 7.5 bird shot. No problems on my end. I anticipate that unless I do something crazy like put a slide-fire stock on it or start vacationing in Afghanistan, it will continue to hold up.
The NFA lower got good reviews on several forums. If you want specifics, you’ll need to use your google fu; I didn’t write them down. What I got out of it was that it has a similar origin to the Plum Crazy Lower and it has a superior polymer compound to the ATI. It’s been said that as long as you aren’t butt stroking people or trying to use a .50 BMG upper on it, it should hold together. It goes without saying that extreme temperatures (Arctic) are not recommended and keep it away from any petroleum-based solvents. This was quite literally the best polymer upper I could buy. At the time, It came down to this NFA lower or the ATI because plum crazies and aluminum uppers were scarce. They also have a lifetime warranty on the NFA.
Think P-mag durability but both the gun and the mag are polymer.
Oh, And for the record, even for the lower price, I would never buy an ATI lower. It’s not a question of if they break; rather a question of when. The NFA didn’t have the ATI’s negative track record So I think I made the right choice for the time…
I read you. Aluminum lowers completely disappeared by the time I tried to start my build. My goal was to get some kind of mid-range shooting capability. I was sizing up FALs and PTR91s but scrapped the idea of a .308 rifle since there are no nearby ranges that will allow that large of a caliber. So I went AR. By that time the firearms community was scared ****less because of Obama and Romney’s bids for office. The result? Bye Bye aluminum uppers… Everyone claimed to be backed up for 6-8 months. The only thing left was polymer.
There were ATIs all over the place but I read the reviews about the fractures along the rear takedown pins and said ‘NOPE’! I heard decent reviews on Plum Crazies but they were gone just like the aluminum ones. I found the NFA lower on Joe Bob’s Outfitters and pulled out my card…
Locally, my shooting community is great. They all do what they can to get firearms into the hands of as many good people as possible, and go out of their way to help however they can. They’re welcoming and humble, especially those LEO’s that take part in growing the community.
On the other hand, this forum has a significant amount of arrogance and hubris. A number of us getting into the world of defense rifles, have done so at a time that has been entirely inconvenient, and wildly difficult, and expensive to help reinforce the fight for 2A rights against covertly tyrannical A-holes in Washington, and because of the fun of shooting and training. We didn’t all have the luxury of paying a relatively nominal price for a Colt complete, or “high end” lower. I bought two FMK lowers for a number of reasons, availability not withstanding. Without getting into specifications, it’s not a terrible product, but what us noobs don’t need are a group of high and mighty marksmen telling us we have crappy equipment. I had a range master shake his head at me because I have a PSA carbine. I built it, I paid for it, I did a damn fine job, and it puts holes in targets. Frankly, I’m disappointed this community is not more welcoming considering we’re increasing the shooting the population, and dumping thousands of dollars into the gun lobby (personally: NRA lifer, GOA member, Calguns donor). But, to each his own, I guess.
I suppose I could. But I think I’ll just keep it as a spare complete lower and when my funding allows, buy a stripped lower or two and parts kit from PSA I think I’ll wait for the blemished ones to come back.
Like I said, It never hurts to have a spare rifle lying around…
