This is all good info and I knew bringing this up with members was the right way to go, but the way people were trashing the type lower I had I was a little embarrassed to admit it. I guess it’s like some of the off the wall firearms I own. As long as I like it and am comfortable shooting it with confidence, who gives a rats a$$
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AR lowers, what’s the diff?
- Thread starter Pfoneman
- Start date
I love shooting my AR and have really gotten comfortable with it. I knew a trigger I liked and quality barrel and sight were important so I insured I had that. And at 58 with trashed shoulders from climbing poles my adult life, it’s much more comfortable and enjoyable to shoot than my Mini’s.
it’s all vanity. Anderson lowers are 39 bucks so they get called the poverty pony.
I don’t own any other than a stripped lower in my lower collection but as I said, the reason I don’t is simply vanity. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one.
Reputation/Time = $$$$$$
Cheaper/Faster will still do the job = less $$
Knights Armament, LWRC ,Wilson Combat, Larue, JP, Lancer:
build guns/parts with the reputation to back it up to normally better than mil-spec with very high quality control.
Colt, FN, BCM:
mostly build guns to mil-spec or better, high quality control..Col/FN branded parts are harder to get.
AERO, Spikes, and a few others build to mil-spec with decent quality control
Anderson and some just do mil-spec and qc is not as strict as some of the others.
If you have a built lower that works..leave it alone and if you want you can build another lower the way you want it.
The devil is in the details.
Trigger Pin and other holes correct placement and size.
Mag well flared or the edge just smoothed down.
Full Auto shelf or semi only..not that this matters in most cases since we peasants don't have fa sears.
Custom roll marks or not..they should be well made.
Finished in type 3 anodizing * BEFORE cerocoating since type 3 increases durability.
Hardcoat Anodizing, often called "Type III anodizing" as denoted by the MIL-A-8625 specification, is an electrochemical process that creates a controlled oxide film on the surface of aluminum. Hardcoat Anodizing utilizes sulfuric acid, low bath temperatures, and high voltage to produce a very high surface hardness (60-70 Rockwell C). Hardcoat Anodizing is generally used for applications that need a corrosion, abrasion, and wear resistant coating. The appearance of the coating ranges from light to dark gray, depending on the alloy makeup of the aluminum substrate, and it can also be dyed black.
Cerocoating has it's place and it's own bonuses such as lubricity and Skittles colors.
With all that said a properly fitted Anderson a.k.a. "Poverty Pony" will serve you as well most.
I have an Anderson ..it's functional but pick it up, then handle my hunting Wilson Combat or my LWRC..charge the bolt..pull the trigger..you can tell which one cost more and why.
I could have built four for what I have in my ambidextrous LWRC lower.
Do I really need the LWRC...no..but the WANT was high.
Now I have seen some Anderson and a few other lower cost lowers with out of spec trigger pin holes.
ALL were replaced by the store/manufacturer.
If it works shoot it and be happy.
Buy or build another if your not.
Cheaper/Faster will still do the job = less $$
Knights Armament, LWRC ,Wilson Combat, Larue, JP, Lancer:
build guns/parts with the reputation to back it up to normally better than mil-spec with very high quality control.
Colt, FN, BCM:
mostly build guns to mil-spec or better, high quality control..Col/FN branded parts are harder to get.
AERO, Spikes, and a few others build to mil-spec with decent quality control
Anderson and some just do mil-spec and qc is not as strict as some of the others.
If you have a built lower that works..leave it alone and if you want you can build another lower the way you want it.
The devil is in the details.
Trigger Pin and other holes correct placement and size.
Mag well flared or the edge just smoothed down.
Full Auto shelf or semi only..not that this matters in most cases since we peasants don't have fa sears.
Custom roll marks or not..they should be well made.
Finished in type 3 anodizing * BEFORE cerocoating since type 3 increases durability.
Hardcoat Anodizing, often called "Type III anodizing" as denoted by the MIL-A-8625 specification, is an electrochemical process that creates a controlled oxide film on the surface of aluminum. Hardcoat Anodizing utilizes sulfuric acid, low bath temperatures, and high voltage to produce a very high surface hardness (60-70 Rockwell C). Hardcoat Anodizing is generally used for applications that need a corrosion, abrasion, and wear resistant coating. The appearance of the coating ranges from light to dark gray, depending on the alloy makeup of the aluminum substrate, and it can also be dyed black.
Cerocoating has it's place and it's own bonuses such as lubricity and Skittles colors.
With all that said a properly fitted Anderson a.k.a. "Poverty Pony" will serve you as well most.
I have an Anderson ..it's functional but pick it up, then handle my hunting Wilson Combat or my LWRC..charge the bolt..pull the trigger..you can tell which one cost more and why.
