Fiddlersgreen
IYACYAS
Has anyone worked with those 80% lowers? Any recommendations on poly vs aluminum? The poly seems easier but I feel like the aluminum would be a bit more reliable. Any thoughts?
Ar15 lowers
- Thread starter Fiddlersgreen
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ibanez320dx
New guy.
The polly one's are definitely easier but I would recommend metal if you have the tools to do it. I like the ones from Lockestone.
Fiddlersgreen
IYACYAS
I'm sure the aluminum ones are better, but the poly is about a third of the price with the jig compared to the aluminume and a jig. How worth it is it with those price differences?
ibanez320dx
New guy.
I bought an EP80 a while back and milled it out with a drill press and a dremel. I got it to work correctly but I wasn't really happy with it. The fitment to my upper was so-so and it just felt cheesy. I never actually used it. I know others have been perfectly happy with them but I guess it's just not my thing. It was pretty cool milling it out. I milled a hair too much out of the fire control and the trigger has a bit of wobble from side to side. If it's just a range toy I'd say go for it. It's a neat experience doing the work. I just prefer the look and feel of a metal lower.
Fiddlersgreen
IYACYAS
My plan is to use whatever one I go with as a back up, not something I would use on a regular basses.
DaemonAssassin
Why should we Free BSD?
Get an aluminum one. That way you wont have to worry about the lower breaking at one of the stress points.
You get what you pay for. There's no free lunch. Aluminum is worth it and then some. Aluminum lower receiver housings should last a lifetime. The poly ones are cheap for a reason. When your FCG (and/or safety selector) starts binding up and misbehaving as the poly flexes, you'll understand how/why poly is a waste of money, assuming the poly doesn't crack first. Been there. Done that. Never again.
It's much the same argument as why buy quality AR sights/optics/accessories when airsoft-grade knockoffs are one-third the price or less. You'll soon have a junk box filled with the airsoft stuff and no money to show for it.
Get both, there is no stress on a lower period so whether polymer or metal there's simply no real stress on them. Got damn pistols got polymer frames and metal slides and you don't see them breaking. Doesn't glock rule? Doesn't glock have a polymer frame like almost every other pistol? I guarantee there's way more stress on pistol frames than an AR 15 lower. Don't be afraid to go with polymer. Lowers as long as the company has a good reputation for creating good polymer 80s. I have a few myself and just one aluminum.
photoracer
Competition Shooter
The main problem with polymer ones is if you accidentally pull the rear pin out of the lower and you allow the upper to flop down till the barrel hits the front of the polymer lower you almost certainly crack the lower around the front pin every time. The newer polymer ones with steel reinforcement inside are built to be tougher but they only weigh 1 oz less than aluminum to what's the advsantage? Nothing at all.
I have never had the front of the lower crack, and who takes down there rifle and let's it slam anyway? When I take down any rifle it's laying down. This fantasy stuff people come up with to dismiss polymer lowers is funny. But yet everybody loves them some polymer pistols lol. I don't buy any of what people say dismissing quality polymer lowers because it never makes sense, or its some fantasy wild situation like you just mentioned. No disrespect.... any kind of wild abuse like slamming anything on your rifle is wreck less and whoever does such things shouldn't own one.
Oh and the gain is the cost and being able to complete it with simple tools right at home. There even giving you the drill bits and the jig now to complete them things with some companies.
Like I said brother get you at least one metal one. And 2 or 3 polymer AR15 . You definitely don't want to just have only polymer because shot happens. But for shooting fun and home defense your polymer will be good to go just like any aluminum one.
And I'll leave it at this its a reason why a ton of polymer lowers are being sold and it's a reason why cost of aluminum lowers have come down from the time I got mines years back to now.
Oh and the gain is the cost and being able to complete it with simple tools right at home. There even giving you the drill bits and the jig now to complete them things with some companies.
Like I said brother get you at least one metal one. And 2 or 3 polymer AR15 . You definitely don't want to just have only polymer because shot happens. But for shooting fun and home defense your polymer will be good to go just like any aluminum one.
And I'll leave it at this its a reason why a ton of polymer lowers are being sold and it's a reason why cost of aluminum lowers have come down from the time I got mines years back to now.
lsw
לא לדרוך עליי
- Sep 2, 2013
- 1,975
I really never liked the idea of polymer lowers, but recently picked one up as part of a package deal where I was more interested in the other parts. This was a complete lower made by NFA, not an 80% kit. I was surprised by how rigid it is, I expected it to flex quite easily but that's not the case. This particular lower has lots of internal plastic parts too, including the hammer and takedown pins. I tried it on the upper from my HBAR and fired about 100 rounds through it without incident.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with it on a rifle that sees lots of use, but wouldn't write them off as useless, either. OTOH I wouldn't purchase another, (unless maybe it was part of a package like this one was) with aluminum lowers going for $75 or $80 now, how much are you really saving on the total cost of a rifle?
I wouldn't feel comfortable with it on a rifle that sees lots of use, but wouldn't write them off as useless, either. OTOH I wouldn't purchase another, (unless maybe it was part of a package like this one was) with aluminum lowers going for $75 or $80 now, how much are you really saving on the total cost of a rifle?
That's who my polymer lowers are from, and your right the metal lowers prices have come down..... but for a reason. Got to stay competitive. That's why I say get both lol. Can't go wrong having two or three.
- Feb 4, 2013
- 28,175
Hmm, so the threaded portion, sticking up a carrying the buffer and spring have NO stress?
And the pics I have seen of cracked poly lowers are at the junction between the buffer tube mount and the rest of the lower.
The engineer in me, looks at that design and says STRESS RISER.
DaemonAssassin
Why should we Free BSD?
I rarely agree with Pinecone, but he is right. One of the places a poly lower always fractures is the area around where the buffer tube screws into the lower. All of the recoil stress and bolt movement stress is concentrated into that part of the receiver.
The fracturing is a known issue with the poly lowers, if you would do the research, you would see it too. As a matter of fact, if you look at the history of poly lowers, you will see that they have been trying to reinforce that area since the beginning of the poly movement. They haven't found a way to reinforce that weak spot, while using the current crop of materials that they are using.
Get a 6061 or 7075 aluminum lower from an IP, since they do keep the lights on at MDS.
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