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Old 08-12-2016, 06:51 AM
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What brands have any of you used and what is your opinion of them? What features do you feel are important? Anyone used a polymer one? I have used RRA and Colt but after a quick search a lot of the less expensive ones are listed as out of stock or have a name I am not familiar with. Thinking I want to put together a 20 inch standard issue type rifle to use up some parts I have.
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Old 08-12-2016, 08:42 AM
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I have couple of builds using Midwest industries and a beater using a palmetto state lower. I'd stay away from polymer lowers even if their design has drastically improved. Also, a polymer lower saves you maybe $20 as compared to an aluminum Aero Precision one. I like standard milspec lowers. No fancy ambi controls. Your accuracy will come from your upper assembly, not the brand of lower.
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Old 08-12-2016, 10:19 AM
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I've got 3 stripped lowers from PSA and they have been great. All the ones I purchased were listed as blemished and sold at a discounted price but I can't find the blemish. I agree with jagular, stay away from the polymer.
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Old 08-12-2016, 10:21 AM
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one of my LGS sell stripped Anderson lowers.....a lot of them.....I bought one for 45 bucks.....people either love them or hate them.....my guess is in 6 more weeks everyone will love them
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Old 08-12-2016, 10:37 AM
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I did a build with an Aero Precision lower. In all honesty, I couldn't find a thing wrong with it. I picked it up from Brownell's when they were on sale for under $50. I have toyed with the idea of trying a polymer lower, but my state requires anyone completing an 80% must then be licensed as a manufacturer, and I don't wish to jeopardize my 2A rights over a piece of plastic, especially since they are getting convictions for mere possession using the stand of "constructive intent".
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Old 08-12-2016, 01:27 PM
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Recently got a Palmetto blem. Have yet to find the blem.
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Old 08-12-2016, 02:19 PM
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Originally Posted by lrrifleman View Post
I did a build with an Aero Precision lower. In all honesty, I couldn't find a thing wrong with it. I picked it up from Brownell's when they were on sale for under $50. I have toyed with the idea of trying a polymer lower, but my state requires anyone completing an 80% must then be licensed as a manufacturer, and I don't wish to jeopardize my 2A rights over a piece of plastic, especially since they are getting convictions for mere possession using the stand of "constructive intent".
Used an Aero on my last build and liked it a lot. When Brownells was selling them in the $50 range they were a steal IMHO.

For the most part a lower is a lower if you stay away from the polymer ones and don't move into the forged ones. Finish is the biggest issue and variance. Every now and then you will run into one which is out of spec slightly in some respect but most of the time it is just cosmetics.

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one of my LGS sell stripped Anderson lowers.....a lot of them.....I bought one for 45 bucks.....people either love them or hate them.....my guess is in 6 more weeks everyone will love them
Every Anderson I have ever inspected at my local has some sort of blem on it. 99% of them were just small finish issues but they were there. Do not believe it would have passed other peoples QC but would not expect it to effect function.

You have to remember very few companies are actually producing their own lowers. Most people are outsourcing them to a handful of companies and they stamp their name and logo on them.
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Old 08-12-2016, 03:22 PM
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Quote:
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You have to remember very few companies are actually producing their own lowers. Most people are outsourcing them to a handful of companies and they stamp their name and logo on them.
+1. Yep, what he said.
And IMO, if the parts/components are true milspec, it doesn't make any difference who's name is on the receiver until you're selling. I've had good luck with cheap Anderson lowers and spent more on a quality barrel and good trigger. Also as mentioned, I'd not build on a poly lower. The savings in cost and weight is too insignificant. Just my opinion.
ETA:
In addition to poly lowers, I don't care for billet receivers either although I know several people that seem to have good luck with them.

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Old 08-12-2016, 04:08 PM
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Thanks for the replies,sort of agreed with my own thoughts but I figured I would get some informed opinions and then see what I find available at a good price.
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Old 08-14-2016, 09:07 AM
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I purchased three Anderson lowers a while back, put two of them together with an A2 stock, and everything went together fine and they work fine, no problems.

If you are kind of OCD the Andersons may not appeal to you that much, as the ones I have seem like the receiver cut was slightly off center as the receiver walls have different thicknesses. However, they seem to be close enough in spec for the internals to still function without problems. I have one each DPMS and Palmetto State Armory lower and a few Smith & Wesson lowers, and they do have more uniform looking receiver walls when looking down at the lower receiver from the top, as compared to the Anderson lowers.

The third Anderson lower has some issue with the size of the mag catch hole, i.e., being too small. I had no issues with the pistol grip screw hole, which is what gets reported the most. So, you do roll the dice a bit with Anderson in my opinion.

I have purchased Smith & Wesson lowers in the past, and the extra that you pay for them does seem to be made up for with their quality control. However, I have read good things about Aero Precision lowers.

As for polymer lowers, my thoughts are to avoid them, for anything other than maybe a dedicated .22 LR build, and I have second thoughts about them even for that.