I could have built four for what I have in my ambidextrous LWRC lower.
Do I really need the LWRC...no..but the WANT was high.
Now I have seen some Anderson and a few other lower cost lowers with out of spec trigger pin holes.
ALL were replaced by the store/manufacturer.
If it works shoot it and be happy.
Buy or build another if your not.
It comes down to - "what" is a lower and what is it "supposed to do". Basically, it's a block of metal, aluminum, etc.. It's job is to hold certain parts in place - trigger, upper receiver, etc.. Being that all these parts are universal, it doesn't take super tight tolerances to "make them work".
When it comes to the grand scheme of all production AR lowers - Anderson typically falls on in the bottom half of the list for consistently producing lowers with super tight tolerances/finishes. Anderson mass produces a budget friend AR that "works". They aren't hand inspecting every lower, making sure every single edge has a perfect finish on it, that every line is 100% straight, that every holes is within .0000001" of spec. But they work. And for most people plinking in the back yard - that's enough. And in all fairness to Anderson, if you make that many lowers - you're bound to have some good ones as well! I've owned several, probably 2-3 complete Anderson rifles, 2-3 builds with Anderson lowers and out of all of them, I only ever had one issue with a bcg getting stuck when cycling back. At the same time, if I thought my life may depend on a particular rifle - I'd get something that I knew was built right - not something I "hoped I got a good one"...
Being that you already have it - take
cmshoot
's advice and let him check it out. That way you'll know: A) you got a good rifle that doesn't need upgrading, or B) you got a rifle that will dump a mag, but is so out of spec you'd be lucky to get them all on the same side of the barn lol.
There are endless forums, youtube videos, knowledgeable people on here, resources for any and all AR related questions. Do some research and decide what fits your personal needs best - only you can decide that! Best of luck, don't get tpo lost in the rabbit hole(s) of the AR world lol.
Take Care,
~ Chris
When it comes to the grand scheme of all production AR lowers - Anderson typically falls on in the bottom half of the list for consistently producing lowers with super tight tolerances/finishes. Anderson mass produces a budget friend AR that "works". They aren't hand inspecting every lower, making sure every single edge has a perfect finish on it, that every line is 100% straight, that every holes is within .0000001" of spec. But they work. And for most people plinking in the back yard - that's enough. And in all fairness to Anderson, if you make that many lowers - you're bound to have some good ones as well! I've owned several, probably 2-3 complete Anderson rifles, 2-3 builds with Anderson lowers and out of all of them, I only ever had one issue with a bcg getting stuck when cycling back. At the same time, if I thought my life may depend on a particular rifle - I'd get something that I knew was built right - not something I "hoped I got a good one"...
Being that you already have it - take
cmshoot
's advice and let him check it out. That way you'll know: A) you got a good rifle that doesn't need upgrading, or B) you got a rifle that will dump a mag, but is so out of spec you'd be lucky to get them all on the same side of the barn lol. There are endless forums, youtube videos, knowledgeable people on here, resources for any and all AR related questions. Do some research and decide what fits your personal needs best - only you can decide that! Best of luck, don't get tpo lost in the rabbit hole(s) of the AR world lol.
Take Care,
~ Chris
If you shoot enough youll find out. Not being an A hole but I've seen the hammer walls chip and break away ive seen pin holes loosen I've seen some other b.s. on the uppers but uppers are uppers never know unless you look at thickness and parts fit etc. Ive seen rails on uppers off. Lowers I've seen fcg's not fit right (all anderson some psa). Not trying to scare ya just outve a million parts i got those lol
Don't feel bad.
Use it, enjoy it spend the money you saved on ammo.
If the Canik pistols had been built in Germany..
..HK and Sig would have been in big trouble.
Caniks shoot way above their entry level price point.
Use it, enjoy it spend the money you saved on ammo.
If the Canik pistols had been built in Germany..
..HK and Sig would have been in big trouble.
Caniks shoot way above their entry level price point.
There are waaaay more than 4-5 companies that make uppers and lowers. Just off the top of my head I can name 12 quality manufacturers of upper receivers, and there are quite a bit more than that.
Even if 2 companies buy their lower receivers from the same manufacturer, this does not mean that both are equal. Different vendors will specify different levels of fit, finish, quality control, etc., from the manufacturer. These differences can greatly effect the overall quality of the final result, as well as how much they cost to make. Just because Company A and Company B both buy their receivers from Manufacturer X does not mean that they are the same receivers.
You are correct in that parts like the barrel are more important than the receivers.....within reason. Other primarily important parts include the BCG, gas system, and buffer system.
