I am considering the purchase of a new LWRC M6A2(U5B16), .223/5.56mm caliber, 16" barrel, 1/7 twist, Mid-Length Quad upper, and a Spike's Tactical  STLC200-SBS (Spider/color-filled controls) for the lower.  

I can purchase the brand new LWRC upper and the brand new Spike's lower for a total cost of $1,075.00 complete, including shipping.  The LWRC M6A2 includes folding BUIS Front and Rear Sights (metal).  

LWRC used to be one of the best rifles you could buy, but I haven't really kept up lately...This sounds like a pretty nice rifle for the money, but I would appreciate hearing any positive or negative comments about the M6A2/Spikes, and how does it compare to other combos that might be out there that might be similarly priced?

I agree. Build the right lower.

I have an ancient Bushmaster lower with an A2 stock mated with a free floated RRA heavy barrel midlength upper it continues to be an awesome combo. Tackdriver and reliable but heavy. You just never know what is going to work sometimes till you try.

The lower and the upper are part of a package...I've always heard that lowers are pretty much the same anyway, if they're from a decent manufacturer, and Spike's is a decent manufacturer.  I actuallly already have a 3.5 Lb. CMC trigger, new in the box, and I had planned on putting that into the Spike's lower.

$1075.00 bucks seems like a pretty good price for a complete LWRC rifle, even if it only has a lower without an enhanced trigger group.  I fully expect the Spike's lower to compete with anybody else out there that's producing stripped lowers and kits, apart from their lower having just a standard trigger compared to all the other standard lowers.  

With respect to the LWRC upper, it used to be considered one of the best rifles on the market.  I don't think the lowers that come with their rifles have triggers equivalent to CMC, Giselle, Timney, etc...So, anybody buying LWRC, were they motivated to upgrade trigger performance, would have to invest in a CMC, Giselle, or a Timney trigger anyway, were they going to build a lower from scratch.

I haven't been following where LWRC is in the pecking order these days...Have they lost their luster or something when compared to other brands?  I don't know, $1,075.00, shipped, seems like a bargain, even if it has a lower with a standard trigger group, especially if you consider the cost of LWRC piston rifles, which sell for no less than about $1800-$2000+

I still personally feel that LWRC is one of the top piston AR's on the market. I had that same upper (complete rifle actually) but, it was a 10.5 and it never once had a single issue. I have a friend and all he runs is LWRC rifles and we've taken numerous classes together as well as shoot monthly competitions over the past decade and never once have I seen any of his fail.

As long as your lower is in spec and has a quality LPK, it really shouldn't matter when it cones to mating it with the LWRC upper. I really like LWRC's newer offerings with the slick rail and ambi lowers as well.

Yeah, the ambi lower is one feature I would be sacrificing compared to the Spike's standard lower.  But, still, $1075 for an LWRC?  It seems like the upper alone is almost worth that for their level of quality, and the lower is just an added bonus!  

The M6A2 has "older," but tried and true features.  But, the "quality" of the M6A2 should still be state of the art.  I know there are a lot of other manufacturer's out there now that are probably just as good with respect to quality, but I don't know of any at that price point, $1,075.00 bucks!  

Several years ago, it was almost an undisputed truth that LWRC was at the top of the heap!  Are manufacturers that are currently prominent compared to LWRC just catching up?  Is what we're are seeing today just a matter of improved "features," and not necessarilly better quality than LWRC then and now.

I own an lwrci m6a2 spr rifle and it hasn't choked since I've owned it.

About 3k rounds ago I decided I wasn't going to lube or clean it until it failed.  I expect it to run until something breaks.  Lwrci is still on top of the piston market imo.

My brother recently purchased an lwrci complete m6 upper (like you're proposing).  It's given him no troubles since he bought it.

CDNN ran a sale on complete m6a2 railed uppers.  With sights they were $799.  Your price is fair with a complete spikes lower.

That's the exact deal that I was looking at on the CDNN website.  The lower on the complete stock standard LWRC M6A2 rifle is just a standard lower receiver, not enhanced or anything, except I think they may be ambi, and the Spike's is not.  The LWRC standard lowers sell for over $400.00.  But, I got a good deal on a Spike's stock standard lower for about half the price.  I think the Spike's stock standard lower is every bit as good as the LWRC stock standard lower.  I do know that Spike's makes a superior lower compared to the usual suspects, CMMG, DPMS, etc....Were I to build a lower from scratch, I would probably buy the LPK from Spikes, just on the tolerances issue alone.  With respect to the lower billets, most of them are all the same, and it's a matter of preference with respect to logo, provided you're getting it from a reputable main stream manufacturer.  The Spikes standard complete lowers, and the LPKs as well, are made to a closer tolerance than most of the other main stream manufacturers, have a superior buffer, and excellent roll pin quality.  So, with the CMC 3.5 lb. trigger upgrade, I feel like I was able to put together a pretty nice rifle for the money, something that's as close to the stock standard M6A2 rifle as it can be, probably even giving the lower a slight edge-up over a standard M6A2 with the CMC trigger upgrade and a Spike's lower on it.

