Kind of what I was wondering... How well it would stick, and if the layer of paint would help hold it in place. 

For only $25, I guess I'll probably be sending mine back. 

It's for the $10 fee that Brownell's charged, not what individual FFL's charged. Mine was only $15 for all three of mine, so I'm not too worried about it. 

Wow only $25.00 that doesn't seem like a smart business move.  It is going to cost more with shipping and FFL fee reimbursement to get them back.  I guess Brownells wants to get them back as returns more then keeping them out there.  If I were Brownells I'd would want to keep as many out on the street as possible and save on return hassle.

Brownells is a large powerful company and I'm sure that the actual company that made the machining error hasn't even been paid yet so Brownells can use this mistake as leverage to put the squeeze on the invoice and get some of their money back as well.  I'm sure some much smaller company got a real depressing phone this morning that probably ruined not just their day but probably the next few months of their bottom line.

I would have to agree for that price.

Yeah, $25 wouldn't be enough to entice me into keeping it. I'd likely only be enticed by 50% (or more).

I could get a PSA lower for $50 (before shipping and FFL), so why pay $150? Or in this case, $125 after refund.

I was thinking 50%... If they did that I'd deal with it. For $25 I'll send them back and just use some of the Andersons I have around. 

The Andersons will actually look better especially from the one side.

Man, that's really a bummer. Brownell's isn't having much luck with Retro parts lately.  

Somebody really needs to have their butt in a wringer over QC on incoming parts.

Steve

Oh that stinks...... Sorry to see this.

Just got off the phone with one of the managers, very polite and apologetic of the situation.

She did offer the $25 discount but I had to turn it down.

I asked if she knew a time frame on when the next batch might be coming in, she said she was told 3-4 months.

I feel for them, as it was an outside company was doing the machining and they had no control over it. She did say they received about 800 lowers all with the safe/fire engravings on both sides.

Oh well guess the wait continues to finish my 629

Brownells should really offer more then $25.00 because I think a lot more people would keep them if they did.  I believe even $50.00 would make the difference between a bunch of returns from aggravated customers and a bunch customers that would be satisfied with knowing they have an A1 lower receiver even if it has some issues.  Someone at Brownells needs to reevaluate their decision to only offer $25.00 and consider what bringing these back is going to cost them both in dollars and customer satisfaction.

I feel for them as well but truth be told they do need to share responsibility because obviously no one inhouse even took a look at what they got in before shipping them out around the country.  It isn't like they come in to them with a sealed package, Brownells raps them and puts their sticker on them.  One OC person with a little bit of knowledge about the product would have caught it right away.  And you would think with all the trouble they have had thus far in the retro product line someone would be on top of every item in this line that comes through the door.

They are going to be selling them as blems for a lot less in a few months from now anyhow why not just discount them heavy to those that have them and save a bunch of aggravation and make a lot of customers a whole lot less upset.

Where I am it is generally $30+ each item for a transfer so it will cost them that plus return shipping to get them back along with having a customer that isn't very pleased.  Why not give the customers $50.00 each to keep them and most people would accept that and at least make the best of them until something better becomes available.  They could even stipulate that if you accept the offer they are non returnable after that point and I think most people would be fine with that.

Brownells should really take some of us that deal with gun and gun part evaluation on a regular basis and send us some of these items to check out first before marketing and shipping them around the world.  It would save them a lot of grief.  I'm sure they think their inhouse team is capable but sometimes it takes an outside evaluation to get correct input.

Sometimes in business some money savings to a customer can go a long way at changing an unhappy customer into a very satisfied customer.  Look at those blem barrels, they didn't seem so bad at a $100.00 off.

If Brownell's approved a specific specification for the lowers, and they came in not-to-spec, I would think Brownell's would hang this around the neck of the supplier and not accept delivery and not pay for the product.

That said, I'm looking forward to some "blemished" A1 lowers coming up for sale soon.    

Steve

Just called and got my $25 refund on top of a $40 coupon I used when bought it in the first place. That makes my total $95 including the $10 fee for a "blem" lower.

To me it's worth keeping at that price point.

Also, they said 132 out of 800 went out. They will be sold as blems eventually, but they did not give me a price.

I'll buy a couple at blem price... my "clone" has enough other non kosher parts anyway.

Apparently though, 'Blem price' is $125 (since they're only offering a $25 refund). Wouldn't be worth it to me for just $25.

This. I would I would keep mine for $50 to 50% off, and think that was an ok deal. For $25, they are all going back. 

