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Anderson Manufacturing good? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 4/7/2024 4:24:46 PM EDT
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LGS has some AR parts on the shelf. Where is Anderson on the quality scale? They have a variety of parts and some have decent prices. I'm looking at upper receivers and BCGs. The other brand they have a lot of is Aero Precision. Would that be preferable? |
They want you disarmed, because they know they are guilty of things for which they should be shot.
| Anderson is definitely GTG in my experience. Out of my 4 current rifles, two have Anderson lowers and 3 have their uppers. Have never purchased an entire rifle from them or a lower parts kit and such, so can't speak to that. |
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Originally Posted By panthermark: Stripped uppers and lowers? GTG (especially for the price). Can't say much about the rest either way, but i would assume you are better off spending a bit more cash on the bolt, barrel, and trigger anyway. I was looking at a stripped upper and BCG yesterday, but I am shopping generally. I am not in the position to buy tier 1 everything. I'm aiming for useful and economical on some things - but not junk. I just bought a good barrel on the EE, so I got that going for me. 
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They want you disarmed, because they know they are guilty of things for which they should be shot.
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Originally Posted By gearjammer351: I was looking at a stripped upper and BCG yesterday, but I am shopping generally. I am not in the position to buy tier 1 everything. I'm aiming for useful and economical on some things - but not junk. I just bought a good barrel on the EE, so I got that going for me. I would probably not get an Anderson BCG. Maybe give one of these a try without breaking the bank. Toolcraft or Microbest from PSA (or another vendor since I believe these are actual PSA bolts, although PSA owns Toolcraft....so who knows). https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-premium-5-56-nickel-boron-bcg-with-carpenter-158-bolt-5165449729.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-custom-full-auto-phosphate-bolt-carrier-group-by-microbest.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-carpenter-158-nitride-full-auto-bolt-carrier-group.html $89 with Free shipping |
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Originally Posted By panthermark: I would probably not get an Anderson BCG. Maybe give one of these a try without breaking the bank. Toolcraft or Microbest from PSA (or another vendor since I believe these are actual PSA bolts, although PSA owns Toolcraft....so who knows). https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-premium-5-56-nickel-boron-bcg-with-carpenter-158-bolt-5165449729.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-custom-full-auto-phosphate-bolt-carrier-group-by-microbest.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-carpenter-158-nitride-full-auto-bolt-carrier-group.html $89 with Free shipping Originally Posted By panthermark: Originally Posted By gearjammer351: I was looking at a stripped upper and BCG yesterday, but I am shopping generally. I am not in the position to buy tier 1 everything. I'm aiming for useful and economical on some things - but not junk. I just bought a good barrel on the EE, so I got that going for me. I would probably not get an Anderson BCG. Maybe give one of these a try without breaking the bank. Toolcraft or Microbest from PSA (or another vendor since I believe these are actual PSA bolts, although PSA owns Toolcraft....so who knows). https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-premium-5-56-nickel-boron-bcg-with-carpenter-158-bolt-5165449729.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-custom-full-auto-phosphate-bolt-carrier-group-by-microbest.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-carpenter-158-nitride-full-auto-bolt-carrier-group.html $89 with Free shipping I've had several people recommend Toolcraft BCGs, and they're not expensive; Microbest isn't a brand I'm familiar with, but the price is good. That's probably a good choice for my purposes. Thanks  I've been shopping around various places for parts, but I like the LGS and I try to buy stuff from them if they have what I want. |
They want you disarmed, because they know they are guilty of things for which they should be shot.
| I've only had minor issues with Anderson but this was 10 years ago. Everything still works all of these years later. My dad's rifle is an unknown upper on an Anderson lower I gave him as a gift about a decade ago. It works great still. I wouldn't know a out their barrels but their BCGs have survived light use in multiple builds. |
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Originally Posted By Moondog: Personally I have had zero functional issues with Anderson parts. I have a preference against MiM parts, and Anderson's triggers and hammers are MiM parts. The triggers and hammers are MIM parts made of S7. |
Can't never could 'til try came along.
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
R.I.P. to the EE
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
R.I.P. to the EE
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Originally Posted By Moondog: Personally I have had zero functional issues with Anderson parts. I have a preference against MiM parts, and Anderson's triggers and hammers are MiM parts. I recently bought one of their complete 16" uppers on sale at PA, the BCG gas key and extractor are MIM as well. Going to see how long it goes w/o cleaning.  
