When you aim to put your own AR-15 rifle together, you need a series of parts to create a fully-functioning weapon. You’ve got the upper stock, the barrel, the trigger and the magazine housing. Conventional wisdom tells us that all of the above parts should be of the highest quality if you want a rifle that offers good performance and accuracy, however, with quality parts like Anderson lower receivers available for less, does their use affect anything?
It’s an often-asked question, as people are always looking for ways to get better performance from their shooting spend while also saving a few bucks. So, let’s see whether the Anderson product is an adequate option for your AR15 project.
The Anderson Lower is ‘In Spec’
While an Anderson lower is available for just under 40 dollars, you might assume that it’s a lower-quality option that’s going to affect how well your weapon works. But is that really the case? We took some time to look at some of the more popular forums to see what the gun-buying community was saying about the product.
Here’s what one person said about the lower from Anderson – “When you get a more expensive lower, it’s normally made from high-quality materials, with different logos pressed into the metal. However, they don’t really offer much more than the Anderson product, as mine works perfectly. The only reason I’d be spending more would be for competition”.
This was a viewpoint that we saw echoed across the internet, too, as another person went on to say the following…”Generally speaking, your lower receiver isn’t much more than a glorified holder of parts. So long as the lower you use is ‘in-spec’ then it will have no effect whatsoever on the accuracy or functionality of the weapon”.
To be sure, we went on a few more forums to see what people across the country were saying, and we found more of the same, with another stating, “Lower receivers will either be in spec or not, and while a top-end receiver may be a smidgeon better in terms of tolerances, the vast majority of shooters would not be able to tell which lower they were using”.
Save Your Money & Invest In an Anderson Lower Today!
What is pretty evident from the research we carried out was that these super-affordable lowers created by Anderson are more than adequate for most people’s AR15 needs. They’re solid, they’re machined well within spec, and they do the job just as well as any other lower you’ll find.
As such, when aiming for the best possible result for your AR15 project, we’d perhaps recommend spending less on an lower receiver from Anderson, so you can spend more on the parts that do have a big bearing on how well your weapon works.
The truth is, you can spend hundreds of dollars on a lower receiver if you want to, but it’s going to give you little more than better aesthetics. Sure, there may be slight differences in tolerances, but to 99% of shooters, it’s not going to make a jot of difference.
So, it’s pretty clear – these nifty lowers represent something of a bargain, so why not start your AR15 plans with a part you know you can trust and won’t leave a big hole in your finances.