ATI Omni Hybrid Lowers

Kvon2 · January 6, 2016, 10:47 PM

I'm sure this has come up before, but whats the deal with these things? They seem to sell pretty well. I'm going to be building my first AR this year and it's going to be used only for bench rest target shooting. I've seen some torture tests and they do not hold up. I don't plan on taking any hammers to it or throwing it against the wall. Are they any good at all?

rickyrick · January 6, 2016, 10:55 PM

TFL member Mosin-Marauder has one of those I believe, and seems very happy with it.

Onward Allusion · January 6, 2016, 11:40 PM

I got one. Gen 2 I think. They work and are darn light. I've only ran a few hundred rounds through mine but haven't had any issues. The price is right, too. Got mine for ~$450 but that was a little before Paris or San Bernardino.

Mobuck · January 7, 2016, 07:55 AM

Not sure why you're picking a lightweight lower for "benchrest target shooting".
I ran one of the "Plum Crazy" polymer lowers on a 5.45x39 upper for several years w/o any problems at all. I didn't beat on it with a hammer or throw it against a wall but I carried it a lot. The only thing I noticed was some play in the hammer and trigger pins which was easily resolved with some non-rotating pins.

Kvon2 · January 7, 2016, 08:46 AM

The only reason I'm considering it really is the price. I have some pretty specific ideas for the rest of the build and a lower at this price point would certainly help keep it under budget.

MarkCO · January 7, 2016, 08:58 AM

Why bother when you can get mil-spec lowers for $50 to $60?

rickyrick · January 7, 2016, 09:23 AM

Yep, if it's price you seek, there's a number of aluminum lowers to be had...
Anderson lowers can be found for $50 and I've seen as low as $35. Aero, PSA have blemished lowers at times.

zukiphile · January 7, 2016, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Why bother when you can get mil-spec lowers for $50 to $60?

I have some New Frontier lowers; they do have some virtues:

1. It's a piece of black polymer, so if you scratch it during your build process, you are not marring a finish. This is some comfort for a fellow performing his first build with a hammer and a pair of pliers.

2. Fit to the upper isn't an issue because some of the springy quality of the material is used to hold the lower tightly to the upper; there is no rattle. This may be peculiar to New Frontier.

3. It's a bit lighter and overall a good match for a light barrel and carbon fiber free float tube.

4. It isn't cold to the touch.

The vices include:

1. Only a very slight savings, if any, in the purchase, and likely a much lower resale value.

2. Two obvious weak spots: A) the front pivot pin and receiver holes, and B) the rear of the receiver just forward of the threading for the receiver extension. I did look at some materials for the Omni Hybrid and I don't believe they did anything about this. Instead, they've place some metal inserts so the threaded surfaces are metalic. I've never run into a problem with the polymer threading.

I have aluminium receivers for rifles in which I want to use a sling in the prone position. The polymer might be fine with that much of my body weight stressing it, but I don't worry about overdoing it with aluminium.

Bartholomew Roberts · January 7, 2016, 09:51 AM

The lower receiver extension was prone to breakage* in military use even with aluminium receivers - that is one of the areas where the M16A1 and M16A2 receivers differed. The A2 receiver has additional reinforcement there.

*Alhough I've personally seen lower receivers marked "XM16E1" as late as the late 90s; and it looks like some of the pre-M16 lower receivers are still in use even today - so it may be more accurate to say that the military noted that if a lower receiver ever broke, the lower receiver extension was usually where it happened.

Ibmikey · January 7, 2016, 11:25 AM

I have posted my plastic rifle purchase experience before, my FFL buddy bought several of the Omni rifles on sale and as a lark (I have 25 other AR's) I bought one for $460. Checked it thoroughly finding a DC Machine barrel and proper BCG, only the receiver is plastic with metal reinforcements. Shot this little bugger at 50 yd and it put five shots in one ragged hole, since then it has had about five to six hundred rounds through it without a burp. I will brave the cold and snow today to shoot it and several other AR's and pistols today.
My question of the OP is: With all the neat prices on "real" receivers around forty bucks why would you buy plastic?

Kvon2 · January 7, 2016, 12:02 PM

They are the cheapest I've found in stock in the local gun shops. I'll definitely be looking in to others. We also have a local shop that makes their own lowers so I'll be looking into their prices as well.

Mosin-Marauder · January 7, 2016, 12:17 PM

Hello all,

My ATI has the zinc "skeleton" type thing on the inside. It has been very reliable and very durable. The threads where the buffer-tube go are still in great condition and all of the inner parts/fire control group/ etc are indeed metal, the lower is the only polymer part, really, and it is very durable and reliable. It has held up perfectly after over 500 rounds, not very much by most standards but I have subjected it to a lot of outdoor heat and cold this past year and it is still running strong. If it is for range use/hunting it will be perfect to be honest, even with a fair amount of abuse it will be fine. I'm considering selling mine to upgrade to a DPMS, but that's the fault of my upper, my lower has been perfect.

MarkCO · January 7, 2016, 12:28 PM

Kvon2, I have seen Anderson and PSA lowers for as low as $35. Andersons are normal priced at $50. A little shopping and you can get Aluminum for less.

