View Full Version : What stripped lower?
Looking to start my first build and am thinking on what lower to use. I know the lower isn't as important as the upper where I plan to spend my money, and most parts kit come with crap i dont want or will replace. I was plannin to order a BMC lower and just start with a complete lower and bolt on a upper come tax time. Seems like I would thro out a lot of the parts tho. I would use none rotating trigger pins, probley a MOE grip and stock. So what stipped lower do I start with? Any other parts to look at replacing? Or just go BMC and add grips and stock and trigger pins?
Looking to start my first build and am thinking on what lower to use. I know the lower isn't as important as the upper where I plan to spend my money, and most parts kit come with crap i dont want or will replace. I was plannin to order a BMC lower and just start with a complete lower and bolt on a upper come tax time. Seems like I would thro out a lot of the parts tho. I would use none rotating trigger pins, probley a MOE grip and stock. So what stipped lower do I start with? Any other parts to look at replacing? Or just go BMC and sith grippes and stock and trigger pins?
What are you talking about? (see red highlights)
I'm of the opinion that most stripped lowers are just fine for 99.99% of the builds. I've used Olympic, DPMS, RRA, Bushmaster, PWA, Mega and Eagle Arms to name a few and had success with each one of them.
That said if I was building a new AR at this point and time my money would be spent on a BCM lower. From my experience handling several of their lowers (and uppers) there is no better value on the market today.
if this is your first AR, there's no point trying to get all custom with it. in the long run, you'll save more money by building it yourself- IF you know exactly what you want and where to get it at the best price. for now, however, you have no clue what you want. just get a BCM complete lower and use it. then, as you gain experience and proficiency, upgrade where you, personally, see something lacking.
bcm makes fine parts.. you're not going to get better quality in a basic setup anywhere.
SWATcop556
12-29-09, 17:13
A lower is a lower is a lower is a lower........as long as it's in spec. Find a rollmark you like and build away.
For your first I would do as suggested and by the BCM complete lower.
G&R has a deal on 2 Charles Daly lowers, I got some Spike's on sale...
Sounds like I should just get the BMC lower from G&R and add the gip I want and stock, cause its a option on there page. Are the BMC triggers worth a shit?
Sounds like I should just get the BMC lower from G&R and add the gip I want and stock, cause its a option on there page. Are the BMC triggers worth a shit?
if you're getting a complete BCM lower from G&R ( and I recommend you do) you can get it set up how you want it. one thing you should understand however, you need experience to tell you what you do, and do not like. and experience is often painful or expensive.
there are people who are perfectly happy with the M4 collapsing stock and grip for what they want the gun to do. make sure you really need something, or at least understand the reason you want it before spending the cash for it.
I have large hands and the standard M4 grip is kinda small for me. I also dont like my finger to rub agaist the gap. The stock doesn't matter much to me. To be honest I just like stuff to match. Kinda OCD like that. What grip best covers the gap under the trigger?
I have large hands and the standard M4 grip is kinda small for me. I also dont like my finger to rub agaist the gap. The stock doesn't matter much to me. To be honest I just like stuff to match. Kinda OCD like that. What grip best covers the gap under the trigger?
the "gapper," a $2 chunk of molded rubber, will fix the gap on grips that don't cover it. otherwise, TD's battlegrip extends past the grip, and the MIAD has a trigger guard/front strap attachment that nullifies the gap.
Yeah, I found the post on it after I posted that.
I've seen on another site DS Arms has complete lowers for $180. This was taken from that site:
Complete lowers are available for $180! These feature a mil-spec extension, and a lifetime limited warranty!
And according to the same site the lowers are made by LMT
LMT = LMT, Lauer(old), DS Arms, PWA, Eagle, Knights Armament, Barrett, Bushmaster (?)
Is that a good deal or should one steer clear?
I have had good luck with Superior arms lowers.
Any stripped lower will do the job just fine. There is only one or two brands to stay away from when it comes to lowers. I can't remember the names tho...
snakedoctor
01-01-10, 13:41
you can get a free lower with the purchase of a noveske rifle or upper right now.
Artiz, Would it be Hesse/Vulcan?
Hesse/Vulcan lowers work really good. I use them all the time, I wedge them under my tires to keep my truck from rolling back when I work on it...:D
you can get a free lower with the purchase of a noveske rifle or upper right now.
thats a solid win/win
Is DSA is LMT then that would be a good route. I think i'm just going to get a BMC tho. That way its pro assembled(not that there is to much to building a lower) and everything is staked and all that.
Artiz, Would it be Hesse/Vulcan?
I'm not sure, what I do know is that the lowers basically failed where the receiver extention is screwed, the frame cracked in half, and not just one lower, multiple lowers did that.
sundance435
01-02-10, 18:27
Is DSA is LMT then that would be a good route. I think i'm just going to get a BMC tho. That way its pro assembled(not that there is to much to building a lower) and everything is staked and all that.
What do you mean?
What do you mean?
he is saying IF not Is -- "Is DSA is LMT then that would be a good route."...
Yeah... I ment "If". Not "Is".
What is generally considered the best stripped lower? I see billet, forged, cast. I see many companies. Whats the best?
What is generally considered the best stripped lower? I see billet, forged, cast. I see many companies. Whats the best?
From what I gather, there arent many advantages of the billet lowers, other than appearance. some offer a few cool features, but when Spikes and other brand lowers can be had for $90, I find it a tough pill to swallow for a billet lower.
