Polymer lowers

AWS

Retired PM Staff
I'm thinking about building a lightweight AR, is there much difference in weight between these and AL? Are they reliable??
 
I'll start by saying I've never had one. But, a stripped AL lower weighs very little to start with, and I never thought it would make enough difference to notice.
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARI'll start by saying I've never had one. But, a stripped AL lower weighs very little to start with, and I never thought it would make enough difference to notice.

that pretty much sums it up. poly weighs less, but not much less.

now where i noticed a difference was in very cold weather. a poly lower was not near as cold on the hand as al.
 
Reliable, yes. Huge weight savings, probably not. But ounces are pounds if you are buying the lightest of every item.
 
Everything you can shave weight on helps. I have one that is real light with a carbon fiber barrel. Thought about putting a polymer lower on it to shave a little more.
 
Here's a thread that may be of interest, AWS:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Lightweight-Parts-List-with-WEIGHTS-AR-15-/118-638524/

And another:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Lightweight-AR-Picture-Thread/118-527546/


Direct answer is, yes, by a few ounces on stripped lower weights. And, yes, ounces = pounds, eventually. The guys in the links above have played with a LOT of combinations to knock weight down, and some have played with balance and reliability too. Some are under 4 pounds with a functional weapon. Seems other than if you fall on it, drop it, throw it, or prefer to beat your quarry with the buttstock, the poly lowers works fine....even with the poly LPK's! The newer KE Arms KP-15 lower has been getting rave reviews for weight savings if you dont need an adjustable buttstock.

FWIW
 
Mine would be riding around on the back of a dirt bike, I think I'll leave things as they are.


Thanks for the reponses.
 
I've never used or owned a polymer before. About the only thing I'd consider a polymer lower for would be a dedicated .22LR build.

I know many of the polymer lowers from back in the day were prone to crack or break and were not very durable.

 
Back in the day Polymer lowers were junk and they had a tendency to crack where the buffer tube screws in. I had a friend swear by James Madison Tactical lowers not long ago, they have poly and poly that is carbon-infused. I picked up a couple but haven't tried them yet but they do look pretty good.
 
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I've got a few Omni tacticals and my only complaint is the take down pins can be tricky to get lined up and through. I would'nt want to fight that at night if I had an issue. Imo weight savings is not enough to warrant using one. I bought mine because everything else dried up and they were cheap.
 
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Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: pyscodogA friend had one and the front pin kept breaking. IIRC it happened several times.

a steel pin would have been an easy swap.


Sorry Slick I didn't word that correctly. It was the hole that broke not the pin. Sorry, my bad.
 
i have a carbon-15 that I bought for coyotes while scouting big game. IIRC its 3.9 pounds without mag or scope. It truly is light and handy, but far from a quality AR. It has killed a few coyotes.
 
Originally Posted By: AWSI'm thinking about building a lightweight AR, is there much difference in weight between these and AL? Are they reliable??

I still have the original Plum Crazy lower that I bought in 2012. I have used it for 22lr, 6.8 spc, Sabor Cat (30 cal Wildcat) , 556, and the list goes on. it's about 4.2 oz lighter than my other lowers. The only changes I've made is replacing the polymer takedown pins with aluminum takedown pins.


 
Originally Posted By: AWSI'm thinking about building a lightweight AR, is there much difference in weight between these and AL? Are they reliable??

in the family we have a selection of poly lowers built right now. calibers range from 5.56 to 458 socom. ive run my 450 bushmaster on one, probably stuffed about 70 rounds thru it.

were using the EP armory 80%'s, theyre affordable, available, and durable.

they use a glass filled nylon for their poly.

good friend of the family used to run one for 3-gun. said he wanted something both light and cheap that he could beat the living cr@p out of throwing it into the safety bins at the end of stages when switching firearms. said he ran it for multiple seasons and never managed to break it with that kind of abuse.


one thing to note - if you do build a poly - make sure you 100% use a KNS style anti walk trigger pin set. regular mil spec pins will not hold, and you will destroy your trigger pin holes mucho early without them.
 
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