Custom Engraved AR15 Lower Receivers

The Ultimate AR-15 Lower Receiver Buying Guide

When it comes to picking out an AR15 lower receiver for engraving or customizing, there are a lot of different things to consider.  Whether this is your first build, or your 100^th, the decisions never get easier it seems.  With the wide array of lowers available on the market today, the choices can seem to be infinite and to the novice, the differences between the budget lower and the high end lower may not be apparent.  Let us jump into some of the main features of the AR-15 lower receiver and why you may or may not want to pony up the big bucks for them.

Materials

To start, there are several different materials ranging from the standard anodized aluminum, to polymer, carbon fiber, nylon with brass inserts, and even exotics like titanium and magnesium.  There are many factors to deciding what you want to go with.  Generally, the polymer and nylon are a bit cheaper, and we have seen some impressive flexing from nylon lowers.  Since the lower really only houses the magazine and trigger group, you can get away with some softer materials here, but we generally stay away from the nylon/polymer lowers just because they are not as durable as their metal counterparts.  Our only experience with carbon fiber lowers was not a good one, it cracked with only a minor torque on the receiver, so we don’t recommend them.  The few ounces you save in weight are simply not worth the loss in durability.  On the other end of the spectrum are the exotics, such as magnesium, titanium, and lithium.  These are all very light weight and durable materials, a few of the magnesium receivers have reinforced places on them such as around the fire group pins, etc….  These receivers are usually premium, and come with an appropriate price tag.  All in all, there are a ton of options here, and usually if you stick to larger name companies that are making mil-spec receivers, parts should be pretty interchangeable and work well together.

Forged VS Milled
One of the age old debates is whether there is a difference between forged and milled AR lower receivers.  Forged lowers are taken from castings and then forged into their blanks. The forging process is known to increase the strength of the receiver.  The downside to forging is there are only a few forges making lower receivers blanks, so they generally are all the same or very close since most manufacturers are buying forged blanks.  This can also mean in times of panic buying, forged receivers are hard to get since only a few places are making the blanks.  Milled lower receivers are generally a little bit more blocky looking, as they are being milled out of a block of material.  This allows for some variation in style and looks since anybody with a CNC can mill out their own design.  Most unique and high end lower receivers will be milled, since they are adding special features or curves that forged lowers can’t incorporate due to the limited offerings of forged receivers.  Bottom line, as long as you are sticking with a well known manufacturer you should not have any issues.  In the situations most of us use our ARs in, the difference between a forged and milled lower will never matter.

Coatings

Trigger Guard

Buffer Tubes

Ambidextrous Features

Upper Tensioning Adjustment Screw

Rear Takedown Pin Detent Screw

In closing, we hope you have found some thoughtful information in this guide to AR15 lower receivers to be helpful.  One thing is for sure, there is an endless market for innovation and accessories for “America’s Rifle” that are sure to make it more functional for your specific application, and we hope you will consider starting off your next build with one of our custom engraved lower receivers for the ultimate project.  Happy Shooting!