Anyone had issues with a gen 1 POF billet AR-15 lower?

[gunz4me]

Today, I finally assembled a gen 1 POF Billet AR lower that I purchased back in 2007. That lower literally fought me every step of the way and I cannot tell if it was out of spec or just due to the anodizing.

First off, the trigger guard roll pin was a CHORE to get in there. Keep in mind, I have the tool to press this pin into place! The hole was so tight that I couldn't even get it started by tapping it in with a hammer! When I finally did get it started, I lost some anodizing in the hole.... Go figure.

Next up, the PSA 3.5 pound drop-in trigger. Yeah, that was anything but a "drop-in" solution for this lower. Lining up the holes with the receiver was a fight then I had to hammer the anti-walk posts into the receiver because they wouldn't even start by hand.

Finally, the safety detent had to be sanded down because it was binding in the channel leading up to the selector.

All in all, for a receiver that cost $230 back in 2007, I was NOT impressed. I had Doublestar, EA, PSA, and even a POF forged lower that assembled with way less issues than this billet lower did.

Now, the one good thing I will say about it is that Magpul PMags appear to work properly with this lower whereas I know they were hit or miss due to the magazine wells being improperly finished on some of the early gen POF billet lowers.

 

[Magdump]

Personally, the only billet lower I’ve not had issues with was Seekins. I’ve used a few short run billet lowers and even sets over the years, mostly just for novelty. Every one had some issues. The primary issue was the pin holes for the fire control group being out of spec. If I could actually get everything lined up it would be in a bind and the trigger would malfunction, generally having problems with reset. I found the only fix was to install one of the cassette style triggers and make sure I didn’t tighten the set screws.

On the whole, I find Aero receivers (these are forged) to be the most precise and build friendly receivers on the market, ESPECIALLY if you spring for the matched set. I’ve walked away from the billet world when it comes to AR receivers. There’s no benefit to me over forged.

 

[gunz4me]

Well, that is discouraging to hear. OTOH, this is the only billet lower that I intend to build because it was way too problematic to assemble. I don't even remember what I was thinking at the time when I purchased it, lol. I think Sun Devil made them back then and that was why I wanted to try a POF billet. Even back then, it was recommended that I use KNS anti-walk pins with a standard trigger setup.

 

[Magdump]

Well, that is discouraging to hear. OTOH, this is the only billet lower that I intend to build because it was way too problematic to assemble. I don't even remember what I was thinking at the time when I purchased it, lol. I think Sun Devil made them back then and that was why I wanted to try a POF billet. Even back then, it was recommended that I use KNS anti-walk pins with a standard trigger setup.

I hear ya. Like I said, my reasons were primarily novelty. There was no real benefit to going billet. They aren’t as strong structurally as a forged receiver. I’ve argued with a few folks over the years about the AR15 and all the supposed improvements some people believe in but I’ve not been able to swing that way. For the most part, the rifles are just fine the way that Colt built them since the 70’s. Small things like better rifling, bigger gas ports and such have proliferated, but other things like billet receivers and gas piston kits are things that are either overkill or a nuisance in my opinion. The era of the AR that really made me shake my head was when the quad rail was the thing and these awesome light weight carbines became 12 pound hand ripping beasts that didn’t perform any better than a carry handle SP-01. But it’s all good fun I guess. To each his own.

 

[thorswhisper]

I had no issues with assembling but afterwards the pmag had binding issues. USGI metal mags no problems but if you go a pmag in it wasn’t going to ever drop free.
I never finished it thinking I was going to send it back but never got around to it.
So yes, they obviously had issues with quality control back then.
One day I’ll send it back.