Who makes AR upper and lowers more detail

[mac1911]

Theres plenty of talk about who makes stripped uppers and lowers for who.

Most lowers are made from castings, No?
Who makes those castings?
How much machine work is done before they get to Stag, bush, RRA S&W ect ect.
Do they buy 10% 50% 80% machined casts?
So far I have owned 3 different brand lowers Stag, S&W, bushmaster. I did not see any stand out differences. Nor did I break out the calipers. Although when checking out my friends Oly arms lower he has his 22lr upper mounted 2 I did notice some really rough areas inside the reciever and the mag well had a rough texture to it, which shows on his mags as some heavy scratchy wear.

so are these cast lowers made in south america like the amscor 1911 and auto ordinace 1911s then machined here???????

 

[m4bushy]

They are forgings not castings. Some companys machine them from a billet too. I can't speak for all companys but Bushmaster's subcontractors get a raw forging and machine it complete.

 

[mac1911]

thank you for the correction, that is what I meant to write

 

[Gammon]

They are forgings not castings. Some companys machine them from a billet too. I can't speak for all companys but Bushmaster's subcontractors get a raw forging and machine it complete.

Both forging and casting are used to make lowers. I believe Stag makes their own forged lower. I have one which I love. I also have a couple of DPMS cast lowers. To be honest I can't tell the difference between cast and forged, despite the fact that I prefer forged.

 

[m4bushy]

Both forging and casting are used to make lowers. I believe Stag makes their own forged lower. I have one which I love. I also have a couple of DPMS cast lowers. To be honest I can't tell the difference between cast and forged, despite the fact that I prefer forged.

there should be a difference according to this link http://www.olyarms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=42 i have personally never seen a cast lower, from the little googleing i did, olympic arms plinkers made in the 1980's and some early m16's were cast.

 

[Gammon]

there should be a difference according to this link http://www.olyarms.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=42 i have personally never seen a cast lower, from the little googleing i did, olympic arms plinkers made in the 1980's and some early m16's were cast.

There are a lot more cast lowers out there than you think. Both of my DPMS lowers are cast, one was made around 1980 and the other, a SS version, in the late 1990's. When I said I couldn't tell the difference, I meant in fit and performance. Close examination of a cast lower will reveal "casting marks" slight imperfections and wrinkles in the surface. Forged lowers are smoother because the metal is forced into a die under pressure, preventing the casting type imperfections. The Oly Arms link was basically a commercial for their forged lowers; heavily biased in favor of their product.

 

[m4bushy]

There are a lot more cast lowers out there than you think. Both of my DPMS lowers are cast, one was made around 1980 and the other, a SS version, in the late 1990's. When I said I couldn't tell the difference, I meant in fit and performance. Close examination of a cast lower will reveal "casting marks" slight imperfections and wrinkles in the surface. Forged lowers are smoother because the metal is forced into a die under pressure, preventing the casting type imperfections. The Oly Arms link was basically a commercial for their forged lowers; heavily biased in favor of their product.

Is anyone still producing cast recievers?