Great deal on AR-15 pistol or rifle complete lowers

joepistol

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Apr 23, 2020
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1,135
Location
Rochester Hills, Mi
I was unable to find a "found a deal" forum, or anything like that on this site, but wanted to get news out about a great sale for those either needing or wanting an AR-15 lower. Just got an email from a local ( to me) company called Combat Armory.
I read about this company on a Mi. based gun forum,( MGO . org) and then purchased an inexpensive complete upper made by them.
I don't shoot steel cased ammo in my rifles, but as component prices rose, I bought some steel cased tula /wolf 223's to have on hand.
When I purchased this CA upper, (which came with BCG & CH ) I attached it to a lower that has a decent ( 3.5# CMC ) trigger, thinking I'd use it to
shoot the steel cased ammo I'd bought. Decided I'd try shooting some of my brass cased 223 reloads, first, to break in the barrel.
Imagine my surprise when this upper shot tighter groups than the Bushmaster, Adams Arms, & PSA Ar-15's I've owned.
Not a fluke.. A year or so later, I saw another sale on CA uppers & bought another,. To shorten this, the 2nd upper was as accurate as the 1st I bought.
( Ended up selling the steel cased 223's never did shoot any..)

All this written in testimony to Combat Armory's level of quality.

here's the site & prices:
https://www.combatarmory.com/combat-...ower-receiver/

Combat Armory Complete Pistol AR-15 Lower Receiver
Billet 7075-T6 aluminum
Hard coat anodized black
Mil-Spec dimensions
WAS $199 NOW $91.99

Combat Armory Complete Rifle AR-15 Lower Receiver
Billet 7075-T6 aluminum
Hard coat anodized black
Mil-Spec dimensions
WAS $199 NOW $101.99
 

barnetmill

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Joined
Nov 16, 2022
Messages
207
I have shot steel case 5.56 and 7.62x39 in the ARs and no problems. I think with time that I will have problems with extractors and with 7.62x39 I will eventually break bolt lugs since AR bolts are not really strong to handle such a cartridge. If you have a chromed barrel, there will not be any unusual wear on your barrel at all.
 
Last edited:

A34

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Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
12
Location
Canton, Georgia
I was unable to find a "found a deal" forum, or anything like that on this site, but wanted to get news out about a great sale for those either needing or wanting an AR-15 lower. Just got an email from a local ( to me) company called Combat Armory.
I read about this company on a Mi. based gun forum,( MGO . org) and then purchased an inexpensive complete upper made by them.
I don't shoot steel cased ammo in my rifles, but as component prices rose, I bought some steel cased tula /wolf 223's to have on hand.
When I purchased this CA upper, (which came with BCG & CH ) I attached it to a lower that has a decent ( 3.5# CMC ) trigger, thinking I'd use it to
shoot the steel cased ammo I'd bought. Decided I'd try shooting some of my brass cased 223 reloads, first, to break in the barrel.
Imagine my surprise when this upper shot tighter groups than the Bushmaster, Adams Arms, & PSA Ar-15's I've owned.
Not a fluke.. A year or so later, I saw another sale on CA uppers & bought another,. To shorten this, the 2nd upper was as accurate as the 1st I bought.
( Ended up selling the steel cased 223's never did shoot any..)

All this written in testimony to Combat Armory's level of quality.

here's the site & prices:
https://www.combatarmory.com/combat-...ower-receiver/

Combat Armory Complete Pistol AR-15 Lower Receiver
Billet 7075-T6 aluminum
Hard coat anodized black
Mil-Spec dimensions
WAS $199 NOW $91.99

Combat Armory Complete Rifle AR-15 Lower Receiver
Billet 7075-T6 aluminum
Hard coat anodized black
Mil-Spec dimensions
WAS $199 NOW $101.99
Wow, wish I'd seen that earlier!
 

