First AR

[Philbilly]

I found a local selling a selection of ar lowers in the classifieds. Can anyone reccomend which one would be best for a first ar build in CA? Thanx Phil1x Doublestar - $130
1x Fulton Armory - $140
1x Lauer - $140
2x Stag Arms in sequential order - $135
3x Essential Arms in sequential order - $110 - pic attached
2x LAR Grizzly - $135 - pic attached

[mxadam579]

any of them they all will work the same make sure they are mil spec the upper is were the gun performance is

[Baconator]

There are people that argue about which lower is better, but the name is essentially not important.

[uxo2]

There are people that argue about which lower is better, but the name is essentially not important.

What he said

[tacticalcity]

I have not heard anything bad about the ones on your list. There are some "out-of-spec" lowers out there, and brands famous for them, and it really sucks to end up with one of those. So it is incorrect to say a lower is a lower and get anyone you find. People that have that opinion have either been really lucky thus far, or have not built enough ARs with various brand lowers to know that issues exist. Not saying that is bad thing...I wish I had been that lucky!

I have personally used and had good experiences with the following from your list...

- Lauer (the one I would choose between the two thanks to the great finish and the logo)
- Stag Arms

I have also had good experiences with the following...

- CMMG (my personal favorite all around AR brand)
- Red River Tactical
- Mega Machine (and the many brands they manufacturer for)
- and a few others I cannot remember, sorry.

I have had terrible experience with...

- Vulcan Arms (was way out of spec and had a crappy finish). They are famous for this. Not only did they make crappy lowers but they left everybody who purchased one hanging. Man was I ticked off.
- A brand that starts with an R, can't remember the exact name, the threads for the buffer tube in the back of the receiver were threaded in the wrong direction. Had several people buy buttstocks and buffer tubes from me complaining they would not fit their lower, turns out that particular lower was the problem. Only realized it after loosing money on several returns.

I have used a Fulton Armory A1 Slickside Upper Receiver. The channel for the charging handle was just a hair smaller than it should have been. Took lots of oil and working the charging handle to loosen it up enough to be useful. But it is something of a novelty item and only one other brand still makes A1 slickside upper receivers so I had no choice but to keep it. Not sure if their other parts have similar issues. It was a minor one, but an issue none the less. Enough of one to make me a little hesitant to buy from Fulton Armory again or recommend their products to anyone.