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Posted: 2/17/2007 1:12:38 PM EDT
| LMT used to make Lauer lowers but now, evidently, Superior has replaced LMT as the source. What is the quality level of Superior lowers? Is it the equivilent of LMT? Should anyone care? |
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Superior seems to be good people but there have been a couple posts about incorrectly drilled buffer detent holes which cause the buffer to be retained just short of full travel. I'm pretty sure that Superior has always made good on getting these replaced though. |
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The issue with the buffer detent hole has been addressed and rectified. If you have a suspect lower, notify Superior. I have several Superior lowers; the latter has a duller appearance, attributed to a different anodizing process. I am happy with mine. buckmeister |
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I have of the Lauer lowers made by Superior and one of the old ones made by LMT. The one made by Superior looks terrible, the safe and fire look as if someone used a hand engraver and just wrote safe and fire in SLOPPY handwriting. The selector stops are out of spec. When I put the lower together the selector switch would not point all the way too safe due to hitting the selector stop. I tried it in another lower by another manufacture and it worked fine. So I tried another safety selector, SAME PROBLEM!! I had to grind the back of the selector switch to get it to be able to line up properly at safe. I WILL NOT say where I purchased the lower, it is not their fault and they did not make the lower. Plus when I brought this problem to their attention they were VERY WILLING to take care of the issue. I just told him not to worry, I fixed it myself by grinding the selector switch. It's going to be a CAR that is going to get VERY ABUSED so I am not worried about keeping it pretty. I personally WILL NOT buy anything from Superior again with this type of SHOTTY workmanship. |
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Hmmm....I've done 2 builds on Superior lowers and haven't had any trouble. Granted they are not as nicely finished as some others and I hand picked them at local gunshows. I don't like taking the chance of ordering something sight unseen  Wonder why Lauer took a "step down" on the supplier for their lowers. Or maybe LMT doesn't want to supply them  Mike |
Look at everthing else they make. Their silencers are bottom of the barrel. |
This is true. However,there may be a way to tell the difference (beside the poor quality control and finish - see above). The LMT made receivers apparently have "SML" as a prefix to the serial numbers, and the Superior Arms made receivers have an "SNB" prefix. Perhaps others can confirm this with their own info and especially pictures of their own pre-Superior and post-LMT lowers. |
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FYI I bought three stripped lowers direct from Lauer about a week ago. I just called and talked with Tom in the gun shop. Although they still have a contract with LMT to make lowers, these are made by Superior Arms. I told him that I would be returning these three lowers for a refund. He said that's no problem. Good customer service. If they get more lowers from LMT, I'll be placing another order without hesitation. Hope this helps. GL |
I have two LMT-made Lauer lowers built up. Honestly, they're nothing special compared to a Stag, DPMS, Bushmaster, or anything else decently made. I wouldn't pay a hefty premium to have one. I should be getting two Superior Arms lowers next week, so I'll be able to compare the two. As long as they're in spec, I'll be happy, as I plan to try out my newly-bought Norrells Moly Resin on them.
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| I had a problem with my Superior lower. The front pin hole was drilled in the wrong spot. I got a call three days after I bought it saying that I should take to a local dealer and I would recieve a new one. Great customer service. Should the mistake have happened, no. Should they have had quaility checks in place, yes. That being said I was looking at my new Superior lower and to me it looks good. The fit is tight for the upper which I like. The safety selector has no problems. The safe fire on the side does not look like bad hand writting at all. It looks like a cnc machine did it, you can tell by the little ball at the end of the letter, that is where the bit did a little circle. I think that they made a good lower. It is all judgemental though so it might look like a chevette to one person and a corvette to another. I am just saying what I look at when I look at mine and what the fit is like. Since this is my first post I know some of you will say that I know nothing. I know how to machine, I know how to read blueprints, I can use autocad, I know what type of machining goes into a product like this, I know mistakes can happen, and I am willing to accept the fact that there are people out there that know a lot more than I do so I don't have a I can take a leak farther than you can syndrome. |
| I received my Lauer/Superior lower this week. The Lauer/Superior does not have the set screw to adjust trigger slop like the receiver AIM sells with the Superior roll mark. I paid the Lauer retail price of $120 at my local shop (Lauer wholesale is $99). IMHO this is a crap deal considering you can buy the Superior lower from AIM for about $89 and it has more features. I would have returned the receiver had I been awake when I got it. I built the lower first and then compared it to my LMT. Unfortunately, I ham fisted installing the trigger guard roll pin and marred the receiver. The good news is others report these are good functioning/fitting lowers. It does match up with my FN flat top very nicely. But it ain’t worth $120. |
It's just that FN does NOT sell receivers or any other parts to the civilian market. There are unscroupoulous dealers out there using the FN name for parts of unknown manufacturer, but you certainly can't buy a legitimate FN part. |
I didn't know that about FN. I'll check the upper tonight and verify its markings. How does FN mark its uppers?
You paid $120 at your local shop. By this I'm guessing they had it "in stock". OK, now AIM sells the Superior for $89, how much for shipping ? How much for your FFL to do the transfer ? Bet it works out to be close to the same. Mike |
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Regarding civilian ownership of an FN upper: according to a thread on this site, FN used to sell other manufacturers its overrun pieces that were already marked. FN no longer does this and now only sells unmarked parts to other manufacturers. If the thread is correct, that would explain how FN parts got into the civilian market. So "no", FN marked parts aren't by definition stolen military property. 
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What do you mean "wrong answer" ? And what is my "point" My point was $120 for a lower purchased at your local shop isn't a bad price in today's market. Sure you can over it order the net, pay shipping, and then have to pay transfer fees. So now the $90 lower is at least the $120 or more. That was my point. Mike |
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Meanwhile, back at the ranch... I decided to keep the Lauer lower receiver and build it. Yesterday, it assembled easily. Everything operates normally & there are no complaints other than a tight take-down pin. It even looks good with a Larue upper mounted on it. Haven't been to the range with it yet but this one looks like a keeper. |
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Surliness edited out of previous post. Understood $120 isn't bad for anything these days but the the lower offered by AIM is $10 cheaper, has an additional feature for single stage triggers and people on this website say the feature works. As the gent said, back at the ranch.... 
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Don't know where you saw that, but according to a couple of FN employees who have posted here, that is completely incorrect. FN is bound by contract w/the govt. to neither manufacture nor sell overruns on the civie market. Now there have been some FN A1 type barrels, A2 barrels, and A2 uppers hit the civie market, that were surplused by Armed Forces units, as the changeover to flat top uppers and different barrel types were introduced, but FN didn't sell them. The service agency did. As it happens, I just picked up an FN bolt assy; well used, and I assume surplused out of an A2 upper assy being replaced with a flat top A3 type upper for the Marines. CDNN in fact just sold off a batch of A2 upper assys from FN, but FN didn't sell them to them. Randell's question, and mine, was addressed to the man's claim that he had an FN FLAT TOP upper---which the Marine Corps is currently converting over to. I seriously doubt there are any "spares" floating around at this point. And I strongly suspect that the piece originally referred to is in fact FN. Doesn't mean it isan't a good piece; just that, unless it's marked with an "F" it ain't FN.
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I saw y'alls questions. My upper is marked with an "F" and a keyhole which apparently means FNMI/Cerro Forge. I bought it this time last year on the EE. The thread regarding sales to other manufactures, not directly to civilians, is on this site. IIRC, the guy I bought the upper from was a police officer. Does FN sell to LE? Are you saying FN never made an AR flattop upper until the current USMC contract?
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Well I can't tell you if it works or not. I didn't put set screws into my 2 Superior lowers for the same reason I don't put the set screws into the adjustable triggers on my 1911's  Reason being, what if that screw moves just enough to make the weapon unusable when you need it ? It happened at the range on one of my 1911's and since then they are all in the trash. I don't trust loctite Mike |
| Well Randall, I don't know what to tell you. I have an "F" mark + keyhole, on an upper receiver that I bought a year ago on this website. While you "suspect" FN never made a flat top upper until the USMC contract, do you know that to be true? Do you know when the contract was issued? Prior to last March? Regarding "F" marked parts, there is a well respected vendor on this forum that sells uppers with "F" marked gas blocks. Does "F" on a gas block indicate FN? |
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