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I know this thread is 2.5 years old, but just wanted to share my experiences with polymer lowers. I've had a Plum Crazy complete lower for 4 or 5 years and a New Frontier Armory complete polymer lower that's 2 or 3 years old. Both have been swapped numerous times between a Rock River 5.56 carbine, A BCM midlength, two 7.62x39 uppers and 5.45x39 upper. Most of the time they were used on the Russian calibers due to the surplus corrosive ammo. Never had a problem until my 7.62x39 rifle on the New Frontier lower started double tapping. I found part of the FCG had either melted or disintegrated. I replaced both FCGs with std. GI parts but later just replaced them both with stripped lowers & mil spec parts.
When I bought my first complete poly lower it was $100 when a RRA was going for $250-$300. Today there's little to no cost savings in polymer AR parts. They may be lighter but I tried one of my polymer lowers on my BCM LW upper and I didn't feel any difference.
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Necro-Necro-Bump to clarify what we already know is well and true: Don't. Waste. Your. Money.
I purchased a TN Arms OliveDrabGreen back in December of last year. It matches Magpul ODG very very well, sadly, that is the ONLY benefit out of the entire purchase.
I assembled the lower with a BCM LPK, when fully assembled, the pins were VERY hard to pull in and push back in. I insisted it would get better with time as it must be "Tightly Fitting."
After mounting a 16" Upper on it and running it for a few hundred rounds, it worked flawlessly. No issues with the firing of the rifle itself once the upper is mounted and all.
Aesthetically, and functionally though, this thing is a MESS. The safety lever swings freely for a good 1/8th of an inch or so. I didn't test it, but I was concerned the safety could accidentally engage again if was handled a bit roughly. The swinging of the safety was a big concern. I didn't like any risk associated with that device.
On top of that, the takedown pins never loosened up. I had to tap them open and tap them home every time. After months of occasional testing and working on the thing, I finally disassembled and took a much closer look.
The shelf for the Safety detent is to far from the actual lever. The detent will shift back and forth in the slot, and that's what causes the safety lever to move so freely. The openings for the takedown detents were so loose, they would bind when pulling them out and cause stress wear, plastic deformation, and was just overall a pain in the ass to deal with.
The whole brass fittings in the polymer is a great idea. The receiver extension stayed in place, the grip never came loose, even the Bolt Hold Open was a good fit and allowed use of GI and Magpul mags without issue. But, until they fix those detent issues, they're not worth the money.
I did not experience a warping of the FCG pocket like others have.
So, what I did, and why you need to know NOT to buy one of these:
I contacted the company, it took a couple days for them to respond. When they finally did, their response was:
"What kind of parts kit are you using?"
Keep in mind, I explained the binding of the detents in detail, broke down my analysis and observations. No apology, no empathy, not even a hello, good day, or goodbye. Just "What kind of parts kit?".
My first thought was to reply with something witty, or rude, or just be a mean person. But instead, I talked up BCM and how I know they are quality and would expect a company to send me an warranty slip and get me on my way. After I replied this, I received no other follow up for a few hours until I got the Return order and instructions. Again, no apology, no actual explanation, just a generic copy and past email with a form to fill out.
Okay, I'll bite. I spend 7.50 to send this box out on Thursday, and confirm reception on Saturday. I wait until Monday night and ask for them to confirm reception. The email I received was degrading and berating stating that I should have read the first email of the turn around time and that I can expect completion within 7-10 days from their receiving of the item. Ironically, she took the time to write this long winded email to me, without actually confirming they received my shipment.
I ignored it until the next day when I once again asked for confirmation of reception of my return and our next steps in the process. I got another reply advising me of the turn around time and was advised they would be shipping me out a replacement "today" in their words.
20 minutes later I get an email with a tracking number, my interest piques and I actually get excited for a moment: Did they fix these issues? At least they're rushing it out the door for me. All I wanted was a status update, but this seems better...
Wrong. They made the label, but didn't ship it out for THREE MORE DAYS. I don't mind waiting, all I wanted was an update and to know what to expect when you're holding on to a FIREARM I have purchased. When it finally ships out, the USPS delays it another day, of course, and it arrives. I look it over, it appears to be "new" and a new serial number, but the issues are exact. Nothing was fixed. They accepted my return, I paid for the shipping, and paid another 7.50 to get, essentially, the same piece of junk back with nothing but a different number attached to it.
Don't buy this. For the 30 dollars it was, it's just not worth it all. Cost, taxes, shipping and FFL, I am at $57.50 for this one. Frankly, I woulda rather bought another Anderson to add to my collection.
Who knows though, maybe the next scare will net me a nice profit when I offload it. Either that, or I plan to make a full ODG M16A2 Copy and just have it be a cheapo PSA pleasure rifle.
Just avoid them. Give your money to someone that not only provides a decent product, but some actual effin professionalism in the industry.
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As a rookie... the main virtue I see for any polymer is that they're easier to machine the FCG if you're an eighty-percenter. Yeah, yeah, live ones are frequently cheaper, and if you're associated with a site like this you're probably on some 'crat's watchlist anyway, but for some of us including myself it's a "pride of ownership" thing, the ultimate "oh yes you lying sack of crap I DID BUILD THAT," not to mention a political-statement flipoff to Gun Grabbers rubbing their nose in the genie being out of the bottle. :)
I've been doing EP Armory Gen 2's--first one the LPK dropped in just fine though I did use KNS pins so the sideplates would add a little structural reinforcement but took some hammering to get its TD pins to mate with the Aero upper, second I haven't started machining but the upper fits perfectly and pins just slide in--they need a tap coming out, but I think that might be more that I haven't lubricated the unmachined blank. Don't really like the looks of their funky integral triggerguard, but it's not the worst of 'em and it does add structural strength.