View Full Version : Lower Worthy of SBRing?
Swamp Yankee
12-08-11, 16:19
Hello All,
I have been a long time reader and not much of a poster here. Thank you all for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
I live in a state that does not allow collapsible stocks on AR's unless they are pre-ban manufactured. I recently acquired a brand new pre-ban lower receiver that was never used or built into a rifle. It is an Essential Arms and is really in excellent condition. I have been planning a build for this lower and the plan includes registering it as a SBR, however after reading the "How to..." thread I am questioning its longevity and suitability. It is very hard to come by pre-bans here and I would hate to waste my time and money building this into one, just to have it fall apart, but the idea of being able to have a short barrel and a collapsible stock is very enticing.
My build would include:
-High Quality LPK (Colt, G&R, DD, etc...)
-KNS Anti-Rotation Pins to keep the receiver holes from wearing
-VLTOR A5 buffer tube assembly
Based upon the information I provided, do you guys think this lower would be a decent piece to begin the NFA process with?
*I will try and get some photos and measurements up soon*
Eurodriver
12-08-11, 16:36
I'm confused, why would you think that the lower would not last if used as an SBR?
I heard that if you SBR a lower, your gun is going to disassemble itself and the parts will run away together.
Swamp Yankee
12-08-11, 16:43
I'm confused, why would you think that the lower would not last if used as an SBR?
I guess I am really just concerned about the receiver being out of spec and also not being able to get any customer service due to its age. I need to check the hole dimensions. I still have not done that.
Swamp Yankee
12-08-11, 16:44
I heard that if you SBR a lower, your gun is going to disassemble itself and the parts will run away together.
:help:
It was a joke. I should have put a jester there.
If you're really concerned about it falling apart, get a different preban lower.
DeltaSierra
12-08-11, 16:58
Pay special attention to numbers 7 and 8 in the link below:
http://m4carbine.net/showpost.php?p=105529&postcount=1
polymorpheous
12-08-11, 17:18
I heard that if you SBR a lower, your gun is going to disassemble itself and the parts will run away together.
Huh?
:confused:
This thread just hit the "special" category. Good job. :D
Essential Arms lowers are cast pieces of shit and I would never dump NFA money into one.
Get a preban Colt lower and be done with this.
Sell off the EA lower and use this money plus the money you were going to spend on the Vltor A5 and get a lower of better quality.
snackgunner
12-08-11, 20:09
Essential Arms lowers are cast pieces of shit and I would never dump NFA money into one.
Get a preban Colt lower and be done with this.
Sell off the EA lower and use this money plus the money you were going to spend on the Vltor A5 and get a lower of better quality.
You don't think favorably of the vltor a5 buffer system?
I'm curious as to why.
Thomas M-4
12-08-11, 20:12
Pretty much what Scotty has said do not waste your money on that cast POS receiver.
You are going to be married to that receiver. Think about this for a minute...
You don't think favorably of the vltor a5 buffer system?
I'm curious as to why.
He did not comment on the A5 itself, just that the OP should spend his money on something else and I agree. The A5's main attraction is to slow down an over gassed system or to provide extra length of pull if you're 6'8" or something.
A properly built SBR won't need the A5 to slow down the gas system.
Thomas M-4
12-08-11, 20:17
You don't think favorably of the vltor a5 buffer system?
I'm curious as to why.
Getting a milspec receiver is first priority. Even if you have to buy a complete rifle just for the lower. I know that sucks but that is what you might have to do considering you are in a ban state.
You can always replace the parts yrs down the road if you choose to. But you will be stuck with that lower from now on.
Get a preban Colt lower and be done with this.
Sell off the EA lower and use this money plus the money you were going to spend on the Vltor A5 and get a lower of better quality.
The State of CT banned the AR15 & the Sporter by name so there are no Colt prebans available to us except the Colt Carbine marked model & those rarely turn up!
Swamp Yankee
12-09-11, 05:59
Exactly.
Pre-ban receivers are few and far between to begin with. Colts are almost out of the question.
The State of CT banned the AR15 & the Sporter by name so there are no Colt prebans available to us except the Colt Carbine marked model & those rarely turn up!
Then buy a preban Eagle Arms lower.
You don't think favorably of the vltor a5 buffer system?
I'm curious as to why.
The OP needs to spend money on a quality receiver instead of aftermarket trinkets that haven't even been out for a year on the market.
