I’m planning on picking up a couple of AR lower receivers, at least one of which will be a SBR. I would appreciate some suggestions - there is so much information, and even more opinion masquerading as gospel, that it’s hard to make sense of things. I want a well made foundation that I can tinker with for years to come and that will justify the time and expense of registration. Thanks in advance for your help.

Anything in spec. Pick your favorite roll mark and call it good. Not a lot of quality differences in name brand forged lowers. Same for billet, some are more appealing to the eye than others but at the end of the day they are all made of the same material, and is to spec, will serve you well.

I sbr'd a PSA lower.

I agree with Warpig602.

Cmmg
Spikes
Aero
RRA
LaRue

Are a few.

My two SBR’d lowers are an Aero and a Spikes. Any decent in spec lower will work. Extras like billeted lowers and integral trigger guard are just matters of personal taste. What matters as much is what you put in them. Get a decent LPK and a good trigger.

WARPIG602, ORC and Dwill104 are all pretty much spot on...now days it can come down to what you can find in stock...
CMMG is showing their stripped AR lowers in stock for $149 with free shipping...I have been pleased with the quality, fit and finish of my CMMG Banshee build ...but the same for the AERO, Ballistic Advantage and Anderson lowers I’ve used in my other builds...

https://cmmginc.com/product/lo...ar15-stripped-lower/

Locally any AR lower seems to be forged out of unobtainium...same for many websites
Like Dwill104 said use a good LPK...CMMG seems to have a good one and they can be purchased without paying for a mil-spec trigger group you may not want or need...

https://cmmginc.com/product/lo...15-gun-builders-kit/

RRA makes a good reasonably priced two stage trigger with their National Match trigger group...

https://www.righttobear.com/Ro...igger-p/ar0120nm.htm

so does Tom’s Tactical...

http://www.tomstactical.com/2-...-ar15-group-assembly

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bisleyblackhawk,

I’m working on a Rainier Arms lower now and am enjoying the build. It has idiosyncrasies but is a quality build.

Agree with all of the above. I use Veritas for engraving. They're fast and they're cheap and the quality is good.

As said, for the most part, a lower is a lower.

However, I do prefer some of the billet options out there that offer integrated trigger guards, just as a time saver, since trigger guard install is a big PITA, in my opinion. I also have been getting various billet lowers with ambi bolt releases (which also saves another PITA step in building).

Last thing I'd look for now at this stage in my life is integrated QD cups in the receiver. Not a be-all, end-all, but a value add.

Another option is to buy a factory SBR lower (Colt, Daniel Defense, BCM). While cheap stripped lowers have tripled in price, the same can't be said for factory SBR lowers. Upside: no engraving required as the manufacturer is already on the lower. Downside: you have to file a Form 4 and get the stamp before you can pick it up.

Bruce

My SBR is built on a LMT lower, it's been solid from day one.

I SBRd two Poverty Ponies (aka Anderson Arms).

This is all incredibly helpful. Thank you all for the advice. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

May be very tough to find in today's climate, but if you can find a blemished lower from Spikes or Aeroprecision I'd grab it. (Picked one up from Aeroprecision last fall, so it's not impossible).

Over the years I've purchased "blemished" lowers from each of these companies at prices between $50-70 and have honestly been hard pressed to find the imperfections. Plus, all of my guns will be shot, and will inevitably get some scratches, dings, etc. So to have some small blemish really isn't a big deal to me.

quote:

Originally posted by Butch 2340:
My SBR is built on a LMT lower, it's been solid from day one.

I cant SBR, as it is verbotten here in Ill. However, I have 2 LMT's and my only complaint is I dont have a 3rd. Solid built, and after years of being beaten like a rented mule, it still goes BANG when I pull the trigger!

Take a look at their MARS Lowers.

https://lmtdefense.com/product/m7lb2z/

or if you really want the SHORT in a sbr:

https://lmtdefense.com/product/m7da4sh/

If I was doing another one I would go with an Aero M4E1 I like the little extra touches on them.

quote:

Aero M4E1

I like this one quite a lot as well. Fit is spec, but this Aero receiver does deviate (in a good way) from true mil-spec. But pretty much any forged lower will do the job; there's only a small handful of companies that actually make all of the lowers sold on the market. For instance Aero Precision has made PSA's lowers in the past, and probably are still making at least some of them now. These alloy forgers just do a different rollmark for whatever brand that comes a-callin'.

I have built quite a few on Anderson Lowers no issues, no frills, nothing special and all were under $50 and one was a gift.
I just grabbed a LaRue builders kit and their lowers are $199 and the nicest lower I have come across yet.

I also have New Frontier (large frame Glock pattern) and Meridian Ordnance (Colt pattern).
They are somewhere in between the Andersons and LaRue.

A lower is a lower... as long as it's in spec. Most of them are not 100% clear of any defect and perfect in every way, it matters WHERE and HOW MUCH they fall out of line as to whether it matters.

And frankly I wouldn't invest the time and money into a Form1 SBR on a lower that I haven't properly checked fit and tolerance.

I've had several Anderson, Aero, Palmetto receivers for <$50. Several have had real issues. Excessive pin bores, tight magwells, loose receiver extension threads, incomplete grip screw threads, fit issues with end plates, mis-located buffer retaining pin holes, etc. Nothing that you can't work around or that will outright cause a failure, but all things that shouldn't be present for an "in-spec" lower, which you may not find from a quick assembly and test fire, and can lead to issues over the next few dozen years of ownership.

If this is a long term investment and not a meme gun I do not understand wanting the cheapest receiver possible that has a much higher likelihood of having issues vs. spending the extra $50 on something that actually has a chance of going through QC checks before shipping to you.

^^^^^
Yes, while the exact lower isn't that important, do assemble it and shoot it with a known good upper 1st just to make sure it has no issues before you go through the time, $, and hassle of SBR-ing it!