Subjective opinion re AR?

[SunnySlopes]

I have an Anderson stripped lower with an uninstalled S&W AR parts kit. Nothing has been assembled yet. I'd like to assemble the above and then install a quality upper. Colt or DD? Maybe.

But with with the Anderson receiver and S&W parts kit, I paid ~$75 for the parts kit.

With all that assembled, how good an AR lower will I have?

I have several ARs. A Ruger AR-556. A Daniel Defense DDM4. A S&W PC M&P AR 15. And a Sig 716.

Here's the subjection question. Once I get the Anderson lower built, and couple it with a higher end upper, which of the above ARs will it compare?

The Sig is piston driven. The others are DI. How much difference would that make?

 

[powermad]

As long as it's in spec it doesn't matter.
It just holds all the bits and pieces together.

My favorite rifle has a poverty pony lower.
With the PSA upper it's the best fitting set that I have seen without an acu wedge or some sort.

 

[David Hoback]

It’s easy to build an AR which is higher quality than ANY manufacturer… the AR’s I build certainly are! But it’s not about money. Point being resale is always higher on factory rifles over the very best anyone can build. Reason being: No one wants the AR YOU built… they want the the AR Colt, or FN, or KNIGHTS, or LaRue built! That said, choose high end, US made parts and you will have a high quality AR. Be especially attentive to the Barrel & the BCG. Little tip: you’re better off building the upper as well, over buying a Colt or any other complete upper. Reason being, they use the the SAME Forged Receivers, and many of the supporting upper parts. Better to simply order a stripped M4 Upper Receiver, and then also get the high quality barrel & supporting parts YOU want.

 

[Destructo6]

The Anderson is a forged piece that is functionally indistinguishable from any other "Mil-Spec" forged lower.

I have a couple that I bought for under $30 and they went together with other "Mil-spec" parts like they should.

I have no problem paying extra for extra features and whatnot and have done so. I also have no problem with plain jane Andersons.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I don't build guns to sell, I build them to shoot.
If the components are good for building a good shooter then I don't care about the brand on it.
You're probably like-minded... .

 

[jmorris]

Here's the subjection question. Once I get the Anderson lower built, and couple it with a higher end upper, which of the above ARs will it compare?

Define “higher end”.

How could we compare two items when we have absolutely no idea what one of them is?

 

[FL-NC]

I largely agree w/ David. The bottom half of your gun will preform as well as any standard mil type AR if assembled with the parts you have on hand, but no matter what you put on top, it will always be a Anderson lower built "kit gun", regarding resale value. It sounds like you already have several good quality AR types on hand in a couple of calibers. If I were in your shoes, I would either hang onto what I had for later use, or over time check out the daily deals PSA is always offering on an upper that you like for the right price to complete the project- I have always had good luck with their uppers. Possibly a later upgrade with a Larue trigger may be a nice-to-have improvement at a reasonable cost. If a 300 BLK gun is something you may like, this could be that opportunity (personally, I think the 300 BLK is a waste of time unless a suppressor and subs are part of the plan, but different people like different things).

 

[12Bravo20]

I agree with David and FL-NC. Building your own upper allows you to get a better barrel and still use any mil spec upper receiver. If you want to buy a complete upper wait for Palmetto State to have the one you want on sale. I have always had good luck with PSA uppers.

The last rifle I built was a 22lr rifle. The upper and lower are both from Anderson. All of the lower parts are from a kit bought on sale from Midway except for the Larue MBT-2 trigger. The only thing I did to the upper was true the face of it before installing the 16" heavy 22lr CMMG barrel.

And when building your own, the most important parts are going to be the barrel and BCG. The other important thing is how everything is assembled.

 

[David Hoback]

Yes… good add in guys! I didn’t even mention that. If are simply looking for a decent shooter, and rather buy a complete upper because you just feel more comfortable with that… or whatever reason, look to PSA Uppers, as pointed out. Every bit the equal of Colt, BSA, AERO, etc., without the added cost.

 

[N555]

I too am a member of the poverty pony club.
I have been doing cheap lowers with better or higher end upper snd other parts and seems work great.

 

[ECVMatt]

I have few different makes and models of AR.

Recently I built a bare bones rifle on a Anderson lower and love it. It shoots great and has been trouble free. As others have said, with forged lower, I am more concerned about the parts that go into it than the lower itself.

It won't have a huge resale but I keep most my guns so that is not a concern.

 

[Varminterror]

Years ago, I made quite a bit of money building and rebuilding AR’s. Part of that game was - naturally - building to a balancing point of highest performance with lowest cost. I ended up trading rifles and parts with a lot of customers at the time. One particular “method” of value creation for me came from taking lower-cost home built carbines as trade towards other builds. In that time, Del-ton and DPMS were the common “low cost” lowers, and reselling those “franken-AR’s” was more difficult, so I could replace those parts into Bushmaster lowers and get $200 more for the same rifle (at a time when basic, cheap AR carbines were selling for $400-500, and Yugo SKS’s could still be had for $59-79, and AK’s around $250-350). So in the ~30min it would take to transplant the lower FCG, stock, and grip, I’d absolutely clean up on those trades - and I was buying 20-50 lowers at a time from Bushmaster for $30-40 each…

Obviously now, Bushmaster branded lowers wouldn’t bring customer confidence the same way they did in years during and proximally after the Federal AWB, but the same silly fickle nature exists. Selling higher quality custom AR’s is still just as easy as it has ever been, and selling lower end custom AR’s just as hard as ever too - and changing literally nothing but the lower can dramatically influence the price.