This shit does not compute. Pre-ban state where SBR's are legal. WTF, something aint right here. Or its typical government double talk and two different groups making different rules that, for all intents and purposes, contradict each other.
This shit does not compute. Pre-ban state where SBR's are legal. WTF, something aint right here. Or its typical government double talk and two different groups making different rules that, for all intents and purposes, contradict each other.
You are correct, what ain't right is the State of Connecticut & the BS laws that only the law abiding follow.
You can have a SBR in CT as long as it is built on a pre 94 lower that is not on our AWB list. If the lower is post 94 you can still have a SBR but it cannot have any of the features that are standard to the design.
I am waiting the F4 to clear on my CT AWB compliant Noveske N4. Hopfully the day comes I can relocate and silly issues such as banned features & overpriced old lowers will be a distant memory.
Untill then, we play by the rules of the game.
Swamp Yankee
12-12-11, 07:03
You hit the nail on the head brother.
I am cringing at the idea of mounting my custom Noveske upper onto this Essential arms lower, but in order to have the versatility that I want I have to play by the rules. I apologize if I came off sounding like I was just trying to justify an uninformed purchase, but it is unfortunately my best option right now.
[QUOTE=Swamp Yankee;1163759]
-KNS Anti-Rotation Pins to keep the receiver holes from wearing
QUOTE]
KNS is snake oil junk. FCG holes don't wear out.
KNS is snake oil junk. FCG holes don't wear out.
They do if you have improper sized pins that start to oval out the firing pin holes. This is just internet hearsay though, I have never personally seen this happen to a lower. I don't know how KNS pins would help with this particular problem though.
decodeddiesel
12-12-11, 21:54
Essential Arms lowers are cast pieces of shit and I would never dump NFA money into one.
Get a preban Colt lower and be done with this.
Sell off the EA lower and use this money plus the money you were going to spend on the Vltor A5 and get a lower of better quality.
DING DING DING!
Tell him what he's won Bob!
Seriously though, if I moved back to CT (I grew up in Portland) I would sell what I needed to sell and swap everything from my LMT lower to a PWA pre-ban lower (who basically became LMT when they closed).
While I personally wouldnt build an essential arms lower I have a good friend with an Essential Arms M16 that he beats the absolute shit out of. Im talking 10k+ rounds a year on full auto. He is actually trying to kill it and the damn thing wont die.
Wow so you're actually worried about the thing literally falling apart, because its cast and possibly out of spec? I thought you were joking or speaking figuratively, hence my comments. If falling apart is a real concern then dont even consider sbr'ing this thing. Spend the money on a better lower and sbr that sometime in the future.
They do if you have improper sized pins that start to oval out the firing pin holes. This is just internet hearsay though, I have never personally seen this happen to a lower. I don't know how KNS pins would help with this particular problem though.
Never heard of this. But if you don't catch that on assembly, it would be on the builder.
KNS's whole product line is a comedy skit. :rolleyes:
1) My brief research does not indicate that Essential Arms is cast at the present time. Were they cast in the past?
2) OP, how long do you think it might be before you relocate? I'd be tempted to just use the lower you have with a 16" barrel and avoid the headache all together until you're in a free state. This way, you have a known quality lower to make your SBR out of, and you aren't removing a Pre-Ban lower from the supply of a state where they're in short supply.
Just my $.02.
Essential Arms has been out of business for a number of years. Unless they have been resurrected. The lowers they made were in fact cast and were known to have issues.
They were made down in Louisiana. I just assisted a friend from Washington state with a build be was doing and my recommendation was to sell it in a ban state, take the money and buy a good lower. I surely wouldn't use one for an NFA build.
1) My brief research does not indicate that Essential Arms is cast at the present time. Were they cast in the past?
2) OP, how long do you think it might be before you relocate? I'd be tempted to just use the lower you have with a 16" barrel and avoid the headache all together until you're in a free state. This way, you have a known quality lower to make your SBR out of, and you aren't removing a Pre-Ban lower from the supply of a state where they're in short supply.
Just my $.02.
I would also advise holding out and paying the money to get an Eagle Arms preban receiver, they're actually not bad.
There's no way I could live in a state like that.
Swamp Yankee
12-14-11, 06:08
I would also advise holding out and paying the money to get an Eagle Arms preban receiver, they're actually not bad.
There's no way I could live in a state like that.
Agreed.
I have no plans to uproot and move away, even though the laws here are ridiculous. Looks like this lower will get a LPK installed and see use with my 16" upper for the time being.
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