Pappy

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Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
61
most if not all billet receivers and parts are made on cnc computer controlled machines and all are made to mil spec or tighter tolerances.
the brand doesn't really matter anymore. so buying cheap doesn't make it inferior to high dollar uppers and lowers. I went to the CA site and see they have really nice machining equipment.
where you need to spend the money is on a good barrel and a good trigger. It's hard to pick out a trigger online, I like to try them out 1st to see if I like it.
they all say clean and crisp and short reset, you won;t know for sure until you try one out. For barrels, I use Black Hole Weaponry Barrels. they are sub moa polygonal rifled barrels made to your spec's!. you choose the length of the barrel, the profile of the barrel, the twist rate, the gas system length, the finish, the fluting if wanted and the threading on the end. I always use the 5/8 x 24 threading on all my barrels so I don't have to use the adapter for my multi caliber suppressor. when I first started building AR's, an experienced builder told me just pick the lower with the brand or pic on it you like. they're all pretty much the same thing. If I bought complete lowers ( i don't) I would replace the trigger, the buffer spring, the buttstock, bolt catch button, and sometimes the fire/safe lever if I want a short throw or 3rd position lever on that build. all those parts included work just fine, but I like to replace them with better parts. for the buttstock I just think it's ugly and prefer a "no slop" stock. that one is just personal preference My $200 black rain ordnance billet stripped lower receiver (.223 Wylde ) doesn't work any better than my $35 carbon fiber stripped lower ( 300 Blackout ) Complete lowers are just fine, (if you don't want to mess with putting the parts in) and a good starting point. it's not expensive only replacing 1 part at a time if you want to make your AR better. and It's fun to build them.
 

barnetmill

Well-Known Fanatic
Joined
Nov 16, 2022
Messages
207
most if not all billet receivers and parts are made on cnc computer controlled machines and all are made to mil spec or tighter tolerances.
the brand doesn't really matter anymore. so buying cheap doesn't make it inferior to high dollar uppers and lowers. I went to the CA site and see they have really nice machining equipment.
where you need to spend the money is on a good barrel and a good trigger. It's hard to pick out a trigger online, I like to try them out 1st to see if I like it.
they all say clean and crisp and short reset, you won;t know for sure until you try one out. For barrels, I use Black Hole Weaponry Barrels. they are sub moa polygonal rifled barrels made to your spec's!. you choose the length of the barrel, the profile of the barrel, the twist rate, the gas system length, the finish, the fluting if wanted and the threading on the end. I always use the 5/8 x 24 threading on all my barrels so I don't have to use the adapter for my multi caliber suppressor. when I first started building AR's, an experienced builder told me just pick the lower with the brand or pic on it you like. they're all pretty much the same thing. If I bought complete lowers ( i don't) I would replace the trigger, the buffer spring, the buttstock, bolt catch button, and sometimes the fire/safe lever if I want a short throw or 3rd position lever on that build. all those parts included work just fine, but I like to replace them with better parts. for the buttstock I just think it's ugly and prefer a "no slop" stock. that one is just personal preference My $200 black rain ordnance billet stripped lower receiver (.223 Wylde ) doesn't work any better than my $35 carbon fiber stripped lower ( 300 Blackout ) Complete lowers are just fine, (if you don't want to mess with putting the parts in) and a good starting point. it's not expensive only replacing 1 part at a time if you want to make your AR better. and It's fun to build them.
You to be a connoisseur of AR parts and builds. I will have to learn more about the: '
Black Hole Weaponry Barrels. they are sub moa polygonal rifled barrels
I am only familiar with pistol polygonal barrels that are said to tolerate higher round counts and may be cheaper to mass produce. I will have to read up about then in ARs and in rifles in general.
,
 

Pappy

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Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
61
I've been called a lot of things but never a connoisseur :) I've been building them for a long time. when I wanted my 1st AR, I couldn't afford the ones I liked, & didn't like the ones I could. So I just started reading everything I could trying to get good parts. I bought 1 part, at a time learning all I could before the next part. over the years I slowly started to have favorite parts and included them in all my builds. I fell in love with side charging uppers and all my builds include one. I buy those at Bear Creek Arsenal ( now they are $99, and include BCG) cheapest they have ever been. especially good on rifles since you don't have to reach under the scope to charge it. another website is Gorilla Machining, their parts are great even though they are inexpensive I buy adjustable gas blocks, gas tubes, buffer tube kits ( buffer, spring, nut..) I have used barrels from Bear creek & Gorilla, they are decent but not as accurate as a Black Hole Weaponry barrel
Another thing about polygonal rifling is since there isn't button rifling grooves, there is less bullet deformation which results in higher velocities. that's how they get the higher round counts.
they are so much fun to build, and you get the parts you want the 1st time. I'm always happy to help fellow enthusiasts / builders.
I'm building 2 now and both for me this time, keeps me from missing my 1911, Just sent slide & barrel off to Mag-Na-Port in Mn.
feel free to ask any questions, I'll answer them if I can. pic below is my last build, shortest & lightest one I've done. 300BLK 5" barrel, BCA side charginge upper, Gorilla adjustable gas block, 2.5lb match trigger and "The Bolt Lever" from T-Box Tactical (Another thing on all my builds now) you can barely see it in the trigger guard, very handy to have. plus I've been using carbon fiber lowers for a few years and never had a problem with them plus they are only $35 !
this pistol weighs 4.5 Lbs. As you can tell...I'm uncapable of writing short posts, always longer than I planned.
20220519_165439.jpg AR Silencer.jpg
 