 

[C-grunt]

Im a self proclaimed AR snob. That being said an in spec lower is an in spec lower. The lower receiver functionally just holds the fire control group, receiver extension, and magazine in place.

I personally dont buy Anderson anymore after having a few that were out of spec. Ive had really good luck with PSA lowers for just a little more money.

 

[jobu07]

The lower with parts kit for $75 was a reasonable deal for you. You seemed to have gotten the lower for free and paid for a parts kit.

The heart and soul of the lower receiver is the FCG. If the Anderson is in spec and holds a Geissele or LaRue trigger it's probably a moot point what the roll mark says. S&W makes a fine LPK and, if installed correctly, will give you a solid lower to build on.

Likewise, your upper's heart and soul is the barrel and bolt/carrier. If the Colt or DD you mention are complete uppers, they'll have quality parts.

Since you already have several ARs from reputable manufacturers, the best way to see how your assembled rifle compares is to run it against the known quantities. It's an assembly of parts, see how it shoots and tell us. The most important part of that weapon system is the user.

The DI vs. piston driven is probably a more academic debate vs. one that most shooters will see a difference with.

I would be curious to see what your average groups from each of those rifles. Are any of your current rifles above 1,000 rounds through them? That might be a good benchmark to determine longevity of your parts. Any reliability issues will probably be identified within the first mag or two.

 

[TonyAngel]

I don't use Anderson or Palmetto stuff anymore. I've had enough bad experiences with them that the savings isn't worth it for the times that things weren't right.

On the other hand, if you get one and all of the holes are the right size and in the right place, expend no more thought on it. The only thing I really watch out for, when someone shows interest in a low cost option, is that it is specifically stated that the forging is of 7075; although that probably isn't much of a problem these days. Still, there was a time when you had to watch out for such things. I'm still seeing vendors selling critical parts made of 6061 when 7075 would be a much better choice, especially when it comes to buffer tubes and charging handles.

 

[tarosean]

I don't build guns to sell, I build them to shoot.

yet classifieds are full of home built sketch wanting far more than they are worth.

 

[theotherwaldo]

In the last twenty years I have assembled four AR's to fill four different niches.
In the same twenty years I have sold one gun.
I bought it back last month.
Like I said, I don't build guns to sell, I build them to shoot.
Others may do as they like... .

 

[TonyAngel]

yet classifieds are full of home built sketch wanting far more than they are worth.

I agree with this to an extent. There are guys that over value what they've concocted, but I'd assign far more value to a franken Anderson lower sporting a nice LPK from FCD, Vltor buffer parts, nice stock and a geissele trigger than I would a bravo company lower with all standard milspec parts.

 

[someguy2800]

As varminterror said above, if I was ever inclined to sell any of my AR’s I would just swap all the parts over to a reputably branded lower and sell it that way.

The things that make an AR “premium” to me are trigger, barrels, and forends. I don’t really care what company put their name on the forgings. I have some nice billet receivers, but that is just a cosmetic upgrade.

 

[BigBlue 94]

As said, a lower just holds everything in the right spots. It could be made of plywood and still function.

Its all about the parts used, how they are assembled, and how they work together.

I have a couple drop in cassette trigger packs and a few that i have stoned myself. Half an hour with a file, stones, and a quick polish with a 3000 grit pad works wonders on a mil spec trigger. Less depending on what brand you pick. Some have a pre-ground face and some need a bit of file work.

The upper is where most of the magic happens and it needs care when assembling too. You can assemble parts or you can fine tune and fit them and wind up with two totally different acting guns.

 

[Hugger-4641]

My best shooting Ar is an Anderson lower with a Checkmate upper. I did change the trigger springs, but the stock millspec was fine.

 

[someguy2800]

I used to hone the trigger surfaces on all mine I built, but I found that when doing the set screw mod to take out the pre travel, that I can’t tell the difference whether I hone it or not as long as I get the sear engagement and spring pressures correct. I have a buddy that drives 2 hours to my place every time he builds a new lower just for me to do his trigger and then he goes home lol.

 

[David Hoback]

I actually just machined a new Billet I came across that I’m testing out as my new brand. I disassembled my main AR Lower & have all the parts out. I’ll take some pics and post what I’m using, and the reasons why.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

You'll get mocked on the AR forums and groups just because "poverty pony", so you might as well just go complete franken-gun and build a cool upper as well and then spray paint the whole thing hot pink.

Steer into the pony.

 

[Hugger-4641]

Anyone who wants to laugh at my "poverty pony" can laugh all the way to the bank. They won't laugh when they line up beside me at the range shooting 2moa groups from a, $2000 Ar and my $600 franken gun shoots 1/2 moa groups at 300yds.