The Best AR 15 Lower Parts Kit Buyer’s Guide

AR 15 lower parts kits are assembled to help in the buildup, cleanup or/and maintenance of an AR 15 gun. They always come with different components, some of which are essentially spare parts that whereas others are tools used for cleaning, disassembly, and reassembly.

When looking for the best AR 15 lower parts kit for your needs, there are a number of things that have to be considered. For more information on how to choose what to grab, read on…

>> Best AR 15 Lower Receiver: A Comprehensive Buying Guide
>> The Anderson Lower Review and Performance Test

The Best AR 15 Lower Parts Kit Reviewed

CMMG AR-15 Lower Parts Kit

Simmons 511039 3 - 9 x 32mm .22 Mag(R) Matte Black Riflescope

Editor Rating

This lower parts kit is one of the most affordable but quality AR 15 lower parts kits. It is made in the USA. The kit comes complete with a pistol grip, pins and fire controls that are important when it comes to completing a stripped lower. At an average price of around $80, you will have a worthy addition to your gun tool box.

Benefits of the Product

  • Price: Though not the cheapest, its price range is reasonable, especially when the ration of price to performance is considered. In overall, it a good product for its price
  • Quality Performance: All its parts are good and they work perfectly. They are durable and will offer you a longer lasting performance than some of the other products available on the market.
  • User-Friendly: The product comes with colored bags and an index that enumerates the different parts in each bag. This helps the newbie to learn the different parts as they build the lowers.
  • Quality Parts: The grip feels great even when you hold it while having your 2X gloves on. It is a USA product if that’s important to you

Drawbacks

  • Its trigger guard’s fit is sloppy.

You will go around all the online shops looking for the best lower parts kit but will ultimately come back to Cabelas. One of the best products within the middle price range is the CMMG AR-15 Lower Parts Kit. The product is highly reviewed with the only reason for such high rating being that it is a quality product itself.

CMMG Lower Parts Gun Builder Kit

Simmons 511039 3 - 9 x 32mm .22 Mag(R) Matte Black Riflescope

Editor Rating

Are we biased to have yet another CMMG lower parts kit in just a short list of 5? CMMG has cut a niche for itself on the market and is producing some of the very best lower kits as can be seen on this product. This one is even cheaper; hence it is one of the very best lower parts kit for the budget buyer.

Benefits of the Product

  • Complete Kit: The kit comes with a receiver pivot pin, takedown-pin, two takedown pin-detent springs, trigger pins & magazine-release button, safety selector, botch-catch plunger, buffer-retainer spring, buffer retainer, bolt-catch spring, selector detent, bolt catch and bolt-catch spring
  • Performance: If you are looking for the lower parts kit for the budget buyer, that will finish your job, then go for this one
  • Price: This is one of the cheapest AR 15 lower parts kits on the market
  • Quality ingenious Design: It comes as a good backup for lost parts as well

Drawbacks

  • It lacks some of the parts you may have needed, e.g., a disconnect spring, a pistol grip, a hammer/trigger, grip screw & washer, disconnect roll pin/ trigger guard and a pistol grip screw

This is, therefore, the kit to help you build up your lowers, as long as you already have a hammer and sear among those other parts mentioned. Good Luck, as you buy it and start working on your lowers.

Wheeler Delta Series AR Armorer's Essentials Kit

Simmons 511039 3 - 9 x 32mm .22 Mag(R) Matte Black Riflescope

Editor Rating

With a specific engineering for tuning, cleaning and building the AR 15s, this kit comes with virtually everything you need. It comes with tools that are constructed using the best quality materials, with each of these tools having been designed for precision on AR 15 platform firearms. If you aren’t convinced, read its reviews and listen to what other users have to say about it.

Benefits of the Product

  • It has everything you need: The kit features a Mag-well vise block, an upper vise-block clamp that features a gas-tube-alignment tool, an AR 15 adjustable receiver link, a beam-style torque wrench, a custom-fitted case, a roll-in pin installation tool and an AR-15 combo tool
  • Performance: The tools have specifically been designed to offer precision on the AR-15 platform. You will, therefore, get the best cleaning, maintenance, and buildup performance from this kit
  • Great Starter Kit: It is an easy-to-use kit, a feature that makes it one of the best beginner AR 15 lower parts kit

Drawbacks

  • The bit set isn’t as strong

This kit offers you 90% of all the tools you need to build, clean and maintain your AR-15, all in one buy. Other than the bit set that may end up disappointing, it is a quality kit, coming with high customer ratings and many positive reviews. You will most likely be impressed with its performance.

