Shopping around stripped lowers

Jonathan Waits · May 8, 2013

Hey everyone, I want to eventualy get a real AR, right now all I have is an M&P 15-22, and since budget is kind of tight, I thought I might build it piece by piece, not really to save money, but rather just to have a project to do, and it sounds fun. I am going to start shopping around for the lower and parts, so I can get a good idea how much I need to budget. I have notticed cold hand arms here in okc sells spikes for around 160ish. What are some other brands and price ranges to be looking at?

jtischauser · May 8, 2013

Any brand will work. Palmetto State Armory is about the cheapest ive seen.

Jonathan Waits · May 8, 2013

Alright, will check them out thanks! Do any brands work better than others? I have heard that even the spikes don't fit to certain uppers very well?

jtischauser · May 8, 2013

I'm not an upper/lower snob and have only owned a few. Have to wait for the others input on particulars.

Wildcat · May 8, 2013

I've used aero, spikes, LAR, Mega, PSA, stag, and I've had a DPMS. I really haven't noticed much difference between any of them. The LAR's mag well was a little tight and it didn't like dropping mags but thats the only real differences I've seen. There are only a few forging houses in the country so material wise most are pretty equal. Pick a roll mark you like at a good price and get it!

DoctorJJ · May 8, 2013

If you're on a budget and are going to build piece by piece and this process will likely take you several months, I'd suggest waiting for a while before you start buying.

What is your overall budget and what is your intended use for this gun?

Wall · May 8, 2013

Matt Washburn said:
There are only a few forging houses in the country so material wise most are pretty equal. Pick a roll mark you like at a good price and get it!

correct, chances are the Lower someone recommends is made by the exact same people as one they tell you to stay away from.......just with a different roll mark.

dennishoddy · May 8, 2013

I have a Spikes lower and a few uppers for it. Never had any fit problems with mine.

I will say after working around the machine tool business for 22 years, that even with the sophisticated CNC machines used today that can hold incredible tolerances, the occasional unit will slip by quality control.
The person getting it will slam that brand all over the internet, and the bad reputation develops.

Yes, there are some high end lowers made from superior materials, etc, but for an entry level build, get what you can afford, build it, shoot the heck out of it, and learn the platform.

When your comfortable and more knowledgeable, you can always sell and upgrade.
Have fun!

Bob Sanders · May 8, 2013

Just to add a question about what I think I know. With the upper, the barrel and upper require the same style feed ramps, and if you intend to use a flat top upper, the front sight base needs to be marked with an "F"? I know most probably use low profile gas blocke, but I'm going for an A3 service rifle.

Jonathan Waits · May 8, 2013

What do you guys mean by roll mark? For the price, those PSA's sure sound good. I dont know the over all budget of the riffle, thats why I want to piece mill it out, but for the stripped lower, probably 100-200 bucks. From the sound of it, it is the components and upper that make the riffle reliable. I think I would use it for some light competition, but most likely a home defense/camping/backpacking/WROL gun.

Bob Sanders · May 8, 2013

Roll mark is the brand, such as PSA, Stag, Spikes, Mag, etc. whatever is stamped on the side.

Matt1911 · May 8, 2013

The roll mark is the picture or logo on the side of the magwell. They're all pretty much the same so go with the price or picture you like best.
The quality of an AR comes in the trigger, bolt carrier group and barrel. Brand of upper and lower dont really mean a damn thing as long as the measurements of it are correct.

Matt1911 · May 8, 2013

I've owned spikes, palmetto, bushmaster, quentin defense, yhm, CMMG, colt, and Loki uppers and lowers and haven't had any issues with fit or function in any configuration.

dennishoddy · May 8, 2013

GamerNxUSN said:
What do you guys mean by roll mark? For the price, those PSA's sure sound good. I dont know the over all budget of the riffle, thats why I want to piece mill it out, but for the stripped lower, probably 100-200 bucks. From the sound of it, it is the components and upper that make the riffle reliable. I think I would use it for some light competition, but most likely a home defense/camping/backpacking/WROL gun.

I have a PSA polymer lower (sitting in the safe} complete, that actually has a better trigger than some of the more expensive lowers. (not talking about high end lowers)
Its crisp, no over travel, but probably runs in the 6lb range. Haven't put the trigger scale on it yet.

GamerNxUSN said:
What do you guys mean by roll mark? For the price, those PSA's sure sound good. I dont know the over all budget of the riffle, thats why I want to piece mill it out, but for the stripped lower, probably 100-200 bucks. From the sound of it, it is the components and upper that make the riffle reliable. I think I would use it for some light competition, but most likely a home defense/camping/backpacking/WROL gun.

I have a PSA polymer lower (sitting in the safe} complete, that actually has a better trigger than some of the more expensive lowers. (not talking about high end lowers)
Its crisp, no over travel, but probably runs in the 6lb range. Haven't put the trigger scale on it yet.

Josh Beauchamp · May 8, 2013

I am actually doing the same thing. I will say that if you are like me you won't actually save money it will just be spread out over time. I am building something similar to a Stag 3gun and will have spent about 300 more than the MSRP from Stag but it its build from the ground how I want it and not replace parts over time. It am definitely hooked now though.

cajunautoxer · May 9, 2013

I'd wait till lowers go below $100 before buying one

Jonathan Waits · May 9, 2013

cajunautoxer said:
I'd wait till lowers go below $100 before buying one

Were they ever bellow $100? I seem to remember them being that much even before all this jazz?

DoctorJJ · May 9, 2013

GamerNxUSN said:
Were they ever bellow $100? I seem to remember them being that much even before all this jazz?

I just built a couple of PSA lowers I had from back when they were $69.

That's the reason I was asking overall budget. It's because some parts, like a JP barrel and bolt are available and not any higher than they were before the craziness. So you could buy that now and wait on the crazy stuff to come back down. But maybe that barrel is out of your price range?