if I were to build the best AR money could buy what lower receiver should I start with? I want to build a top-notch carbine that would be good enough for me to single-handedly overthrow a small country with. 
ok thats a bit much but you can see what Iām going for.
crap Iām sorry, shoulda put this in the build forum
cav arms mkII.
yeah um, not real crazy about that oneā¦
i said that jokingly, but it actually is a very good lower. itās just not a tacticool lower.
you want a stripped one?
LMT is probably a good bet. iād like one of those magpul ones at some point.
i think most name brand lowers will be ok. a good upper and a good lower parts set is whatās important.
Considering most are made by the same people (CMT and LMT make lower receivers for the vast majority of good brands), those two would probably be considered āthe bestā.
-B
cool beans then. might order 2 or 3 for future builds. also need to order the tools. man these thing are addictive.
LMT does not sell stripped lowers. They offer complete lowers.
Itās easier to list the lowers to AVOIDā¦ like Olympic Arms.
Most mainstream lowers are of comparable quality. But the one area where I see the biggest differences is the mag well broach.
When I first started getting into the PMAGS I found out what a difference there is in the Mag wells on different lowers that all drop USGI mags free.
Colt is the only lower in my small sample that drops every mag I have free. Not a huge deal or anything, but there are visible differences in how various manufactorors magwells are cut.
yeah i have several lowers and the Superior Arms lower is nice but its magwell is considerably tighter than any of my LMT or CMT lowers.
eta it wont drop any thermold mags
Gents,
Iāve got a safe full of ARās, good i love them, and when i decided to build a money no option blaster I mounted a LWRC upper on a Colt lower, too cool, and darn expensive, lol, later!
-Zef M.
Hey, these are some non wallet busters Iāve had good luck with. RRA, Doublestar, Bushmaster but wasnāt machined as well internally. With some cleanup the Bushy went fine. Even Armalites were not to pricy. The best all oround quality as of late have been the Doublestars. My last batch of Rocks were not as good as normal. As well as the 8 month wait for the next batch. Most of these retail for around 105-125 stripped.
I have a personal preference for LMT lowers, for a few reasons- aesthetic and convenience based.
The best all oround quality as of late have been the Doublestars.
Those are GTG.
Mace
My vote is Sun devil and POF billet, those are some really cool looking lowers.
I have RRA, Stag, and LAR. My favorite lower is my LAR Grizzly.
Second favorite are my RRA lowers. Stag is nice but the machining is not as nice.
My LAR is perfect; one of my RRA lowers is perfect the other has a slight forging mark at the rear above the pistol grip. Both stags have milling marks on the outside, and under near the trigger slot. All solid lowers.
I say go with the roll mark you like the best.
well my (only) local gun shop is a DPMS dealer and he told me A DPMS lower out the door would be $150. so I guess Iāll have him get me one.
Stripped or fully assembled, bigghose? If itās stripped then youāre getting ripped off. If not stripped, well, beginnings of a budget-gun I guess.
-B
I donāt see how. their website lists them for $185(wich is absurd) the others Iāve seen were $115-$125 then factor in shipping (I live about 3 hours from anywhere most people have ever heard of) and the dealers fee, I donāt see how Iām suppose to get one cheaper. BTW heās usually a bit high but this is the only gun dealer without driving for at least half an hour one way.
I have a couple of P.O.F. lowers coming. Im thinking one will be a full POF system and the other Im not to sure yet. But for the money a billet one seemed to be the way to go.
http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Lower_Receivers_Lower_Parts.html
Doublestar for $99
CMMG for $114
Shipping shouldnāt be that much of a concern, and transfer fee shouldnāt be more than $30 max. Either one (in my opinion at least) is a better option than the DPMS. Maybe not, but thatās your preference.
I see, itās the shipping part. I was about to comment that I too have seen them for $115 but forgot I actually live somewhere near civilization and have an FFL who takes care of me.
Still, at4rxj has a point about the Double Star lowers and CMMG, and if memory serves all three of those are made by the same folks (L.A.R. Manufacturing). MMS lowers are pretty closely priced and look to be pretty decent lowers (wish I had more than second-hand experience with them, though).
-B