Originally Posted by swampcrawler

this little round looks AWSOME. i want one. buuut the problem is im on a budget. as usual. i realy like the Bison armory uppers. they seem to have almost universaly good reviews, and a decent price.

my question pertains to the lower. if im not mistaken, the standard 5.56 lower works for the 6.8 provided the propper upper and mags? how much does the lower affect accuracy?

basicly i want sort of a medium range sniper/hunting rifle as cheap as possible without being crap. i just dont know anything about the lowers. can i go with some cheap bottom shelf stuff and still get good accuracy till i can afford to upgrade or do i need to go with a better lower? suggestions? thanks guys!

Yes, the 5.56 lower is good to go.

If there's a lot of play between the upper and lower you're going to have issues. They make a little "wedge" that helps snug up the fit between the two but a good rifle should not need one as the upper and lower "should" be a properly mated pair. Now how much of an issue is it really depends on distance and actual amount of play. Can't really give a metric on what would be a good/bad fit.


How far are we talking about shooting? What are you calling "medium range"?

Actually, upper to lower fit has very little to do with accuracy, unless of course you're holding the gun like a little girl. When you pull the rifle into your shoulder, there won't be any play. Having said that, better fit is better, of course, but that's simply because of the geometry between the receiver extension and the bolt carrier. You'd probably spend a lifetime wearing it out if you were holding it like a little girl.

As far as buying cheap... there's a saying... "Buy once, cry once." I'd save up a month longer and buy a quality lower. Check out BCM, they sell good kit. The price difference can't be that drastic for a lower... trust me, I've checked.

Please also keep in mind that "mil-spec" isn't the best of the best, it's the parts that fit the tolerances provided by the military. Especially when it comes to lower parts kits. You'll likely spend more on a nice parts kit (internals) than you do on the lower. Geissell, Wilson, Timney are all good places to start if you want the best triggers.

Good luck!