i was wonderingwhat is better cast or forged reciever

You dont see a hole lot of cast uppers (olympic and hesse)is two that i can think of off hand. If it was me go with a forged upper. I try to stay away from cast uppers and lowers. just my.02

thanks

Go Milled!  Go with a SOCOM.  Just be careful not to get one of their earlier "out of spec" units. Added benifit, it comes with integral trigger adjustments.

Forged over cast, always, end of story.

I have had both forged and cast lowers.  

There were some cast Olys that had problems, but it was due to machining, holes not being located properly.  That problem was resolved.

Yes, forged are stronger, but so?  I have seen a few reportings of cracks, but those would be promptly replaced by the mfg, I am sure.

I have owned an Essential Arms cast lower, and its fit and function was perfect.  No issues.  I have since seen many others, and never have I seen a malfuction issue associated with the fact the lower was cast vs forged.  In fact, no issues at all with the Essential Arms lowers other than some did not like the gray color.

Johnnytac mentions the SOCOM milled, but then cautions about some early out of spec units.  Should that fact be used to trash all SOCOM's?  I don't think so.

Yes, forged are stronger.  Is that extra strength necessary?  I am not so sure.  A primary defense rifle?  I would probably chose a forged receiver.  If I was offered a good buy on a complete rifle or just a lower?  I would not immediately turn it down based only on the cast vs forged construction.

when it comes to machine parts, forged is always better. Be it wheels, jigs, tools or Ar15s. Not only is forged stronger, its often times much lighter than casts of a similar material.

In my own build i have already decided on complete forged setup. Reading enough Kaboom stories, i think i will pay for the extra strength incase it hits the fan.

If an AR "kabooms" whether the lower is forged or cast will make little difference, either to the cause or the results.  It is unlikly it can be made safe again, the only recouse is to replace the whole thing.

Im not concerned with the rifle, i would rather see it swell and deform than blow to pieces in my face :)

While this might seem a little odd in comparison, here is my experience as a propane company manager.  For gas line fittings and flare nuts, we only use forged.  The cast flare nuts (and various other cast parts) have a habit of cracking.  Sure, the cast fittings are cheaper, but in my business, safety is number one.  In firearms, safety is number one.

Scot

(told you it was an odd comparison!)

Not too odd, since you are talking about things that both can kaboom!  And nobody wants that!

Hershey

At best I can hear someone saying that they had good experiences with both, but I'd NEVER expect to hear someone deem a cast lower superior to a forged one.

The whole Cast v. Forged debate is actually pretty pointless.

First, we're talking about aluminum, and forging doesn't make nearly the difference that it does in steel.  Second, AR receivers are not stressed members.  Firms like Cavalry Arms, Professional Ordnance, and now Bushmaster make AR receivers out of plastic!!!  And these plastic ARs are not flying apart.  So this is kind of like arguing whether your car's hood ornament is cast or forged - it really doesn't matter.

What [b]does[/b] matter is the quality of manufacture that went into the lower.  I've had forged Olympics that nothing fit or worked right, and were so out of spec they were unusable.  OTOH, I have a cast EA Co. lower that is beautiful - fit and finish are flawless, every part I've tried in it works with no problems, and all upper receivers I have drop right on and function perfectly.

So give up on this whole pointless Cast v. Forged debate.  You shouldn't be asking [b]how[/b] it was made because [b]who[/b] made it is far more important.

Amen to that.  I would take a cast EA or DPMS lower over some of the older forged Olympic Arms lowers with tight magwells and mislocated pin holes (I do have three Oly Arms rifles with good receivers, so they have cleaned up their act).

DPMS makes both forged and cast lowers.  I bought a cast by mistake.  I have been told that this is the same as the Essential Arms casting, produced by Ruger (who makes all kinds of precision casting.

The DPMS casting is far superior to the OlyArms cast lower.  I can spot the OlyArms cast lower from a mile away at gunshows, but I couldn't tell the DPMS was cast until I got it home and did some research.

The finish of the DPMS is just slightly more satin, less shiney, than forged.  Other than that, the size and t\shape of the features (mag well lip, mag release fence, etc. is nearly identical to your typical forged.