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Posted: 2/5/2015 10:23:59 PM EDT
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I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here, but I had a question.
I'm looking to build a SBR .300 BLK rifle and I wanted the lower in FDE but searching around it seems that the FDE receivers run $200 +/- $50. So I was curious about the price difference, which got me wondering why lowers like the PSA blem can be had for $40 but a Black Rain Ordinance will run me almost $300. Is there a huge quality difference to justify the price? Or would buying a PSA blem and having it coated FDE save me money and get the same level of quality? |
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Quoted:
I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here, but I had a question. I'm looking to build a SBR .300 BLK rifle and I wanted the lower in FDE but searching around it seems that the FDE receivers run $200 +/- $50. So I was curious about the price difference, which got me wondering why lowers like the PSA blem can be had for $40 but a Black Rain Ordinance will run me almost $300. Is there a huge quality difference to justify the price? Or would buying a PSA blem and having it coated FDE save me money and get the same level of quality? I am guessing that the BRO you are talking about is likely billet. Just get the lower of your choice cerakoted. Aero Precicion has some Ccoated forged uppers and lowers. |
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Quoted:
I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here, but I had a question. I'm looking to build a SBR .300 BLK rifle and I wanted the lower in FDE but searching around it seems that the FDE receivers run $200 +/- $50. So I was curious about the price difference, which got me wondering why lowers like the PSA blem can be had for $40 but a Black Rain Ordinance will run me almost $300. Is there a huge quality difference to justify the price? Or would buying a PSA blem and having it coated FDE save me money and get the same level of quality? Between PSA and Black Rain, I would go for PSA and have it Cerakoted in a heartbeat. |
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Quoted:
I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here, but I had a question. I'm looking to build a SBR .300 BLK rifle and I wanted the lower in FDE but searching around it seems that the FDE receivers run $200 +/- $50. So I was curious about the price difference, which got me wondering why lowers like the PSA blem can be had for $40 but a Black Rain Ordinance will run me almost $300. Is there a huge quality difference to justify the price? Or would buying a PSA blem and having it coated FDE save me money and get the same level of quality? I am guessing that the BRO you are talking about is likely billet. Just get the lower of your choice cerakoted. Aero Precicion has some Ccoated forged uppers and lowers. Yeah it's billet, but why does that come with a higher price tag and what does it mean for the finished rifle? Anything at all other than bragging rights? |
| Because some folks like to spend a bunch of money for a certain logo or aesthetics. As long as it's in spec, there is no difference between a $40 upper and a $300 one, no matter what they tell you. I would get the PSA one, Cerakote it whatever color you want, and spend the $200 or so difference on something worthwhile. |
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http://aeroprecisionusa.com/aspx/store/productdetail.aspx?pid=245 http://aeroprecisionusa.com/aspx/store/productdetail.aspx?pid=224 Yup. That's a good pair of receivers. OP, for an SBR, you don't need fancy or expensive, you need IN SPEC. That's really, really all that matters. Get a lower from a reliable source, and don't worry about any of the extras like "billet with aggressive checkering on the front of the magwell" and such nonsense. You want a functional lower, and I strongly suggest sticking with a forged lower for the ruggedness. |
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Yup. That's a good pair of receivers. OP, for an SBR, you don't need fancy or expensive, you need IN SPEC. That's really, really all that matters. Get a lower from a reliable source, and don't worry about any of the extras like "billet with aggressive checkering on the front of the magwell" and such nonsense. You want a functional lower, and I strongly suggest sticking with a forged lower for the ruggedness. Quoted:
Quoted:
http://aeroprecisionusa.com/aspx/store/productdetail.aspx?pid=245 http://aeroprecisionusa.com/aspx/store/productdetail.aspx?pid=224 Yup. That's a good pair of receivers. OP, for an SBR, you don't need fancy or expensive, you need IN SPEC. That's really, really all that matters. Get a lower from a reliable source, and don't worry about any of the extras like "billet with aggressive checkering on the front of the magwell" and such nonsense. You want a functional lower, and I strongly suggest sticking with a forged lower for the ruggedness. 
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Quoted:
I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here, but I had a question. I'm looking to build a SBR .300 BLK rifle and I wanted the lower in FDE but searching around it seems that the FDE receivers run $200 +/- $50. So I was curious about the price difference, which got me wondering why lowers like the PSA blem can be had for $40 but a Black Rain Ordinance will run me almost $300. Is there a huge quality difference to justify the price? Or would buying a PSA blem and having it coated FDE save me money and get the same level of quality? Just so you know, it is "Ordnance", not "Ordinance". They are two totally different words. |
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I'm not one of those "pick any mil-spec" lower guys. The other lowers cost more for a reason, for the extra machining and features they offer. I've seen uppers from 38 bucks to close to 400 and I can definitely say the features or the level of finishing is huge. If you're not a car guy, you may not understand what makes a 100k dollar car worth so much. Same with rifles. Higher level of precision. Repeatable, extra features.