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i think they had issues early on with claiming milspec but other milspec parts would not always fit them , people take a long time to forget these things and the other half just parrot what they hear with zero personal experience , and then there are the snobs who paid a ridiculous amount for a gucci so they feel the need to dump on anything thats not as expensive , "any good" is relative , price range , use , application , availability i found a Anderson cheap , grabbed as a impulse , used it to build a very light rifle , i cant even recall a hiccup with it , its not a tack driver , but is more accurate than my farm gun PSA beater ,but full disclosure , i offer no quarter with the PSA , its been hurt multiple occasions , for instance forgot i threw it in the bed of the truck and piled a full load of firewood logs on top , ran over with tractor kind of stuff , been through 2 buffer tubes and 3 red dots and still kicking |
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Originally Posted By Migmaqman: i think they had issues early on with claiming milspec but other milspec parts would not always fit them , people take a long time to forget these things and the other half just parrot what they hear with zero personal experience , and then there are the snobs who paid a ridiculous amount for a gucci so they feel the need to dump on anything thats not as expensive , "any good" is relative , price range , use , application , availability i found a Anderson cheap , grabbed as a impulse , used it to build a very light rifle , i cant even recall a hiccup with it , its not a tack driver , but is more accurate than my farm gun PSA beater ,but full disclosure , i offer no quarter with the PSA , its been hurt multiple occasions , for instance forgot i threw it in the bed of the truck and piled a full load of firewood logs on top , ran over with tractor kind of stuff , been through 2 buffer tubes and 3 red dots and still kicking What were the issues with the receiver extensions? |
Can't never could 'til try came along.
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
R.I.P. to the EE
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
R.I.P. to the EE
We are the Knights who say Fuuuuu!
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Originally Posted By panthermark: I would probably not get an Anderson BCG. Maybe give one of these a try without breaking the bank. Toolcraft or Microbest from PSA (or another vendor since I believe these are actual PSA bolts, although PSA owns Toolcraft....so who knows). https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-premium-5-56-nickel-boron-bcg-with-carpenter-158-bolt-5165449729.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-custom-full-auto-phosphate-bolt-carrier-group-by-microbest.html $99 with Free shipping https://palmettostatearmory.com/toolcraft-logo-d-carpenter-158-nitride-full-auto-bolt-carrier-group.html $89 with Free shipping I picked up a discontinued damaged packaging bargain bin phosphated Anderson BCG at PA a while back. It looks awful because non contact areas werent polished out its chrome lined carrier and bolt. functions just fine but it's just a backup bolt to my Toolcraft one. I've had anderson lowers snd small parts before with no issues. It looks like they've continually improved their products so I wouldn't write them off. |
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| its been a while but i remember complaints like takedown pin holes , detent tunnels stuff along those lines ,but i havnt seen anything for a long while ,its like i said those that had issues have a hard time letting it go , i think their customer service during the time wasnt doing them any favors ,probably due to being overwhelmed |
| I bought an Anderson lower assembled and the trigger pins walk. It looks like the trigger is assembled properly. I've had it for ages though and never bothered to take it apart and fix it. |
What’s the difference between pancakes and a Mini-14? Pancakes hit the spot.-dvanblaricom
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I’ve not had good experiences with them. Complete gun that had a laundry list of problems, lowers with out of spec buffer detents. I’ll never know if they have some safe products, nor if they ever pull their shit together (which based on others recent posts they still haven’t). Not worth the risk to reward a company that’s sold me crap multiple times. |
https://instagram.com/_odiegreen_?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
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Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Stripped lowers/uppers and REs are solid, IME. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By -OdieGreen-: I’ve not had good experiences with them. Complete gun that had a laundry list of problems, lowers with out of spec buffer detents. I’ll never know if they have some safe products, nor if they ever pull their shit together (which based on others recent posts they still haven’t). Not worth the risk to reward a company that’s sold me crap multiple times. Could you possibly provide some specifics? I recently bought one of their complete uppers mainly because it was well under $250 and would make a nice beater rifle... it shoots ok considering, I posted pics in another thread. Last range trip the gas block screws did come loose... not too big a deal, but not a good thing for sure. Other than that, it works as designed. |
| My only issues were pistol grip screw hole not threaded to the top on 2x lowers and anodizing too thick in the magwell on another. With some sanding I could get mags to insert without trouble and also be drop free. Other than that they function perfectly. upper receivers, BCGs, triggers, and other small parts have been working fine for years. |
