I have been doing a lot of research so far and have decided I am going to take on building my own rifle (with a little help).
My question is, what is the difference in quality from different manufacturers in terms of the lower?
I am looking at a few from $115-150.
Do I GAIN anything by going with a Noveske vs. Mega vs. BCM vs. Spikes? Or are all forged lowers the same, and it just depends on who’s mark you want to have on your rifle.
It seems to me that the real price and quality differences come from the LPK and other components added onto the lower.
Just curious…I want to get this project off the ground.
Thanks
different manfers machine their lowers, or have their lowers machined to, better and not as better finish standards… that’s generally the only difference, these days. noveske lowers are known for the very high finish quality… respected manfers like colt and LMT are NOT known for high attention to finish quality.
so what you “gain” may or may not be any gain, depending on YOUR criteria. personally, so long as it holds all the parts together and correctly, i really dont care much.
Any of those would be fine, though the Mega is billet I believe instead of forged so if you went that way you might want to get their upper as well.
Take a look at BCM’s blemished lowers it’s pretty hard to beat them for quality and price. Grant often has them and of course BCM. Best deal in town. Just be sure to get a quality upper as well.
Thank you for confirming my suspicions.
I have the opportunity to get a blem Noveske for $150, or a new Mega for $125 (both local)…and of course I am always tempted by Grant with those blem BCM lowers.
Oh the choices.
At one point I would have said that some brands in particular are a more certain path to a consistent, high-quality lower receiver, but of the three of one particular reputed high-quality brand that I own (one rifle, two matched uppers/lowers), one of them doesn’t like to drop Pmags freely and the other has a finish that isn’t so hot (by comparison to the other two).
So, if I ever need another rifle, I think my next lower will be a BCM.
Is the one that doesn’t like to drop P Mags a Mega Arms lower? I had this problem and they were very helpful in exchanging it for a new one. I was very impressed with the CS.
I received a free stripped seconds Noveske lower with a Mk12 upper that I recently purchased.
After looking it over very well, the only mark that I found on it is one small dent in the side of the magwell that happened before it was annodized. other than that small mark, and a “2” in the low shelf, it is in as good of shape as any new lower would be. I would highly recommend a blemished lower if pristine looks aren’t one of your concerns.
The blem Noveske lowers are very very good. Most of them I have a very hard time finding the blemished portion. I will however say that $150 for a Noveske blem is very very high priced. That is about the price of a brand new “first” condition lower. The blem lowers should be around $50 cheaper than what you are quoted. I can say that dealer is making a killing off of that blem $150 price tag.
In the past, I’ve taken my upper in and fit it to a stripped lower to match fit and color.
I’ve also matched manufacturer upper and lower (although the fit and color wasn’t always that great).
I’ve bought several of the Noveske seconds, but I was only paying $100 for them. Really hard to find the flaws on them. Most of flaws are what will show-up on any rifle with a few trips to the range.
In your case I would buy the Noveske, and all of my future lower purchases will be either Noveske or Daniel Defense due to their willingness to Form 4 an SBR for their customers instead of you having to Form 1 and engrave it. Just shows me that they care about the shooting community instead of covering their ass for lawyers, or making an extra buck (Neither company charges extra for factory SBR’s either, all other components being equal).
I searched high and low until I found a Noveske matched set from PK Firearms in IL. I can’t recommend them enough, both the seller and product. The fit between the upper and lower is amazing, and the finish is perfectly matched as well. No mag issues etc. CMT LPK etc, LMT bolt carrier, Vltor receiver extension, magpul furniture, DD-RIS-II, barrel from Noveske/MSTN.
Hmac, I have a pretty good idea what manufacturer you’re talking about, from our PMs, and it comes as a surprise. If you address this with them, let me know how it plays out. Is this all PMAGs, or just a few?
Just a few. A little sandpaper to the mags and they drop free fine, most of the time. There can be some variability in machining from the best of mfgrs.
