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Posted: 3/14/2014 8:30:05 PM EDT
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Hey guys! I've just purchased my first AR lower and on the left side there are what I can only call 'bumps' in the finish. I'm not sure if this is normal or if something is wrong with the anodized finish. It is not a blem lower and this is only on the one side. The right side of perfectly smooth. I intend to really use the rifle so I'm not all that worried about the cosmetic aspect, just wondering if this is something I should worry about. Picture of the area in question below.
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc419/UEFEndeavour/20140314_120552_zpsef4362ab.jpg |
| Definitely a blem, or at least 'should' have been sold as one. I know 'a gun is a tool' and it will get scratched up anyway, but if you paid full price for this you paid too much. Usually blems come with a pretty good discount. Did you buy it directly from Aero or another seller? I have a couple lowers and an upper I got from them and finish on all is perfect. Also have a couple of blem lowers from other companies that have better finishes than the one in the pic you posted. If it was me, I'd be asking the seller about a retroactive price adjustment assuming you paid normal street price for it ($around $95-100). They sell their blem lowers for $60 (actually $180 for a 3 pack) on their web site. |
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OP, that is more than a blem. There is no artificial 'coating' on the receiver, but rather it is anodized (surface treatment), a different type of coating. Bubbles like that form when hydrogen embrittlement occurs during the the forging process. When the anodic layer is applied after machining and surface prep, the alloy releases hydrogen, which then becomes trapped under the layer, but usually can't be seen until the dye process is complete. This can affect the integrity of the aluminum itself since some of these 'bubbles' are in the form of very tiny voids throughout the metal that you cannot see. If it were the opposite and pits were present instead, then this would be due to impurities or inclusions in the alloy, usually from poor surface prep, but that is not the case here. I would contact Aero and express your concerns about it, or send them an IM through this site.
ETA: if you look closely at your photo, you can see striations of these bubbles, indicators of surface fracturing. Unless something has changed, Aero does not make their own forgings, but only machine ones they receive from Cerro Forge etc... |
| Thanks for the comments and advice, guys! I spoke with two separate Aero Precision reps (one via PM here and another via email, both with links to this thread and with pictures of the problem) and they both told me the same thing; the receiver should have been sold as a blem, but that these bubbles won't cause any problems and are purely cosmetic. I'll likely contact the website I ordered it from (I didn't buy it directly from Aero) and see if they're willing to do anything about it. |
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Quoted:
That should have been deemed a blem lower. Since you intend to use your rifle as a tool, which is the right way, I wouldn't sweat it. This for the most part, except I'd ask for the $30 difference back. I believe you should get what you pay for, and you paid for a non-blem. In the end I'd probably just use it and consider it a donation to Aero. Maybe they'll give you a discount on parts in the future? Edit: I didn't see that part where you didn't order from Aero. Nonetheless I would still contact the seller. |
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Quoted: About right from them lately. AP has been dropping the ball on stuff like this. Really? The set I just received looks pretty awesome to me.  Since the OP stated he didn't order it directly from AP, it's possible someone else coated it. They were selling bare aluminum lowers at one time. Just a thought. I have used several of their lowers, including two blems. They were pretty much perfect, with the only defect I could find in one of them being a tiny pit on the leading edge of the magwell. Something I would not have normally seen, but I was looking at them very closely; mainly because I was amazed that they were being sold as blems. |
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