Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Anyone ever handle a Polymer lower?

Seeing quite a few poly lowers, gun stores around me want $99 for a stripped when I can find them online for half that..

Just curious about them.. and the 80% models..

http://www.eplowers.com/

With all the quality forged aluminum lowers available, I can't imagine why you would want a plastic one.

I have two CAV-arms lowers put up for my daughters. I plan to buy a couple more.

In CA the 80%ers are very popular because of all the threats to outlaw.

That is why I want an 80% and if I got the poly I could use the dremel or a drill to do myself since I don't have a milling machine.

I take it a poly is called an 80% lower?

For cost difference I"d buy an AL one every time, at least for a first gun.

I personally wouldn't use a poly except on a light hunting gun where I could afford to scrap the lower eventually, but point being a hunting AR would probably not wear one out.

No. But there is a company making 80% poly lowers that are very easy to complete.

They had aluminum lowers at the Tanner show last weekend for $79.00. Hard to beat for that price.

Stay away. My buddy bought a carbon 15 years back. It feels like a toy and I think the lower isn't quite to spec. The trigger felt like it had sand in it. Lowers are so cheap not worth it.

A Carbon 15 is C-A-R-B-O-N, not polymer. I had a 2nd gen Bushmaster Carbon 15. It was a little over a 2MOA shooter, I sold it to a guy who couldn't shoot well enough to know any better. A friend had one of the newest ones but I haven't had a chance to wring it out.

I SUSPECT the issue with those early Carbon 15's might have had something to do with the carbon UPPER. The lower is what it is, and the CAV Arms is a whole 'nother beast.

A polymer lower is just that.. an 80% needs drilling to finish out.. which means it ships to me and not through an FFL who want to charge me an arm and leg to do a transfer.

My FIL has a New Frontier polymer lower he uses for his 300 BLK upper with a suppressor. It works fine, and for $135 complete and ready to rock it was more convenient for him than changing out the upper on his Colt all the time.

In his even the trigger is polymer which doesn't feel very good, but has given us no problems.

His is strictly used for hog hunting from a stand, and occasional practice from a bench at the range. Slow precise shots only and if it breaks it's not a huge loss. If that's what you want it for, we have no issues to report in about 600 rounds so far. I would not take it to a match or run it hard any other time, and he doesn't intend to.

Would I as someone who uses my AR's alot and runs them hard buy one for my purposes? NO.

I would go Aluminum stripped in a heartbeat but one store told me they have to have the bullet button on it already... on a stripped lower.. You kidding me?

Then other's want to much to handle the transfer..

There are a number of shops around here(Sacto) that will "let you" machine your alum 80% for $80. Didn't know anyone made a poly 80% but don't really think Id want one.

I have a poly lower on a light weight build. (7 lbs with mag) it works well for that. I have no worries on reliability. It has a few thousand rounds on it, I do have a regular mil-spec trigger group it it...I don't know how I feel of a poly trigger group.

All in all, I won't but another since the weight savings is minimal, and mill spec lowers are too easy to get at great prices. All above is JMO.

I built a 300 AAC on an FMK Poly lower. I put nearly 600 rounds through it w/ no problems. Shot 2-2.5 MOA groups.

I sold mine about 6 months ago to a friend needing a hog gun.

I'd do it again though. Just as tough as the aluminum one's out there to me.

I built an AR off a New Frontier stripped lower, and, even with otherwise quality parts, the safety selector would not click positively into position, so that the only way you could tell for sure whether the safety was fully engaged was by deliberately moving the lever into just the right position (not just flicking it, as with a decent AR). A PITA when on the range, but if I were hunting or defending with it, I'd have been scrood. Just my 2 cents.

That's bull****. I just bought a stripped aluminum lower in California for $100. I just had to sign a paper "promising" that I would put a bullet button on it when I built it. A CMMG parts kit came with the CA required bullet button.

Start buying lowers now. Effective January 1, 2014 all long guns sold in California must be registered. Presently, a stripped lower is not considered a firearm on the 4473. It's called an "other".

The one I just built...

BEFORE



AFTER

I'm leaving California November 26th and not coming back for extended periods of time.. When I find out my first duty station I am going to build an AR I think.. maybe wait till I get off base housing..

Leaving November 26th? You still have lots of time to DROS some stripped lowers.

600 rounds and as tough as the AL ones...which I've sent over 50K rounds through on a couple so far...

I wouldn't know how you could know how tough a poly one is until 50K rounds for example.