joepistol

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Joined
Apr 23, 2020
Messages
1,135
Location
Rochester Hills, Mi
I liked the idea of a side charging handle too, so decided to try one.
BCA had a sale last year, so I bought one of their 16" carbine uppers in 7.62 X 39 cal, I have a PSA upper also in this cal., & have been impressed with it's accuracy & reliability. Wanted to try a side charger, so went for it & learned there are a couple of downsides to them.. (side chargers)

1st is.....you need an allen wrench if you want to remove the bolt. Not a big deal, but it is a difference .. and could be an issue , if you don't have the wrench with you when need it. 2nd.. (& this is a bigger issue to me ) : I use a brass catcher on all my AR's. As a reloader, I save all my brass & hate having to track it down/ pick it up off the ground, if not using a brass catcher.
The side charging handle interferes with the brass catchers I use, so I can't use them. Tried moving the catcher bag more rearward, in the hope it would then work..it didn't. I have used the baseball cap method ..hanging a ball cap over my scope so the cap catches the brass as it's thrown out of the ejector port.
This at least allows the brass to fall @ my feet..(but I still have to pick it up off the ground.):confused:
 

Pappy

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Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
61
You're right about both.
if you bought it last year you should have the Gen2 side charger, that fixed the Gen 1's problem with the round charging handle coming loose while shooting.
I am kind of surprised that no one makes a brass catcher for these. but side chargers aren't as popular as rear chargers.
I usually only shoot 5 rounds at a time, so picking up brass isn't a big deal. besides those 2 problems, I hope you like it. BCA often has sales on complete uppers, I bought a couple last year, just to get the side charging upper. (they were almost $300), but I could buy a complete side charging upper for about the same price. but then had to remove the handrail, gas block and sometimes the barrel if I was using black hole weaponry barrel. I always put a Gorilla Machining adjustable gas block on all my uppers. Once you get it set, you never need to adjust it again. I just got my 1st suppressor, so I may need to re set my gas block on my AR's now? havent had the chance to go try it out yet.
I think I will email BCA and ask them if they will ever make a brass catcher for their side chargers. ? I'm sure they could do it, maybe no one has ever given them the idea. you should email them too, the more people that do might get them to start making one.
I just bought their .22LR complete side charging upper, still waiting for my lower parts to arrive so I can get it put together ( have it on a pistol lower to go try it)
 

barnetmill

Well-Known Fanatic
Joined
Nov 16, 2022
Messages
207
I've been called a lot of things but never a connoisseur :) .......................
Another thing about polygonal rifling is since there isn't button rifling grooves, there is less bullet deformation which results in higher velocities. that's how they get the higher round counts.
they are so much fun to build, and you get the parts you want the 1st time. I'm always happy to help fellow enthusiasts / builders.
I'm building 2 now and both for me this time, keeps me from missing my 1911, Just sent slide & barrel off to Mag-Na-Port in Mn.
feel free to ask any questions, I'll answer them if I can. pic belo,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I could ask questions till the sun went down and then came back up.
Question: Looking for an AR-15 bolt for the 7.62x39 with lugs and extractor that do not readily break.
I am going by youtube and internet claims and have not yet broken anything.
The big question for me is finding a reliable close to stock as possible AR15 upper in 7.62x39 that can take reasonable round count prior to breaking the extractor or lugs. Ammo in question is steel case wolf and I happen to have a sufficient supply on it since I was once into the AK. My current solution is to have two working bolts. One for use on the range and the other for when the gun is used for self defense.
I have a pistol and a carbine upper in that round and like both. Both are BCA, but I had to do things to get both uppers to a functional state. ie firing pins, a properly headspacing bolt, tungsten buffer wts. Gun now goes bang 100% when I pull the trigger, gun feeds 100%, and cases eject behind me and not in front of me.
All of the mags that I have purchased work and I prefer the intermediate size magazine. I do not really feel the need for 30 rounds, but want more than 5 or 10.
I have done the firing pin and hammer spring change so ignition is 100% I eventually will do reloading with all copper bullets for decent self defense ammo. I like the ballistics of the 7.62x39 in pistol length barrels compared to the 300 black out, but the 300 blackout bolt is much less likely to break.
 