All things considered, there really isnt a bad lower of all the ones mentioned in this thread to get. Do you want bullet markings? special engraving? plain?
http://www.spikestactical.com/z/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=104&zenid=8o5pgjqkk5m6qfkbs7u7bc3v70
Most people really just choose based on the roll mark anyway.
i've been guilty of saying "just chose the rollmark you like best" as much as anyone. without explaining why, or even being able to explain why, however, i will state, in the spirit of disclosure, that there's only a handful of lowers i'll use:
Aeroprecision - very clean machining, always in spec
MEGA Machine Shop - even cleaner machining, always in spec
Tactical Rifles - made by MEGA - very clean, and usually even a bit cheaper than the standard Gators by MEGA
Each of these will vary by vendor for price, but can be had for $95-$115 pretty much any day of the week.
When you get right down to it, though, and my current favorite option- LMT complete lowers can be had for $310-$450, depending on options, come with a rock solid LPK/FCG, and are a done deal. if you like the SOPMOD stock, this is the only cost-effective option.
Stag has a very good reputation for putting out perfectly machined lowers, and I suspect they make Noveske's lowers and several other high-end manfer's lowers. The only reason I don't like them is, vainly, the stupid ****in deer on the side. :)
Billet lowers, unless you're looking for ambidextrious controls, are for nothing more than show. get billet if you want, but keep in mind these guys are using their own specs, and the possibility of having compatibility issues goes up (I've had it happen). Forged lowers are the standard, and will generally all be pretty damn similar, save for finish machining. Cast lowers are junk, but i haven't even seen one in about a decade- they're dinosaurs.
Well as I said I plan to go with a complete BCM lower, but I saw some billet lowers and didn't know if there was a actual reason for it. I would think a forged lower would be stronger. My local gun store has Del-ton lowers in stock, but they want more than a Spike's or Aero.
I posted this on another thread:
Aero Precision AR15 Stripped Lowers
$79.99
Aero Precision AR15 Stripped Lower Receiver and Parts Kit
$119.99
Aero Precision AR15 Complete Lower w/o Stock
$129.99
Aero Precision AR15 Complete Lower with 6-pos. Stock
$189.99
https://surplusammo.com/
Well I guess I'll get my FFL to fax them tommorrow. Guess I'll go with Aero for this one. Are Aero same quality of BMC?
Well I guess I'll get my FFL to fax them tommorrow. Guess I'll go with Aero for this one. Are Aero same quality of BMC?
the receiver is very good quality, but i have no idea who's parts are coming with them in this case. could be DPMS. i'd do some research on that purchase first.
ETA-
hah... guess i called that one. it is DPMS. the recievers are a good deal.. get parts elsewhere.
Will do. Guess I'm just going to wait a bit. I got enough cash for a BCM but I kinda wanna build one. just need to think about it more.
SWATcop556
01-05-10, 01:09
Will do. Guess I'm just going to wait a bit. I got enough cash for a BCM but I kinda wanna build one. just need to think about it more.
I would stay away from the DPMS LPKs as I have seen some real shit come with those.
You are being wise to save for the BCM as it will be a quality lower with quality parts.
You can always pick up a stripped lower for building just make sure you have a good LPK for it. I've used Stag/CMT LPKs in several builds and I have no issues with them.
Yes, the LPK is DPMS. I just get the stripped lower and use a quality parts kit. I'm probably going to use a Daniel Defense kit.
I guess I should run this by you guys here. I've been told the DD lower parts kits are good to go. I've also been told there of better quality than the CMT kits. Is this correct or should I look elsewhere?
I as well was wondering what was a good stripped lower, but as you guys said it doesn't matter to much. I just bought a S&W M&P15T and also want to build an AR little by little, so I figured I would go with a stripped lower S&W. Then just buying the lower parts. Can you tell me some good quality/reliable brands for the lower parts kit.
I'm building a lower from AGP, my first. It came with an adjustable screw to tune the trigger. The parts kit is from Stag.
Nothing on a lower is staked. The castle nut on the stock gets that treatment. Assembly of a lower involves to tricky points, getting the captive detent pins in, and installing the roll pin on the trigger guard without breaking off the ears. Make sure the springs wrap the correct direction and go over or under the pins as you need.
One ot the first things many people new to AR's do is overspec and accessorize them with unnecessary custom parts. Non-rotating pins are one item, aside from the looks, which do imply a problem somewhere, either with poor quality parts to begin with, or an intent to build for looks, not function.
AR lower pins don't pop out, don't rotate enough to wear out the pin holes, and aren't a problem. Rarely, a full auto shooter will have a problem with pins walking, largely due to harmonics and the huge volume of fire. It's not a semi auto problem.
Those same full auto shooters worry about their $10,000 lowers. Yes, they have an investment and resale in mind. For $89, most of us don't.
This is actually the fun part of the build - wading throught the hip deep loads of bull that some shovel on the required list of items to buy because it's a milspec zombie TEOTWAWKI gun.
You already have a reasoned idea on the grip size, keep up that kind of analysis. Crunching the numbers and really examining the reality of what is the end purpose will save not only tons of money but allow you to change your mind later - and not sell off all the wrong parts fof a huge loss.
Enjoy your build, you'll probably like the end result a lot more in the long run if it's restrained and not state of the art. That's a moving target and what is used now will be retro in just a few short years.
CharlieMike
01-08-10, 18:27
I would call Daniel Defense and see if you can get a stripped lower from them. I've found their lowers to be well machined, in spec, and the beveled mag well separates it from the pack.
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