Start AR-15 build. Stripped lower?

[CBruce]

Any reccomendations for a stripped OLL to start an AR build with? There's a crazy amount of manufacturer's out there and I'm not sure what to look for or avoid.

[deviljon]

What's your budget? For the most part, they're all the same minus the roll marks. I suggest checking with your local gun store to see what they have in stock. Keep in mind that buying online won't always be cheaper since you'd have to pay out of state transfer fees and possibly tax, which can add up quickly.

[Mr. Meeseeks]

Yup, try to buy it locally, unless you're buying several, its not worth buying it online unless you its like 30 bucks.

Forged lowers from JD, Mega and Spikes are very common and are usually about $100.

If you want to pay more there are also "billet" lowers or the so called "top tier" manufacturers like, Noveske, Colt, etc. also sell forged lowers.

[artoaster]

Yes, buy locally. Walk into LGS and see what's there ask what out the door price is. If between $120 - $175 it's the easiest.

As far as kind of lower there's forged and billet. Really not a big difference that will affect anything including strength of receiver or build it's just that forged is more common and traditional. Billet is CNC'd out of block of aluminum and forged is formed by casting and forging into final shape before being machined.

Next, I'd ask what's important to you as far as brand or how the lower will be engraved or marked with logos and icons and type for manufacturer, serial #, etc. Do you really want zombies, spiders, bears, or what? Sometimes simple is best, just the basic lower with required roll marks/engravings.

Of all the manufacturers it really boils down to the main producers and then other companies put their identifying logos and markings on them. See this link:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_12/318113_AR_Lower_Receiver_FAQ__56k_beware__MMS__CMT__LAR__LMT_compared___.html

The lower is your starting point. Get one that satifies your wallet then your aesthetics.

[IPSICK]

For the most part, they are pretty much the same unless you get a billet-type or Noveske on the upper end and avoid Hesse/Vulcan on the lower end.

[CBruce]

What's your budget? For the most part, they're all the same minus the roll marks. I suggest checking with your local gun store to see what they have in stock. Keep in mind that buying online won't always be cheaper since you'd have to pay out of state transfer fees and possibly tax, which can add up quickly.

I was in a local store yesterday looking at stripped lowers. They only had a very limited selection (don't remember manufactuer) and they were priced in the $400-$500 range, which seemed really high to me. Bit of poking around in the intertubes this morning lead me to some going for as low as $89...so clearly there's a pretty big gap between what's available and whenever I see such a huge price gap, I immediately think it's due to quality and materials.

So budget wise, as economical as possible. Not looking for premium quality, but I don't want to throw money away on a piece of junk that's going to blow up in my face.

[CBruce]

Yes, buy locally. Walk into LGS and see what's there ask what out the door price is. If between $120 - $175 it's the easiest.

As far as kind of lower there's forged and billet. Really not a big difference that will affect anything including strength of receiver or build it's just that forged is more common and traditional. Billet is CNC'd out of block of aluminum and forged is formed by casting and forging into final shape before being machined.

Next, I'd ask what's important to you as far as brand or how the lower will be engraved or marked with logos and icons and type for manufacturer, serial #, etc. Do you really want zombies, spiders, bears, or what? Sometimes simple is best, just the basic lower with required roll marks/engravings.

Of all the manufacturers it really boils down to the main producers and then other companies put their identifying logos and markings on them. See this link:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_12/318113_AR_Lower_Receiver_FAQ__56k_beware__MMS__CMT__LAR__LMT_compared___.html

The lower is your starting point. Get one that satifies your wallet then your aesthetics.

Nice. Thanks for the link. Very informative

[stix213]

My JD one has better matched the finish of my upper than any other. Plus they are made in CA.

[deviljon]

$4-500 sounds like the cost of a complete lower, not a stripped lower. Hopefully someone else from your area can chime in, there's got to be a reputable store that carriers stripped lowers in the $100-120 range.

[artoaster]

An internet lower for $60-$99 before adding shipping, tax, and transfer fees will add up to the same, more or less, than finding a basic forged lower from one of the main manufacturers listed in my link somewhere locally. It will take time and trouble to order and ship and transfer than doing the paperwork at your LGS.

Your lower, if one of the basic ones (LMT, CMT, LAR, MMS) is a proven item and will be like almost all AR lowers.

The material is always aluminum, the quality varies little among the major producers, there is a bit of difference between billet and forged and sometimes the alloy is a bit different.

Keep looking.

[j0k3r11]

A buddy of mine said he recently got a PSA stripped lower from The Gun Exchange in San Jose for $130. I'm not too sure on the quality but he likes it. You can try giving them a call (408)265-4867 or stopping by.

[artoaster]

A buddy of mine said he recently got a PSA stripped lower from The Gun Exchange in San Jose for $130. I'm not too sure on the quality but he likes it. You can try giving them a call (408)265-4867 or stopping by.

Highly recommended. Palmetto State Armory is well known here. All you need is to order a rifle kit and you're on your way to a quality build.

You get to assemble lower parts and then add complete upper. Everything matches finish-wise. Plus when you order parts kit and upper you'll have some options on furniture, sights, barrel length and misc.

For example, my out the door price on a stripped lower through LGS was $159.

[Fractured]

My spikes lower was 149$ before dros in the bay area.

4-500 is most likely a complete lower, even noveske are like 220.00.

Did they have stocks, triggers etc? Or was it just a chunk of metal?

[Don29palms]

Seekins Precision! CLICK HERE!

[MKMS]

Check MPArms. He is a local in San Jose. Peter is a good guy to deal with and I got my delton lower from him.