I have Colts, Daniel Defense, and LMT black rifles and they all run superbly, and all of these brands have a reputation as being tier 1 rifles. I don't have a complete BCM rifle but they are also held in very high regard. I'd also say Knights Armament but I've never felt the need to spend the extra salad for one.
Forging houses and machining are two different processes, usually done by different facilities under different management. My understanding is that several of the forging houses that do AR receivers will sell raw or semi-raw forgings to just about anyone who is willing to place a serious PO, but machining it is then up to the buyer.
Machining can be anything from Mega Arms, which does their own line as well as some private labels, to a boutique custom rifle builder, to whatever shop PSA contracts to do their next run.
Then anodizing is usually carried out by a contractor, because that's a huge process that is most economical when the shop does massive volumes and focuses on doing what it does best. There is substantial variability in quality of process controls. It's also possible to DIY anodizing with some buckets of muriatic acid solution from Home Depot, a heavy duty battery charger, and your choice of Rit dye. Just make sure you have good ventilation and dispose of the chemicals properly...
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There are 2 types of lowers; billet lowers made from a single block of aluminum by removing metal and lowers made from a cast of aluminum in a forge bu pouring liquid aluminium and then removing the extra bits.Originally Posted by BigD
I don't know of anyone that made a billet lower prior to CNC so I don't know if it was just too labor intensive to be worth it or impossible with the tools prior to CNC but they are a more recent trend because of CNC. Any billet lower you see is made 100% in house by whoever makes that lower. I am not aware of anyone making those and then having them finished by a different maker.
As far as the ones made from a cast I think there are more than 3 now but no idea how many and I don't think it's a very large number.
You should work to understand cast vs forged better.
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Not one mention of LWRCI in the mix. I stole one of the DI rifles when sales had tanked and they lowered their wholesale. The LGS passed on the savings. For $1082 (vs the previous $1489) I jumped on it. Put a VG6 on it, SSA-E, and an Aimpoint Pro. Ran it through 2 Suarez international classes and countless smaller outings with zero issues. The completely ambi lower is fantastic for weapon manipulations on the offside shoulder. Love the light weight of the spiral fluted barrel. Scoped, it has yielded half to three quarter MOA.
Yeah this isn't correct bro.
All of it is incorrect or only part of it?
Forging and casting are not the same thing.
I thought the were cast because whenever I've seen the raw ones there was a seam that made me think there was a mold used.
A forged AR15 lower is essentially a block of high grade aluminum that is super heated, and then hammered into the rough shape of a lower receiver. The forging process hammers the molecules of the aluminum together, thus making it stronger.
It’s like a blacksmith heating a lump of iron in a forge and beating it into the shape of a finished product like a horseshoe. Only the Heated aluminum block is hit by a massive industrial hammer with a die in the shape of an AR forging.
The forging in the rough shape of a lower receiver is then machined to the final dimensions of the finished receiver.
Last edited by HCM; 08-06-2020 at 11:15 AM.
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