Complete Polymer AR-15 lower receiver-$99.99 + Shipping & FFL xfer fees

[corwin]

Yes there are a lot of purists who will scoff at a polymer lower receiver, but for the price (and around 1/2 lb weight savings) I'm willing to give it a try and already have placed an order for one for my wife's rifle since she always wants it to be lighter The videos they have of their stress/abuse testing look pretty legit, they offer a lifetime warranty, and it's 100% made in the USA...

Here's a link to the videos and other information on them...

http://www.lw15.com/

This is a *complete* (all lower parts including fire control group) lower receiver with a stock for $99.99, there's no other lower you can touch for anywhere close to that. So here's the link and you can decide for yourself...

http://newfrontierarmory.com/catalo...=34089&zenid=f323ee96f6c8e91d20778658e4de7c8f

I recently built my first rifle and it was a blast, using this lower you could build a complete rifle for around $550, that's insanely cheap

 

[gorcorps]

That's actually quite tempting. I've been wanting to piece together my own AR and this would be a start. I'd have to find an FFL in my area though which I haven't found yet. My local shop doesn't do transfers anymore.

 

[nairi]

this is an amazing deal!!!

 

[rsolomon]

The videos they have of their stress/abuse testing look pretty legit, they offer a lifetime warranty, and it's 100% made in the USA...

Price does seem QUITE attractive for a complete lower when a stripped lower is a hot deal at $80-100! I'm also intrigued by the idea of a(nother) composite rifle I will toss out a couple of geek engineer hesitations on the testing:
1) They measure deflection of the lower receiver as opposed to pressure. I.e. it could have taken 10000 psi of pressure to deform the aluminum receiver that much and 100 psi to deform the composite receiver 20 thousandths more. Pressure would be more indicative of the amount of abuse needed to reach failure.

2) The rifle toss seemed harder on the upper than the lower.

3) The fire control group tester was very cool

Would have been interesting to see all those tests on aluminum receivers also to test to failure....

Richard

 

[bankster55]

very impressive indeed

 

[jlee]

Interesting...very inexpensive start to a build. I can get uppers for $150 locally, too. Hmmm.

 

[gorcorps]

Interesting...very inexpensive start to a build. I can get uppers for $150 locally, too. Hmmm.

I've had an upper picked out for months but it's been oos. The guys tell me it might be in by the end of this month.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Tempting. I've wanted to build one of these for a while, even though I don't go shooting much and it wouldn't do much outside of sit around (for the time being)... This is a good price to actually end up getting one...

 

[jlee]

I've had an upper picked out for months but it's been oos. The guys tell me it might be in by the end of this month.

Complete upper assembly or just receiver? I'd like to build a gas piston AR but that's not cheap..

 

[corwin]

Interesting...very inexpensive start to a build. I can get uppers for $150 locally, too. Hmmm.

That's an amazing price right there if it's a complete upper...best online I can find is about $408 from Palmetto State Armory that's a carbine gas system and includes the BCG and charging handle...$428 for a mid length

That's actually quite tempting. I've been wanting to piece together my own AR and this would be a start. I'd have to find an FFL in my area though which I haven't found yet. My local shop doesn't do transfers anymore.

If you haven't tried yet check out your local pawn shops, if they sell guns they have an FFL and most all of them will do transfers.

Price does seem QUITE attractive for a complete lower when a stripped lower is a hot deal at $80-100! I'm also intrigued by the idea of a(nother) composite rifle I will toss out a couple of geek engineer hesitations on the testing:
1) They measure deflection of the lower receiver as opposed to pressure. I.e. it could have taken 10000 psi of pressure to deform the aluminum receiver that much and 100 psi to deform the composite receiver 20 thousandths more. Pressure would be more indicative of the amount of abuse needed to reach failure.

2) The rifle toss seemed harder on the upper than the lower.

3) The fire control group tester was very cool

Would have been interesting to see all those tests on aluminum receivers also to test to failure....

Very true on the pressure testing, but honestly what they were doing wouldn't happen in the real world anyway unless you ran it over:\ There's inherent problems comparing polymer to aluminum in any case, polymer flexes and aluminum bends, makes it hard to compare on some things like this, as for the rifle toss yes it would be hard on the upper but it would also stress the two contact points where it attaches to the lower, which are some of the weaker parts...


If anyone is curious there's been a discussion going on about it over at AR15.com with input from someone who works for the company...
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_12/560890_LW15_polymer_Lower_what_i_is_the_advantge.html

 

[gorcorps]

Complete upper assembly or just receiver? I'd like to build a gas piston AR but that's not cheap..

A complete upper from PSA. I want one of their flat top quad rail 16" stainless barrel systems, though it's not a piston system. I prefer stainless as a barrel material and think it looks nice when it's not blued afterwards. The floating stainless barrel in the diamond pattern quad rail setup looks badass.

Not sure I'll shoot enough to make a piston system necessary anyway. It's not like I won't be cleaning it every time I go shooting.

 

[Spurst]

wonder how this ranks compared to my Cav Arms CAV-15 composite lower. I have a sportical upper on that rifle, and that thing is so light!

This is definitely a viable option for a lower, but it just feels like all the companies who try making these things end up going broke.

 

[corwin]

A complete upper from PSA. I want one of their flat top quad rail 16" stainless barrel systems, though it's not a piston system. I prefer stainless as a barrel material and think it looks nice when it's not blued afterwards. The floating stainless barrel in the diamond pattern quad rail setup looks badass.

Not sure I'll shoot enough to make a piston system necessary anyway. It's not like I won't be cleaning it every time I go shooting.

