The strongest stripped lower money can buy
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stinkeypete
New member
Most durable MONEY CAN BUY? Call Doug Turnbull for one of his case hardened forged steel lowers. If he's got one, about $2,500 would be a fair price.
A lower has very little stress on it, so get a nice hammer forged aluminum lower.
If you want to avoid some fussing, I like Rock River Arms. But they stopped selling their stripped recievers.
The Lewis looks nice if you want to do the whole build yourself.
A lower has very little stress on it, so get a nice hammer forged aluminum lower.
If you want to avoid some fussing, I like Rock River Arms. But they stopped selling their stripped recievers.
The Lewis looks nice if you want to do the whole build yourself.
Here's his wood-&-steel AR-10
FrankenMauser
New member
Aero is fine. RRA is fine. Even PSA would be fine.
It's just a lower.
Which brings me to the most important point:
Regardless of brand, make sure it is in spec and works before you file the F1.
Not all uppers and lowers work well together. You don't want to find out the hard way that you just SBR'd an out of spec lower that is going to fight (or completely refuse to mate with) some or all of your uppers.
I prefer Aero for AR upper and lower receivers. But even some of my Aero parts don't mate well together. I can force any of the combinations together, but obviously prefer not to do so.
Current price is $150.
It's just a lower.
Which brings me to the most important point:
Regardless of brand, make sure it is in spec and works before you file the F1.
Not all uppers and lowers work well together. You don't want to find out the hard way that you just SBR'd an out of spec lower that is going to fight (or completely refuse to mate with) some or all of your uppers.
I prefer Aero for AR upper and lower receivers. But even some of my Aero parts don't mate well together. I can force any of the combinations together, but obviously prefer not to do so.
You can still get them. Just have an FFL order it for you.
Current price is $150.
Many thanks. That is some solid advice!
There is a potential legal trap here.
If you put an SBR upper on a lower that isn't ALREADY registered as an NFA SBR you might be committing a crime. Its also possible that just having a shorty upper and a lower it will fit on can be a crime. (constructive possession)
Having a shorty upper, complete? Legal, and not even a firearm.
Having a lower it fits on? possibly a crime, unless that lower is registered BEFORE you get the shorty upper.
I understand, because of the cost, and the hassle, you want the most durable lower you can get, but to stay within the law, you need that lower registered as an SBR before you can put a shorty upper assembly on it, or possibly even possess a shorty upper, otherwise, you might be in violation.
I'm not an expert, about NFA rules, but I can see where the ATF might consider you in violation if you have or can assemble an NFA item without proper PRIOR Fed approval.
The one way I can see to avoid this potential trap is to mate the upper and lower as stripped parts to see if they fit together. OR do the build as a standard rifle to ensure function, then get the lower papered as an SBR lower, and THEN rebuild the upper into the shorty configuration.
PITA?? absolutely, but not as painful or expensive as being the defendant, even if you win...
FrankenMauser
New member
I think the majority of people getting into the SBR game understand what they need to do and what they need to avoid. While NFA-avoidance billboard statements pandering to the lowest common denominator are often relevant in the sense of, "make sure everyone understands that this is not a trivial subject," the lowest common denominator seems to usually just give up and grab a braced "pistol" instead.
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I always have a "pistol" lower on hand. No braces, actual "pistol" configuration AR lower. (Two, actually, but the details don't matter.)
Covers everything - including friends/family that might want to grab any of my shorty uppers while I have the SBR(s) away from home.
But, as mentioned, the most basic method for checking fit (but not function), is mating the receivers together without having the lower built into any configuration. Just a stripped lower with some loose takedown and pivot pins to slide in.
With such, receiver-to-receiver fit can be checked, as well as things like potential for carrier strike on the buffer tower (receiver extension mounting boss).
Separately, part fitment in/on the lower can be checked and assessed.
Unless a person has some form of CYA already in place before their first SBR lower is fully legal, the easiest thing to do is just keep a stripped lower on hand if they have shorty uppers.
.
I always have a "pistol" lower on hand. No braces, actual "pistol" configuration AR lower. (Two, actually, but the details don't matter.)
Covers everything - including friends/family that might want to grab any of my shorty uppers while I have the SBR(s) away from home.
But, as mentioned, the most basic method for checking fit (but not function), is mating the receivers together without having the lower built into any configuration. Just a stripped lower with some loose takedown and pivot pins to slide in.
With such, receiver-to-receiver fit can be checked, as well as things like potential for carrier strike on the buffer tower (receiver extension mounting boss).
Separately, part fitment in/on the lower can be checked and assessed.
Unless a person has some form of CYA already in place before their first SBR lower is fully legal, the easiest thing to do is just keep a stripped lower on hand if they have shorty uppers.