A friend has asked me to help him build an absolutely rock bottom cost AR (that's not a piece of trash). He and his SO just like to plink and don't want "some fancy gun." I was looking at the Plum Crazy complete lower as a strating point, but I have only seen one once, and never fired one.

Anyone have real experience with them?

I would look here for the lower

And here for the upper

My 2 cents

AL

If you buy a LW-15 you might upgrade the internals, they are all poly just like the receiver. But with that, its a GREAT deal.

I would go with the Polymer lower for your budget build. I have the LW-15 Lower and it is awesome. I was very skeptical about buying mine, but for the price I couldn't resist.

Now for the guy that said he is too hard on his guns to have a plastic lower. It is not plactic, it is polymer, and is everybit as strong as a metal lower. Infact, if you drop a your gun and lets say your lower reciever hits a rock. A metal one can dent, maybe not much but enough to where a magizine will have a hard time seating, and ejecting properly. Polymer has the ability to go back to its original form.

I am building two guns now with LW lowers same as the plum crazy. I got two complete working lowers for 217 out the door... I swapped out the FCG with metatl internals all the way from the trigger up and they fit fine and work fine as I am using a .22lr upper on one and the polymer hammer won't work with a .22 bolt unless you shave it down on both sides.

Like everyone else said lifetime warranty and cheap. I don't care who you are unless you get second hand everything you can't put a complete lower together for the same price unless its used period. a cheap aluminum stripped lower reciever is still 49.99 plus shipping +10+FFL transfer fee 10-50 so theres 70. A trigger kit is 25-35 a buffer tube and buffer with sprinig is another 20-30 and then you still have to buy the stock. A cheapy is 10-35 so looking at the cheap numbers. Its what 125+. Did I change the trigger on mine yes but for other reasons then it doesn't work. They function fine for a 5.56 bolt... And it cost me nothing has I had all the parts from two guns I already have custom triggers in. Gotta love left over parts from a past build!

And ... With due respect to you, so what ? I've replied four times to nay sayers in these type threads and still haven't seen any narrative as to how any breakage occurs in those areas. Do you have any ?

How much are you saving using a polymer lower vs. forged aluminum?

When will the people that are for the polymer lowers accept that polymer made pistols and polymer AR lowers are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!!

Polymer pistols were designed from the ground up to be made form polymer. Because of this, the polymer is strengthened in areas it needed it because that was part of the original design

Polymer lower receivers are molded to the same dimensions that were DESIGNED for aluminum! There are going to be different stress points and tolerances between the two...

polymer pistols vs polymer lowers = apples vs oranges.

Why risk it when you can get high quality stripped lowers for $59 from aimsurplus.com?

Buying a polymer lower is your decision.... but going to other threads and advising people on them, calling them great after "Three WHOLE trips to the range without a failure!!!" is not a good idea. Give one to a guy who actually works with his rifle. I'll stick with the stuff that has been PROVEN to work, the same stuff the men and women operating in combat venues overseas use, because I'm not one to be a guinea pig. If some day my life depends on my rifle, I want to KNOW it will work. If you are just looking for a range toy that you will never have to stake anything on its operation, then buy cheap. Otherwise, buy what is proven.

Surplus Arms and Ammo stripped lower: $59.95
STAG LPK: $49.95
6 position collapsable stock with mil-spec tube, buffer, spring, end plate, castle nut: $44.95

Complete cost for complete lower? $154.85
Having a quality lower you can trust? Priceless.

Or you can save $54 bucks and have something that hasn't been proven yet and not know what you're getting.... but quite honestly, in my opinion, if $54 is enough to break your bank account then you need not get an AR.... you wont be able to afford to shoot it anyways.

Poor choice for a comparison.

Locking blocks for the XD-45 and the M&P are held by the disassembly pin, trigger pin, another pin, and by frame molding.

Locking block for the Glock is held by trigger pin and frame molding.

Most of the forces seen by the locking blocks are transmitted the frames, not the pins. Other pinned parts don't see much force sent to the pins themselves.

AR trigger pins usually don't see much force (they can with a lot of trigger slap) but the hammer pin does. The forces are transmitted directly to the pins and holes that are securing them. That can be a problem, though how much of a problem I wouldn't know for sure since I don't own a polymer AR lower.

I do own a Glock and one day after leaving a gun show I yanked off the skinny tie wrap looped through the mag well and ejection port (yeah the gun show person really did that). The tie wrap popped as expected but left a nice gouge on the bottom of the mag well. Tell me a metal frame would've done the same. I used a bic lighter to melt and reshape that gouge so it appeared normal again.

I am probably gonna make an enemy or two asking this however that is not my intent.

I am not sold one way or another, but everywhere I read people come out to bash the polymer lowers. I just ask one question. Where are the failures? I read alot of negativity before I bought mine but I saw very few I owned one and it was crap because........ posts. Not saying they are not junk,,,, not saying they are junk,,,, but who has had one fail on them and how/what failed?

Ok, I will put my nose back in the corner......

Maybe thats why these guys like the polymer lowers.... if they scratch their lower they want to be able to melt it back to normal!

Jeez Aimless, you need to shave that damn cat! It's WAY to fluffy! No tacticool kitty has EVER been THAT fluffy.