View Full Version : Stripped Lowers are pretty much the same?
I have a choice of using a RRA or Spikes tactical stripped lower for my .556 "build". It will be mated to a Colt 6920 upper.
Is there any advantage of one over the other? Are they both made of 7075 T6 Aluminum?
Also, is there really any difference in strength and durability of these 2 lowers vs. a stripped Colt, BCM or LMT lower?
TheyCallMeGmoney
11-27-13, 21:52
I think for the most part a lower is a lower as long as your talking apples to apples, there are lowers that are made of better material than others. Spikes is held in higher regulars than RRA plus someone correct me if I'm wrong but most RRA are not mil spec but I don't know how much that matters with the lowers. If alls equal go with the spikes.
Voodoo_Man
11-27-13, 22:33
Milspec is a must.
Other than that it's what you want out of a build. A Noveske gen 2 lower with all the doodads is going to be substantially more than a spikes with a PSA lpk.
Essentially you get the same result, but why sell yourself short if you don't have to.
SpankMonkey
11-27-13, 23:22
Spikes makes a thicker lower. The RRA lowers I have seen are machined very thin.
Been running a spikes lower for several years. Some where around 15,000 to 18,000 rds with zero issues.
Please don't keep starting new lower threads. First off lower info is pretty easy to locate with GOOGLE. The other thing is that you asked an almost similar question about the Colt upper and RRA/Spikes' combo.
So, do you have an answer to my questions? I did a google search and came up with many other sites discussing that essentially a lower is a lower. However, I am a member of this site, one of the reasons being, I respect the opinions on this site. Also, the older threads on this site are just that, not current. As to the other thread you reference, I thought I asked a vaguely similar question; however, I have been unable to locate that thread. Nevertheless, in that other thread, if I recall it correctly, I did not ask the same question and additionally did not ask the simple question of the composition of the RRA lowers. The RRA website does not state the composition, at least not that I could find.
So, your help as well as that of those in the know would be appreciated. Thanks to those who have replied to this thread. Thank you.
Go with the spikes for sure.
To answer you question, all lowers are created similar but not equal.
Obviously go for mil-spec. But also I tend to believe that other than specs, people go for reputation, then price.
Another things to think about it not just the quality of aluminum, but also the fit and finish with the rest of your pieces, are you using mostly all mil-spec parts?
I have seen people lowers and uppers not have a great fit which to me is a deal breaker, obviously there is no way to tell
Without mating them. I personally don't want my upper wobbling around.
Of your choices, I would get spikes.
Also, not sure if you know of not but most ar receivers are made by the same big companies, made for the gun manufacturers with their logo.
I had a list somewhere, but you'd be surprised how many lowers are made by he same people. Really we should be comparing the handful of manufacturers and not the pool full of firearms companies who sell them.
Thanks letterQ. I am trying to go "mil spec". Only part I have so far besides the RRA lower is the Colt complete upper 6920. I do have the RRA stripped lower and may also be buying the Spikes stripped lower in the near future, dependent on the responses to this thread.
I did mate up the upper and the RRA stripped lower using aluminum .250 tube I had laying around and it seemed to fit fine, I think.
Out of curiosity, why would you choose the Spikes over the RRA?
glock30_27
11-28-13, 12:26
Thanks letterQ. I am trying to go "mil spec". Only part I have so far besides the RRA lower is the Colt complete upper 6920. I do have the RRA stripped lower and may also be buying the Spikes stripped lower in the near future, dependent on the responses to this thread.
I did mate up the upper and the RRA stripped lower using aluminum .250 tube I had laying around and it seemed to fit fine, I think.
Out of curiosity, why would you choose the Spikes over the RRA?
If you want my advice put what you have together and go out and shoot the damn thing and then you can figure out what you MIGHT need to change,sounds to me you have a good upper and the lower isnt the best out there but who cares if it drops your mags and everything fits in it, too many people spend too much time on this site and less time enjoying shooting the thing that brought them to this site.
Personally my fav lowers are Mega and Aeroprecision.
