It's too late to ask this question, but I'll ask anyway.

Are DPMS cast receivers as bad as any other cast receiver?  Are they any better?

Has anyone heard of a DPMS cast reciever cracking or otherwise failing?

I bought a DPMS stripped lower at a gun show for $150.  I was fitting it to an upper and it fit better than the RRA (which was unworkably tight.)  I thought it wasn't a bad price, but I didn't know that DPMS made both forged and cast.  The tag said nothing about cast or forged.

I've sent my serial number to DPMS to be sure, haven't got an answer, but I'm pretty sure its cast.  The finish isn't as smooth as my RRA, and the edges don't have that crisp machined look.  It doesn't look near as bad as the crummy Oly cast lowers.

I didn't want CAST, I wanted FORGED.  Am I screwed?  The gun I built works great, but I'm wondering if it will crack and break someday.

Carbine_Man

For general shooting? It'll probably be fine. For hard, heavy use? You need forged.

Meplat-

i've never heard anything bad about dpms receivers other than the magwells being tight on the sst ones.  i wouldn't worry about it.  

Other than the serial numbers, which are stamped in, are the rest of the numbers and lettering engraved in or are they raised?

If all lettering is engraved, it is their forged receiver.

If raised lettering, it is cast.  This is the same casting as formerly used by Essential Arms, and was investment cast by Ruger.  These are fine receivers, as are the Essential Arms.

I would have no reservations using them.

It has raised lettering.

I'm really torn about this.  This is a general plinking rifle, almost a truck gun.

The receiver doesn't look bad.  If you put it next to an RRA forged receiver, you can see the difference.  Standing there at the gun show, there certainly wasn't enough difference to notice.

Guess I'll leave it as-is, and chalk it up to experience.

It will be FINE.  Don't worry about it.

I had a cast DPMS in which the letters were engraved.  The forged DPMS lowers will have an F in the serial number and will have the Panter Arms head.  The cast will have the DPMS logo only.

Forged:[image]http://mikesshooting.com/images/AR-ForgedLower.jpg[/image]

Cast: [image]http://mikesshooting.com/images/AR-15Lower.jpg[/image]

Cast aluminum is quite strong.  Remember, there is very little force applied to the lower when shooting.  The upper takes the majority of the internal abuse.

Forged lowers are stronger and have a better finish, but I certainly would not worry about having a cast.  This topic has been discussed here in the past, and the engineer types have made strong arguments for the integrity of aluminum castings in other applications.

All that having been said, you can get forged DPMS lowers from  [url=http://www.cmmginc.com/inventory_a/AR_Rifles_and_Receivers_tbl.html]CMMG[/url] for $104.95.

Why don't you go to the Industry section and scroll down to DPMS and ask them?...they answer questions online here at ar15..........

The cast DPMS lowers are well made, and I doubt you will ever have a problem caused by that lower.  Why worry?  Go shoot and enjoy.  Look, if you are really worried about it, strip off all parts, I'll take if off your hands for $50.  Put that toward a new forged.  IM me.

I got a reply back from DPMS, and it [b]is[/b] a cast lower.

Thanks for all the advice, I'll keep it, shoot it and not worry about it.

I've got two cast DPMS lowers that I've been using for years and never had a problem.  Shoot it and enjoy.