Are Anderson lowers that bad?

[TruthTellers]

I was watching a live chat on youtube last night and the discussion took a heated turn when Anderson lowers were brought up. The context was a young man in Florida under 21 wanted to know what he should buy before the age restriction on guns becomes law and AR lowers were one of the them.

One of the people in the chat vehemently opposed the use of Anderson lowers that they were "poor quality" and that Aero lowers were the best lower cost option.

Because I'm looking at buying several lowers thanks to the current climate on the AR right now, I had looked at Anderson lowers and wanted to know if they're total dumpster fires to avoid.

 

[Mobuck]

I'd say "someone" has some personal ideas of "quality" that may or may not be completely true.
I have several Anderson lowers (among 5 or 6 other brands) and really don't see an issue with Anderson.

 

[rickyrick]

I have several Anderson lowers and some other parts... I have no complaints.
That was back before the $29 lowers but they are just fine for a milspec lower.

I don’t like their triggers. But I have a few lowers and two barrels.

I thinks someone places value on roll marks.

I’d buy another lower again, but my gun shop that used to sell them closed.

 

[kymasabe]

There's lots of builds out there on Anderson lowers and i don't think I've ever heard a bad thing about them.

 

[TruthTellers]

There's lots of builds out there on Anderson lowers and i don't think I've ever heard a bad thing about them.

Yes, and the people in the chat said the issues they'd seen were the threads for the bolt that hold the pistol grip onto the lower have been bad and the channel for the bolt release. Also, that he had to use a file to put some of his together.

To me, if you have to take off some metal to get a good fit with mating parts, so long as they go together and work well, who cares?

Another person in the chat pulled out some of his lowers and said compared to Spikes lowers, there are "more burrs/sharp edges"

Another guy had brought up Colt's 100% QC on their lowers and that it was fully worth whatever price to get those 100% QC'd lowers from whoever does it.

I agree that if Anderson lowers had that bad a reputation it would be well known (like with polymer lowers) and people would avoid them. I don't think that the threads to attach the grip to are a dealbreaker if they're not perfect.

Also, I think if someone is going to buy an Anderson lower for $30-40, they're likely going to, and should, buy more than one and if they encounter issues with one lower, they have several extra to use and can return the bad one.

 

[Sevens]

I've only built two so far (yep, still have both and I'm keeping them!) and used Anderson for both. Only a single minor issue... there was a little schmutz left in the bottom of the pocket where the bolt stop sits. I hope I can paint a clear picture even without knowing the proper terms... I didn't think to check the bottom of this hole, there were aluminum shavings in it that I didn't see and remove, and it kept the bolt catch from engaging.

When it wouldn't work, removing the bolt catch and clearing shavings from the hole and reinstalling the catch was all that was needed.

The hole absolutely -WAS- drilled to spec, just had some shavings laying in the bottom. An annoyance that ultimately made me learn hands-on that I need to inspect rather than assume.

Simple Anderson stripped lowers, PSA uppers. The guns are runners!

 

[xandi]

I have one, only thing wrong is the pistol grip hole wasn’t tapped far enough, no big deal
I used some little washers I had laying around as a spacer. Problem solved
If I really wanted( and if I got more a few at a time) to I could buy tap and cut some threads

 

[jonnyc]

About to build my 3rd AR. Two on Andersons, with lots of PSA parts. No complaints from me.

 

[rickyrick]

I’ve heard about the threads, but mine were just fine.

Aero uppers fit them perfectly but the finishes are not the same for sure.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Anderson lowers are just fine.
The hatred comes from people that think price dictates quality, even though that is not the case.

And, the dislike comes from people like me. While I fully admit that Anderson lowers are perfectly serviceable, I also absolutely refuse to have a flamboyant pony prancing across the side of my AR.*


*Colt's pole-dancer included.

 

[marine6680]

I have read of issues from time to time with Anderson lowers.

A few out of spec ones, that caused issues during a build, some that needed replaced.

I do hear more than a few complaints about the finish quality being not as good, and less durable than others.


A lot of people have used them without issue though, I just recall more complaints about Anderson lowers than others. In general, I wouldn't say not to buy their lowers.

I do not recall ever hearing about an issue with an Aero lower, and while I have heard of issues with PSA lowers, its fairly rare. I am not actively looking for these things though, so I may have missed some info that would swing my perception.


Personally, I would go with Aero as the best "Under $100" lower available, followed by PSA lowers, then Anderson would be my last pick... Especially if I was buying them to stash away, and not build until much later. I would hate to find a bad lower after a long period with the potential for the company to not be in business, or a restriction being in place that would make replacement imposible.

PSA often is on sale for near Anderson pricing, but barring that, Anderson lowers are the lowest cost option for buying several to stash away.