I also have sspikes and would take that any day over an rra but would take the mega and aero over my spikes.
Just want to make it clear that the differences ive noticed are NOT significant to function.
Buy a bcm blem from grant and called it a day
Lowers are all pretty much the same if you ignore the Quality Assurance process that the different firearms mfgrs apply. That process is definitely not the same between companies. The places that make the "budget" lowers are going to have looser specs, a lower rejection rate, or they won't even spec each lower...just some kind of "representative sample", the number and frequency of which is in turn variable from among the "budget" mfgrs.
As long as it is a metal mil-spec they are all in essence the same. Some companies have better machining, finish, but they won't make the gun perform better...that is up to you.
I have an RRA lower mated to a BCM upper. It wobbles a little but that's irrelevant as far as function goes. However, PMAGS don't drop free BUT it's the lower that I can seat any fully loaded mag the easiest. Hope this helps
Hell No! All lowers are NOT the same, there are some total crap out parts out there, get your parts from a known good source. You can find quality lowers from many sources without killing your wallet in the process. Buy reputable parts from known "good" venders and avoid all of this mess.
BoringGuy45
11-28-13, 22:47
We had a guy bring in a Stag lower that he built with some other parts kit. A lot of the holes were out of spec, the trigger wouldn't disconnect, and the safety wouldn't engage. It took a lot of tweaking and switching out parts to actually get it to work. It was not the first time we had similar trouble with the Stags.
I'd take a look at the Anderson stripped lowers if you want pretty good quality for a decent price. I found everything to be in spec for mine.
http://gunsinc.com/product.aspx?ProductId=57586&title=ANDERSON+AR15A3LWFOR++AR-15+STRIPPED+LOWER+RECEIVER
Woops I must have misread your post, I didn't see that you already had the rra lower.
I would just go with the one you already have, the spikes isn't going to make or break a build. I would pick the spikes if you hadn't already picked up the rra.
The main reason I say spikes is because they have a very good reputation for building quality products all around, and the vast majority of people I meet with spikes don't have many complaints. Also with spikes you can be absolutely sure your lower is mil-spec.
I have a Colt Le6920 and a Aero Precision Stripped Lower. And to tell the truth, I can tell no difference between the two.
My advice is go shoot the hell out of it (break it if you can) and you will be my hero because i have never known anyone whose lower broke.
Good luck,
Q
As long as it is a metal mil-spec they are all in essence the same. Some companies have better machining, finish, but they won't make the gun perform better...that is up to you.
Nominally the same...on paper they have the same specs. That doesn't mean that the end product that gets sold will be in spec. That depends on how much the mfgr is willing to spend on QA, which in turn depends on how much the customer is willing to pay. If you're paying $650 for your rifle, they have to cut corners somewhere....
As long as lowers are mil-spec than they are pretty much the same. I have no experience with RRA however I do have experience with several Spikes lowers. They are GTG. They have all been mil-spec and I have used them with a variety of triggers, LPKs, and mags without any issues. RRA may make a great product for all I know however in my experience for the cost Spikes lowers are a pretty good deal.
Also Grant has some good deals on blemished lowers from BCM which are customizable so that's a good way to go to if you haven't already bought a LPK or trigger yet.
RRA mag well is slightly out of spec when it comes to pmags. No problem dropping free for me but they need an extra slap when loading to make sure it's properly seated. Seen a couple pmags fall out after the first shot because they weren't. However GI mags are good to go and I mainly run those.
Everyone keeps throwing out the word MILSPEC when talking about these lowers. If its not within the correct dimensions and has out of spec mag wells, etc... it isn't MILSPEC. We could even argue further that unless it's a Colt lower made to spec it isn't MILSPEC. The important issue here is whether or not everything is machined correctly in such a way that mags drop free and all other components function properly. As we have seen here numerous times certain brands meet the mark and others fall short. Keep in mind that all companies have made or had lowers that were out of tolerance.
