Anderson AR 15 Lower Receivers

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

O4L

Sharpshooter
Staff Member
Special Hen Moderator Moderator
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
14,534
Reaction score
18,608
Location
Shawnee
What some see as snobbery is actually a position based on facts rather than feelings and isolated experiences. When someone says "they work just as well as any comparable piece" you have to look at that entire statement. Yes, Anderson products will work just as well as a Palmetto product. They will not work just as well as a BCM, SOLGW, etc. YMMV is truer than you know. If you want something better than hobby grade, try Aero precision.
Please tell us why the lowers you named work better.

I'm always interested in learning something new about firearms.

At this time I only have two lowers, one of them is an Andersen with the built in trigger guard that I put together with an Andersen LPK, and the other is a Bushmaster that was complete when I bought it.

Both of them function just fine. I would like to put in better triggers at some point.
 

Surveyor1653

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
2,017
Reaction score
18
Location
Looking for the lumens
Please tell us why the lowers you named work better.

I'm always interested in learning something new about firearms.

At this time I only have two lowers, one of them is an Andersen with the built in trigger guard that I put together with an Andersen LPK, and the other is a Bushmaster that was complete when I bought it.

Both of them function just fine. I would like to put in better triggers at some point.

You want the whole list, or just the top ten?

Final machining leaving burs and other deformities in mag wells, trigger pockets, trigger holes, etc.

Trigger guard roll pin holes misaligned and out of diameter.

Hammer pin holes misaligned and out of diameter.

Trigger pin holes misaligned and out of diameter.

Bolt latch gap out of spec.

Buffer retaining pin hole to incorrect depth.

...and that's just their lowers. Their other parts are just as hit or miss and are well documented by professional armorers and people carrying guns for a living. I've built three sequentially numbered Anderson lowers. One required KNS pins because the trigger and hammer pin holes were out of spec. I know because I used pins from 3 different parts kits to try to find a fit. The second had multiple burs in the mag well and trigger hole.

Buy a 40 dollar receiver, you get 40 dollar finish machining, finishes, and QC. Buy an Aero, BCM, SOLGW, MEGA, or others and you get the quality that those who don't know better THINK they're getting from Palmetto and Anderson. They simply aren't "just as good" as those which cost more.

Oh, and before somebody jumps in with "the forgings all come from the same place", know this: the Palmettos and Andersons of the world aren't selling you a lower they got like that. They're selling you a lower made from a rough forging that they either finish machined and coated themselves, or a reject from another manufacturer.

They're bitter pills, but it's medicine what's good for you, nonetheless.
 

O4L

Sharpshooter
Staff Member
Special Hen Moderator Moderator
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
14,534
Reaction score
18,608
Location
Shawnee
You want the whole list, or just the top ten?

Final machining leaving burs and other deformities in mag wells, trigger pockets, trigger holes, etc.

Trigger guard roll pin holes misaligned and out of diameter.

Hammer pin holes misaligned and out of diameter.

Trigger pin holes misaligned and out of diameter.

Bolt latch gap out of spec.

Buffer retaining pin hole to incorrect depth.

...and that's just their lowers. Their other parts are just as hit or miss and are well documented by professional armorers and people carrying guns for a living. I've built three sequentially numbered Anderson lowers. One required KNS pins because the trigger and hammer pin holes were out of spec. I know because I used pins from 3 different parts kits to try to find a fit. The second had multiple burs in the mag well and trigger hole.

Buy a 40 dollar receiver, you get 40 dollar finish machining, finishes, and QC. Buy an Aero, BCM, SOLGW, MEGA, or others and you get the quality that those who don't know better THINK they're getting from Palmetto and Anderson. They simply aren't "just as good" as those which cost more.

Oh, and before somebody jumps in with "the forgings all come from the same place", know this: the Palmettos and Andersons of the world aren't selling you a lower they got like that. They're selling you a lower made from a rough forging that they either finish machined and coated themselves, or a reject from another manufacturer.

They're bitter pills, but it's medicine what's good for you, nonetheless.
That doesn't exactly explain why they don't "work" as well as others.

Any manufactured part can be out of spec and have qc problems.

I understand you get what you pay for, but I thought from your statement of them not working as well, meant you had some new revelation we had not heard before.

I guess it depends on your definition of "work". Mine work just fine. I guess I got lucky.


My bad.
 

Podman

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Nov 6, 2010
Messages
748
Reaction score
220
Location
Claremore
I've used several different brands of lowers and they are all mostly the same except for the logos on them. I like Spikes logos the best. Like the Punisher or Spider. But they don't shoot any better! I have used
Anderson lowers from Fatboys and they are fine.
 

tRidiot

Perpetually dissatisfied
Special Hen
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
19,521
Reaction score
12,712
Location
Bartlesville
I've used several different brands of lowers and they are all mostly the same except for the logos on them. I like Spikes logos the best. Like the Punisher or Spider. But they don't shoot any better! I have used
Anderson lowers from Fatboys and they are fine.

Dueling penii... no thx. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

I've use a ton of Anderson lowers. Built probably a dozen or so guns out of them, and have probably a half-dozen or so waiting to be built. I can't think of any specific problems I have had that required anything special - not a single one. Functionally, they have been perfect for me. Aesthetically, they are a basic lower with no fancy stuff. I do like the ones with the integrated trigger guard, as that is the first thing I always change on a new gun and this saves me another $15-30 from buying a drop-in winter trigger guard that is plastic from Magpul or a billet one from Seekins or someone. That's not a huge factor in the overall building of a rifle for me, but it's a nice little plus on a cheap lower.
 

Glock_21

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Messages
465
Reaction score
39
Location
Somewhere in the Matrix
Dueling penii... no thx. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

I've use a ton of Anderson lowers. Built probably a dozen or so guns out of them, and have probably a half-dozen or so waiting to be built. I can't think of any specific problems I have had that required anything special - not a single one. Functionally, they have been perfect for me. Aesthetically, they are a basic lower with no fancy stuff. I do like the ones with the integrated trigger guard, as that is the first thing I always change on a new gun and this saves me another $15-30 from buying a drop-in winter trigger guard that is plastic from Magpul or a billet one from Seekins or someone. That's not a huge factor in the overall building of a rifle for me, but it's a nice little plus on a cheap lower.


I also like the integrated trigger guard lowers. I hate installing the pin. I always cringe when driving that one in, even though it's properly supported. I've never broken off an ear on a lower (knock on wood), but I know it's possible.
 

Permanent37

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
973
Reaction score
66
Location
Moore
Still waiting on someone with a 2k+ noveske, BCM, etc to come to the range and show me how his gun will "work" better than any other AR...I own some of those(favorite being my PWS) and I see why people buy them but none of my nicer guns will do anything my Anderson lower rocking AR's can't.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tou860

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Dec 12, 2014
Messages
249
Reaction score
47
Location
Northeast Oklahoma
I am still searching, but if it functions as a AR 15 lower receiver, I rather save my money for a red dot/scope, sights, and accessories. I want to build an M4 lookalike and then I want to have a 18 inch SPR type. Then the rest of the money is all going towards ammo! I need to go check out Fat Boy Tactical sometime in the next week or so and then go have a range day and report back. I am still waiting on some parts for my AR Pistol.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom