AR15 Parts Opinions

[BrownDog]

I hope the old saying that "There no such thing as a stupid question" holds true because I kind of feel silly asking.

I have done searches on this topic and the general answer is to "buy the best parts that you can afford", however no one mentions "who" makes the best parts.

I want to purchase some spare parts, a field repair kit, a spare bolt and carrier. But who or where would I purchase from?

Visually one manufactures part looks like any other manufacturer's part. Springs all look alike .

Any opinions?

 

[jeremy]

Boy is this going to be a can of worms...

 

[esrice]

You might want to start by reading this: So you want to buy an AR-15, huh?

That should give you some idea of what to look for in a "quality" part.

 

[LLDJR]

Valid question for a newb, I will build my next AR and will study prices and I guess I already have "names" that I like and will prefer to obtain their products

 

[shooter521]

With lower parts kits, many times it is impossible to determine the actual manufacturer, as many companies simply re-sell parts from the same sources. That said, buy from a reputable brand or company so that if there is a problem, they are more likely to take care of you and make it right.

Rock River Arms, CMMG, Daniel Defense, Brownells and Bravo Company are all on my short list, in no particular order. I might also suggest sourcing said lower parts kits from an INGO Advertiser like Indiana Supply Depot, Palmetto State Armory, or Bradis Guns.

 

[BrownDog]

With lower parts kits, many times it is impossible to determine the actual manufacturer, as many companies simply re-sell parts from the same sources. That said, buy from a reputable brand or company so that if there is a problem, they are more likely to take care of you and make it right.

Rock River Arms, CMMG, Daniel Defense, Brownells and Bravo Company are all on my short list, in no particular order. I might also suggest sourcing said lower parts kits from an INGO Advertiser like Indiana Supply Depot, Palmetto State Armory, or Bradis Guns.

Thanks for the information. By the limited responses, I almost feel like I'm asking for everybody's secret moonshine recipe. Is this a "not to ask topic"?

 

[Silvertree]

People tend to get a little worked up over the topic. "Best" is a very subjective term. Are you basing "best" on quality? Price? Availability?

Shooter and esrice gave some good advice. As far as actual manufacturers you can't go wrong with Troy, Daniel Defense, Larue, BCM, or Noveske. All of them make quality parts, but definitely not the cheapest.

 

[esrice]

Thanks for the information. By the limited responses, I almost feel like I'm asking for everybody's secret moonshine recipe. Is this a "not to ask topic"?

It's just a topic that people tend to feel strongly about, as many people have differing opinions.

And, honestly, there is some amount of "mystery" involved, as there are only a handful of parts suppliers out there that supply lots of different manufactures. Someone may hate Company A and really like Company B, only to find out that they both get their parts from Company C. These cases tend to boil down to the quality control within the different companies though.

As for a BCG, I'd recommend BCM without reservation. I'm sure there are other good ones out there, but I'm not specifically familiar with them.

 

[Ryno]

Great thread, great information. Bookmarked the link. I'll share It with others. Really liking some of the new Troy stuff. Have several of their pieces on one of my carbines.

 

[malern28us]

There are just too many possibilities and hard not to be biased one way or the other. You will find that people usually have the most problems with certain suppliers.

 

[rfontes]

for a field repair kit & bcg, delton and dpms are good quality@ affordable prices. try bravo company or midway, they have customer reviews of all their products to help the choosing process, both sites have similar prices on their products.

 

[junglerogue]

For those starting their first builds or who have no experience with an AR, I would definitely suggest going for a more affordable brand the first time around. With normal use and proper cleaning procedures, one will almost never wear out the affordable parts. Those who either use their AR for work related reasons or who have excess income to burn, will benefit from the high end parts. Just my .02.

 

[BrownDog]

It's just a topic that people tend to feel strongly about, as many people have differing opinions.

And, honestly, there is some amount of "mystery" involved, as there are only a handful of parts suppliers out there that supply lots of different manufactures. Someone may hate Company A and really like Company B, only to find out that they both get their parts from Company C. These cases tend to boil down to the quality control within the different companies though.

As for a BCG, I'd recommend BCM without reservation. I'm sure there are other good ones out there, but I'm not specifically familiar with them.

BCM is one that I have been looking at. I wanted to learn from the experience of others. I didn't want to make unnecsessary purchases or spend more than I had to. Your observation about company A,B, and C is exactly one of my concerns, why spend more than I have to when the parts all come from the same place.

I'm looking for quality, price and availiblity.

Will Rogers said “There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”

I just didn't want to be one of those that had to pee on the fence.

 

[troy28]

I would check out Spikes Tactical for parts and the BCG. I ended up upgrading my BCG to an enhanced one and now use the OEM BCG as my back up.

Spikes specializes in the AR platform, and have a lot of first hand knowledge/experience. I really like them due to their customer service and willingness to stand behind their product. IMO they also offer equipment that is quality at cost conscious prices.

NO they are not the only place to shop but, worth checking out their site or giving them a call. They are really good on the phone if you don't see exactly what you want on the site.

.223 - 5.56 : Spikes Tactical

 

[mvician]

While A and B may get their stuff from C, C makes parts
for A to specs wanted by A. Now let's say B orders the
"same" part, but adds additional HP and MPI to their specs, or narrower tolerances. So now are A and B the "same" just because they were both made by C?

 

[esrice]

While A and B may get their stuff from C, C makes parts
for A to specs wanted by A. Now let's say B orders the
"same" part, but adds additional HP and MPI to their specs, or narrower tolerances. So now are A and B the "same" just because they were both made by C?

This is also very true, and adds to the "mystery" I referenced above.

 

[Zero_ek]

I plan to try out one of Bravo company usa's uppers in the future. I've heard a lot of good things about them.

 

[Redemption]

I've used Bravo complete uppers on the last 2 builds and they are Colt quality without the price.
Lowers are lowers for the most part but Spikes, RRA and DPMS are good to go. Stay away from anything with Olympic in the name or Blackthorne or Hesse. Magpul anything is good. Lower parts kits are made by about 4 different companies and they all buy outsourced parts and so on...good ones from personal experience are J&T, Daniels Defense (Palmetto sells these) CMMG, DPMS. ARF.com is a wealth of info just waiting through which to be waded by the new AR owner or potential AR owner.

 

[Trickpony]

I like Bravo Company for the small stuff but for the competition type shooting that I do I also use John Holliger at White Oaks Armory. I like the LPK less trigger from White Oaks since I use Geissele triggers and the BCG at White Oaks is competitively priced. Their barrels are really nice too. Both have the parts you want and can get stuff to Indiana quick.
Good luck finding your parts.

 

[abnk]

I would only buy parts from Bravo Company USA. I'm sure there are others who sell quality parts, but I have had so many bad experiences that I'm not willing to experiment.

To clarify, Paul (BC owner) sells common market parts and parts he uses on his finished products so select wisely.