CMMG AR-15 Survival Kit

Simmons 511039 3 - 9 x 32mm .22 Mag(R) Matte Black Riflescope

Editor Rating

The CMMG AR-15 Survival Kit is the best AR 15 lower parts kit for the budget buyer. This is because it comes with almost everything you need for your AR lower needs yet it costs just around $50. It is your ultimate answer to those situations when the tiny pieces of your lower have worn out or have been misplaced.

Benefits of the Product

  • Almost Complete Kit: The kit includes a spring trigger, a spring hammer, gas rings, cam pin, firing pin, spring magazine catch, disconnect, firing pin retainer, extractor pin, extractor, spring disconnect, buffer extractor and spring selector detent
  • Price: You will not get any other kit with such an array of components at just about $50. It is the cheapest among the best lower parts kit
  • Versatility: Though engineered for the AR 15s, it offers great performance on other platforms as well.

Drawbacks

  • It lacks some essential repair parts that can only be found in the higher end kits

This is the best AR 15 lower parts kit to carry when you are going out on a trip or on the range. It will really save your day when your gun develops some minor problems that need repair and maintenance. However, for a complete gun cleanup and maintenance, consider its more expensive brothers.

How to Buy the Best Lower Parts Kit

Mil-Spec or Premium Build

The type of build you want can greatly affect your choice of lower parts kit. Most of the mil spec kits come with a lot of simplicity and easy to build operation, yet they are very effective. On the other hand, a premium build is mainly determined by personal preferences. Premium builds are always a bit more expensive as they come with more than just the basics. Whereas the mil spec builds have a lot of consideration on weight matters, the premium builds disregard this.

The Barrel Option

Though it is obvious, a reminder is proper. Don’t go for kits designed for other barrels. Always ensure that the kit you choose is meant for the AR 15 platform. Different kits come with parts that are compatible with different platforms. Be sure to choose that which is compatible with your AR-15 platform.

Budget

I would rather you follow the rule of the thumb that states “buy once and cry once.” The best lower parts kits are the more expensive products. In fact, just as witnessed on the reviewed products, the cheaper the kit, the fewer its uses. If you are looking for a kit that will do virtually every maintenance, assembly, reassembly and cleaning roles, budget with something close to $300. However, these kits can be as cheap as less than $50.

What and Where you Want to Use it From

The more expensive kits come with more components thus making them bulky and heavy. Such kits are best bought and kept at home for home gun maintenance. However, if you want something that comes with just a few spare parts that are notorious in getting lost and/or wearing out, the cheaper, lighter, less bulky kits will do.

Complete Kit or Piece at a Time

Both cases have their pros, but the complete kit option tends to carry the day. The piece at a time option allows you the capacity to custom tune your kit thus also being able to fine tune your AR 15 lower as you wish. The main downside is the fact that under such an arrangement, the price tends to be much higher. On the other hand, the complete sets are cheaper and less time consuming to acquire. Do your math!

Quality of the Components

Poor quality components will lead you back to the shops sooner than you anticipated. This is where the rule of the thumb comes in to play once again. The best quality products come with some additional dollars on top but it’s worth it. You must, therefore, understand each of the kit components, and what the best material would be for each.

Reputation

Always have the habit of seeking for reviews, testimonials, and referrals of any product and more so guns, gun parts, and accessories. There is always a risk when you trust on what the manufacturer says without questioning it. The manufacturer’s aim may be to sell their product regardless of whether the user gets satisfied or not. Only a few manufacturers have their customers in mind. The good thing with reviews, testimonials, and referrals is they are given by users who have either been satisfied or dissatisfied with the product at hand. This is the only source that can confirm to you whether the product works as advertised by the manufacturer or not.

Multi-Use

The best AR-15 lower parts kits are those that can be used for any gun maintenance performance. You want to have a kit that will help you do the assembly, cleaning, and disassembly of your guns among other functions. You also want a kit that can be used not only on the AR 15 platform but beyond.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the best way of getting the best AR-15 lower parts kit is by first taking your time to know what you want, followed by spending a good time choosing what you need. The best kits are obviously those that come with the best quality of materials. In addition, let the kit you go for have as many tools as possible. Consider buying a single kit that has everything, rather than buying different independent tools. The former works better than the latter.

Leave a Comment