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Old 08-14-2016, 09:14 AM
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I've built two with Anderson lowers. There are a lot of them out there. Nothing fancy, and do what they are supposed to. I'm considering another one now for a future build that I haven't decided on yet.
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Old 08-15-2016, 11:19 AM
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Stripped lowers are all about the roll marks and what you want it to say/look like. Me personally I don't mind paying an extra $20 or so to get something other than an Anderson lower. Nothing wrong with Andersons, they work as advertised, but I just like something with a little more "personality".

I have a Noveske, Spikes and the one I love the most is my Mega Gator with the added gator grip. Mega has excellent tooling so that's a plus too. Does it work any better than an Anderson? No, but nonetheless I think it lookes better so I like it better. That's just me.
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Old 08-15-2016, 02:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nocents View Post
one of my LGS sell stripped Anderson lowers.....a lot of them.....I bought one for 45 bucks.....people either love them or hate them.....my guess is in 6 more weeks everyone will love them
For the money, you can't beat an Anderson lower. Sure the finish may not be as cosmetically perfect as some high-end brands but for $45-50 I'm not complaining about the odd tiny blemish in the finish. I've got a bunch of them just cos they were there and they were cheap, put 3 rifles together using and no problem with any of them functionally. They also have the grip screw hole drilled and threaded all the way through to the FCG pocket which some don't (Stag, I'm looking at you), which I like as it allows me to adjust the trigger creep with a set screw.

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Old 08-15-2016, 08:01 PM
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Question. How is a receiver that has never been built now considered a stripped receiver?

Another. If a receiver has had a buttstock installed on it when was later removed, can that stripped receiver ever be legally built into a pistol?
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Old 08-15-2016, 08:24 PM
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Stripped receiver just refers to it not having a lower parts kit installed.

Yes.
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Old 08-16-2016, 02:16 PM
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Stripped receiver just refers to it not having a lower parts kit installed.

Yes.
The definition of stripped is that parts have been removed from.

Before I'm accused of nitpicking I'll explain why I'm asking. When the now expired AWB was passed it said the firearm had to be compliant as of its time of manufacture. Some were trying to skirt the law by claiming at some point in the past the receiver used in the build had been built in a preban configuration so it can be built in a preban configuration even after the effective date of the ban. Their "proof" was a receipt for the purchase dated prior to the ban, no pictures or other proof the receiver had been built just the receipt.

Now to the pistol question. The law says once a rifle always a rifle. If rifle parts have been attached to the lower then later removed would you not now be converting a rifle into a pistol by building that lower into a pistol configuration?
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Old 08-17-2016, 10:40 AM
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Good questions @jdh. I'd love the know the answers, especially on the pistol thing. I have "stripped lower" that I'd like to make into a pistol and wondered about the legality of it.
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Old 08-17-2016, 10:39 PM
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Good questions @jdh. I'd love the know the answers, especially on the pistol thing. I have "stripped lower" that I'd like to make into a pistol and wondered about the legality of it.
really interested on the pistol aspect as well.
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Old 08-18-2016, 02:21 AM
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I think it's just a terminology blunder...you are right a "stripped" lower would indicate parts were removed...a more correct term would maybe be "bare" lowers..or "empty" lowers..or "virgin" lowers....but a brand new lower whose serial # is not in some data base stored someplace indicating that in the past it was sold as a long gun...why not?....but that is just my opinion....................and I know somebody is going to take me to task for the data base comment and say "the govt. doesn't keep that information"...ok right....that's a discussion for another time
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Old 08-18-2016, 09:10 AM
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I've used Anderson, Smith & Wesson, and Tactical Machining. Of the three, I thought the TM's were finished the nicest. I bought the TM for the Zombie rollmark, but they have/had several others. I don't see much in stock there anymore.

I over paid for the Smith & Wesson, but I wanted that rollmark on a couple of S&W uppers I had extra.
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Old 09-02-2016, 07:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nocents View Post
one of my LGS sell stripped Anderson lowers.....a lot of them.....I bought one for 45 bucks.....people either love them or hate them.....my guess is in 6 more weeks everyone will love them
I bought 4 Anderson lowers from a gun show in Jax for $150 out the door.

Never had a problem with Anderson.
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Old 09-02-2016, 09:10 PM
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Del-Ton, Spikes; Anderson.

Del-Ton is the cleanest.
20131011_132822 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

Spikes has a cool logo.
20140306_112103 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

Anderson is good and inexpensive.
20160402_021343 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

Most are just a matter of finish and name on the side.
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Old 09-04-2016, 02:26 PM
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Last one I put together was on a Spikes lower. It's the plain spider stamped lower.

I've got CMMG, Anderson, DPMS, and Spikes now. Had great multitudes over the years. My all time favorite was a old P.W.A. Pac West Arms rifle. Wish I'd kept it.

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