I might have to pick up a ATI to try out. I have a CavArms and a GWACS I use for lightweight and .22AR. I'll be in the ATI booth at SHOT for one of my sponsors, so I will give them a good look then and decide if I want to experiment with one.

zukiphile · January 7, 2016, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MCO

Andersons are normal priced at $50. A little shopping and you can get Aluminum for less.

I've looked at online reviews/complaints about lowers, and you will find some comments about Andersons being out of spec or the hole for the grip screw not being drilled deeply enough or being off center.

I wonder what got rushed out the door of a lot of places in 2013 during the receiver and BCG famine.

Last year I purchased 5 Andersons with the integrated trigger guard for $200 shipped. They are perfect and make for a good tight fit with Bushmaster, Palmetto State and Anderson uppers I've used. Oddly, my Andersons fit Palmetto uppers better than my Palmetto lowers.

Mosin-Marauder · January 7, 2016, 01:51 PM

I got my ATI lower for $110 out the door complete. THat was the only reason I chose it over having to pay $200+ locally for a barebones aluminum receiver and ordering one off the web.

rickyrick · January 7, 2016, 02:09 PM

The three Anderson lowers that I've used have been perfect.
Perfect fit with PSA upper and two Aero Precision uppers. Probable that some have had flaws due to the low cost and and apparent high volume of production. Who knows?
The way I look at it; people are hacking them out of plastic, so an aluminum will probably work well if in-spec.

Ibmikey · January 10, 2016, 09:28 PM

Mosin, You need to change suppliers if they are charging $200+ for a lower that does not have trigger and stock upgrades at least. The suggestions here are identifying a stripped lower for $35 , add a LPK,receiver extension assy and a Magpul MOE stock and you should be able to build basic aluminum lowers all day long for under $150 bucks. Of course basic is not the way most of us will go and upgrades of all the parts can make that $35 stripped lower into an amazingly nice unit to add to your favorite upper. Some folks are content to build their rifle at the lowest cost possible, i choose another route and build exactly the way i want for a given result and rarely pay attention to the associated total costs.

Mosin-Marauder · January 11, 2016, 12:57 PM

Stripped lowers are $100 around here. I could have bought a lower online but I wasn't deploying overseas or something so I figured "Why not." Runs fine and has worked like a dream so far.

Bartholomew Roberts · January 11, 2016, 02:01 PM

The Anderson stripped lowers were selling RETAIL for $40 here as recently as this Fall. That's cheaper than I can bulk buy 80% lowers (even before the cost for the jig is added in).

And so far the worst thing I can say about them is some were hard to assemble; but all have been perfectly functional.

Fishbed77 · January 11, 2016, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Why bother when you can get mil-spec lowers for $50 to $60?

My thoughts exactly.

January 6, 2016, 10:47 PM	#1
Kvon2 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2016 Posts: 757	ATI Omni Hybrid Lowers I'm sure this has come up before, but whats the deal with these things? They seem to sell pretty well. I'm going to be building my first AR this year and it's going to be used only for bench rest target shooting. I've seen some torture tests and they do not hold up. I don't plan on taking any hammers to it or throwing it against the wall. Are they any good at all?

January 6, 2016, 10:55 PM	#2
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,238	TFL member Mosin-Marauder has one of those I believe, and seems very happy with it. __________________ Woohoo, I’m back In Texas!!!

January 6, 2016, 11:40 PM	#3
Onward Allusion Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Back in a Non-Free State Posts: 3,133	I got one. Gen 2 I think. They work and are darn light. I've only ran a few hundred rounds through mine but haven't had any issues. The price is right, too. Got mine for ~$450 but that was a little before Paris or San Bernardino. __________________ Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying

January 7, 2016, 08:58 AM	#6
MarkCO Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 1998 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 4,308	Why bother when you can get mil-spec lowers for $50 to $60? __________________ Good Shooting, MarkCO www.CarbonArms.us

January 7, 2016, 09:23 AM	#7
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,238	Yep, if it's price you seek, there's a number of aluminum lowers to be had... Anderson lowers can be found for $50 and I've seen as low as $35. Aero, PSA have blemished lowers at times. __________________ Woohoo, I’m back In Texas!!!

January 7, 2016, 07:55 AM	#4
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	Not sure why you're picking a lightweight lower for "benchrest target shooting". I ran one of the "Plum Crazy" polymer lowers on a 5.45x39 upper for several years w/o any problems at all. I didn't beat on it with a hammer or throw it against a wall but I carried it a lot. The only thing I noticed was some play in the hammer and trigger pins which was easily resolved with some non-rotating pins.

January 7, 2016, 08:46 AM	#5
Kvon2 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2016 Posts: 757	The only reason I'm considering it really is the price. I have some pretty specific ideas for the rest of the build and a lower at this price point would certainly help keep it under budget.