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Originally Posted By Bowhntr6pt: Could you possibly provide some specifics? I recently bought one of their complete uppers mainly because it was well under $250 and would make a nice beater rifle... it shoots ok considering, I posted pics in another thread. Last range trip the gas block screws did come loose... not too big a deal, but not a good thing for sure. Other than that, it works as designed. I bought a complete AM4 from a friend for $400. More a favor to him as he was needing money and had bought a stack of these for a rainy day. This has been quite a bit ago so hopefully my memory holds up, but…. Front sight was canted. The dialing from a 25 to 100 yard zero was astronomical. Didn’t try it but no way it would have been able to make hits at 200. Their polished trigger group would fail to reset. I couldn’t figure out why looking at it. Lots of FTE’s. Between the failures to eject and trigger issues, I don’t think it ever went more than 5 rounds without failure. Appeared to be terribly under gassed. The buffer retainer was out of spec. I didn’t put many rounds through it but when closing the upper and lower it was running into the pin instead of the buffer. Fit and finish was awful. Their integral trigger guard looked like someone finished it out with a dremel. One receiver looked spray painted and the other looked grey. He had 10 of these and they all looked like this. It had their weird angle cut carrier that left a huge gap at the front of the ejection port. They don’t appear to make these anymore but they always looked like the gun wasn’t in battery. ETA: Now that I’m thinking back it had some weird AR15/M16 hybrid under cut that required dropping the firing pin in from the very back of the carrier too. I sold it to a pawn shop for $250 at full disclosure if I remember right. I had pictures of the canted front sight and weird bolt group gap that I might be able to find. ETA: Pics are long gone it appears, but this is their bolt group they used back then, stupid gap and all. Guessing it was required with their machining cost reduction profile. Attached File |
https://instagram.com/_odiegreen_?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
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Originally Posted By -OdieGreen-: I bought a complete AM4 from a friend for $400. More a favor to him as he was needing money and had bought a stack of these for a rainy day. This has been quite a bit ago so hopefully my memory holds up, but…. Front sight was canted. The dialing from a 25 to 100 yard zero was astronomical. Didn’t try it but no way it would have been able to make hits at 200. Their polished trigger group would fail to reset. I couldn’t figure out why looking at it. Lots of FTE’s. Between the failures to eject and trigger issues, I don’t think it ever went more than 5 rounds without failure. Appeared to be terribly under gassed. The buffer retainer was out of spec. I didn’t put many rounds through it but when closing the upper and lower it was running into the pin instead of the buffer. Fit and finish was awful. Their integral trigger guard looked like someone finished it out with a dremel. One receiver looked spray painted and the other looked grey. He had 10 of these and they all looked like this. It had their weird angle cut carrier that left a huge gap at the front of the ejection port. They don’t appear to make these anymore but they always looked like the gun wasn’t in battery. ETA: Now that I’m thinking back it had some weird AR15/M16 hybrid under cut that required dropping the firing pin in from the very back of the carrier too. I sold it to a pawn shop for $250 at full disclosure if I remember right. I had pictures of the canted front sight and weird bolt group gap that I might be able to find. ETA: Pics are long gone it appears, but this is their bolt group they used back then, stupid gap and all. Guessing it was required with their machining cost reduction profile. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/61399/IMG_3550_jpeg-3263586.JPG Thanks for the added info... it helps to know specifics in order to make comparisons in the future. |
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Originally Posted By -OdieGreen-: I bought a complete AM4 from a friend for $400. More a favor to him as he was needing money and had bought a stack of these for a rainy day. This has been quite a bit ago so hopefully my memory holds up, but…. Front sight was canted. The dialing from a 25 to 100 yard zero was astronomical. Didn’t try it but no way it would have been able to make hits at 200. Their polished trigger group would fail to reset. I couldn’t figure out why looking at it. Lots of FTE’s. Between the failures to eject and trigger issues, I don’t think it ever went more than 5 rounds without failure. Appeared to be terribly under gassed. The buffer retainer was out of spec. I didn’t put many rounds through it but when closing the upper and lower it was running into the pin instead of the buffer. Fit and finish was awful. Their integral trigger guard looked like someone finished it out with a dremel. One receiver looked spray painted and the other looked grey. He had 10 of these and they all looked like this. It had their weird angle cut carrier that left a huge gap at the front of the ejection port. They don’t appear to make these anymore but they always looked like the gun wasn’t in battery. ETA: Now that I’m thinking back it had some weird AR15/M16 hybrid under cut that required dropping the firing pin in from the very back of the carrier too. I sold it to a pawn shop for $250 at full disclosure if I remember right. I had pictures of the canted front sight and weird bolt group gap that I might be able to find. ETA: Pics are long gone it appears, but this is their bolt group they used back then, stupid gap and all. Guessing it was required with their machining cost reduction profile. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/61399/IMG_3550_jpeg-3263586.JPG That's a jackpot all in one gun. |
Can't never could 'til try came along.
