Subjective opinion re AR?

[David Hoback]

Who gives a rat’s arse about what the AR forum says? Honestly, they have some of the dumbest people on them! Full of users & Deaf, Dumb & Blind followers! People that believe whatever certain manufacturers say (who are looking to make a buck!) I’ve proven time & again of much of the nonsense in the AR world. Nah… Do your OWN research, learn for yourself and build them with the parts YOU choose! Not what others choose for you!

Again… the Anderson Lower is the SAME IDENTICAL part as the Colt Forged Lower! Colt, nor Anderson has a Foundry Forge! All they do is finish machining, (which is a CNC program!), and Hard Anodizing. Oh yeah… and putting their name name, Logo and numbers on it. That’s all. Same thing thing with Uppers.

By the way: Those swapping a Lower or some part on a Built AR and selling it as THAT brand (without telling the background) to make more money, IS dishonest! This is why I never crossed money with Firearms. I never built to sell. I do firearms mods/upgrades, repairs & such for FREE! I never wanted to cross something I love with selling. It (can) breed dishonestly. (Clearly speaking)

(Edit)
This was an an after thought I had. Someone below thought I was signaling out a person, which I wasn’t.) Like I did, an Afterthought, having to do with the subject material. I explain further in my next post below.)

 

[FL-NC]

You'll get mocked on the AR forums and groups just because "poverty pony"

Now THAT"S a group of people I couldn't give a tinker's dam what they have to say about literally anything.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Now THAT"S a group of people I couldn't give a tinker's dam what they have to say about literally anything.

I don't disagree.

But having a budget lower is a great excuse to experiment and try it various parts of various manufacturers.

Hence the jest I typed my response... I'm kidding but not kidding

 

[gotboostvr]

Now THAT"S a group of people I couldn't give a tinker's dam what they have to say about literally anything.

My group of buddies say "poverty pony" as a badge of honor almost.

The other pre-approved lowers are Aero's or PSA/Spikes if they're a particularly funny meme lower.

You're more likely to be teased for a LMT/Colt/BCM with GI parts instead of a Anderson with a LaRue trigger.

We're an admittedly weird group though.

 

[EMT40SW]

Oh yeah: Those swapping a Lower or some part on a Built AR and selling it as THAT brand to make more money, YOU are dishonest! This is why I never crossed money with Firearms. I never built to sell. I do firearms mods/upgrades, repairs & such for FREE! I never wanted to cross something I love with selling. It breeds dishonestly. (Clearly)

This is a bit harsh. I think that he was making a point about the AR market. That poeple pay more for a roll mark than actually performance. That is not dishonest if he disclosed he built a kit & brand of components if asked. Also it’s ok to get paid for your skills no matter what they are from healthcare to gunsmithing to yard work. You are also free to give charity as you see fit but let’s not judge someone for providing a service for a fee in a bad light. Obviously that’s an arrangement that works for both parties. Let’s keep it on the high road, gents.

 

[David Hoback]

This is a bit harsh.

I wasn’t speaking to or pointing out anyone specific. LOL! Sorry it seemed that way. It was an after thought. The “Oh Yeah”, was because I forgot to include. Of course telling a buyer all the info is NOT being disingenuous. I’m not sure who you meant, but I assure you it was simply a random thought having to do with the topic. By saying “YOU”, as I did, was a reference to anyone who has, done that. They know who they are. This is the the problem in the written word. Don’t get to hear the author’s voice inflection, pace of speaking, etc. Can completely change one’s meaning. I edited to sound more as it was intended.

 

[David Hoback]

Here is one big reason I build. Smaller parts are a bigger deal than many think. Sometimes it’s the smallest MIM part or CHEAP Spring that fails. Now I don’t care what manufacturer, if you have a “MilSpec” Rifle.., whether Colt, Spikes, Anderson… Aero, Stag, LaRue or Knights… they ALL use the same LPK & other Lower parts: buffers, Springs, Charging, Handles & more: unless noted as an “Upgraded” part.

I build Top Tier rifles only, anymore. I use only very high end parts. But I don’t rely on names. I don’t buy LPK “kits” either. Look through yours if you have spares. You might be surprised at some things you never knew. I purchase every LPK part separately.

Springs:
I get Chrome-Silicon springs whenever I can. Some just aren’t made with this steel, but at least high quality spring steel. If you have cheep looking or SS springs… get rid of them!


Detent Pins:
This is a BIG one! I spent a great deal of time tracking down the perfect Detent pins. Machined perfectly & Melonite treated. Especially the Detents. It is very important these are really good quality. These here slide across metal nicely & give a nice, firm “SNAP” into place under spring load. Look at some detents in any LPK. Crappy steel, different lengths, uneven edges. Look at the ends of these in the picture. Perfectly concentric. This little stuff matters.



