7075-T6 aluminum has had a pretty good run as the materiel of choice for AR lower receivers, but it’s no longer the only game in town. Taking advantage of the lower weight and manufacturing costs of space-age polymers, New Frontier Armory sells an all-polymer AR-15 lower receiver with a price so low ($109 complete) that even cautious shooters are reaching for their wallets and asking themselves, “Why the hell not?” And why the hell not? Your financial exposure is pretty small if a $109 purchase doesn’t work out, but the real question is “Does the damned thing work?” Even the lowest-priced gun has very little value if it’s unsafe or unreliable . . .
To get this test sample, I ordered one through the New Frontier Armory website. I didn’t mention TTAG and I didn’t ask for a T&E sample; I just ordered one off the shelf like any other customer. That’s how I learned firsthand that New Frontier’s front-end customer service is freakishly good: they answered my email questions within 10 minutes (on a Sunday!) and they shipped the receiver out the next morning. I did the Form 4473 Shuffle and picked up the all-plastic lower from my gunsmith seven business days later.
How plastic is ‘All Plastic?’
The LW-15 is basically all plastic. The buffer parts, bolt catch, action springs and pistol grip screw are metal, but everything else is made of polymer. Even the mag catch, trigger, hammer, safety and takedown pins are made of some tough, hard plastic.
The body of the receiver is made from an extremely rigid glass-filled plastic. The design is externally similar (read: almost identical) to the Plum Crazy polymer lowers we’ve seen for a few years, but New Frontier uses a different polymer formula and different reinforcing fibers. If you like to watch gun porn of the ‘snuff’ variety, New Frontier has some brutal testing videos on its website.
Fit And Finish
It only takes a moment to notice that this is very much an ‘entry-level’ AR lower. You’ll never mistake an LW-15 for an LWRC. The exterior looks mostly well-executed, but some bits look a little rough and others just look like crap. There’s molding flash at some of the seams, but this is only a cosmetic issue except for the burrs on the single-stage trigger face. These are polished away easily enough, but the underside of the trigger guard and the space between the front takedown pin holes are fugly. Once again, they’re nothing a few minutes with an emery cloth won’t remedy, but they’re still ugly.
The good news is that this slightly rough external finish has no effect on fit or functioning, and no effect on how the lower half attaches to an upper receiver. Our test lower mounted very tightly to my Armalite upper; there was absolutely no wiggle or wobble anywhere. It’s a much better fit than my off-brand forged aluminum lower, which wiggles a little bit even with an ‘accu-plug’ crammed under the rear takedown pin.
Functioning
Regardless of its unorthodox construction, the LW-15 operates exactly like any other AR lower. The all-plastic single-stage trigger is an unexpectedly pleasant surprise: it’s kind of hard to describe a trigger pull scientifically (at least until Foghorn actually builds the computerized graphing trigger gauge he theorized about) but the LW-15’s trigger pull is very smooth, not too heavy (5.2 pounds) and fairly short with minimal overtravel.
It’s also a little mushy/spongy/vague (take your pick) but it’s one of the best triggers I’ve seen included with a lower-priced AR. I wish it were lighter by a pound or so, but it still helped deliver some amazing accuracy.
The selector lever has a smooth and positive feel, and it would only be better if it were ambidextrous. I like that the LW-15 is ready-made for an ambi lever: it has ‘SAFE/FIRE’ markings on both sides of the receiver.
When it came to magazines, the LW-15 was like Mr. Creosote: it ate everything we put on the table. (No ‘wafer-thin mints’ here.) My Magpul P-Mags, Joe’s steel magazines from H&K, and Wayne’s GI magazines all snapped home neatly, fed perfectly and dropped free when released.
Reliability
Firing and functioning of the LW-15 lower receiver was absolutely reliable, through more than 500 rounds. The all-plastic trigger and odd-looking hammer provided 100% ignition with everything we gave it: Remington Green Box, steel-cased Tulammo, Radway green tip and whatever other mil-surp ammo Joe Grine had rattling around in his range bag. It worked with FMJs and hollowpoints, brass cases and steel, in fair weather and heavy snow, through slow fire and mag dumps. It just plain works.