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
R.I.P. to the EE
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
R.I.P. to the EE
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Originally Posted By Rod_Awesome: YMMV Last lower I built out was an Anderson. Buffer retaining pin was offset. That experience changed me from "a lower is a lower" guy to buy once cry once, even on receivers. Aero isn't that expensive Curious if you brought this to their attention and if so, what was their response 
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I've had a couple stripped uppers I built out that didn't have any issues. This guy had issues with the bcg on his complete rifle but the rest seemed to be ok.  Anderson AR-15 Utility Shooting Review - High Expectations Turned to Crap Real Fast - Worth $400? |
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Originally Posted By platonicsolid: I've had a couple stripped uppers I built out that didn't have any issues. This guy had issues with the bcg on his complete rifle but the rest seemed to be ok.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILGX0HP8pJUlancer and GI all worked fine. i wish he had tried something other than just a pmag |
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Originally Posted By -OdieGreen-: I’ve not had good experiences with them. Complete gun that had a laundry list of problems, lowers with out of spec buffer detents. You only had problems, because they are known for problems. Its not a matter of being a name snob or anything like that, Anderson, PSA, and a few other companies make their name by selling low end parts. That doesn't mean ALL their parts are garbage, it just means they save money, so they can sell things cheaper. Some people are going to have great results with low end products. An example would be Olympic Arms, I had fantastic luck with them, and their barrels were always very accurate for me. I understand the bigger picture, and know they weren't selling top of the line items, and that they skipped QC steps, as well as sold parts that wouldn't pass inspection in most places. ETA- Sorry, I didn't see this was AR basics and that the post was so old. |
Stick
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About 10 years ago, I bought a six pack of Anderson lowers. Of the six, 2 were good to go with no problems at all. The problems I had varied. Trigger pin holes a little over sized. Wouldn't work with aftermarket mag releases/bolt catches, holes not drilled perfectly straight, etc. Odds are that if you get one and assemble a plain Jane AR, it'll work for you, but considering the cost of putting together a rifle, I'd just bite the bullet and at least go with Aero. If you're trying to be cheap, get something on sale from PSA and when it comes in, completely tear it apart and put it back together. |
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Originally Posted By cruze5: i had the same issue with my armalite and pmags.. lancer and GI all worked fine. i wish he had tried something other than just a pmag Originally Posted By cruze5: Originally Posted By platonicsolid: I've had a couple stripped uppers I built out that didn't have any issues. This guy had issues with the bcg on his complete rifle but the rest seemed to be ok. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILGX0HP8pJUlancer and GI all worked fine. i wish he had tried something other than just a pmag Yup, BCG issues. I don't believe Anderson makes BCGs. Rifle ran perfect after he straightened that out. I've seen Wilson Combat put out defective BCGs, and sloppy QC on other name brands. 2 of my Aero Precision stripped M4E1 lowers have out of spec takedown/pivot pin holes, tensioner pin holes, and sloppy fitment to mil-spec uppers. All 4 of my Anderson stripped lowers were perfect. I think Anderson's stuff is good to go for the price these days. |
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Originally Posted By Raidersgone: Yup, BCG issues. I don't believe Anderson makes BCGs. Rifle ran perfect after he straightened that out. I've seen Wilson Combat put out defective BCGs, and sloppy QC on other name brands. 2 of my Aero Precision stripped M4E1 lowers have out of spec takedown/pivot pin holes, tensioner pin holes, and sloppy fitment to mil-spec uppers. All 4 of my Anderson stripped lowers were perfect. I think Anderson's stuff is good to go for the price these days. Aero in general has gone down hill lately. I've noticed more and more out of spec stuff coming from them, even their lowers which were once the coveted thing they sold. |
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Originally Posted By Raidersgone: Yup, BCG issues. I don't believe Anderson makes BCGs. Rifle ran perfect after he straightened that out. I've seen Wilson Combat put out defective BCGs, and sloppy QC on other name brands. 2 of my Aero Precision stripped M4E1 lowers have out of spec takedown/pivot pin holes, tensioner pin holes, and sloppy fitment to mil-spec uppers. All 4 of my Anderson stripped lowers were perfect. I think Anderson's stuff is good to go for the price these days. Anderson does manufacture their BCGs in house. |
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
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Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Anderson does manufacture their BCGs in house. Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Originally Posted By Raidersgone: Yup, BCG issues. I don't believe Anderson makes BCGs. Rifle ran perfect after he straightened that out. I've seen Wilson Combat put out defective BCGs, and sloppy QC on other name brands. 2 of my Aero Precision stripped M4E1 lowers have out of spec takedown/pivot pin holes, tensioner pin holes, and sloppy fitment to mil-spec uppers. All 4 of my Anderson stripped lowers were perfect. I think Anderson's stuff is good to go for the price these days. Anderson does manufacture their BCGs in house. Sounds like they still have work to do on QC. The guy who is knowledgeable and builds a lot of nice rifles also had defect Aero Precision BCGs along with those Wilson Combat. He doesn't use Anderson or other lower end priced stuff. Mostly Colt, H&R, Criterion, ect. |
Anderson Manufacturing good? (Page 1 of 2)
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