Palmetto State Armory Lower Receiver as a SBR host

[Eurodriver]

No problem in going with the PSA lower.

There's nothing this $50 forged lower won't do, that a more expensive forged lower with a different roll-mark will do. As has already been said, top it off and put some rounds through it before SBR'ing it, but that goes for any lower, regardless of brand.

Curious of the reasoning behind the "get a better lower" suggestions. We're talking about forged lowers here. If they're in spec and run, there's no difference.

My reasoning is simple:

I know I can assemble a lower and that I can assemble it properly. This means buying quality parts, staking the end plate, etc. However, I know that BCM does it just as good as I do, probably better.

I used to assemble my own lowers. I have a Spikes stripped receiver and with a G&R LPK, Buffer tube, H Buffer, spring, etc it cost me around $275

After seeing G&R sold BCM Lowers, I bought one off him. It cost me ~$325 including FFL fees.

I SBR'd my Spikes lower and while its entirely functional and a quality piece (A lower is a lower is a lower) I would much rather have an SBR'd BCM lower. Putting aside that the castle nut staking BCM does is leaps and bounds better than mine, I would like a BCM SBR just for the rollmark and peace of mind knowing it was done professionally. If I'm going to have this thing forever, I would like it to be flawless in every way. Even if that means being picky about something trivial. $50 over the course of fifty years is nothing.

In a perfect world, I would like nothing but Colt 6920 SBR'd lowers, but thats a bit too rich for me.

[markm]

I SBR's an fly by night lower, and lucked out. I later noticed that the milling for the FCG was off center. It' hasn't impacted function fortunately... but I was kicking myself for not vetting the lower before I married it.

[munch520]

Mine's seen just over 1,000...no problems at all. If the holes are in the right spots, what else matters? That extra $100 I saved is going towards a suppressor

[markm]

I wouldn't consider a Palmetto bad just based on price.

[krichbaum]

I would use one, but only after building it complete and running several hundred if not 1k rounds through it.

ETA: I don't mean to say that the PSA lowers are questionable, I would test any lower before SBR'ing it.

I'm asking this because I really want to know...why does it take that many rounds before you'd SBR the lower? If the magwell is good, all the parts fit properly, and the lower functions properly after one or two hundred rounds, what would change with further testing?

FWIW, I just sent in the form 1 on an Aero Precision lower that I haven't even tested yet. Prior to sending the paperwork I assembled it with a DD lpk and A5 buffer system, and there were no fitment issues with any of those parts or with various uppers. All mags drop free. Dry function tests are good. I will be test firing this lower for at least three or four mags, and if there's a problem I'll cancel the registration and get another lower to SBR.

[wahoo95]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making a SBR with a PSA lower as it will function and fit just as we'll as any other more expensive one. Only difference will be the roll mark. This really holds true right now when you can build one complete with MOE furniture for $175!

As for building something that you are "married" to, its that exact reason that the roll mark doesn't matter. If you planned to re sell it you would be better off with a bigger name...though it wouldn't function any better.

[C4IGrant]

I would use one, but only after building it complete and running several hundred if not 1k rounds through it.

ETA: I don't mean to say that the PSA lowers are questionable, I would test any lower before SBR'ing it.

Wise man.

For me, I do not want to engrave the lower with any personal info. So I would buy a factory registered SBR.

To me, if I am going through all the hassle and pain of doing a form 1, why not pick a well known name??? Colt? BCM? DD? Noveske? KAC? I personally would not want to be married to a PSA lower. YMMV.


C4

[munch520]

I'm asking this because I really want to know...why does it take that many rounds before you'd SBR the lower? If the magwell is good, all the parts fit properly, and the lower functions properly after one or two hundred rounds, what would change with further testing?

Using it for a while with another upper (what I did) might bring issues to light if they do not present themselves after you assemble, function check, etc.

I'm not married to/a fanboy of any specific brand so could someone fill me in on why the brand names are worth the extra $? I was under the impression that these came in house to the big companies, and all they did was stamp their name on it. So if all I'm paying for is the rollmark....then I'll pass. But if a lower stamped with DD, Noveske, etc. is actually made/QCd by them, well then that's a different deal altogether. At least in my mind.

I'll probably continue with BCM blems and PSA, unless someone can clue me in on something I may be missing in regards to the ROI of a pricier stripped lower.

[krichbaum]

Using it for a while with another upper (what I did) might bring issues to light if they do not present themselves after you assemble, function check, etc.

I understand that. My question is what would someone possibly find after 1000 rounds versus 100 or 200 rounds, regarding a failure related to the lower receiver itself. I don't think a forged 7075 T6 aluminum, hard anodized receiver is going to break or wear out in 1000 rounds. I'm just trying to understand what might happen after 100 or 200 rounds with no issues that would be caused by the receiver being faulty in some way.

ETA: I guess the logic is just that more rounds fired equals more chances for an operational problem to show up?

[munch520]

I understand that. My question is what would someone possibly find after 1000 rounds versus 100 or 200 rounds, regarding a failure related to the lower receiver itself. I don't think a forged 7075 T6 aluminum, hard anodized receiver is going to break or wear out in 1000 rounds. I'm just trying to understand what might happen after 100 or 200 rounds with no issues that would be caused by the receiver being faulty in some way.

ETA: I guess the logic is just that more rounds fired equals more chances for an operational problem to show up?

Yeah that's what I was getting at...non apparent issues will definitely be exacerbated by a higher round count. 1,000 is where I've felt comfortable on the few assemblies I've done so far. Pick a number really...but IMO said number needs to be above 1-200