Need help with choosing lowers to AR

[Member 34319]

Radian lowers are the only lowers i would buy. Rest are junk. Hope i did not offend the poors.

Cries in corner…


OP

AimSurplus, LLC

SHK 30rd Steel AR15 Magazines UPC: 00850003223070

Global Ordnance

globalordnance.com

Free ship @ Global over $100 using DRFT

 

[arakboss]

Radian lowers are the only lowers i would buy. Rest are junk. Hope i did not offend the poors.

You did.

 

[ma96782]

Aloha, Mark

 

[Shootingred994]

Your opinion is

 

[simpleguy]

I like the Aero M4E1's for AR15 pattern and M5 for AR10 pattern, I like how robust they feel and the integral trigger guard (one less part to purchase), I like the threaded bolt catch with screw instead of the roll-pin. Note their lowers comes with some more weight, but not that much extra, it's like a melted billet feel in my opinion.
If ya want to get fancy, I think their M4E1 Thunder Ranch edition with the skeletal magazine well has a place if you are a hardcore user. Right now $119.99 which is cheaper than their standard ones.

M4E1 Stripped Lower Receiver, Special Edition: Thunder Ranch - Anodized Black

Shop M4E1 Stripped Lower Receiver, Special Edition: Thunder Ranch - Anodized Black and more at AeroPrecisionUSA.com!

www.aeroprecisionusa.com

M5 Lowers https://www.aeroprecisionusa.com/m5-308-stripped-lower-receiver-anodized-black Right now $163.99

Lower Parts kits I like the Strike Industries Enhanced without Trigger and pick up a Larue MB2S for an affordable two stage or if ya want to spend some, there are a whole plethora of them.

But that is just my 2cents.....enjoy the build process

 

[Yarome]

For what it's worth... my experience has been that the price tag doesn't guarantee anything. They all seem to have QC issues and might all still need a bit of fine tuning in certain areas. IE., With few exceptions, they all need lapping to one degree or another. Granted... I've never tried a $400+ lower... maybe they don't, but it's certainly not worth the cost to me to find out if I can save myself 5-10min of work if I wasn't such a tight wad. (I'm going to be dragging out the tools and verifying it, anyway... so what's the point?).

To me, what I use on a particular build depends more on the inherit characterisicts of that brand of lower. IE., Matrix arms has a nicer anodizing, but the magwells always run tight. That's great for a straight 5.56 build... where that is desireable... but you have to beat BD 22lr mags in with a hammer. I'm not going to use a matrix arms lower if I intend to do a 22lr build with it... or... want to use a conversion bolt in it sometimes.

Another brand... it has other desireable characterists for a higher quality build, but the pivot and take down pins are always extremely tight, require custom fitting and won't always play well with all uppers. That means a dedicated upper/lower mating. No upper swapping allowed. That can be either a pro or a con, but has to be considered before I start up with it.

Aero has a lot of things I like for a better build, but with a better build I know I'm going to want a particular extended bolt catch, mag release and selector switch. AP's don't typically care for them so I'm either going to have to make some compromises or be looking at some lengthy fitting work.

The list goes on, but basically, based on your own tastes/preferences in components you kind of develop a feel for which lower is "typically" going to be best suited for a particular type of build... is what I mean.. and the price tags mean very little sometimes.

As far as reliability and function... 7075-T6 aluminum seems to hold everything in place just as well as the next piece of 7075-T6 aluminum... no matter if you paid $50 or $300 for that chunk of metal. That is with the caveat that you check specs and weights to ensure you're not getting a bum chunk of metal that may have impurities and/or voids, but the principle holds that with the $300 price tag you're paying more for cosmetics than you are for function.

YMMV

 

[DirectDrive]

Radian lowers are the only lowers i would buy. Rest are junk. Hope i did not offend the poors.

If I wanted to flex on the poors I'd be showing off a registered full auto or something.
Not a Gucci AR receiver.

 

[Hooyah DeepSea]

While some of our compadres are having a pissing contest, I will say that I prefer Anderson Receivers for the AR15 platform. The guy who taught me to build swore by them and now so do I. I have experienced nothing but full satisfaction in that brand, and I've built a good number of ARs. What a lot of people don't know is that Anderson is the actual manufacturer of many of the 'other' brands' of receivers. They cast them and machine them, and then put the other guys logo on them, because that is what they are commonly contracted to do. In fact, you can contact Anderson and have your own logo put on receivers if you were so motivated. It will increase the cost of course, but they will do it.
I've never built an AR10 platform, but I do know that there are like two or three different makes or configurations, so not all parts fit on all receivers.