Accuracy
An AR is only as accurate as the sloppiest of its components, even though the upper half plays a more important role than the lower half. I bolted the LW-15 to a mid-length Armalite upper with a full-profile barrel and proven accuracy. Shooting prone in the snow from 80 yards (Note to self: measure twice, set up firing line once) it averaged under 1.0″ with Remington Green Box, and that doesn’t even include a varmint-worthy 0.25″ cloverleaf. I kicked myself for not measuring out a full 100 yards, but these groups still demonstrate that the LW-15 didn’t let us down when it came to accuracy.
Conclusion: The Good
The first and most obviously cool thing about the LW-15 lower is that it’s ‘Sofa King’ cheap that it’s hard to pass up. For $109 it’s already got a functional M4 buttstock and all the moving bits you’ll need; all you have to do is pin it to an upper half and start loading up your magazines. Even after shipping, taxes and FFL fees, it will still set you back less than $150.
The second cool thing about the LW-15 is that it’s incredibly light. The fully kitted-out LW-15 lower half tips the scales at 1.7 pounds, which is a half-pound lighter than a forged lower half with same buttstock. If you choose your components wisely, you’ll use it to build a dedicated .22 carbine or a stripped-down 5.56 carbine weighing between 5.5 and 6 pounds. Whatever you do, keep it simple and keep it light: a varmint-barrel upper (or any tactical tomfoolery hanging from your handguards) will give you a muzzle-heavy blunderbuss with the handling alacrity of a Marlin Super Goose Gun. (Remember those?)
I was surprised at how gently (for lack of a better word) this very lightweight receiver shot and cycled. Perhaps it’s a serendipitous combination of barrel and buffer harmonics. Or perhaps, as is the case with polymer-framed pistols, a slight flexion of the lower receiver acts to mitigate the already-mild 5.56mm recoil. However it works, it shot slightly smoother than a forged AR lower with a fixed A2 buttstock.
The LW-15’s trigger pull, tight lockup, and exceptional accuracy were all unexpected at this price point. In fact, these features would be gratifying even on ARs costing $1,000. In many regards, the LW-15 is superior (so far) to many entry-level forged AR lowers I’ve dealt with, while costing less than half what they cost.
With careful shopping, the LW-15 will let you build a six-pound AR for less than six bills.
Caveats
If you want to build a drop-dead gorgeous race gun, you WILL NOT start with an LW-15 if you’ve actually looked at all my photos. In addition to its numerous cosmetic flaws (and questions from your competitors like: “You’re running a what?”) it’s just so damned light that you probably won’t want to hang any tactical doodads from it. Quad-rails and bipods are a no-no: too much weight at the muzzle or fore-end will make it handle like crap. As Sean Connery’s Ramirez told the young Highlander Connor MacLeod, balance is the secret to nearly everything.
Although the LW-15 is ‘mil-spec’ in most of its dimensions, it’s not 100% compatible with other mil-spec parts and accessories. The integral trigger guard works fine but it can’t be removed or replaced unless you’re really handy with a Dremel tool. The buffer tube, for no discernible reason, is commercial diameter instead of mil-spec. It can be replaced with a mil-spec tube, but I would be very cautious not to over-torque the castle nut when doing so.
The LW-15 will accept any mil-spec trigger group, with two exceptions: drop-in units like Timney triggers won’t fit, and if you do swap out the trigger parts you’ll have to replace the selector/safety switch also. The included selector only works with the LW-15’s plastic trigger group.
Multi-Caliber Options
Every LW-15 lower is designated “CAL.MULTI.” Most of them will eventually wear a 5.56 upper, but many other cartridges can cycle through a standard AR-15 action. A .22 long rifle upper is an obvious choice, but is this polymer lower receiver a good choice if you’re looking for a cartridge with a little more horsepower than the 5.56?
