Great
The receiver is great. Does everything it should. Caveats: These only work with a BRN 10 upper. They take a proprietary bolt catch, no other AR 308 style BHO works. Takedown pins are proprietary- other pins are too short. Things to keep in mind if you buy one on the secondhand market like I did.
Basis for the Best Retro rifle ever!
This lower is unique to the BRN-10 upper and is flawless match. The machining, fit, Anodize coverage and color are on par with any receiver regardless of cost. Comes with all "special" retro parts to complete the 1950's appearance. You will still need to purchase fire control and other standard DPMS 308 AR type parts to complete this lower's assembly. I cannot thank Brownells enough to have offered a practical but very close remake of the original Dutch made AR-10.
Cold War Cannon
Fit and finish is top shelf. Old school looks with modern improvements. All small parts fit well and were darn close to museum quality. No burrs, dings, scratches, nothing. Being a little ocd myself, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I half expected a little slop when I put the upper on. Nope, it fit like a matched set. I have to say I'm impressed with all the parts for this build that I purchased from Brownells. She kicks like a mule but she's accurate and stands out in a crowd
I like it
No complaints. Rifle ran like a swiss watch.
Almost perfect
I have purchased 2 of these lowers at this point. The lower is nice with the exception of the very stiff and downright uncomfortable retro safety selector lever. I have put standard AR-15 safety selector levers in both my lowers because they are easy to manipulate and they just feel better. Aside from this small issue the lowers are great.
Quality is Excellent - But...
The receiver machining and finish are excellent. The fit with the BRN-10 upper receiver is very tight. Mag well is a little snug with the after-market mags that I have, but OK. I have not found a Brownells or DPMS mag yet. Would have given the kit 5 stars, but it did not include the buffer retainer or spring. I had to make a separate order for those, Not in my DPMS pins kit or DPMS spring kit that I keep for spares either.
Collectable
Back up for M1A. Looks good with tight fit and good finish. Bolt hold open however does not work without a mag inserted.
Needs work
The finish on this lower is pretty great but the fit on my lower needs improvement. The safety selector is much more difficult to actuate than a standard AR-15 selector, this makes no sense being that you can install a regular AR-15 selector into the lower. I made Brownells aware of my issue and they quickly sent out another retro selector. When i received the second one and installed it it was just as difficult to manipulate. I currently have a standard AR-15 selector in it and that is probably how I'm going to leave it unless Brownells can send me a part that works.