joepistol

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Joined
Apr 23, 2020
Messages
1,135
Location
Rochester Hills, Mi
Well, I should have added that I've put more than a few rds. thru my PSA 7.62 X 39 upper & it's been flawless. Never had any issues with the BCG either. It's been the best PSA product I've purchased, out of a 223/5.56 AR-15 carbine, the 7.62 X 39 carbine , and a PA-10 aka AR-10 / .308. Accuracy was a pleasant surprise.

I have not shot any steel cased ammo in any of my firearms. Since I hand load / reload, have no need for me to use steel. I have read that the steel cased ammo does cause problems, I believe the problem is caused by the lacquer that is sprayed on the steel case, to prevent rust / corrosion rather than the case itself.
Supposedly when the chamber gets hot, the lacquer melts / starts coming off the case , causing cases to stick in the chamber. What I've read, anyway.

The BCA side charging 7.62 X 39 upper / BCG I purchased has been very good as well. I posted a ? on a local firearm forum about the quality of BCA products & got a lot of info. Actual owners of BCA products may / may not have had issues, almost all that stated they had, also stated that BCA did fix the issue, when a product was returned to them. Also got a fair amount of "they're junk" reports from those who " read " / "heard" about how bad they were.
I'd asked for responses only from those with experience of ownership, but still got a lot of bad reports from people who'd never actually owned one.
I went ahead with my BCA purchase & believe it performs quite well, despite it's modest price.
 

barnetmill

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Joined
Nov 16, 2022
Messages
207
Well, I should have added that I've put more than a few rds. thru my PSA 7.62 X 39 upper & it's been flawless. Never had any issues with the BCG either. It's been the best PSA product I've purchased, out of a 223/5.56 AR-15 carbine, the 7.62 X 39 carbine , and a PA-10 aka AR-10 / .308. Accuracy was a pleasant surprise.

I have not shot any steel cased ammo in any of my firearms. Since I hand load / reload, have no need for me to use steel. I have read that the steel cased ammo does cause problems, I believe the problem is caused by the lacquer that is sprayed on the steel case, to prevent rust / corrosion rather than the case itself.
Supposedly when the chamber gets hot, the lacquer melts / starts coming off the case , causing cases to stick in the chamber. What I've read, anyway.

The BCA side charging 7.62 X 39 upper / BCG I purchased has been very good as well. I posted a ? on a local firearm forum about the quality of BCA products & got a lot of info. Actual owners of BCA products may / may not have had issues, almost all that stated they had, also stated that BCA did fix the issue, when a product was returned to them. Also got a fair amount of "they're junk" reports from those who " read " / "heard" about how bad they were.
I'd asked for responses only from those with experience of ownership, but still got a lot of bad reports from people who'd never actually owned one.
I went ahead with my BCA purchase & believe it performs quite well, despite it's modest price.
If you have a KS-47 it is not the same as a standard AR upper or lower. The KS-47 I believe has a modified bolt that will not fit a standard bolt carrier. It also requires a different lower.

1682215989982.png

On the BCA there was a gross failure of out of 6 uppers that either I or other people have purchased; 3 would not chamber ammo. Two got fixed by purchasing a new bolt and the other was sent back. The only other things were the 7.62x39 carbine being over gassed and the firing pin not long enough.
 