From everything I've seen/heard the gas piston systems don't really make them any more reliable or cleaner really, they just change where they get dirty from the chamber to the rail area...not that having another flavor of AR around is a bad thing

wonder how this ranks compared to my Cav Arms CAV-15 composite lower. I have a sportical upper on that rifle, and that thing is so light!

This is definitely a viable option for a lower, but it just feels like all the companies who try making these things end up going broke.

This is supposed to be a stronger polymer formula to get past some of the problems that others have had...only time will tell how well they hold up but it's reported they have one of these lowers on a rental range gun in Nevada that's seen over 25k (or maybe 50k, can't remember off hand) rounds put through it that's still going strong, and 99% of those have been full auto...can't see most "normal" people putting it through that kind of use anytime soon

EDIT: Here's the thread at Nevada shooters forum discussing it, and they say it's over 25k mostly full auto...
http://www.nevadashooters.com/showthread.php?t=25398

 

[gorcorps]

I've talked to some folks about it and there's a lot of people interested in it. Shipping savings are pretty big with bulk orders though, as single item shipping was ~$12 but only got up to $15 when I went to 5. Does anybody know if it'd be an issue buying multiples on one person but then registering each one to a different person at the FFL? I can call one later today but was wondering if anybody knows off hand.

 

[corwin]

I've talked to some folks about it and there's a lot of people interested in it. Shipping savings are pretty big with bulk orders though, as single item shipping was ~$12 but only got up to $15 when I went to 5. Does anybody know if it'd be an issue buying multiples on one person but then registering each one to a different person at the FFL? I can call one later today but was wondering if anybody knows off hand.

Shouldn't be an issue since you are going to be charged a transfer fee for each one of them the same as if you all ordered them separately anyway, you'd just all have to be there to fill out the paperwork...

 

[gorcorps]

Shouldn't be an issue since you are going to be charged a transfer fee for each one of them the same as if you all ordered them separately anyway, you'd just all have to be there to fill out the paperwork...

That's what we figured, which is fine. It just saves a lot of shipping to give one guy the money for all of them and do one big order. I'll double check with the FFL to be sure but I think it's a go.

 

[corwin]

That's what we figured, which is fine. It just saves a lot of shipping to give one guy the money for all of them and do one big order. I'll double check with the FFL to be sure but I think it's a go.

Your smart for checking around before ordering, I ordered first and now I've found several more people interested, could have saved some money myself:\ Oh well...

 

[DoeBoy]

I guess the only reason would be to lower the weight of the weapon. I got my lower for $50 "These forged lowers are quality made using material is 7075-T6 and are marked "CAL MULTI" to accommodate most builds. Finish is Black Hardcoat Anodize per MIL-8625 Type 3 class 2." remember thou that was for a stripper lower so this polymer one might appeal to a lot of people at that kind of price.

it was during a sale at palmettostatearmory and I built my first ar15 using other parts from their website. They normally go for I think around 70 or 80 dollars and its solid not polymer. I can't say I would trust the durability of a polymer weapon, but I don't own one so who knows. They run sales at palmetto during holidays and the 50 dollar lower is always there so just an FYI for anybody looking into this type of product in the future.

 

[sygyzy]

I've talked to some folks about it and there's a lot of people interested in it. Shipping savings are pretty big with bulk orders though, as single item shipping was ~$12 but only got up to $15 when I went to 5. Does anybody know if it'd be an issue buying multiples on one person but then registering each one to a different person at the FFL? I can call one later today but was wondering if anybody knows off hand.

I don't understand what you are saying here. If you buy one receiver, it's $12 to ship. But if you buy 5 receivers it's $15 total? So you are saving $9 each if you get four other people to join in?

 

[corwin]

I guess the only reason would be to lower the weight of the weapon. I got my lower for $50 "These forged lowers are quality made using material is 7075-T6 and are marked "CAL MULTI" to accommodate most builds. Finish is Black Hardcoat Anodize per MIL-8625 Type 3 class 2." remember thou that was for a stripper lower so this polymer one might appeal to a lot of people at that kind of price.

it was during a sale at palmettostatearmory and I built my first ar15 using other parts from their website. They normally go for I think around 70 or 80 dollars and its solid not polymer. I can't say I would trust the durability of a polymer weapon, but I don't own one so who knows. They run sales at palmetto during holidays and the 50 dollar lower is always there so just an FYI for anybody looking into this type of product in the future.

Yes the weight savings, and not having to wait for a sale, would be the benefits of this right now...well you also get the buffer/tube/spring/stock as well so it's still a slightly better deal in price...that said I bought 2 PSA lowers when they were on sale at Christmas, one is built and the other was going to be my wife's before this came along, she has already said mine is "heavy" so I was hoping to save as much weight as possible on hers, this fit right in with that

I don't understand what you are saying here. If you buy one receiver, it's $12 to ship. But if you buy 5 receivers it's $15 total? So you are saving $9 each if you get four other people to join in?

Looks like exactly that...I should have asked around before I ordered mine this morning, especially since mine has shipped already

 

[MrVeedo]

Me and a buddy are in. Been tossing around the idea of building one for a while, this should be fun.

 

[Samus]

polymer FTW!

 

[jlee]

That's an amazing price right there if it's a complete upper...best online I can find is about $408 from Palmetto State Armory that's a carbine gas system and includes the BCG and charging handle...$428 for a mid length

Unfortunately just the receiver, not the whole assembly.

 

[Nunya]

I've been thinking of building an AR-15 for a while. If I find a pawn shop that will do the transfer what do I do at that point?

Also, for someone who's never built a gun before, what's the difficulty of putting one of these together?

 

[twinrider1]

Metallica's Orion in the beginning of their vids, nice.
If I had a rifle range nearby, I'd be all over this. I do want to build one. Tempting.