I'm flirting with the idea of a dedicated 9mm build. I used to have an oly 9mm upper and really enjoyed it. So I figure why not go for a dedicated 9mm carbine (what better excuse to get another gun right?). Who makes the best bang for the buck 9mm dedicated lower? Anyone specifically to avoid? Magazine preferences dependent on lower? Sorry for all the questions, its been a while.

Not the cheapest, but still very cool.

A decent lower and a decent magwell block come close to the same price as the dedicated lower.

Yeah, I'm planning ahead with the "need a new gun" angle with the wife. Plus, I like variety.

Used to have  a standard lower with a Hahn adapter. Don't bother. Get the Double Diamond. Mine is great. Nice quality and works well.
I noticed that www.riflegear.com has them in stock.
The CmmG is $50 less so another possible alternative. Probably a fine piece as well. I just heard good things about the DD, they had them in stock so I went for it.

I use a RRA dedicated 9mm lower and have yet to have an issue with it. Works like a champ.

Your question was "Best dedicated 9mm lower" That was answered in the second post. Period.

You asked about "Best bang for the Buck" and if you look at what is out there, price them all and there is just ONE winner for VALUE, the CMMG dedicated 9mm lower. The Double Diamond is a nice looking lower but it ain't cheap. The Rock River is fine but doesn't like some magazines, and it ain't cheap either. The CMMG is considerably less money than either of these and my experience with it has been very positive.

I have two 9mm carbines, one a standard lower with a RRA magwell block in it the other the dedicated CMMG. Both run fine. I had to learn how to set the RRA but once I got past that it was trouble free. The CMMG worked great from day one. Another consideration is what magazines you plan on using. The RRA gets some mixed reviews on what it likes. Some have better luck than others. Some say the CProducts don't work in the RRA very well. Again, mixed reviews so take it for what its worth. My two rifles both run pretty darn good on whatever magazines I put in them. The list I have includes some of the mags others hate like ProMag and  CProducts but in my two rifles they work fine.

If you use the CMMG you would probably want to use their 9mm bolt. It comes ramped from the factory and runs perfectly with a variety of standard AR hammers, no need for the RRA special 9mm hammer. Also, being a factory ramped bolt saves you money.

Everyone has their favorites. Me, I just go with what has worked for me. I have five 9mm PCC's, two of them AR's and I just try to be fair. Some of the really cool 9mm stuff I have not tried just because its expensive and since my current guns run perfectly I see no reason to just spend a few hundred dollars more than I need to.

YMMV

I guess it depends on what lower you get and how much you pay for the magwell block. Look here and see what the dedicated lower cost. I couldn't find new parts to equal this price, or even come close.

9mm  Dedicated lower

Now,  if one wants a lower that can be switched to other caliber, say for a SBR that you want various uppers on, that is a different story.

The best this or a better that is always so subjective.

Best for the price is also pretty subjective.

At the end of the day, if you need/want a dedicated lower, there are not a huge amount of choices - CMMG, RRA, ddles, LWD, and another bit player or two.  The cheapest one is going to set you back about $175 + whatever you may have to pay in shipping, transfer, sales tax, or other fees.

If you just want a block and a lower, you could buy both for less than the $175 CMMG if you go with a promag block and a plum crazy lower.  Are those the best or the best bang for the buck?  It all depends on who you talk to and what you want to believe as there are some people that believe many POS parts are great and others that think they are just POS parts...

If you really want best bang for the buck, there are many other 9mm PCC's out there besides the 9mm AR that are far cheaper and perform as well or better (depending on who you talk to)...

Good luck whatever you decide.

A stripped CMMG 9mm lower is ~$175 - Link to CMMG
A stripped DDLES 9mm lower is ~$275 - Link to DDLES

$100 difference is not insignificant.  If you want the DDLES lower to be 7075 aluminum like the CMMG, that'll cost you another $50 bucks.  At that point you're $25 away from being double the cost.

I really like the DDLES lowers; I just don't know if I like them $150 more.

I appreciate the feedback. Right now I'm looking between the DDLES and the CMMG. No plans to SBR this lower...I'll keep that for a standard just for the variety. There is a pretty hefty difference in the price, but I haven't ruled either out yet.

I liked the idea of having a dedicated 9mm lower myself and went with DDLES. I started out with an old Colt 9mm and got hooked. My DDLES has been reliable from day one. Yes it is more expensive but it is unique to me and I really like the way the lines flow. It's just visually appealing to me.

I started slowly over the course of maybe five months. I ordered the stripped DDLES lower and while waiting, I ordered a 9mm upper from Spikes and a 9mm RRA ramped bolt from ADCO. It was well worth it in the end.

That is a nice lookin' rifle.  I really like that upper too.  It's too bad that spikes doesn't sell it anymore, because I'd like one of those myself.

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Thanks. If I could do it all over again, I would have changed the M4 profile barrel to a light weight profile barrel and a SAR rail from Spike's just to cut down on weight. I still have to mount a weapon light and a red dot optic (of course Surefire, Aimpoint) but the cost is as much as another rifle or an upper with all the bells and whistles.

How long is that rail?  Is it extended carbine length (YHM calls it "specter" length)?

I'm just trying to mentally figure out how heavy mine will be when I finish swapping parts.  :)

It's a 10" DD Lite Rail. I believe YHM's Specter rail is 9.25" in length. I have it on another AR.

Since $$$ wasn't specified, this would be the "best dedicated 9mm lower" as it would give you the highest rate of "bang for the buck".