New Frontier advertises that they’ve tested the LW-15 for safety and durability with heavy-caliber upper receivers like the .450 Bushmaster. The LW-15 is apparently safe and reliable with a .450, but I don’t know how many rounds they ran through it.
I also haven’t seen any rigorous independent testing in calibers other than 5.56, so I would counsel caution with this relatively new receiver technology. The LW-15 is more than adequate for Foghorn’s darling .300 AAC cartridge, because it has a pressure and recoil profile that’s similar to the 5.56. One regular on ar15.com has been happy with a .458 SOCOM upper on his LW-15, but if I had a sledgehammer like that (or a .50 Beowulf, or a high-pressure caliber like 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC) I think I’d hang back and let someone else to test it on their polymer lower first.
How Do You Clean It?
Plastics don’t always like solvents, but the LW-15 proved completely safe to clean with Hoppe’s No.9, Break-Free CLP and M-Pro 7 gun cleaners. In lieu of wiping it with drain cleaner or battery acid, I diligently searched the Interwebs for information on how to ruin it with harsh solvents. And it was all for naught: the gun forums are full of questions about solvent resistance, but nobody has actually seen an LW-15 that was damaged by gun cleaning chemicals. FWIW, New Frontier claims that it cannot be harmed by any common gun cleaners.
Ignoramus et Ignorabimus
The only really dark cloud hanging over the LW-15 is its unknowable long-term durability. These plastic lowers just haven’t been on the market long enough for Early Adopters (like us) to test them with thousands and thousands of rounds.
Five hundred flawless rounds (and counting) is the perfect way to start demonstrating quality and reliability. That’s a great record for reliability: my TTAG testing career has only introduced me to three other outstanding firearms (an FN, an Arsenal AK, and a SIG/Sauer) that were as reliable out of the box. 500 rounds is good, but I’ll keep testing this receiver because when you shoot your 5.56 ammo by the case you’ll learn the crucial difference between reliability and durability.
Since durability will be the key to whether the LW-15 is a good value or not, I’m going to treat this as a the first installment of a long-term review; I’ll check back next summer with an update on the LW-15’s round count and malfunction log.
If I had to guess where the LW-15 might fail early, it might be the plastic takedown pins, the buffer ring or the front takedown pin holes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEAYW_2y4VU
Warning: firearms were harmed in the making of this video. Scroll to 2:12 to see dirt literally spraying out of the barrel. Heaven knows I’ll never do that to my firearms, but it’s nice to know the LW-15 doesn’t have a glass jaw.
If you search for ‘new frontier armory polymer failure’ you’ll quickly find the same few failure anecdotes I did, but you’ll also find that New Frontier Armory took care of the owners and sent them new lowers. There doesn’t seem to be any solid body of evidence suggesting that the LW-15 is any less reliable or durable than a forged aluminum lower. Only thousands of rounds will tell if this polymer lower will hold up as well as they do.
At this point I can definitely say that the LW-15 looks completely solid so far, and I’ll sound the alarm if it doesn’t hold up.
Summary
The LW-15 looks like a good entry-level lower, and for $109 it’s a flat-out unbelievable value. Reliability has been impeccable so far, but long-term durability has yet to be proven.
RATINGS (out of five stars):
Fit and Finish **1/2
Tight and sturdy but rough at the edges. Still better than you’d expect for $109.
Ergonomics ***1/2
Don’t let those rough edges fool you: it’s got a good trigger and smooth, positive controls.
Reliability **** (and counting)
Perfect so far, but subtract a star for unknown long-term durability.
Overall ***1/2
A fantastic value at $109, although I wouldn’t take it to war just yet.
Having owned and carried a 1911 since day one.
I do believe my 30+ years of use with it has gotten me to the point where my finger doesn’t touch the trigger till Im sure Im going to shoot it.
That being said my house gun is for the same reasons an EAA Witness which is a great CZ75 clone also in 45acp left in double action mode.
