Teh lower of teh 15 of AR

[elChupacabra!]

Yeah, I'm behind you as far as accuracy goes.

If you're building a "benchrest AR-15," then I don't know what to tell you, as I don't think we are on the same page

If you're building a fighting rifle, you will get exceptional accuracy and completely reliable function out of a basic $100 stripped lower.

Now if you WANT to spend the money, you might could turn a few more heads at the range with some sort of fancy lower... but I'd rather invest more in the barrel / optics / ammo / next gun, etc

 

[PCFlorida]

Anvil Arms

+1 on Anvil Arms. I have two AR's built on Anvil lowers, one is a complete Anvil M4, the other is an Anvil lower with a Del-ton upper, the color is a perfect match. Can't beat the price either.

 

[Tarvis]

It would be no different than a stock being a loose fit to an action in your typical bolt action rifle yet we know that proper bedding can mean a world of difference in how a rifle performs.

The difference between a bolt action and an AR is pretty big. A bolt rifle requires the barreled action to be bedded so that there are no pressure points throwing off the harmonics of the barrel. The fit between the upper and lower receivers on an AR does not need to be 100% flawless because it has nothing do to with harmonics or bullet-bore alignment. Don't get me wrong, a rifle that has 1/4" play between the upper and lower will probably not be as accurate because the upper will most likely move when the bullet is fired if not held still. At the same time, the most play I've seen was somewhere in the area of 1/32" or less, which may have a slight impact on accuracy, but for the scope of this thread and most applications it is negligible in comparison to the other factors affecting accuracy.

 

[Coronach]

It would be no different than a stock being a loose fit to an action in your typical bolt action rifle yet we know that proper bedding can mean a world of difference in how a rifle performs.

Yes, when we're talking about rifles that require bedding, or have significant interaction between the stock and the action/barrel. This is not the case with the AR.

If you are ok with a sloppy fit thats fine by me but Ill keep mine nice and tight. Wobble leads to nothing but inconsistent groups. Ill believe it has nothing to do with accuracy when I see it.

The wobble certainly doesn't help accuracy, but it also does not hurt it, unless the wobble is extreme. A small amount of slop has zero influence on group size. Why? Because the lower does not touch the barrel, which is where you start to get variation in accuracy due to different pressure being applied throughout the shot string, or through influencing the harmonics. The only issues a loose upper to lower fit will cause are:

1. Functioning problems, but it has to be extreme to do this.

2. Slight variation in how the rifle shoulders. And by slight, I mean negligible. The important bits for accuracy (front sight, rear sight, barrel) are all in one unit on the upper. If you line up your target, the front sight, the rear sight, and your eye, you will get hits, regardless of whether you get a mm of flex between upper and lower.

Now, if the flex is bad enough that you can feel it when you shoulder the weapon, it probably needs to be fixed. But it would have to be really far out of spec for that to happen.

Mike

 

[Tarvis]

Dangit Con, that's exactly what I said .

 

[IndianaBoy]

Don't waste your money on a billet lower.

Just get a stag and spend the extra money on a better barrel, or a better trigger kit.

Billet lowers are for those who are more concerned with pretty and tacticool guns than with function.

 

[gidaeon]

I bought my Rock River lower assembled with adj. stock, ready to bolt to upper for $250 from a retail. If for some reason you don't want to assembly yourself I'm sure you could find similar.

 

[YK]

I got both, regular and billet. Just about for any purpose, the regular is just fine. As far as strength is concerned, there is probably only one spot on the lower where billet is stronger, and with careful attention with assembly of regular lower, this should be a non-issue.