So, we got in some Luth-AR retro style A1 stuff... - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - So, we got in some Luth-AR retro style A1 stuff...

Posted: 9/17/2018 3:38:23 PM EDT

Half industry shill post, half industry shill inquiring post. A buddy of mine here at work just sent me these links and said, hey this might be in your interest, because he knows I'm down with the retro stuff. Luth-AR is making retro A1 uppers and the sight parts to fill them.

A1 style upper

A1 rear sight assembly

That's the industry shill part, yay Primary Arms is starting to carry a bit of retro stuff. Of course if these don't sell we'll discontinue and just go back to everything flattop, so tell your friends!

Here's the inquiry part, as retro guys, what's your take on these? Here's my take for what it's worth.

PRO:
Standard pivot pin holes so you don't have to find a Colt large hole lower or mess with adapters.
Brand freakin' new and not a scratch on 'em anywhere.
Price is pretty decent I think.
Even though they are new production, they don't have M4 feed ramps, so they got that right IMHO.

CON:
Anodized black instead of grey, so they aren't the right color to match Colt stuff. On the other hand, they will match newer lowers from any other manufacturer, you don't HAVE to have a grey lower or make a grey lower to match the finish. You'll just have a black A1 instead of a grey one.
If you're looking for all the correct stamps and cartouches for a perfect clone build, they aren't here. I imagine there might be some legal issues if Luth-AR was putting retro Colt stampings on their uppers. Colt isn't known for having a sense of humor about that stuff.
Parts are sold separately for now, so some assembly required. I would personally rather pay just a bit more and get the complete upper with the ejection port door, forward assist, and sights all ready to go.

My feeling is, if you're a guy like me who wants to do a retro-style build but doesn't really care about everything being correct because he's gonna treat it roughly and he's looking for a shooting experience more than a conversation piece, this is a viable option. But I'm interested in your take, because it's the retro guys we want to attract with parts like these.

Posted: 9/17/2018 4:17:33 PM EDT

[#1]

Nothing I’d be interested in. Upper has a shell deflector and the color is a deal breaker for me. I chose not to use their sight kit based on the negative reviews I’ve read. Great to see another company offering retro parts though. I’m sure the parts will appeal to others in the retro crowd.

Posted: 9/17/2018 4:36:24 PM EDT

[#2]

These same upper receivers sold out in one day for $89 from another vendor, so the demand is there as long as the price is right.

Posted: 9/17/2018 6:47:55 PM EDT

[#3]

I like the C7 upper for KISS hard use / SHTF builds. Not so concerned about retro accuracy, I actually would prefer M4 feed ramps. I think the price is a bit steep for a stripper new production receiver. I think people know there is a demand, and try to see what they can get. If that price was for a complete and assembled upper, would be a lot more reasonable.

Posted: 9/18/2018 11:37:03 AM EDT

[#4]

I got lucky on my first sight kit from them, all worked great. They admitted to a bad batch I thought but corrections were made. These uppers fall into the 80's retro more than the older A1 but I have seen the demand out there. Right price I definitely would like one. Just trying to slow down builds right now.

Posted: 9/18/2018 8:28:01 PM EDT

[#5]

Yeah, the upper OP links to is an A2, not an A1. Not remotely interested. If you can lay hands on some actual A1 patterned uppers, I'd be down for at least 1.

Posted: 9/18/2018 10:07:53 PM EDT

[#6]

As stated, A1 upper with brass deflector isn't A1. It's C7 (aka A2 with "field sights").

That said, C7 uppers are in demand. I looked everywhere for a C7 upper with M4 ramps and no one offers one, so if you do you'd be in a pretty good position (IMO) because more people are building C7 guns for KISS truck gun type builds.

And C7 uppers should be black.

Posted: 9/19/2018 7:28:53 AM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
These same upper receivers sold out in one day for $89 from another vendor, so the demand is there as long as the price is right.

View Quote

i think dpms was getting close to $100 ($99 if i remember correctly) for c7 uppers 10 years ago. a2 forum would love these for the canadian builds.

Posted: 9/19/2018 3:42:43 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
These same upper receivers sold out in one day for $89 from another vendor, so the demand is there as long as the price is right.

View Quote

In a pre-slump market, $140 would work... but $89 was right for these.

Hopefully they make a bunch more after these sell, and the price goes down.

Posted: 9/21/2018 10:41:43 AM EDT

[#9]

A few years ago DPMS flooded the market with C7 uppers. CDNN was giving them away for $39.99 at one point. They've been hard to come by for the three years since, but I'm not sure how long that demand will last.

The sight sets have been an issue. Even with the DPMS uppers, they cranked out a bunch of sight sets with an aperture that didn't have the "L" marking, and didn't have any difference between the two settings. The Luth-AR apertures are "L" marked, but they're still a far cry from the real thing.

Posted: 9/21/2018 7:33:07 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
A few years ago DPMS flooded the market with C7 uppers. CDNN was giving them away for $39.99 at one point. They've been hard to come by for the three years since, but I'm not sure how long that demand will last.

The sight sets have been an issue. Even with the DPMS uppers, they cranked out a bunch of sight sets with an aperture that didn't have the "L" marking, and didn't have any difference between the two settings. The Luth-AR apertures are "L" marked, but they're still a far cry from the real thing.

View Quote

Too, the DPMS uppers often had clocked barrel alignment pin cuts which canted the front sight every so slightly...just enough to make you have to use up all of your windage in order to zero the gun.

The charging handle track was improperly dimensioned and would ONLY fit DPMS charging handles.

It's damn shame they couldn't have figured that out from the get go....because the detail machining, surface finish values and the hardcoat quality were very, very good.

The only thing worse than a piece of crap...is something that is thiiiissssssssss close to being perfect.

Posted: 9/21/2018 8:23:02 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
The Luth-AR apertures are "L" marked, but they're still a far cry from the real thing.

View Quote

What's the problem with them? I've been thinking of buying a set but, I've been cautious because of the problems with the DPMS version.

Posted: 9/22/2018 5:52:27 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:

What's the problem with them?

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They're tombstone shaped instead of 8 shaped like the real thing. If you flattened the LuthAR aperture it'd look like an 0, and the real deal would look sorta like an 8.

I've got a pile of the DPMS apertures and one LuthAR... No idea what they might be good for? Down to just a couple A1 night sight apertures now. Need to find a few of the front night sight posts and see if there's a modern Tritium element that would fit.

Posted: 9/22/2018 1:02:22 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
They're tombstone shaped instead of 8 shaped like the real thing. If you flattened the LuthAR aperture it'd look like an 0, and the real deal would look sorta like an 8.

View Quote

Your right, I hadn't even noticed that detail. Did they get the different aperture positions right at least?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - So, we got in some Luth-AR retro style A1 stuff...

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