As until Im fully awake. I don’t feel I need a 3.5 trigger for my 1st shot.
I don’t know what the big deal is here. The cop was just being a cop. Getting angry at a cop for using excessive force is like getting angry at a dog for pissing on your wheels.
HI ALL , I am a 1969 Viet Nam Vet .I carried the pig gun or M-60, for 11 months all through small hamlets and villes.I was wit a marine corps CAP unit, there was only 12 of us, so we had to be very careful about what trouble we should get our selfs into.Any how,I had complete confidence in my M-60 . fired thousands of rounds with never one problem.this is the reason I can write this reply.It saved my life and my fellow marines more than once . I would give my sole to own one,very expensive.Hope I didnt bore anyone,I could go on for days on this subject . SEE YA ALL.
Gottlieb notes that all sides are `stuck` because they took such absolute positions right off the bat. Frankly – if the NRA still opposed this publicly but let politicians slide privately, it would be a good move.
The NRA could save face on their intractable verbiage early and take credit for the wins afterward without seeming (as) duplicitous.
What a bloody mucked up mess though… -Pk
There are many ways to attack Christie that don’t involve weight. Grow up and put a little work into your comments.
FYI – Rifleman is on the Free Hulu and as far as I can tell, all episodes are available.
Along with Rifleman, I loved The Wild Wild West.
yeah, I will take Emma Peel who was played by Diana Rigg over Uma Thurman’s character in the remake. Hilariously someone on Wikipedia had Occupation Unofficial undercover operative under Diana Rigg’s Bio for the longest time. Its since been updated and now under the character Bio only.
Oh no! How did he die? Love that guy. What an amazing showman. Great voice, fun to listen to, fun to watch, and seemed like a genuinely friendly and smart dude.
…Knapp was shooting for CZ for the past few years P.S…
My cousin is the Army Veteran featured on the Black Hawk Down 1911 episode of American Guns. Immediately after filming that episode they took the 1911 from him and only then had informed him that he can have it back after the full season aired on television. No one from Gunsmoke has contacted him and through his numerous attempts by email, letters, phone calls no one has responded. That episode was one of the highest in ratings which landed Gunsmoke a contract for more episodes. I’m disgusted that a company would exploit a veteran of this great country and still have the nerve to consider themselves Americans.
The mattel toy has now become the Fisher Price Toy.
I “built” (assembled?) a New Frontier/Sportical for my wife, who wanted the absolutely lightest AR she could get. Topped it with a used optical sight I bought for $20 in a pawn shop. Total was under $500 in mid-2012.
It shoots reliably. Trigger is nothing to write home about. The only ammo I have fed it is factory PMC 55, and a few of my match handloads. Both loads go into 2″ at 100.
I assembled another one for behind the back seat of the pickup.
When I can get more Sportical uppers, I am going to put together a few more.
Followup review!!!???
FWIW You can install a Timney drop in trigger in a LW-15 lower but you do need to change out the safety selector to something like a BAS ASS. With that exact FCG in my lower its seen 15k rounds with no issues.
I really liked this post, though I dislike that it was “necessary.” That Ironwood Designs stock is really pretty handsome, especially the stained photo. I might have to do that for my third or fourth AR.
New York is one Messed-up City. If NY Cops are not careful, they will end up dying of lead poisoning. If Citizens give-up their guns, they will become Subjects. Which is exactly what London wants. Where do you think your taxes go?
Since the admin of this site is working, no question very quickly it will be well-known, due to its
quality contents.
It’s hard to find experienced people in this particular subject, but you sound like you
know what you’re talking about! Thanks
DPMS Sportical complete upper from Midway Arms on sale for $339. and $109 for complete lower from Joe Bob Outfitters makes for a fun, lightweight shooter for less than $450.00! Can’t beat that!
Have two, one with 7.62×39 upper. Trigger pull is fantastic.