RRA is typically known for having a tight fit especially upper/lower fit. This is typically because of the way they don't mill out to spec the small area in the lower where the rear lug of the upper fits. Its not a big deal but it is one difference comparing their lowers to most others.
I have owned lowers from RRA, Stag, Spikes, PSA, Bushmaster, Mega and Cavarms and never noticed any functional difference between them. I have worked on a bunch of others (including Colt and DD) as well and the only ones that were noticeably poorer were older DPMS, Olympic and Essential Arms and even those worked fine.
Woops I must have misread your post, I didn't see that you already had the rra lower.
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Q
No worries. You did not misread my post. Thanks for your informative response. Actually, I may just pick up another stripped lower anyways.
HackerF15E
11-29-13, 09:30
unless it's a Colt lower made to spec it isn't MILSPEC.
Is there any "mil-spec" for a semi-auto only lower? Has a (high shelf/low shelf/sear block/6920-style unmilled shelf) without a sear pin hole ever been purchased by Uncle Sam for USGI service?
Palmetto State Armory has $49.99 stripped blemished lowers in stock, I just ordered 2...
As long as lowers are mil-spec than they are pretty much the same. .
I don't think you fully understand the concept of "mil-spec"
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ericridebike
11-29-13, 11:35
Back before I had been "educated" more about AR's, I bought a stripped lower from Roggio Arsenal. I hadn't done any research on the brand and at that point thought a lower is a lower, boy was I wrong. The mag catch slot wasn't milled in spec, so mags wouldn't lock in at all. I was able to make it workable by modifying the mag catch, but it was a good lesson learned on why all lowers aren't created equally. Thankfully it was prior to all the 2008 madness, so it wasn't that expensive of a lesson. I keep it as a spare, as it is functional now. I learned the importance of sticking with reputable brands and to do research BEFORE buying.
A lot of people say lowers are lowers. I can honestly say, as far as DPMS is concerned, this is untrue. Before the light bulb was flicked on I had 2 DPMS lowers. Neither would reliably lock the bolt to the rear and both had a huge amount of play with the bolt catch. In other words a huge amount of wiggle room for the bolt catch b/t the 2 shoulders. These malfs were with quality uppers. Including a DD upper and later on a Vltor MUR w/DD barrel and BCM BCG. These lowers were also tried on other quality uppers. Of which neither would lock the bolt back on last round every time.
I subsequently replaced those 2 lowers w/quality ones. Problem solved. Will never buy another questionable lower but that's me.
-Jax
ScatmanCrothers
11-29-13, 20:40
It's been covered ad nauseum on just about every firearm related site, but it's really a simple concept. Research reputable brands, buy one. Buy a quality lpk also from a reputable manufacturer, install and test. Wobble between upper and lower is irrelevant. Rollmark has no bearing on anything but personal preference and brand identification.
A quick google search will lead to endless reviews of whichever brand you choose. Lists of quality manufacturers is just as easy to find.
Complete lowers from reputable manufacturers can save time and money and can also open your options up to some quality brands not offered in stripped form (BCM, LMT, etc).
I'd skip the RRA personally.
Well, I went to the LGS where today where I had purchased the RRA stripped lower. They had a Black Friday sale on a Spikes Complete Lower with everything, including the Extension tube and Collapsible Butt Stock for a price I could not pass up. They also allowed me a full credit for my RRA stripped lower toward the Spikes Complete lower. Now my rifle is ready to fire. I guess I can't really call it a "build". Going to go out and try it tomorrow after an IDPA Match. Thanks for all the responses.
<snip>
I guess I can't really call it a "build". ...
In a general sense, the AR15 is a known type of build of a firearm that people can typically replicate from acquired parts by assembling those parts. So in essence, one is not building an AR15, but assembling a known plan. As with any known plan (or build), modifications are done when considering the purpose of the end product.
The use of the term 'build', is as misunderstood, and overused, as the term 'milspec'. Unless you are acquiring from a govt. inspected facility, you really aren't buying milspec, but the parts can be identical. Commercially produced AR's and parts are every bit as good as what is afforded the military (milspec), if you buy from reputable dealers.
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