My noveske lower has a nice little flare to the magwell. Also its smooth on the inside which helps mags go in. My seekins lower has ambi mag and bolt release. Has en extended front section of the magwell, that can be used as a grip. It also replaces the roll pin for the bolt release with a screw. The rear take down spring is under the grip instead of the buffer tube. It also has an extra screw that can be used to press on the trigger bar, to decrease take up, and theres an extra screw that presses on the upper to make it "tighter" So for the most part, the forged uppers are VERY similar, biggest things to look for are the finishing (dents, smoothness of finish, any casting marks or flashing). For the billet's, get what you can afford and has the features you like. |
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Quoted:
I'm not one of those "pick any mil-spec" lower guys. The other lowers cost more for a reason, for the extra machining and features they offer. I've seen uppers from 38 bucks to close to 400 and I can definitely say the features or the level of finishing is huge. If you're not a car guy, you may not understand what makes a 100k dollar car worth so much. Same with rifles. Higher level of precision. Repeatable, extra features. My noveske lower has a nice little flare to the magwell. Also its smooth on the inside which helps mags go in. My seekins lower has ambi mag and bolt release. Has en extended front section of the magwell, that can be used as a grip. It also replaces the roll pin for the bolt release with a screw. The rear take down spring is under the grip instead of the buffer tube. It also has an extra screw that can be used to press on the trigger bar, to decrease take up, and theres an extra screw that presses on the upper to make it "tighter" So for the most part, the forged uppers are VERY similar, biggest things to look for are the finishing (dents, smoothness of finish, any casting marks or flashing). For the billet's, get what you can afford and has the features you like. Except a car can have different engines, different trims, interior and exterior mods, and a whole bunch of other things that make it substantially more valuable. A lower is just a machined piece of aluminum, there's not to many bells and whistles you can add to it. Picked up a PSA blem lower today, getting it cerakoted for $75 so all total about $125 and I can do a two-tone look with a FDE upper. Just gotta figure out what color I wanna cerakote it! :D |
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Except a car can have different engines, different trims, interior and exterior mods, and a whole bunch of other things that make it substantially more valuable. A lower is just a machined piece of aluminum, there's not to many bells and whistles you can add to it. Picked up a PSA blem lower today, getting it cerakoted for $75 so all total about $125 and I can do a two-tone look with a FDE upper. Just gotta figure out what color I wanna cerakote it! :D Quoted:
Quoted:
I'm not one of those "pick any mil-spec" lower guys. The other lowers cost more for a reason, for the extra machining and features they offer. I've seen uppers from 38 bucks to close to 400 and I can definitely say the features or the level of finishing is huge. If you're not a car guy, you may not understand what makes a 100k dollar car worth so much. Same with rifles. Higher level of precision. Repeatable, extra features. My noveske lower has a nice little flare to the magwell. Also its smooth on the inside which helps mags go in. My seekins lower has ambi mag and bolt release. Has en extended front section of the magwell, that can be used as a grip. It also replaces the roll pin for the bolt release with a screw. The rear take down spring is under the grip instead of the buffer tube. It also has an extra screw that can be used to press on the trigger bar, to decrease take up, and theres an extra screw that presses on the upper to make it "tighter" So for the most part, the forged uppers are VERY similar, biggest things to look for are the finishing (dents, smoothness of finish, any casting marks or flashing). For the billet's, get what you can afford and has the features you like. Except a car can have different engines, different trims, interior and exterior mods, and a whole bunch of other things that make it substantially more valuable. A lower is just a machined piece of aluminum, there's not to many bells and whistles you can add to it. Picked up a PSA blem lower today, getting it cerakoted for $75 so all total about $125 and I can do a two-tone look with a FDE upper. Just gotta figure out what color I wanna cerakote it! :D There are differences on a lower, for instance my seekins, along with Santan tactical, and AXTS can be fully ambi. Plus these extra set screws to tighten up the trigger and upper fitment. Theres flared magwells that'll help with reloads.... There's also a HUGE difference in tolerances allowed between companies. My noveske lowers are some of the tightest lowers I have. And my spikes lower, is the loosest lower and also the cheapest. I can easily push the pins out hence probably why so many spikes guys also invest in KNS pins. |
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I agree that going with certain features on the lower you chose for your SBR would be a very good idea. However, since an SBR'd AR lower can support ANY upper in ANY caliber (that fits through the mag well), it's probably a good idea to think more generically. A nicely flared magazine well isn't a bad thing, but as I said earlier, there are a lot of "features" that I consider "bells and whistles" rather than useful features.
My SBR lower was made by JD Machine for SOG Armory in Houston. I chose it because JD Machine has a great track record of consistent quality, it has a very different roll mark from my other lowers (making it easy to identify quickly), and it was available and reasonably priced when I was in the market. It is in-spec throughout. I have an ALG ACT trigger in it, and I did the set screw takedown pin mod on it, but it's otherwise a typical, quality AR lower. Since it's going to be used with 5.56mm, 300 Blackout and 9mm (so far), I needed it to be adaptable rather than have features that would be "nice to have" for one specific caliber. |
| I have Spikes, Noveske and PSA SBR lowers. The Noveskes are definitely tighter than the Spikes, but the Spikes are far tighter than my two non-SBR rifles. Those two are so loose that I need to run accu-wedges in them to be comfortable running them. And the two non-SBR's that are the loosest in my safe? Why, they're both Colts. Go figure. |
| I have a BRO lower for the last SBR I did. I figure if I'm dropping an extra $200 AND it's a receiver I'm most likely not gonna get rid of...I might as well get something I'm gonna like to look at for awhile. Granted, it's not gonna do anything better than a $39 PSA lower will, but I might not keep that one forever or end up passing it on. I have forged SBR lowers too, but the billet looks way cooler. |
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