Ranking AR-15 complete lowers

[tmckay2]

this thread is a disaster waiting to happen as people will most likely be pimping their favorite. fact is in general lowers are all going to perform the same. its a non "functional" part of the weapon. i have used five different lowers and never noticed any difference. sure, if you are going to get it stamped, buy something a little more expensive for safeties sakes, maybe lmt or bcm, but frankly for any old rifle pretty much anything will work. ive used dpms, stag, superior arms, del-ton and colt, believe it or not. i never noticed any difference other than finish. id say buy a reputable company, any will do, but find it the cheapest you can. spend your money on barrels, triggers, hammers, and bcgs. most everything else is just flashiness with a fancy name and insignia on it. ive gotten really good deals on lowers from aimsurplus fyi.

[Del_Gue]

Thanks to all for the replies. This "newbie" learned a lot.

Del

[colocowboy01]

Kind of a late post on the thread, but to answer the question you asked. I personally would rate for quality, fit, and function:

1 Bushmaster
2 Colt
3 Smith and Wesson
4 Olympic Arms
5 DPMS

I have owned several of all of them except the S&W(I have a personal grudge against S&W stemming from the 90's and the assault weapon ban.) The Bushy's and Colt's finishes match up better with more uppers I think.

[ShooterJM]

Keep in mind the design on the side isn't generally who made it. There are probably a half dozen actual manufacturers that make 90% of all the brands.

[Buzzkill69]

(I have a personal grudge against S&W stemming from the 90's and the assault weapon ban.)

Do tell!

I assume your referring to the 2000 Clinton deal?

[colocowboy01]

Do tell!

I assume your referring to the 2000 Clinton deal?

Yep, it all started with me joining into the boycott of Ruger after Bill Ruger jumped into bed with the anti-gunners, which I still am keeping the boycott alive. Then when S&W fell to the political pressure of the Clinton's I expanded my personal boycott to include S&W, which also still stands. There are too many other good weapons and companies out there. Why shoot a S&W when you can shoot a Glock or H&K?

[SAnd]

I have a Bushmaster with a tite mag well. It's the only Bushmaster I have experience with so it could very well be the one in a thousand that slipped through. I won't condemn all Bushmasters because of it. It does bum me out though.

[colocowboy01]

I have a Bushmaster with a tite mag well. It's the only Bushmaster I have experience with so it could very well be the one in a thousand that slipped through. I won't condemn all Bushmasters because of it. It does bum me out though.

I will trade you some silver bars for your bummer of a Bushy.

[espos1111]

If you are talking "complete" lowers it is hard to say. Just buy what is affordable for parts. EVERYBODY has their favorite.You could ask the question about the just about the stock, as that is the one part that you get for fit, function, and comfort. I personally have a RRA, Spikes, and 2 SAA lowers. RRA 2 stage trigger, 2 Del-Ton, and one Spikes LPK. A Tapco 6 position CAR stock, A2 standard stock, and a RRA pistol buffer tube. Spikes, Del-Ton, and RRA CAR, H, and H2 buffers. It is all about performance vs. price and vice-versa in some cases. I like them all. Just be forewarned you will probably end up with a few spare parts. Thats OK, you just use them for your next build I would search here and on ARFCOM for the individual part and make your choice from that info. Then comes the hard part, the upper parts and optics.

[patrick0685]

Keep in mind the design on the side isn't generally who made it. There are probably a half dozen actual manufacturers that make 90% of all the brands.

i wish there were a list out there saying who made what for who...make sense?