I suspect the blem price will be less then $125.00 that's why I think accepting the $25.00 refund is kind of a slap in the face.  My guess is they will sell the blems for somewhere between $89.99 and $109.99

The blems probably won't sell as well as one might think because many people would rather pay more and have one that is correct unless the price is low enough to make up for it.  Since we know they are going to have at least 668 to sell (most likely a few more from returns)  I believe they will be selling them at a very deep discount kind of like the blem barrels.  If the blem barrels were closer to the normal price they would not have sold as well.  They have to get rid of these blem lower receivers otherwise they will have them for a long time and once some good replacements come along they will even be harder to sell if the price is too high.

I think Brownells should step up on their refund amount otherwise they may create some unhappy customers.

I wouldn't bother buying one at anything over $75.00. Not only is the Safe Semi there, but they're black. So to me, that's double blemished. lol

I would have to agree that them being black is a negative.

Yeah, I don't understand the logic behind going to the expense of doing retro uppers and lowers, then making them the wrong color. May as well offer them in pink, purple and blue. They'd be just as 'retro'.

I finished my first retro build tonight

With one of the incorrectly marked Brownell’s lowers

I'm sure there were other details I didn't get correct, so I'm not going to dwell on the markings, just going to shoot it and enjoy it. Especially since I'm into it well under $800.

I did get my partial refund for the lower, and will be monitoring the 'blem' prices to make sure and keep Brownell’s honest. And since they have a 100% lifetime satisfaction guarantee, it will go back if I change mind.

They look good. It almost looks like they have A2 flash hiders, am I seeing that right?

I think I'd swap the buttstocks and put the type E on the A1 clone. The Type D works on it though, my last rifle in the army was an A1 with a type D.

As for the lowers, if you paid with a Citi or Chase card and the price drops within 60 or 90 days (I forget which), you can put in a claim with the card company and get a refund of the price difference. So, if you paid $150 and the price drops to $75, you get $75 back from the credit card company.

I simply hate this. I won't be sending it back, but between this, the black parts and the barrel fiasco, I'm done with Brownells retro parts. I'm not knocking Brownells, I spend a lot of money there. I just don't have a lot of time and I'm tired of them getting the retro stuff wrong.

Last sept, I bought a couple of Blem A1 lowers (selector engraving on right side) low serial #s

They sold for 109.99 each and the FFL processing fee was $7 for the whole order.

Hope this helps with your decisions.

Exactly right and now they are only offering people $25.00 to keep them when they will be selling them as blems in the future for less then $125.00 and since then have so many to get rid of it will probably be even less then $109.99 this time.  Now here is something that doesn't pass the smell test...

I've re-profiled several lowers over the years, and filling in the fire/safe marks is part of this. I know that you can have the marks welded, but I've used JB weld quite successfully several times. The key is to bake the JB weld after it is applied. Let it cure for the 24 hours or so, then bake at 300 degrees for an hour. This shrinks it slightly, then it is ready to be sanded and sprayed with Norrel's Molyresin, Ceracote, or Dura Coat. The JB weld as a filler is very durable.

As long as the profile of rear buffer area looks good, I'll be happy filling my fire safe marks. A coat of Norrel's and this should be a good looking receiver. I'll be picking mine up tomorrow, at least I am prepared to see the safe/semi marks on both sides, won't be a surprise. And I'm sure I will pick up one of the blems when they become available. 

Thanks!  The picture with both rifles is a family photo with my A1 clone and my SP1.  They both definitely have A1 flash hiders, might have just been the lighting when I took the picture.  That's a detail I made sure to get correct.

Thanks for the price protection heads up!  I didn't pay with a Citi or Chase card, but I'll double check with my credit card company to see what they offer.

I've mentioned the price protection a few times in various threads, but it can definitely come in handy. I bought a barrel from ar15sport.com for $250, then put in a claim for a similar (but not exactly the same) barrel from Del-Ton, and got a $95 refund. I also bought the 5D jig about a week before Memorial Day, with the tool kit. For Memorial Day weekend, they dropped their price. So I put the claim in and got $100 back there.

I love the price protection benefit!

I just picked mine up today and it does have the SAFE/SEMI markings on both sides. The hole for the pistol grip screw is also threaded all of the way through.

