This is an excellent response.
Thanks for posting.
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Its just easier to buy tier 1 the first time. You can only polish a turd so much.
since you've already bought the lower, I would buy a quality LPK to replace the original, BUT if this isn't your go to defense weapon I'd run the crap out of the original lower and get my money's worth out of it before replacing parts.
What exactly is wrong with the rifle(s) that you have now? Do they satisfy your current needs / uses?
Yes, it absolutely can be done.
Unfortunately, usually at a higher cost than simply selling the existing rifle and buying a Colt from scratch. I've done the former, twice, and I love those rifles, but the resale value on them is nowhere near what I put into them, so I've written off most of that sunk cost as the price of learning the whole buy once cry once rule.
When even eating the cost of reselling what you already have and paying MSRP puts you ahead, don't feel bad about it, that's just how it is. It doesn't cost a whole lot more to do the QC/QA to make a rifle top tier, but that kind of stuff adds up, and is why an RRA/Bushhampster/DPMS type rifle is only one or two bills cheaper than a top of the line one.
Excellent thread on improving guns that may be sub-par:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=7376
The Stag Lower and Spikes Upper works well. I already mentioned the Stag is older and unfired. I consider any gun I own to perform to defend my life and my families. That is why I have the concern about the Stag. Just a side note, and I mean no disrespect to anyone. This site has a great wealth of knowledge, that is a FACT, however some posters aren't very friendly to new guys that aren't as knowledgeable has so many are here. Maybe consider some of us are here to learn from those that have far more and extensive knowledge and experience than others. Dom