January 7, 2016, 09:51 AM	#9
Bartholomew Roberts member Join Date: June 12, 2000 Location: Texas and Oklahoma area Posts: 8,462	The lower receiver extension was prone to breakage* in military use even with aluminium receivers - that is one of the areas where the M16A1 and M16A2 receivers differed. The A2 receiver has additional reinforcement there. *Alhough I've personally seen lower receivers marked "XM16E1" as late as the late 90s; and it looks like some of the pre-M16 lower receivers are still in use even today - so it may be more accurate to say that the military noted that if a lower receiver ever broke, the lower receiver extension was usually where it happened.

January 7, 2016, 11:25 AM	#10
Ibmikey Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2013 Location: Now relocated to Texas Posts: 2,943	I have posted my plastic rifle purchase experience before, my FFL buddy bought several of the Omni rifles on sale and as a lark (I have 25 other AR's) I bought one for $460. Checked it thoroughly finding a DC Machine barrel and proper BCG, only the receiver is plastic with metal reinforcements. Shot this little bugger at 50 yd and it put five shots in one ragged hole, since then it has had about five to six hundred rounds through it without a burp. I will brave the cold and snow today to shoot it and several other AR's and pistols today. My question of the OP is: With all the neat prices on "real" receivers around forty bucks why would you buy plastic?

January 7, 2016, 12:02 PM	#11
Kvon2 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2016 Posts: 757	They are the cheapest I've found in stock in the local gun shops. I'll definitely be looking in to others. We also have a local shop that makes their own lowers so I'll be looking into their prices as well.

January 7, 2016, 12:17 PM	#12
Mosin-Marauder Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2014 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,320	Hello all, My ATI has the zinc "skeleton" type thing on the inside. It has been very reliable and very durable. The threads where the buffer-tube go are still in great condition and all of the inner parts/fire control group/ etc are indeed metal, the lower is the only polymer part, really, and it is very durable and reliable. It has held up perfectly after over 500 rounds, not very much by most standards but I have subjected it to a lot of outdoor heat and cold this past year and it is still running strong. If it is for range use/hunting it will be perfect to be honest, even with a fair amount of abuse it will be fine. I'm considering selling mine to upgrade to a DPMS, but that's the fault of my upper, my lower has been perfect. __________________ Proud owner of three (four-ish) pieces of history! K-31, Mosin-Nagant M91/30, M24/47 Mauser, Norinco SKS. "You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm..." William Tecumseh Sherman

January 7, 2016, 12:28 PM	#13
MarkCO Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 1998 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 4,308	Kvon2, I have seen Anderson and PSA lowers for as low as $35. Andersons are normal priced at $50. A little shopping and you can get Aluminum for less. I might have to pick up a ATI to try out. I have a CavArms and a GWACS I use for lightweight and .22AR. I'll be in the ATI booth at SHOT for one of my sponsors, so I will give them a good look then and decide if I want to experiment with one. __________________ Good Shooting, MarkCO www.CarbonArms.us

January 7, 2016, 01:51 PM	#15
Mosin-Marauder Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2014 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,320	I got my ATI lower for $110 out the door complete. THat was the only reason I chose it over having to pay $200+ locally for a barebones aluminum receiver and ordering one off the web. __________________ Proud owner of three (four-ish) pieces of history! K-31, Mosin-Nagant M91/30, M24/47 Mauser, Norinco SKS. "You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm..." William Tecumseh Sherman

January 7, 2016, 02:09 PM	#16
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,238	The three Anderson lowers that I've used have been perfect. Perfect fit with PSA upper and two Aero Precision uppers. Probable that some have had flaws due to the low cost and and apparent high volume of production. Who knows? The way I look at it; people are hacking them out of plastic, so an aluminum will probably work well if in-spec. __________________ Woohoo, I’m back In Texas!!!

January 10, 2016, 09:28 PM	#17
Ibmikey Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2013 Location: Now relocated to Texas Posts: 2,943	Mosin, You need to change suppliers if they are charging $200+ for a lower that does not have trigger and stock upgrades at least. The suggestions here are identifying a stripped lower for $35 , add a LPK,receiver extension assy and a Magpul MOE stock and you should be able to build basic aluminum lowers all day long for under $150 bucks. Of course basic is not the way most of us will go and upgrades of all the parts can make that $35 stripped lower into an amazingly nice unit to add to your favorite upper. Some folks are content to build their rifle at the lowest cost possible, i choose another route and build exactly the way i want for a given result and rarely pay attention to the associated total costs.

January 11, 2016, 12:57 PM	#18
Mosin-Marauder Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2014 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,320	Stripped lowers are $100 around here. I could have bought a lower online but I wasn't deploying overseas or something so I figured "Why not." Runs fine and has worked like a dream so far. __________________ Proud owner of three (four-ish) pieces of history! K-31, Mosin-Nagant M91/30, M24/47 Mauser, Norinco SKS. "You might as well appeal against a thunderstorm..." William Tecumseh Sherman

January 11, 2016, 02:01 PM	#19
Bartholomew Roberts member Join Date: June 12, 2000 Location: Texas and Oklahoma area Posts: 8,462	The Anderson stripped lowers were selling RETAIL for $40 here as recently as this Fall. That's cheaper than I can bulk buy 80% lowers (even before the cost for the jig is added in). And so far the worst thing I can say about them is some were hard to assemble; but all have been perfectly functional.