Ruger Harrier

[Joe Chartreuse]

A lot of those lowest priced ones are plastic lowers, with hypoint's unique zink alloy entry aimed for the bottom. "Bleah!" as snoopy says.

They make an AR platform out of Zamax? Truly IS for the bottom. Wow. I thought that they only used that junk for pocket guns.

 

[el caminero]

They make an AR platform out of Zamax? Truly IS for the bottom. Wow. I thought that they only used that junk for pocket guns.

havent seen them use the name zamak, but one reviewer implied zink, its not plastic or aluminium

 

[el caminero]

Wondering here if the Ruger AR was, or mostly was Anderson all along, with Ruger actually messing that up by going with a non mil spec gas block & delta ring. That just didn't make sense, & now that seems to have changed.

Either or, if ya plan to burn one down, it's price point is good for that. Or most, if wise, will run a few mags through one to confirm short term reliability before setting it behind the bedroom door. Only, maybe, to be played with later, & they should be good for that. Otherwise, a pro will seek another brand altogether.

That would be a worthy comparison review

 

[el caminero]

Anderuger

The antigunnettes will go with AnGer

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

havent seen them use the name zamak, but one reviewer implied zink, its not plastic or aluminium

Zamax is the zinc alloy (as mentioned in the post) used in firearms. However, it's usually used in small low pressure caliber pocket guns like .22m .22LR, and .22 magnum derringers ( the one in my avatar is a Zamax knock-off off a Bond). Although the High Point is a small caliber, I certainly would not trust the material in a longarm.

 

[el caminero]

Zamax is the zinc alloy (as mentioned in the post) used in firearms. However, it's usually used in small low pressure caliber pocket guns like .22m .22LR, and .22 magnum derringers ( the one in my avatar is a Zamax knock-off off a Bond). Although the High Point is a small caliber, I certainly would not trust the material in a longarm.

who knows; i havent seen them say, but one yootooby made the hint. i think i would trust a decent zamak over plastic.
just looked, theres a raft of hypoint ar viddies that werent around when i first looked, one says they use 775t6.
still not much interested.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

who knows; i havent seen them say, but one yootooby made the hint. i think i would trust a decent zamak over plastic.
just looked, theres a raft of hypoint ar viddies that werent around when i first looked, one says they use 775t6.
still not much interested.

Not me. Today's "plastic" usually isn't. It's carbon composite that is also used to make planes spacecraft, etc. I have done some testing with that derringer and a few other cheap little guns. The stuff is simply not up to high pressure, or larger caliber weapons. I shot a .45/.410 derringer ( wearing welding gloves) made of the stuff. That was the last time it was in one piece.

 

[el caminero]

They make an AR platform out of Zamax? Truly IS for the bottom. Wow. I thought that they only used that junk for pocket guns.

Zamak isnt junk; it has been used in colt's and high standards revolvers, but it was first used by herbert schmidt in starter pistols between the wars and then copycolts, with both rough rider and colt's scout being directly descended from the h.s. junk, it isnt. Junk, it is often used for, but if it goes bang evertyime you pull the trigger, its not junk, just cheap. the wrangler has been described as aluminium alloy, but so too technically is zamak an alumimium alloy.

 

[el caminero]

Not me. Today's "plastic" usually isn't. It's carbon composite that is also used to make planes spacecraft, etc. I have done some testing with that derringer and a few other cheap little guns. The stuff is simply not up to high pressure, or larger caliber weapons. I shot a .45/.410 derringer ( wearing welding gloves) made of the stuff. That was the last time it was in one piece.

All plastic is "plastic". It aint all carbon composite. I have seen ar lowers (and glockframes) made from a plastic you pour into the mould, and that is my first thought when plastic ar lowers comes to mind. There are simply more varieties, formulas, 'alloys' if you must, of plastic than there was when you was a kid, for sure. One plastic ar lower i saw was glassreinforced nylon; still not carboncomposite. Several werent even glass nor carbonfiber reinforced! Bleah!

 

[Richbaker]

A little "flex" isn't always a bad thing; in some circumstances, monolithic polymer lowers may do better than mil-spec aluminum receivers. Here's a case where a couple of ARs (one monolithic polymer, one mil-spec aluminum) got run over by a truck - the rifle with the polymer lower continued to function, but the mil-spec rifle was DOA:

https://sinistralrifleman.com/2012/04/06/cav-15-polymer-lower-receivers/

And FWIW here's an "abuse test" where they shot a polymer lower full of holes (obviously, a mil-spec buffer tube wouldn't likely function with that kind of damage):

https://sinistralrifleman.com/2014/03/18/gwacs-armory-cav-15-mkii-abuse-test/

View attachment 93426

A gunsmith I respect said he didn't like the CAV15 receivers for target rifles, because receiver flex could theoretically alter the relative positions of the hammer and trigger (but a 'cassette'-type trigger/FCG might address that concern). To each his own...

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, one size never fits all, etc., etc.

I have a couple CavArms lowers. Great piece of kit, very well made...