what to look for in a lower.

darkvesperia

When building an AR what type of things should I look for in a lower. I already have an idea of what to look at in an upper.

Secondly do both halves require FFL transfer?

dcs shooters

Buy your lower from one of the "NAME" manufacturers.
Only the lower has to be registered, it is the part that the serial number.

Wehrmacht_45

Only the lower requires a FFL.

If you are going for a stripped, bare bones lower, then anything that is forged will be just fine. Most caompanies farm out their lowers to a few other machining and forging companies.

Superior, Rock River, Olympic, Armalite, and about every other qulity AR maker usually sells a bare lower. This is the only part you need a FFL to get.

JustC

there are 3 major companies that provide the raw forgings. The company who's name is on them does the final machining and stamping. This is fresh info from a search I have been conducting over the last few weeks. Most all are "mil-spec" and will be almost identical in tolernaces, with the slightly more expensive having a better fit and finish.

givette

A little on the pricey side, but the LRB reputation speaks for itself. You won't be getting an "out of spec" receiver from LRB. Best, Joe

Here's the auction link. Good Luck!
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=111398755

shooter10

I suggest Stag. High quality and have built for others such as Smith and Wesson. You asked "what things should I look for in a lower" and to me there is one big answer: trigger. Most come with the single stage which is your common battle rifle trigger. But...many precision shooters opt for the two stage. If you look on the Stag internet site, you can see the different lowers they make. And there you will see their new Varminter Model 6. I think that is the only rifle they fit with the two stage.