Pappy

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Mar 9, 2019
Messages
61
Howdy barnetmill
your lug and extractor problem could be caused by over gassing, or your buffer is too light.
with an adjustable gas block you can adjust it to where it gets enough gas to cycle instead of too much. a heavier buffer will also slow it down a bit.
I would probably go with both. I put gorilla machining adjustable gas blocks on all my AR'S but on my last 300blk BCA complete upper I also went with an H2 buffer and haven't had any problems in 3 yrs or so with that combo. (Adj. gas block and H2 buffer )
Gorilla gas block is $20 gorilla H2 buffer is $28. I would get a new gas tube too. roll pins hate me, it's easier to use new tube than to try and remove the tube from your current gas block. and one less thing to worry about

you might also want to get a Tubb precision buffer spring for .30 cal too? they are much better than standard buffer springs. ( davidtubb.com)
 

barnetmill

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Nov 16, 2022
Messages
207
Well, I should have added that I've put more than a few rds. thru my PSA 7.62 X 39 upper & it's been flawless. Never had any issues with the BCG either. It's been the best PSA product I've purchased, out of a 223/5.56 AR-15 carbine, the 7.62 X 39 carbine , and a PA-10 aka AR-10 / .308. Accuracy was a pleasant surprise.

I have not shot any steel cased ammo in any of my firearms. Since I hand load / reload, have no need for me to use steel. I have read that the steel cased ammo does cause problems, I believe the problem is caused by the lacquer that is sprayed on the steel case, to prevent rust / corrosion rather than the case itself.
Supposedly when the chamber gets hot, the lacquer melts / starts coming off the case , causing cases to stick in the chamber. What I've read, anyway.

The BCA side charging 7.62 X 39 upper / BCG I purchased has been very good as well. I posted a ? on a local firearm forum about the quality of BCA products & got a lot of info. Actual owners of BCA products may / may not have had issues, almost all that stated they had, also stated that BCA did fix the issue, when a product was returned to them. Also got a fair amount of "they're junk" reports from those who " read " / "heard" about how bad they were.
I'd asked for responses only from those with experience of ownership, but still got a lot of bad reports from people who'd never actually owned one.
I went ahead with my BCA purchase & believe it performs quite well, despite it's modest price.
Well I have a large amount of the steel case ammo. Clean your guns neither polymer or varnish that might be will be a problem. I seldom ever get my guns super hot and if the bolt speed cycling speed is reasonable extraction will be fine.
No way will I throw out some cases of perfectly good ammo.
 
Last edited:

Pappy

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Mar 9, 2019
Messages
61
I have never used steel case ammo either. and I've read a lot of the same things joepistol mentioned about BCA.
In 10 yrs of buying from them, I only had one bad part, a bolt wasn't milled out deep enough and ammo wouldn't chamber, and they immediately sent me a new one. didn't even make me return the old one
 

barnetmill

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Joined
Nov 16, 2022
Messages
207
Howdy barnetmill
your lug and extractor problem could be caused by over gassing, or your buffer is too light.
with an adjustable gas block you can adjust it to where it gets enough gas to cycle instead of too much. a heavier buffer will also slow it down a bit.
I would probably go with both. I put gorilla machining adjustable gas blocks on all my AR'S but on my last 300blk BCA complete upper I also went with an H2 buffer and haven't had any problems in 3 yrs or so with that combo. (Adj. gas block and H2 buffer )
Gorilla gas block is $20 gorilla H2 buffer is $28. I would get a new gas tube too. roll pins hate me, it's easier to use new tube than to try and remove the tube from your current gas block. and one less thing to worry about

you might also want to get a Tubb precision buffer spring for .30 cal too? they are much better than standard buffer springs. ( davidtubb.com)
Thanks. I have no extraction problem now For the carbine since I added tungsten wts that are called H buffer wts. I may someday put in adjustable gas blocks too that would the best.
The problem is I have no idea what the life is of the extractors or bolt lugs with what I am running. I hate to go back to my AK or have to buy an more expensive CMMG gun. As it is now my receivers are very old one that I purchased in face to face transactions some years ago and for practical purposes can not be connected to me. I buy a new cmmg or psa lower and it is quite traceable.
It seems that the 300 blackout and 5.56 are the more reliable chambers for unmodified AR receivers and BCAs.
 

Pappy

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Mar 9, 2019
Messages
61
I tried many adjustable gas blocks and most were around $100. always had stripped screw issues.
then I tried the Gorilla brand adj. gas block and never had a problem with any of them. Nice beefy screws !
 
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