New Frontier Armory LW-15 GENII?

HarperJt · Jul 17, 2012

Does anyone have any experence this these polymer lowers? I just ordered a complete lower with stock for $110. For that price I'll give it a chance.

Thanks,
Jeff

11B3XCIB · Jul 17, 2012

I am not sure how well they handle stress over time. Poly-anything is prone to cracking/warping over time that metal counterparts don't experience.

Schultz · Jul 17, 2012

I have a friend that has one of the plum crazy lowers with a few thousand rnds through it and nothing has happened yet, He purposely has been abusing it . They're probably the same composite.

thebrasilian · Jul 17, 2012

Well I don't hear of cracking issues with Glock, Springfield, SCAR, most Taurus's, Kahr and others. Plastic are a good substitute if the engineer does there homework.

Parhams0508 · Jul 17, 2012

My father-in-law has a NFA lower, I believe, but he hasn't assembled it all together yet.

They bought out Plum Crazy, no?

11B3XCIB · Jul 17, 2012

thebrasilian said:
Well I don't hear of cracking issues with Glock, Springfield, SCAR, most Taurus's, Kahr and others. Plastic are a good substitute if the engineer does there homework.

You are definitely correct.

However, I would only use a poly-lower for an AR for range time/plinking. I have done things with my M4 that i don't think a poly frame would have taken.

I got stuck in a Humvee once after an IED smoked the vehicle. I had to use my steel framed M9 to bash one of the door latches open. I wouldn't and couldn't have done that with a Glock or XD. I do concede that is not normal use, though.

If you are comfortable with it, by all means, don't let my two cents stop you. :mrgreen:

craigp · Jul 17, 2012

Until someone has run 5000 rounds through one it's pretty hard to speculate on how well a polymer lower will hold up. Engineered plastics aren't the same as the typical polystyrene toy plastics. Actually some engineered plastics are less susceptible to fatigue than some metals and also resist distortion due to thermal expansion and contraction. Programs such as Solid Works can model objects and simulate stresses to help an engineer determine weak points in a design. I've seen so many threads on this topic pop up and more than half the posts are pure speculation on how plastics won't hold up. Speculation isn't really worth much as it is little more than just an opinion. Most originators are looking for actual experience with a product in order to gain knowledge. So far of those who actually have one of these lowers and have used it, the general concensus is they liked what they got for the price.

Tigerstripe · Jul 18, 2012

wait for a PSA $49. sale on lowers.

they just had a $49. sale on lower MOE parts kits. sale of the day.

subscribe for emails for the sale of the day.

bigfutz · Jul 18, 2012

Thought I would throw this in the soup... Aluminum (most commonly used metal for AR lowers) bends and dents. I have a fancy aluminum laptop with dents and warps in it while my wife's plastic one is structurally sound after equal or greater abuse.

Parhams0508 · Jul 18, 2012

Here's NFA's website:

http://www.lw15.com/

Watch the videos; those guys do some pretty crazy things to that gun.

thebrasilian · Jul 18, 2012

A reason I won't own a plastic AR lower even after what I said about plastic. All the other weapons like the SCAR were designed to be plastic. Not the AR. I strongly feel that this is a mistake. In my opinion, area do to fail in plastic are:
*Receiver for stock - can't see that taking any real impact force
*Hammer stop - most plastics don't handle impact well over time
*Front take down pin hole - I believe this pin see more abuse than the rear. I feel this will loosen faster over time do to this extra abuse

Just my opinion.

11B3XCIB · Jul 18, 2012

bigfutz said:
Thought I would throw this in the soup... Aluminum (most commonly used metal for AR lowers) bends and dents. I have a fancy aluminum laptop with dents and warps in it while my wife's plastic one is structurally sound after equal or greater abuse.

It's a little different from the perspective of a tactical rifle. The plastic telescoping stock or the plastic end of a fixed buttstock takes a hell of a beating when doing individual movement techniques. However, under strenuous conditions, both the plastic AND metal can get damaged. But, I don't think it's a coincidence we use plastic covers for metal foregrip rails.

I'm not trying to start a materials argument. If you prefer or trust the polymer, go right ahead. This is merely my opinion, I am not trying to pass it off as fact. The first post I made was an argument that's been made a thousand times on this same subject, and the rebuttal identical. This is not to start a flame war, I am not taking a side, just airing my preference.