Take-Down/Pivot Pins:
The set on the left I recently picked up. They are Titanium. Although I wasn’t cheap’ng out before even. The other set of pins on the Right are the pins I’ve used these last several years & are still very nice. Nicely machined Billet Steel (not cast or extruded), & Nitride treated. But the new ones (6AL4V Ti) are another level of “nicety”, LOL!


Trigger:
OK…The trigger! One of the things we could spend ALL DAY on! Everybody has their favorite. Me? Well, I don’t buy expensive, aftermarket triggers. I’ve been setting up my own triggers for over 20 years. I became very, very good after I started building 1911’s almost 13years ago. Because they done HAVE drop in Aftermarket triggers! Every trigger must be modded to work properly. So that’s that.. Also, I don’t want light triggers on my AR. If I was doing a Competition AR…sure! But I don’t build competition, or even “Target” AR’s. I like AR triggers the way I like my Carry pistol’s trigger: about 5-6lbs, little creep, limited overtravel & most importantly, smooth consistency! The very light, Target triggers I leave for my Bench rifle. (Which makes most AR15’s and 10’s, look like AKs… Well, maybe not THAT bad.) So I use ALG trigger sets. They are well made, give a nice consistency, and a good starting point to do my bit of set up. Stoning the surfaces, etc. (that’s a reflection of the camera lens on earth the trigger surface)


Mag Release:
I also use an extended 7075 Billet Mag Release button. Such a small part. But has a nicer texture and overall is just better than those found in LPK’s.


Buffer & Spring:
Not part of the LPK, but a Lower part all the same. For many years I have used the Spikes
T2 Buffer. Same as the H2 buffer but Spikes uses Tungsten powder instead of weights. I paired those with a Heavy Spring typically. This last build I did I decided to try one of the Armaspec Sound Mitigation Buffer & Spring units. It’s also an H2 weight Buffer. They are the same price as the Spikes T2 buffer & spring so I wasn’t wasting money. I figured if it helped with that stupid
“THOW-WOK-SPROYOYOYOYNG” noise, cool. MAN, does it! And once again, the great price coupled with in high quality materials/machining, etc… it’s WIN/WIN.

 

[Varminterror]

Translation: “How to make a lower cost hundreds of extra dollars by spending extra money on non-critical assembly components, with absolutely no difference in performance…”

 

[FL-NC]

I remember not so long ago our older MK 727 carbines (pre M4) that were built at Anniston had random weird lowers that had been re-purposed from very old M16 rifles of 60's vintage- and even our MK12 series of special purpose rifles. No one cared if their weapon had an old H&R A1 lower on it- if anything it was an interesting topic of conversation sitting around the ready room doing maintenance.

 

[Skylerbone]

I would simply add that S&W does not manufacture any of the parts in their LPK and a few years back I recall THR had several members well displeased with what they received.

I’ve not experienced issues with the Anderson branded “Oops Kit” so I stock those at around $9 and because I enjoy fancying mine up, the other necessary small bits come with the respective components. I have assembled basic rifles using full LPKs from Anderson and CMMG with no noticeable difference in feel or performance.

 

[wesmonster]

I've built two lowers on Anderson stripped lowers, they're fine.
Save your money for the upper, the best places to put your money is the barrel & bcg. My best upper is from BCM and almost dropped money just to get a BCM lower so it'd match, then Magpul came out with their gen 3 mags with the built in 'overtravel' lip that wouldn't work in BCM lowers cause their magwell was just a bit lower so it wasn't 'milspec', lots of angry BCM owners back then.
Aero makes a nice lower if you want something prettier but my el cheapo Palmetto State Armory & Anderson lowers work just as well as my Rock River Arms lowers. Upper to lower fit are perfect across all of them, no slop.

 

[Skylerbone]

We should note that while a lower is a lower is a lower; some lowers are more equal than others. The below example shows my SOLGW (top) compared to my daughter’s Anderson. So yeah, it may just be final machining but there are differences to consider particularly if it’s a purpose-built weapon.

Sometimes I see a roll mark and just throw my wallet across the room. I have assembled a half dozen lowers using Andersons with zero issues.

 

[12Bravo20]

It is the final machining, fit and finish, and attention to details that makes a difference between an Anderson lower and a high end lower.

For those on a tight budget, the Anderson lowers work just fine. If you want a better fit/finish or more bells and whistles then buy something more expensive.