 

[3MTA3]

What's in a roll mark?

Kac with many problems sold as a "blem".

Poverty Pony is good to go

This is not to say that every low priced lower is made with better QC than the high end ones, just that price is not always a determining factor.

While I've always gone Aero Precision mil spec forged because they have been flawless for me and are a regional manufacturer I've never heard a bad thing about them from friends who have purchased them.

Also I stick with forged because it gets the job done and I don't have to buy special parts. Forged is also lighter and less bulky.

 

[simpleguy]

What's in a roll mark?

Kac with many problems sold as a "blem".

Poverty Pony is good to go

This is not to say that every low priced lower is made with better QC than the high end ones, just that price is not always a determining factor.

While I've always gone Aero Precision mil spec forged because they have been flawless for me and are a regional manufacturer I've never heard a bad thing about them from friends who have purchased them.

Also I stick with forged because it gets the job done and I don't have to buy special parts. Forged is also lighter and less bulky.

Glad you posted this guy. I have learned so much from watching https://www.youtube.com/c/InstructorChad

 

[3MTA3]

Glad you posted this guy. I have learned so much from watching https://www.youtube.com/c/InstructorChad

I only thought I understood AR's until I started watching his videos.

 

[simpleguy]

I only thought I understood AR's until I started watching his videos.

I 2nd that!

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

I have done some real cheap ones that friends purchased and some take a little finessing to get the parts in but they all did and still do work !

 

[Mopar82]

In my opinion, a mil-spec lower is a lower. Unless there is a special feature you want that only one manufacture makes.

With the AR-10, there a few versions since there is no mil-spec. You will make sure to get one compatible with the parts you want.

Agreed here! Here here!!! Lol vote no on 114!

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Agreed here! Here here!!! Lol vote no on 114!

Just say NO on 114 !

 

[Vaz]

Probably because I'm new here I can't react to all posts, so thanks everybody for your posts. Some of them are really helpful. Hopefully 114 doesn't pass, but better to be prepared.

 

[DirectDrive]

Just say NO on 114 !

This ^^^
It would be devastating for gun owners/enthusiasts if 114 passes.

 

[TTSX]

This ^^^
It would be devastating for gun owners/enthusiasts if 114 passes.

Would certainly cool how I feel about my fellow Oregonians. Before giving aid, even a jump start, I'd probably ask the individual how they voted and promptly leave them stranded if they voted yes. If my life is going to be demonstrably worse, I have no problem being pretty to those who made it so.


Back to the OPs topic, I build with Aero lowers mostly. The M4E1 is a great option because some of the small parts. are threaded in instead of roll pinned which can be a headache if you drop one. They're also generally available at any LGS or online. I wouldn't overthink this too much as lowers tend to be lowers with some having fancy features you don't really need and some having features that make your life a bit easier

 

[Yarome]

Back to the OPs topic, I build with Aero lowers mostly. The M4E1 is a great option because some of the small parts. are threaded in instead of roll pinned which can be a headache if you drop one. They're also generally available at any LGS or online. I wouldn't overthink this too much as lowers tend to be lowers with some having fancy features you don't really need and some having features that make your life a bit easier

Which... if you've built up many lowers you realize just how much of a strong selling point that is. Not just in initial assembly, but if you ever consider you might wanna swap out your bolt catch at some point....

Another option... get yourself a 6" #36 drill bit and a 6" 6-32 tap to convert ALL your bolt catchs to threaded.

 

[simpleguy]

Which... if you've built up many lowers you realize just how much of a strong selling point that is. Not just in initial assembly, but if you ever consider you might wanna swap out your bolt catch at some point....

Another option... get yourself a 6" #36 drill bit and a 6" 6-32 tap to convert ALL your bolt catchs to threaded.

I almost forgot, way back when I built my first lower out, I bought a tap and stud kit for the buffer detent. I think the Aero's thread and put a stud in for it, to me it's an additional plus. It's nice to not have to worry about a spring and detent flying all over heck. A lot of people will tell you, you won't be messing around with it, but as I was learning what I wanted and experimenting, it was nice to have.