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View Full Version : 223 Lower, How important is it for accuracy?


johncmng
08-16-2011, 3:52 PM
How much does a good lower play into the effect of accuracy? What make a good lower a great lower?

Quickdraw Mcgraw
08-16-2011, 3:54 PM
Tight fit to upper, nice trigger makes big jumps in accuracy...at least the trigger makes it easier to get said accuracy...jus wait fer the pros to chime in!

pyro3k2
08-16-2011, 4:13 PM
the lower itself will do nothing for you in terms of improving accuracy. Whats going to help you out is what you put into your lower. An upgraded trigger, more comfortable stock and pistol grip or grip fin if featureless.

Best and easiest things you can do to improve your accuracy on an AR.
1. Free float the barrel
2. Upgrade the trigger
3. Better quality ammo either factory or hand loads
4. Improved iron sights or an optic.

popeye4
08-16-2011, 7:10 PM
Lower is a parts case. It just has to hold the trigger mechanism reliably, hold the magazine reliably, and give you a handle to hold on to. It could flop all around and wouldn't affect the accuracy of the gun (but it might affect your ability to shoot it!). Really, the tight "upper to lower" fit issue is overblown, it is ONLY for aesthetics, and if the fit is tight enough, might actually degrade accuracy. Pyro pretty much nailed what you need to do to improve accuracy, and for all but the trigger, it is in the upper.

Bug Splat
08-16-2011, 9:02 PM
Hate to disagree but a poor fitting lower WILL affect accuracy. Its the same a loosening the receive bolts on a bolt action rifle. I have a feeling people came up with this myth that it does not affect accuracy because they can't get an AR to shoot to its full potential. If your AR can only shoot 1moa then a loose lower is not going to make a noticeable difference. I have built a 1/4MOA AR and I can without a doubt tell you that a sold lower to upper mate translates into more accuracy.

popeye4
08-16-2011, 9:30 PM
Hate to disagree but a poor fitting lower WILL affect accuracy. Its the same a loosening the receive bolts on a bolt action rifle. I have a feeling people came up with this myth that it does not affect accuracy because they can't get an AR to shoot to its full potential. If your AR can only shoot 1moa then a loose lower is not going to make a noticeable difference. I have built a 1/4MOA AR and I can without a doubt tell you that a sold lower to upper mate translates into more accuracy.

Sorry to disagree, but it is not the same. The lower is NOT bedded to the upper. It is a myth to believe the lower is the same as the rifle stock on a bolt gun. Of course, taken to the logical extreme, a lower that is flopping around will be very difficult to hold consistently, but a rock solid, inflexible connection between upper and lower is not conducive to top accuracy in the rifle. This isn't just me saying it, Glen Zediker covered this topic in detail in his books on building competitive ARs. I don't have it handy tonight, but I can look up the reference tomorrow.

pyro3k2
08-16-2011, 10:17 PM
Hate to disagree but a poor fitting lower WILL affect accuracy. Its the same a loosening the receive bolts on a bolt action rifle. I have a feeling people came up with this myth that it does not affect accuracy because they can't get an AR to shoot to its full potential. If your AR can only shoot 1moa then a loose lower is not going to make a noticeable difference. I have built a 1/4MOA AR and I can without a doubt tell you that a sold lower to upper mate translates into more accuracy.

when trying to squeeze out accuracy in my rifle the fit between the upper and lower receiver is not the first thing I correct/upgrade, infact it's pretty far down on the list. If my rifle consistantly shot .25 inch groups at 100 yards and suddenly openned up to .30-.50 inches the play between my upper and lower receives would still be very far down on the list of causes. This is like mag wobble on the AK's a little bit isn't going to hurt anything, but extreme cases can.

killshot44
08-16-2011, 10:47 PM
The best way to accurize a Lower is to put a Geiselle National Match two-stage trigger in it and set it up properly...

ironhiide
08-16-2011, 11:04 PM
The best way to accurize a Lower is to put a Geiselle National Match two-stage trigger in it and set it up properly...

+1

Like a previous poster said, its just a parts carrier. Equip it with a quality trigger and a stock that fits you personally, ime.

ejhc11
08-16-2011, 11:04 PM
I have a cheap lower - Plum Crazy. It has a pretty crisp trigger and it mates pretty well to any upper I put on it. It shoots better than my abilities.

I also have two new cheaply priced but not cheap on quality Palmetto Lowers that I got for $57 each during the Father's Day sale in June. They are using the Palmetto LPKs and the trigger is even better than the Plum Crazy. It mates pretty well to my two new uppers but had a fitting problem to my 10 year generic upper - so I ordered another Plum Crazy complete lower for the old upper, $165 shipped and DROSed.

My first Plum Crazy will be dedicated to my CMMG M4 22LR upper. Yes, better brand/higher priced will be better but you start to lose performance to price at a certain point. You have to make the decision on when thats going to happen.