Anybody have experiance with working with ASA stripped lowers? Any fitting problems? Intrested becuase they are in the valley and so am I

_Tim

I will in about a week or so,one of the guys at work picked up an ASA lower last week and will be getting the rest soon(model 1 20" kit).its the first ASA lower I have seen but it looked damn nice I really liked the lettering very clean and sharp(purely cosmetic I know)but it gave me a good feeling about their quality control.

I built my first AR using a stripped ASA lower and a Bushmaster parts kit.

Everything fit. No problems with assembly.

It still works. Never had a problem with it.

I hear that you should probably avoid their uppers though.

I have built two ASA rifles.  I have had no problem with either.

1) 24" target
2) 9mm carbine

I built a 20-inch government profile upper on one.  I really like the lower a lot!

Current rumor has it that ASA gets their lowers from RRA. Up until about a year and a half ago they came from Lewis Machine & Tool. Lewis sued them for non-payment and won. Don't use ASA lower parts, they are Chinese. Their furniture comes from Chinese made molds and looks like crap. Also they usually manage to screw up the gas port and the chamber on complete uppers. The biggest problem with using an ASA marked lower is that everyone is scared to death of them. It's hard to give away a complete AR marked ASA here locally. Everyone is afraid that it might be factory built and have the associated problems. Bob Reisner the owner of ASA is the biggest prick you will ever meet. They burned me and a bunch of other guys on this board. just trying to get the word out.

Judgments
Date (F)or / (A)gainst Amount Frequency Type Status

10/21/2002
F: LEWIS MACHINE & TOOL CO $8,500.00 One Time Attorney Fee Satisfied
 A: AMERICAN SPIRIT ARMS CORP
       
9/27/2001
F: LEWIS MACHINE & TOOL CO $799.70 One Time Judgment Only  
 A: AMERICAN SPIRIT ARMS CORP
       
9/27/2001
F: LEWIS MACHINE & TOOL CO $11,907.20 One Time Judgment Only  
 A: AMERICAN SPIRIT ARMS CORP      

Harris Gunworks sued them in 2001 and ASA settled with them while in arbitration. Harris was making their match barrels for them.

Armalite is suing them in federal court for patent infringement. At one point ASA offered their company to Armalite as settlement. Armalite said no and the suit continues.

ASA doesn't manufacture anything themselves. Their uppers, lowers and barrels are all bought from other manufacturers. The small parts on their guns and in their kits come from China. ASA's furniture is made in Chinese manufactured molds and looks like crap. No two handguard cavities look alike. It's OK if you get both handguard halves from the same cavity but if not they don't match.

The Better Business Bureau rates them as a company not to do business with.

Unfortunately, I found all this out the hard way after they burned me and some people I know and we tried to get our problems solved.

ASA had a forum in the industry section here and was removing all the bad threads that were posted. They were soon being posted faster than they could remove them so they dropped the forum.

Hmmm maybe I will wait for Quantico to get lowers back in stock instead of going with the ASA's

innocent_bystander; any comments on the quality a stripped lower?

So far it doesn't sound back, seems as though they are in spec.

I really don't care who makes the lower or what name is stamped on it as long as it is in spec.

I've never heard of any problems with an ASA stripped lower. Probably because they have nothing to do with the manufacture of it. Just don't buy any of their Chinese lower parts to go with it.

There is a guy that shows up at the gunshows selling Eagle stripped lowers for $105. I would go that route first.

Tim,

I have one ASA rifle.  I went through a nightmare, but that doesn't answer your question.

My ASA lower seems to be perfect in fit and finish in every way.  There is still a problem.

If I ever want to sell this rifle it will draw much less in value or interest than an equivalent Bushmaster (or Armalite, or Colt, or Oly  Arms, or anyone else).  What upper is on it is irrelevant.  In resale, people (in general) look at the NAME on the lower.

Pay a bit more and buy a lower with a NAME that will hold its value down the line.  Plus, you won't have to ever deal with Bob at ASA.

I have two ASA lowers.. I can never sell them, nor do I whish to, so their resale value was never something I considered.

The first one I built went smooth as silk. I bought a dpms lower parts kit and everything dropped right in. I put a RRA DCM upper on it and it shot in the black out of the box. Ive never had a problem with it that wasnt caused by my being to cheap to replace my brass a little more often...

The second rifle is built with a lower parts kit I got from Pete in NH.. I also got the chrome lined 16 in m4 profiled upper. The trigger well was a little tight on this one. A little CPL and hand fitting has it all worked out. I havent had an oppertunety to fire it yet.

In all, I am very happy with my ASA lowers. Im never sellin um.

If I were you though, I'd buy armilite, bushy, or colt. Id do it for resale value. The differance in the lowers price and the resale of the complete rifle will be lopsided in comparison to selling an ASA marked lower.

I thank everyone for their comments.

I think if possible I'll try to pick up a non-ASA lower at the gunshow first(when is the next one in Phx area?)

There is some Lowers for sale  assaultweb.net   Wm. Murray
6948 Millersburg Rd. Bldg. B
Christiana Tn. 3703
William e-mailed me and said that he  had a 100 lowers in stock for $80 each. Not sure who makes
them but they are marked Century Arms International, here is his e-mail [email protected]

Hey, if any of you want to sell off your crappy ASA stripped lowers just drop me an e-mail.

I'll be more than happy to take them off your hands.

Might have to keep it quiet though.

I have Colt, Bushmaster, ASA and Rock River lowers. The ASA lowers are approximately 1 year old. Their fit and finish are excellent. J&T lower kits were used and I found the J&T kit trigger to be crisper than Colt or Bushmaster, but not as good as Rock River.

[b][u]Ter-Mark Gunshow[/u][/b]
May 17-18, 2003
Phoenix Arizona State Fairgrounds
Saturday 9-5, Sunday 9-3
Admission $8.00 Children under 12 free

I think the Century Arms lowers were made by Olympic arms. check here www.geocities.com/ar15links/serial.html

Why avoid their uppers? Haven't had any problems with my CAR. Built from all their parts. Plus the have a lifetime warranty..

[SALUTE]

[ROFL2][ROFL]

Yeah, Bob is great with warranty requests......Not!

Just saw a bunch of Century marked lowers at a local gunshow this afternoon.  They look like they're forged by the same folks who  do the Rock River lowers, but they're not quite as well finished.  Since the dealer selling them wanted $115, I passed. For $10 more I can get a Rock River piece and it's much better finished.  Now if the guy had been selling them for $85, I might have considered them [:D]