I agree, I got a lwrci IC spr and while the trigger isn't bad for a stock unit it still falls short of the Giselle (personal preference), but I hear a lot of people liking the mbt trigger and for the price it seems good to go. That said I am also looking forward to an echo trigger. Again personal preference but as far as the piston units go I think they are up there with the HK mr556 but it seems a lot of people really support lmt and kac (I know Di) these days.

Yeah, I noticed that too, that there seems to be a disproportionately larger cheering section for some other brands.  It seems to me there is less positive mention of LWRC in the forums than used to be the case in the not too distant past. Maybe it's because I favor rifles with piston mechanisms, and when I was more engaged in following the trends, piston mechanisms were just making their debut, which would have the piston manufacturers front and center, especially the good ones like LWRC.  

With respect to piston versus DI, I've concluded that on the issue of cleanliness alone, a high quality piston mechanism is far superior to DI, but that's just me.  I do think there are a lot of new players in the game now, and many of these new players seem to push DI over piston.  But, it sounds like on rifles with piston operated mechanisms, LWRC is still on the top of the heap, along with H&K.  

In an effort to stay current with the trends, which other brand name manufacture's of piston operated mechanisms are on the same level as LWRC and H&K?  Or do those two brands still hold the title?

you'll be in good shape.  The Spikes lower is a good choice. The CMC trigger is a nice choice as well.

The M6A2 on a Spikes lower is my current 3 gun rifle.   Basically the same setup you've asked about.

The LWRC has been 100% reliable and I've had no issues with the few Spikes striped lowers that I've assembled.

This is a great set up, I love how clean the LWRC runs compared to my DI guns.

However it comes down to what you plan to do with the rifle. Home defense, plinking, working a ranch; this is a great set up.    



I will say that this is not an ideal upper for 3gun; without an adjustable gas block, it has been challenging to really dampen the recoil.  I have a Precision Arm compensator and have tried to tune the buffer with a JP SCS with different weights and springs.    A DI upper just runs "softer".

The piston rifles do have a sharper recoil impulse.  That's a trade-off along with slightly more weight out front.

I hate comps so that isn't an option for me.  I do plan to do some testing with different buffers (~5oz variety).

Several years ago, when piston rifles were making their debut, and had only been out maybe a year or so, I had an opportunity to buy an LWRC M6A2 in 5.45 x 39mm, brand new, and at a really great price. I put a Spikes lower on that rifle (spider), and have it to this day.  It has been flawless, and here's why the LWRC M6A2 in 5.56/.223 that was available at CDNN was so appealing, not to mention the low cost.  

Serveral years ago, the cost of 5.45 x 39mm ammo was about half the cost of 5.56/.223 ammo, so the 5.45 x 39mm caliber made good sense at the time, especially because, at about the same time I had the opportunity to purchase the LWRC M6A2 is 5.45 x 39mm upper, there was a product that came on the market called Slide Fire, which legally simulated fully automatic fire in as standard AR15 rifle.  Later, Slide Fire was developed for the AK47, and other variations of the Slide Fire were developed as well over time, and are still being marketed today.  But, at the time it came out, it was quite a novelty, and it sparked my interest.  My only apprehension at the time was whether a standard mid-level quality AR15 would hold up under automatic fire conditions.

So, when I had the opportunity to purchase the LWRC M6A2 in 5.45 x 39mm (AK74), I jumped at the good price with the intention of using it as a dedicated rifle for Slide Fire use.  Since the ammo was less expensive, I figured it would cost me a lot less to blow through a lot of ammo at one time using the Slide Fire if I went with the 5.45 x39mm caliber.  And, because the quality and performance expectations of the LWRC were very high, I also believed that an LWRC could take the abuse that automatic fire might present to the rifle with respect to heat, gunshot residues, etc...I just didn't know whether some of the other brands of rifles that were out there, even the decent quality DI ones, would perform well enough under automatic fire, and/or whether they would withstand the abuses that automatic fire might present to them.  But, I was hopeful that the LWRC piston would withstand that level of abuse, and it has.  

With all these leftists mindlessly pushing for more gun control, I feel there's a need to round out my collection sooner than later with a 5.56/223 caliber rifle, since I didn't have one yet.  The LWRC M6A2 in 5.45 x 39mm has been such a good performer under rigorous conditons, simulating automatic fire, with all the heat, gunshot residues, and just the hightened level of abuse that goes along with firing an automatic weapon, that  I expect that my new LWRC M6A2 in 5.56/.223 will perform just as well, especially because it's not going to be dedicated to those kinds of abuses, but will be dedicated to standard semi-automatic fire.