[Skunkabilly]

A buddy of mine has a PMA lower for his AR15 and wanted me to ask you guys.... From what he was told, they're made from the same plant that does Armalites, is this true?

[Steve Smith]

Do you mean PWA? PWA was a sort-of predecessor of RRA. The owners of RRA were from Armalite.

[Skunkabilly]

Yes, that must be it...

Could you elaborate on sorta-predecessors? Thanks for the quick reply.

[Steve Smith]

I wish I could, dude. I can tell you where to look, though. Search on AR15.com for PWA.

Methinks it was a company that the RRA guys bought out? I don't remember.

[762x51]

PWA= Pac West Arms, out of Milan, IL. Steve is correct, RRA bought them out. The serial numbers are as follows:

SER# 35222 and below are in the preban range.
All Post-ban receivers are given a year prefix.

[gun-fucious]

most lowers are made here:
http://www.cerrofabricated.com/products_firearm.htm

[agony]

There's an underlying debate about the 'pre-banability' of the PWA lowers. Apparently as the factory is defunct and PWAs were not assembled as complete rifles at the factory, some say they shouldn't be assembled as preban 'assault rifles.' I personally like my PWA lower better than most others.

[buttrap]

Yes the PWA lowers left the factory as just a lower but many where sold with a AR kit from jobbers and listed on the yellow form as a rifle and not just a lower. When they made them it was pretty much PWA or Colt and Colt had not gone past the old SP-1 style lower while PWA was a exact duplicate of the M-16 fenced and pinned lower just less the auto sear pin hole.