Anderson vs PSA lower reciever

Which AR15 lower would you buy to build a plinking AR on?

  • Anderson

    Votes: 15 40.5%
  • PSA

    Votes: 22 59.5%

  • Total voters
    37
  • Poll closed .
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EMT40SW

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Nov 25, 2007
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287
Location
Southwestern US
So currently you can buy Anderson or Palmetto State Armory AR15 lowers for $30. Is there much difference in quality or fit?
 
For budget lowers, I prefer the Anderson, simply for the closed trigger guard. I have never had a problem with them, but I have not used PSA for lowers.
 
If I’m not mistaken the only difference is the rollmark and serial numbers.
My understanding is both get them from the same supplier.
 
I just go with whatever the local gun shop has. Figure $30 for a stripped receiver + shipping + $20 for FFL transfer = $50 to $60. Most gun shops that carry stripped receivers sell them for that.

Have the following for my builds:
Anderson
PSA
ATI
 
Mine is built on an Anderson it's what I could get locally. My cost was about 80 dollars otd. I would probably pick up a psa or Aero but the lowest transfer fees around me are 40 dollars so for me it's about the same money to order online or buying from gun shop.

Shot mine yesterday at 300 yds using mbus with perfecta 55 fmjbt group were 1 - 2 moa. Not too bad for my aging eyes and cheap ammo. Will try and post pic later
 
A budget gun ends up costing more due to the upgrades added after the initial build.

Costing more than what?

If you know you're going to upgrade things like the trigger versus any sub $1.5k gun, then it makes good sense not to pay for the stock mil-spec-ish trigger.
 
There's a reason that AR lowers are a commoditized product - the threshold for "good" is pretty low and easily met by many suppliers. An AR lower frame just holds the various parts that do work in the correct relationship to one another. The loads imposed by the functioning of these parts is pretty darn low. If a manufacturer can get decent aluminum (not hard to do), and machine out the correct areas (trivially easy in the age of current machining technology), and drill holes in the right places, it is pretty easy to turn out a product that is functionally indistinguishable from competitors.

And the only places where tiny tolerance variations come into play - trigger assembly locating holes and fit of upper and lower - are things where there are ready solutions for eliminating the variance. Cassette triggers in particular make the precise location of the holes in the frame pretty insensitive, and shims or various pins can be used to take out "slop" between upper and lower if you care about that.
 
Concerning transfer fees, my LGS's charge one fee for up to 5 transfers.

When I had two other guns waiting on me,I went ahead and ordered 2 $30 lowers and paid a total of $20 on the transfer for all four items. Which makes the lowers $35 each with shipping and transfers.
 
Couple of years ago I built a decent house gun that had a basic less then $200.00 nitrided barrel and BCA, Geissele trigger and decent $300.00 1x6 scope.
After shooting my better AR and competing in other rifle games I realized that competing with my house gun as built was holding me back.
I believe competition is better training for me.
So I ended up upgrading the barrel, Trigger to a Geissele Enhanced model and a better scope. I shoot better and my scores reflect it.
This gives me more confidence with the house gun.
Cost of ammo has remained the same.
 
I know the grip screw hole on the Anderson is not tapped all the way through into the receiver, which creates problems if you decide to do the set screw trigger Improvement mod. I don't know about the PSA lower.
 
I know the grip screw hole on the Anderson is not tapped all the way through into the receiver, which creates problems if you decide to do the set screw trigger Improvement mod. I don't know about the PSA lower.
I think that is an old long remedied problem. All three of my Anderson "poverty ponies" were properly tapped.

PSA or Anderson? Six to one, half a dozen to the other.
 
I've purchased Anderson, Aero and ATI, the Aero feels better to me and was on sale locally for 35.00, the others were 30.00, I would pay the extra 5.00 again. Around here we have a couple of places that do transfers for free.
The only PSA lowers I've seen were a complete unit when it came in so I didn't look at it that close but they worked with BCA uppers.
 
I just go with whatever the local gun shop has. Figure $30 for a stripped receiver + shipping + $20 for FFL transfer = $50 to $60. Most gun shops that carry stripped receivers sell them for that.

Last gun show in town the cheapest lower on display was $75. The cheapest one in the display case at the shop in town is $119. With shipping and transfer I have $41 in the PSA.
 
I can't remember if my last lower (Anderson) was tapped all the way through or not.
Could care less, I have a tap.
Have done a couple, can't remember which ones.
Non issue AFAIC.
 
Anderson lower, Stag upper w DPMS bbl.
Shoots good, runs fine. Has an Anderson bolt.............might get an upgraded one.
Not worried but have seen some BCG failures ....not on anything I've had (and ones seen not Anderson BCG)
 
I was aiming near top of target thinking that I'd have 8 to 9 in drop like with a scope zeroed at 200. Target is moa for 300 yds on a 22 x 28 in heavy construction paper from Walmart. IMG_20190624_172803.jpg IMG_20190624_172803.jpg IMG_20190624_172849.jpg IMG_20190624_172922.jpg IMG_20190510_221815.jpg IMG_20190624_172849.jpg IMG_20190624_172922.jpg IMG_20190510_221815.jpg
 
Concerning transfer fees, my LGS's charge one fee for up to 5 transfers.

When I had two other guns waiting on me,I went ahead and ordered 2 $30 lowers and paid a total of $20 on the transfer for all four items. Which makes the lowers $35 each with shipping and transfers.

I had a great kitchen table transfer FFL that would charge $20 for as many guns as would fill the lines of a 4473. He gave up his FFL a few years ago.

Can't find any cheap transfer dealers anymore.
 
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