Would you buy a polymer AR lower receiver?
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5,425 Posts
An AR Lower of polymer can be extremely good quality with strength. However, I would not expect it to keep that strength during a 50 year period whether it's fired or not. A glass reinforced polymer will quite likely be good for about 50 years or more.
Carbon fiber base polymers - well, plan on your lifetime and your grandchildren's lifetime.
So, the only questions are: 1) how long do you plan on having the carbine 'in service' and reliable? 2) How many test rounds and practice rounds will you expect to place through it 3) how much are you willing to have it weigh, and lastly, 4) how much money are you willing to spend on it with ammo?
The military uses a combination of these questions and the reality is that AR's in the military are pretty much destroyed after two-five years of service and some are sold off (i.e. Fast and Furious). For the military - weight is everything.
High quality, glass reinforced polymers are the only way to go for light weight. Best long term combination is the best polymers for the light duty areas and quality steel for the working parts. With a really nice lower, you can mate any upper and your barrel and feed in the upper need to be of very high quality steel.
Carbon fiber base polymers - well, plan on your lifetime and your grandchildren's lifetime.
So, the only questions are: 1) how long do you plan on having the carbine 'in service' and reliable? 2) How many test rounds and practice rounds will you expect to place through it 3) how much are you willing to have it weigh, and lastly, 4) how much money are you willing to spend on it with ammo?
The military uses a combination of these questions and the reality is that AR's in the military are pretty much destroyed after two-five years of service and some are sold off (i.e. Fast and Furious). For the military - weight is everything.
High quality, glass reinforced polymers are the only way to go for light weight. Best long term combination is the best polymers for the light duty areas and quality steel for the working parts. With a really nice lower, you can mate any upper and your barrel and feed in the upper need to be of very high quality steel.
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1,471 Posts
NO!
You can't take a part designed to made of aluminum and make it from plastic and expect it to work well. It would need to be about 40 percent thicker and beefed up even more in high stress areas which they are not.
A Glock works because it was designed for the materials used.
You could not make a 1911 frame and slide from plastic and expect it to work and hold up the same as steel (or aluminum), same with the AR receiver.
And for what? To save a few ounces and a few dollars? If you are that hard up to save maybe AR's aren't really for you.
You can't take a part designed to made of aluminum and make it from plastic and expect it to work well. It would need to be about 40 percent thicker and beefed up even more in high stress areas which they are not.
A Glock works because it was designed for the materials used.
You could not make a 1911 frame and slide from plastic and expect it to work and hold up the same as steel (or aluminum), same with the AR receiver.
And for what? To save a few ounces and a few dollars? If you are that hard up to save maybe AR's aren't really for you.
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326 Posts
I think the question shoudl have been asked who has personal EXPERIENCE with polymer lowers and there quality.
I know a few folks who own them. The one that I will note here is a 07/02 friend who converted a bushmaster to FA 8 or more years ago and uses it for demos. He has fired countless thousands of rounds and it is still fine.
What most people fail to understand is the LOWER does not take much in the way of stress or wear.
I know a few folks who own them. The one that I will note here is a 07/02 friend who converted a bushmaster to FA 8 or more years ago and uses it for demos. He has fired countless thousands of rounds and it is still fine.
What most people fail to understand is the LOWER does not take much in the way of stress or wear.
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45,887 Posts
YES,
I bought a New Frontier lower about three weeks ago to put on an AR57 upper that I traded for. I have only fired about 200 rounds since I bought it so I cant really say how it will hold up. You can't really tell it is plastic with a quick look but when you pick it up and feel the weight, it is obvious.
With me putting it on the 5.7, I figured that it would not take a beating. I might change it out with a couple of AR's. every now and then. to test how it functions with a little more powerful caliber.
I know a lot of people talk bad about plastic and I have for years, but I am happy with the performance, as of right now, anyway. It still will now make be buy a Glock, though.
I bought a New Frontier lower about three weeks ago to put on an AR57 upper that I traded for. I have only fired about 200 rounds since I bought it so I cant really say how it will hold up. You can't really tell it is plastic with a quick look but when you pick it up and feel the weight, it is obvious.
With me putting it on the 5.7, I figured that it would not take a beating. I might change it out with a couple of AR's. every now and then. to test how it functions with a little more powerful caliber.
I know a lot of people talk bad about plastic and I have for years, but I am happy with the performance, as of right now, anyway. It still will now make be buy a Glock, though.
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1,223 Posts
Of course the lower only receives and retains the magazine, receives and retains the buttstock/grip & buffer and receives & retains the trigger/safety & fire control parts. None of those items listed are high stress items requiring high strength steel or aluminum to perform their functions. If the polymer lowers are made of a similar material as say glock pistols, I see no reason to poo-poo the idea.
A typical stripped AR lower made of cast aluminum: (Costs approx. $100 - $130)
![Gun Trigger Firearm Gun accessory]()
A typical AR lower with all the parts installed.
![Firearm Gun Trigger Airsoft Airsoft gun]()
Completely outfitted as shown with good metal parts the typical cost would be around $250. The complete polymer lowers at $100 seem almost too good to be true, and you know what they say about that.
A typical stripped AR lower made of cast aluminum: (Costs approx. $100 - $130)
A typical AR lower with all the parts installed.
Completely outfitted as shown with good metal parts the typical cost would be around $250. The complete polymer lowers at $100 seem almost too good to be true, and you know what they say about that.
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6,614 Posts
nope... I am a metal kind of guy.
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326 Posts
Nice pics. However unless we know exactly what caused each failure they are pointless. I have pics of many KB's from bad ammo to folks leaving their fancy laser bore sighters in the barrel.![]()
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6,137 Posts
Yes, I would. Probably should word it "will," because my next lower will be polymer.
The lower receiver was originally made of aluminum because it takes almost no stress. That role can be done successfully with a variety of plastics. The high stress parts have always been made of steel, and they still are.
Assuming that all polymers are the same is as silly as assuming that all metals are the same. Brass, iron, zinc, steel, aluminum, titanium, and probably many other metals have been used in firearms over the years. They are all different, but they are all acceptable for their own particular roles (though zinc perhaps should never have been used for anything).
There was a time when steel was the new material and people weren't sure it would hold up.
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The lower receiver was originally made of aluminum because it takes almost no stress. That role can be done successfully with a variety of plastics. The high stress parts have always been made of steel, and they still are.
Assuming that all polymers are the same is as silly as assuming that all metals are the same. Brass, iron, zinc, steel, aluminum, titanium, and probably many other metals have been used in firearms over the years. They are all different, but they are all acceptable for their own particular roles (though zinc perhaps should never have been used for anything).
There was a time when steel was the new material and people weren't sure it would hold up.
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1,159 Posts
I tried one and will not make the same mistake twice!
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