I’d purchased a Noveske 300BLK 16″ stainless barrel a couple of years ago. About a month later, I called my son and asked if he would build me a lightweight AR with it. Before I had put the period on the end of my sentence, he asked: “You want me to build you a lightweight AR with a 2+ lb. barrel? Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
My son showed up to visit his mom and I a couple of weeks later. He came in with a box full of stuff and went out to my shop. In what seemed like no time at all, he returned with a complete AR and said: “It’s got everything you would ever want or need. Let’s go sight this thing in.”
The AR looked amazing. I carried the gun out and it was a little front-heavy, but it really was lightweight. My son used the LW-15 lower, but had replaced the handle and the stock with Magpul FDE-colored items. I never noticed any blemishes or seams in workmanship, but knowing my son – he probably worked it over before I ever saw it. He’d used a black Vltor upper, and a Vltor CASV handguard in FDE. Sitting on top was an Aimpoint Micro T-1 red-dot with a cover on the scope that was also in FDE.
Once we’d arrived to the spot where we all shoot, I asked him about ammo and magazines. He pulled out a stack of ten PMAGs from the box, also in FDE, and said: “They’re already loaded and you have the remainder of a case of a thousand rounds. Oh yeah, and the gun weighs in around 5.7 lbs.” As for the BCG, flash-hider / compensator, and sling – I have no clue what brands they are. There is a front-handle in FDE on it that has a bi-pod that pops out of it. Again, don’t have a clue what brand that is either.
Since then, I’ve put close to 3,500 rounds through this gun without a single hiccup. My son did say that he’d replaced the takedown pins with metal ones, and that if I ever wanted a different trigger to let him know. His favorite AR has a Geissele two-stage trigger, but I’m quite happy with this one.
I still don’t know exactly what kind of money that he put into the project, but he said it was for my Christmas present. Oh, and he put an Aimpoint magnifier in my stocking that year, as well. He was very adamant about the type of ammo to use, and said that when I needed more to just let him find it for me. I can say that the gun has never missed anything I’ve aimed at, so he knows more about it that I ever will. All I can say is that even after all of the shooting I’ve done, it’s still just as solid and tight of a build as it was the day he built it for me.
This was my very first AR at 73 years-old. I’ve always used bolt-actions for most of what I’ve hunted all of my life, but it just seemed too cumbersome for me to get around with any longer. I just don’t have the balance or coordination I once had. With this thing, the sling keeps it on me without over-burdening my ability to get around. It’s very easy to just throw it up there and take the shot.
So, yes… I’m quite pleased with the LW-15 lower.
73, huh? Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Glad to hear it. Welcome to the AR family.
I was a Ranger, I KNOW ARs. I have owned mine for over a year and put a lot of rounds through it. Mine is as accurate as any gun I have ever owned, and as reliable. Thousands of rounds with no problems and no discernible wear. At this point if I had to go into combat, this is a lower I would trust.
Long time NF lower owner here. I’m approx 2000rds of 223/556 and a few thousand rounds of LR22 on another upper, and I’ve noted the front of the box of the mag well has completely separated at the seam. My guess would be that I’ve stressed it from cleaning it when opening and closing the upper time and time again. The take-down pins do look a tad wore, and I’ll assume that is causing it to pull apart. Will be calling NF and see what they think. Hopefully, they can take care of it. I love my lightweight lower, and currently am running it as a 2.9lb LR22 pistol.
Purchased my LW15 about a year ago. About a 1000 rounds thru it.
Considerable wear at the buffer tube attachment. It’s being battered by the BCG. It’s causing wear to the tube itself and making it so the buffer doesn’t make it all the wY forward contact with the retaining pin. Well, it was cheap!
There is definately a great deal to find out about this issue. I love all of the points you made.|
“Since durability will be the key to whether the LW-15 is a good value or not, I’m going to treat this as a the first installment of a long-term review; I’ll check back next summer with an update on the LW-15’s round count and malfunction log.”
I searched TTAG for the follow-up article but couldn’t find it.