Upper/Lower Reciever Quality Questions

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  • thperez1972

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    This question applies to forged receivers, not billet receivers. As I understand it, there are a few places that forge the receivers. Those are then sold to different companies that turn them into a mil-spec receiver, sometimes for different companies. But at the end of the day, a quality mil-spec receiver does the same thing an another quality mil-spec receiver. With that being said, what makes an Aero Precision lower more expensive than a Palmetto State Armory lower? I use those two because, as I understand it, AP makes the PSA lowers.

    I've built a number of AR platform rifles and pistols. My "go-to" lower has always been Anderson. I like mil-spec as a base and modifying from there. I have a couple of builds in mind so I'm starting to look at parts. My first thought was to go with an Aero upper and lower, specifically the M4E1 Stripped Lower Receiver and the M4E1 Enhanced Upper Receiver. That's $220 for the upper and lower. Primary Arms has the Anderson lowers for $30 right now. So why spend the money on one lower when I can get three for close to the same price? And I can get two Anderson uppers for the price of one Aero upper. Granted, I lose some of the non-mil-spec extras but from a durability standpoint, am I missing something?

    I get the "you get what you pay for" when it comes to trigger groups or barrels or optics. But as long as the part that holds them is mil-spec, is the extra money going toward a higher quality product or toward a different roll mark?
     

    Request Dust Off

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    I think price difference is different business models, marketing strategies and just the timing of fluctuations in the market. To the point that I think blem sales are often an excuse to move inventory instead of calling it a 'we need cash flow sale' or 'we bought too many sale'. Possibly it is if we sell a lower @ cost we make enough off of everything else to make payroll sale.

    Biggest difference in an 'average lower' is the finish. Other than appearance, holes in spec or not and magwell being drop-free or not there is no functional difference. The seam down the middle could be considered functional if nasty enough IMHO. Even looseness/tightness between upper/lower is not suppose to matter, even though it can be annoying.

    I did see an article where the upper made more of a difference that a lower as far as accuracy due to flex. But it may not have been a milspec upper and I believe other factors beside stiffness come into play.
     
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    noob

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    Mike pretty much said what I wanted to. Realistically when talking "in-spec" lowers, the difference will really be finish. Some will grind down the seams, some will do an internal "flare" to the magwell etc. And some will have a nicer coating.
     

    Sulzer

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    You are correct in that at the end of the day one milspec lower will function as a trigger/mag holder the same as another. I would guess at least 90% of the forged receivers produced come from 10 or less OEMs, some of who also sell consumer direct like Aero and Anderson and some who don't. The variance cusomer, say Palmetto has a variance for Aero to produce receivers for them, can spec the final parts choosing to remove some or all flashing, flare degree of mag well, exterior side/corner/feature finishing, ambi features, threaded bolt catch/takedown detent holes, tolerances, media for blasting before ano which determines the texture and appearance of the finish, anodizing dye color, andozing build-up, certification on the ano, markings and placement, etc. This extra stuff, besides pre-ano media choice and dye color, add to the cost of your final product. Quantity also plays a role in your cost. At the end of the day a business needs to at bare minimum cover all of its cost from cost of goods sold, overhead and any other liabilities or it will fail. Pricing is really dependant on what the market will bear for your brand. So if you need to charge a higher price to cover your cost and make a little profit or want to cover your cost and make a large profit then you need your brand to deliver a tangible or intangible advantage versus the available substitutes. You can do this through marketing (yeti v. rtic) or through quality and finish (hipoint v glock). So, it's your business model that sets your price and the market determines if that price is sustainable or not. This is seen is almost every competitive market, i.e. Chevy v. Ford, Polo v. Tommy Hilfiger, Tylenol v. Equate, IPhone v. Galaxy, the list goes on.Also, a lot of retailers are still shedding inventory right now to pay their creditors for bad bets on the election results. So, just because company X is selling something for a certain price doesn't mean they are making any money. In other words, not a sustainable business model but necessary to generate cash flow to pay their liabilities. $29.99 lowers, not counting FFL and shipping, was unheard of pre-Nov2016, even under Bush. My advice, but 'em cheap and stack'em deep.

    TLDR: The answer to why one company can sell a similar product for more than another would require a pretty in-depth economic study on consumer preference within the market. But, you are correct that if you sample a TDP spec'd receiver from 2 different companies they should function the exact same, that's the reason for the spec. It's the extra effort that gets a company more money per unit, which may or may not translate to more profit.
     
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    topgunz1

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    The last (and only) anderson's I bought a year or so ago didn't have the pistol grip screw threaded completely, necessitating a shorter than typical screw. The one I built also had a tight bolt catch slot that needed some light filing to work smoothly. Minor issues, but none of these were problems on other lowers I've built that cost a few bucks more.
     

    topgunz1

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    The enhanced forged Aero lowers at Deep South Shooters looked great, I like the built in trigger guard and the tapped bolt catch pin hole.
     

    thperez1972

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    The last (and only) anderson's I bought a year or so ago didn't have the pistol grip screw threaded completely, necessitating a shorter than typical screw. The one I built also had a tight bolt catch slot that needed some light filing to work smoothly. Minor issues, but none of these were problems on other lowers I've built that cost a few bucks more.

    The enhanced forged Aero lowers at Deep South Shooters looked great, I like the built in trigger guard and the tapped bolt catch pin hole.

    Yes, those lowers look great. But for me, looks take a back seat to function in terms of value. The yapped bolt catch pin hole is nice but I typically install the bolt catch only once so the minor convenience doesn't justify the 2-3x the cost. The trigger guard is nice but, again, not worth it to me when I can can add one for $10-15 that matches whatever furniture color I choose. But that's just my personal preference.

    And I can understand your feelings based on your initial impression of Anderson. I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I got a dud regardless of the brand.

    My next build will be a 300BLK pistol to go with a can that's in NFA jail right now. I'm considering an 8.5" or 10.5" barrel with a 9" or 12" Aero Precision Handguard. I can get the handguard for a standard upper but the barrel nut has shims so it can be timed. I can see the value in the enhanced Aero upper because the handguard attachment is forged with the upper and pre-timed.
     
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