 

[rickyrick]

It is cheesy that they chose a logo theme that’s already been kinda done.

 

[Sevens]

Cheesy though it may be... Anderson is located in northern Kentucky and the logo probably is a nod to the local thoroughbred horse racing culture and history.

I mean anyone is free to spew opinions but it smells a little like crap if the accusation is that they are attempting to look like Colt. That's merely me spewing another opinion.

 

[TruthTellers]

I have read of issues from time to time with Anderson lowers.

A few out of spec ones, that caused issues during a build, some that needed replaced.

I do hear more than a few complaints about the finish quality being not as good, and less durable than others.


A lot of people have used them without issue though, I just recall more complaints about Anderson lowers than others. In general, I wouldn't say not to buy their lowers.

I do not recall ever hearing about an issue with an Aero lower, and while I have heard of issues with PSA lowers, its fairly rare. I am not actively looking for these things though, so I may have missed some info that would swing my perception.


Personally, I would go with Aero as the best "Under $100" lower available, followed by PSA lowers, then Anderson would be my last pick... Especially if I was buying them to stash away, and not build until much later. I would hate to find a bad lower after a long period with the potential for the company to not be in business, or a restriction being in place that would make replacement imposible.

PSA often is on sale for near Anderson pricing, but barring that, Anderson lowers are the lowest cost option for buying several to stash away.

So if I'm going to build and AR within the next year, Anderson's are fine, but if I'm buying to do it much later, best to go Aero?

I'm not looking at building an AR until probably the end of the year, but depending on how things go with the elections, I'm not so sure if waiting until Oct-Dec is a good idea either given how people like to panic.

 

[marine6680]

In the end... Its your money... Your budget. You choose what fits your needs.


If I was just buying a couple lowers, I would go with Aero... I see them for $80 all the time. I can get them local for $90. They are very nice lowers, fit and finish on them is very good.

If I was buying a lot of lowers to stash away, I would buy PSA on sale at $50, you see them for that price from time to time. Their Blem (cosmetic blemish) lowers are quite often on sale at that price or a bit lower... Baring that, I would go with Anderson as a last choice.

Side by side, you can see the difference in quality between the three, at least as far as finish is concerned. The Anderson lowers are not as even and smooth with their anodizing, it feels a little gritty in the hand. I have only seen a handful first hand though... That was just the impression I got from my limited hands on time with them.

Same with Aero, I have seen a handful first hand.

I have seen many PSA lowers first hand. I own a couple as well...

My PSA lowers are pretty close to the Aero lowers I have seen. Really the only things that make the Aero better... You can easily tell the serial number on one of my PSAs was done after the rest of the roll mark was made... The SN on the other lower matches up better though. Also, both have very light tooling marks in the trigger area.

Very minor cosmetic points, that do not bother me... Otherwise both lowers are very nice. (The tooling marks are common on many lowers, even my BCM has them. It is from removing the forging flashing/seam)

The Aero lowers I have seen, I did not see any tooling marks on them. And Aero's roll marking for the serial number is more even and matches the rest of the roll mark better.

Another thing Aero has that I think is a nice plus... They have a tensioning screw that allows you to adjust tension against the rear takedown pin lug, when the lower and upper are assembled. This reduces play, and allows the upper and lower to fit together with minimum movement. Some hate it if there is play between the receivers, so this is a nice feature.

Also, they use pictogram markings for the safety, rather than words, which I find more pleasing aesthetically... but functionally isn't important.

Fun fact... Colt doesn't even bother removing the forging seam/flashing and smoothing the area. The seam is very prominent in the trigger area, and the rear area of the receiver on mine.

 

[SDF880]

Have 4 here and NO issues!

 

[Ibmikey]

I have built eight or ten AR’s on Anderson lowers for my.self and friends, all are chucking out empty brass by the truckload ( well maybe a slight exaggeration). I just finished a personal build and the only receiver I had on hand was an Anderson ( I prefer Aero) everything went together just fine and I now have a Belgian Brown AR to shoot rocks and tin cans.

 

[GeorgeandSugar]

I have four. The fit was tight. I am happy. I know of the other two brands mentioned, but have not tried. I might in the future.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[timpierce]

I have bought 16 Anderson lowers for builds. I once had to knock a burr of the bolt catch slot. Took maybe 3 seconds. I have used many different brands of mil spec parts as well as upgraded parts and never had a problem. They work well with all uppers I have used. They are high quality for the cost, and compare well to spikes and others.

 

[marine6680]

^^ And those guys are examples of success. Which is definitely the norm with Anderson.

The chance of an issue with an Anderson lower isn't very high, so likely there will never be an issue.

My statements above are made from a mindset of risk minimization, for purchasing multiple lowers to stash away... But we are talking small differences in rate of failure, with the caveat in regards to the finish... The finish is what it is...