Omni lowers?

[RMiller]

Anyone have experience with them?

A local gun shop has them for $30.

[Frontier Gear]

I haven't used the Omni brand, but I have a lot of experience with polymer lowers. For that price, I'd give it a chance. If it breaks, then buy an Anderson. If you look around you should be able to pick up a good mil-spec aluminum lower like an Anderson for $50.

Here is what I have learned in general with polymer lowers, if you do decide to go that direction.

• Use anti-walk/anti-rotation pins. The hammer and trigger pin holes are kind of a failure point for the polymer. They egg-shape over time and the anti-rotation pins cure this.
• Don't use the set screw on a drop in trigger with out a metal shim underneath it, otherwise you will deform the lower. Usually, if you use the anti-rotation pins, you don't need the set screw anyways.
• If the polymer is a good quality, it won't break. Some of the cheaper and first generation polymer lowers (read EP Armory) were brittle and would easily break.

I've sold over 100 of the Polymer 80 kits and none of my customers have ever came back to me because they had one fail. People have screwed them up by not paying attention or not following the directions, but it's never been the fault of the lower. I have a few for personal use and they have never failed either. I don't baby them. Mag dumps in sub-zero weather doesn't effect them. Even when shooting .308 in a poly AR10. I treat them just like an aluminum lower and they have been working well.

People bad mouth polymer, but not all polymers are created equal. If you buy 6061 or 7075 aluminum, you know exactly what you are getting regardless of who made it. There are no such standards for polymer. Every company has their own "blend". One may be great while the other is junk.

[fixin]

I have a smidge of experience shooting a friends standard AR and they seem fairly nice. The look and feel is good on them, and fairly light weight. As frontier mentioned you can chance it and if it doesn't play out, then pick up an aluminum one down the road

[mdram]

with alum ones being so cheap, why bother with poly?

[grayfox]

I didn't realize that the polymers being used in these are not standardized... don't think I want to have that risk in what I shoot. But that's just me.

[RMiller]

The Omni lowers are $30.28.

The last Anderson lowers I bought were $65. I still have 3 of them so I don't one but thought for $30 I might try them.

[Frontier Gear]

with alum ones being so cheap, why bother with poly?

Besides weight, there are a few reasons that I have found to use poly.

• They aren't near as cold on the skin as aluminum when you are in sub-zero weather. I have a winter hunting Grendel with a poly lower, Magpul MOE SL hand guard (not an aluminum free float), and Magpul MOE rifle stock (no exposed buffer tube). The basic idea being to cover up as much aluminum with poly as possible.
• Polymer 80 percents are much easier to learn on and have a lower initial investment than aluminum. If someone is wanting to try their hand on an 80% lower, I usually recommend that they start with a good poly kit. You can get a Polymer80 kit with the bits and jig for a lot less money than an aluminum set up. If they like it, then they can invest more in the tools, bits and jigs for making aluminum lowers.
• Just for fun. If you have the $30 to spare on the Omni, why not give it a try. It would be a fun experiment.

[LRRPF52]

2 Omni lowers within 60 rounds:

[mdram]

2 Omni lowers within 60 rounds:

it should buff right out
just throw on some jb weld for plastic

[Tex Nomex]

Wouldn't use them on any caliber other than .223 or 300BLK.