knastera
Just another shooter
About a month ago, I decided to build an AR. I found out about the GWACS Armory CAV-15 fully populated lower (see http://www.gwacsarmory.com/cav-15-mkii-fully-populated-ar15-lower-receiver-ar-15/). I was intrigued because I'm a former infantryman who learned to shoot on M16 A1s and A2s. The CAV-15 is a one piece lower that is very reminiscent of the old M16 in appearance. I was envisioning getting an A2 style upper and finding some triangular foregrips to complete the nostalgic package.
My friend, and an MDS IP, Chuck Spafford, from Tyler Firearms, told me one was being transferred to his store and recommended that I wait until it came in so I could inspect it. I took his advice, so when I was in the store to teach a class, I carefully inspected the lower. I was totally unimpressed.
It is a solid polymer lower, which, if done well, is not a bad thing. I've seen polymer lowers that had steel inserts at key points such as the buffer tube inlet, the takedown pin points, bolt release, and magazine release. The CAV-15 has no inserts. It does not use takedown pin detents. Its takedown pins have spring loaded inserts that depend on the strength of the polymer to hold them in place. Those are highly stressed areas. I could easily see them wearing out after fewer than 1,000 rounds.
The quality of the polymer leaves a lot to be desired. It is a relatively low density, poorly molded piece. There were ridges and burrs everywhere. This is not Glock or Sig quality polymer. I have an ArchAngel AA597 AR housing for my Remington 597. It is a solid polymer unit and its polymer quality is far superior to the CAV-15. I would be really surprised if this lower holds up, especially if used with 300 AAC or stronger ammo.
Finally, the pistol grip is horrible. It is totally smooth, so it would require a full stippling job or a Hogue Hand-All (glued in place) to be usable. The trigger geometry is also bad as it requires someone to have a pretty large hand to operate. I have average sized hands. To gauge that, I can comfortably operate my Glock 23Gen4 with the medium backstrap. I really had to stretch to get my finger in the right position. As a side note, the trigger guard is a solid piece, molded into the frame and pistol grip, so forget about gloved operations in the cold.
Bottom line: avoid this overpriced, low quality unit. If you want old school, find a surplus lower or get a stripped lower and search out a solid A2 style buttstock.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My friend, and an MDS IP, Chuck Spafford, from Tyler Firearms, told me one was being transferred to his store and recommended that I wait until it came in so I could inspect it. I took his advice, so when I was in the store to teach a class, I carefully inspected the lower. I was totally unimpressed.
It is a solid polymer lower, which, if done well, is not a bad thing. I've seen polymer lowers that had steel inserts at key points such as the buffer tube inlet, the takedown pin points, bolt release, and magazine release. The CAV-15 has no inserts. It does not use takedown pin detents. Its takedown pins have spring loaded inserts that depend on the strength of the polymer to hold them in place. Those are highly stressed areas. I could easily see them wearing out after fewer than 1,000 rounds.
The quality of the polymer leaves a lot to be desired. It is a relatively low density, poorly molded piece. There were ridges and burrs everywhere. This is not Glock or Sig quality polymer. I have an ArchAngel AA597 AR housing for my Remington 597. It is a solid polymer unit and its polymer quality is far superior to the CAV-15. I would be really surprised if this lower holds up, especially if used with 300 AAC or stronger ammo.
Finally, the pistol grip is horrible. It is totally smooth, so it would require a full stippling job or a Hogue Hand-All (glued in place) to be usable. The trigger geometry is also bad as it requires someone to have a pretty large hand to operate. I have average sized hands. To gauge that, I can comfortably operate my Glock 23Gen4 with the medium backstrap. I really had to stretch to get my finger in the right position. As a side note, the trigger guard is a solid piece, molded into the frame and pistol grip, so forget about gloved operations in the cold.
Bottom line: avoid this overpriced, low quality unit. If you want old school, find a surplus lower or get a stripped lower and search out a solid A2 style buttstock.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
