So the question about all this that I have never seen answered anywhere yet, is how much stronger is a forged lower than a billet lower (or an upper, or whatever)?
For many, their eyes roll back in their head, they say it doesn't matter, etc, etc.
If it doesn't matter to you, that's fine. But I'm curious to know if anyone has enough of a metallurgical background who really does know more than the opinions and speculations.
From what I have seen here and elsewhere, the forging is stronger. Yes, I know high quality billet lowers are made today that thicken up certain areas to account for this, and I have no doubt it is just fine. I have a LaRue billet lower that I have no strength concerns about. Sun Devil, POF, VLTOR etc are other examples.
I just want to know for the sake of knowing. How much stronger is a forged lower than a typical billet lower? Don't mean to get a flame war going, I just want to know, if anyone out there actually does have real information on it. It's pretty much a given that for the same thickness, the forged part is stronger. But by how much?
I'd like someone who owns both a forged lower and a nice billet lower to do destructive testing and let us know at what kind of force they went to failure. I'll volunteer my Stealth lower for the experiment if I can find it. Ok, I looked for it and can't find it.