Brownells now has the blemished A1 lower receivers available but....... They are not discounted and are still $150.00 which is the same as what the non-blemished price was originally.  So I guess when they get some more non-blemished lower receivers in they will be at a higher price??

http://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=cl&pw=55963&ctc=j4urj1pic100zk8a00y51&mi=10077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brownells.com%2Frifle-parts%2Freceiver-parts%2Freceivers%2Flower-receivers%2Far-15-m16-a1-blemished-lower-receiver-prod107496.aspx

I would expect the price to stay $150. I wouldn't buy the blemished receiver at anything above $75 though, and even at that, I'd likely not buy it.

Aside from the erroneous markings, how is the fit and finish of these receivers?

Mine is very nice. Fit is very good with all mil-spec parts and the finish is a nice smooth one, not like parkerization.

I don't recall seeing anyone complain about workmanship/fit on the lowers. Just the mistakes in finish (engraving on the wrong side and the wrong color for a retro build). If you're going to pay such a premium for a 'retro' lower, it should all be correct. For $10 more (and a bit of a wait to get it), you could get an XM Gray NDS which will be perfect. Why save only $10 for the wrong color and improper markings?

Well, for me it's that small problem of a 8-12 month wait on the Nodak vs Brownell's being in stock and ready to ship. I would still prefer to have the Nodak, but the wait time kills it for me. That being said, I will try to use them my next build.

I completely understand that, if there wasn't such a long wait, I'd have bought several of them by now. I wish there wasn't such a long wait on them, but when I'm ready to upgrade my A1's lower from an A2 lower to a 'real' A1 lower, I'll go with NoDak Spud.

I simply like the contours of A1 lowers for any of my builds.  They are simply different and a little more attractive the your every day off the shelf A2 lower.

Obviously Nodak is a no-brainer for a retro build, but for "liberally" machined area that houses the BHO drives me nuts (consistent through every Nodak receiver I have owned.. the BHO fits a little sloppy side to side, regardless of how many BHOs I handpick to fill the void).  It isn't a deal breaker on a retro build, but I could deal with a erroneous selector markings if the BHO didn't fit loose in the receiver.  Everything about a Nodak receiver is awesome, but the loose BHO drives me nuts.  

Is the BHO recess on the Brownell's receivers exhibit the same tolerances as the Nodak's, or are they tighter (...on par with just about any quality A2 lower on the market)?

Huh, I've never heard that about the Nodak's. The BHO on my Brownell's rifle has no more movement than both of my LE6920's, imo they are pretty tight. I'm using a BHO from Amherst Depot on it.

I have four rifles built on Nodaks (three A1s and an A2).  I am trained as an armor by Uncle Sam, and build "a lot" of ARs myself over the years.  With the NodKs, I still keep an eye out for BHOs that are thicker than typical to fill the void, I found one from a gun show myatery tool box tray that binds in other lowers, but fits nice in the Nodak. I use Colt BHOs are in the other Nodaks (they are loose with lateral side to side).  As stated already, it is a detail that bugs me personally.  To clarify, the BHO on the Nodaks function without issue, and will likely buy again.

Redundant info, didn't see an above comment.

Redundant because I based my comment on personal experience, rather than internet banter?  Makes sense, you will fit in well on AR15.com.  Let us know you impression when you finally receive your Nodak receiver from back order.  

That said, thank you for the update on the Brownell's BHO recess.  I will give one a shot.

No I made a comment that the receivers were back in stock but I didn't see a comment a few above saying the same thing, I should have left some context in.

I have 3 different brands of lowers, a PSA, an Anderson and a NoDak. The Anderson is a snug fit. The PSA and the NoDak are very similar though with a little wiggle. It's not even something I'd have taken note of though, if it hadn't been mentioned, causing me to go check. lol

I was a little surprised at the ease with which the roll pin went into place, when I assembled the lower, though (on the NoDak Spud).

I've had to do some work on this lower because it would short stroke. Tried on multiple other lowers just fine. Cannot use with accuwedge at all.

Tried 3 buffer tube/spring/buffer combos(yes using the a1 buttstock bolt) and it still feels odd when mating to the upper.

Finally running decent after a couple of hundred rounds thought.


Attached File

I used a Brownell's upper, lower, and barrel. All other parts came from Amherst Depot sans the furniture. I've put about 300 rounds through (including steel cased) with no problems at all.

Very happy for a $760 total. This is now my favorite rifle to shoot.

I had same issue on one of the receivers.  It was loose enough that I plugged and played with a handfu of roll pins until I found one that fit snug enough to make me content.  After waiting multiple months, I wasn't about to send it back!

If ONLY one of you guys can help a poor guy in Cali get a hold of a BROWNELLS A1 lower be much appreciated