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Alright enough pussyfootin, :roll: in yer umble opinion, who makes the best receiver for a hand built shooter? 
Poll Who makes the best receiver for a hand built rifle?
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had built rifle
you forgot PolyTech! :lol: You can buy a whole rifle for the price that these guys are selling their recevers for and you can shoot while you gather your parts for your dream gun. Plus this reciver is forged and the others are not, which IMHO is the best way to go.
you forgot PolyTech! :lol: You can buy a whole rifle for the price that these guys are selling their recevers for and you can shoot while you gather your parts for your dream gun. Plus this reciver is forged and the others are not, which IMHO is the best way to go.
For currently manufactured, I'd say Springfield Armory, taking all things into consideration, per my Smith. Smith Enterprise made the best, but they are no longer made. The Polytech/Norincos are very fine receivers (only hammer forged commercial receivers ever produced from what I understand...believe even the Smith Enterprise forged were made from billets), but they do take work to fit things together. My two cents worth.
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Polytech makes the finest readily available receiver.
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Polytech without a doubt...
7th
7th
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·MKS......too bad they're illegal though.
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·best m14 receiver
polytech without a doubt. the only forged receiver for the m14 that originally was designed to be such.
polytech without a doubt. the only forged receiver for the m14 that originally was designed to be such.
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·How about a real USGI.... that would have to be #1.... to bad we can't be trusted with one.
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·Chuck C
Minor correction. Barrels are hammer forged. This term usually does not apply to receivers.
Receivers are forged, cast or billet. Forged is formed to near finished shape while in the heated, near molten "plastic" state. Part is then finished machined. THIS IS THE BEST because the grain structure of the steel is oriented to the finished shape. Billet is a piece of bar stock. Part is completely machined to the finished shape. Next best, but grain structure is not optimum. Grain is linear due to rolling process of making the original bar. Cast is least desired method as castings are less dense and can be porous. Grain structure is random. Cast receivers are much cheaper to make because they don't require expensive tooling and equipment to make. Cast parts if high quality have many surfaces that require no machining at all. Ruger was the first to use this method in high volumne. Servicable stuff, but not the best. All things considered, cast has the least strength. Cast parts will be adequate in strength, if designed properly. Parts that are cast to the SAME SIZE as originally forged parts will not be a strong as forged one. All processes stated above require heat treating to obtain the desired strength and durability. If you have a choice, go forged.
Minor correction. Barrels are hammer forged. This term usually does not apply to receivers.
Receivers are forged, cast or billet. Forged is formed to near finished shape while in the heated, near molten "plastic" state. Part is then finished machined. THIS IS THE BEST because the grain structure of the steel is oriented to the finished shape. Billet is a piece of bar stock. Part is completely machined to the finished shape. Next best, but grain structure is not optimum. Grain is linear due to rolling process of making the original bar. Cast is least desired method as castings are less dense and can be porous. Grain structure is random. Cast receivers are much cheaper to make because they don't require expensive tooling and equipment to make. Cast parts if high quality have many surfaces that require no machining at all. Ruger was the first to use this method in high volumne. Servicable stuff, but not the best. All things considered, cast has the least strength. Cast parts will be adequate in strength, if designed properly. Parts that are cast to the SAME SIZE as originally forged parts will not be a strong as forged one. All processes stated above require heat treating to obtain the desired strength and durability. If you have a choice, go forged.
who makes the best right now today? Springfield Armory....the SA may be cast but the dimensions are correct as far as anybody who knows can tell and they are heat-treated properly.
one thing i wonder about the chinese is that they are always billed as forged. i also see many refrences to duff's book yet has acording to duff's book page 18.... "All commercial receivers advertised as forged are actually machined from mill rolled bar stock." i do know that USGI are drop-forged. although i must admit i dont fully understand the nuances of this type manufacturing. sorry i work with plastics.
the chinese rifles sell for $750 and up here. SA receivers are less than $750 and this is all i would buy a chinese for. and i can get SA rifle starting at $900 or so used. so unless i get one heck of a deal like 7th did i probably wont buy a chinese.
one thing i wonder about the chinese is that they are always billed as forged. i also see many refrences to duff's book yet has acording to duff's book page 18.... "All commercial receivers advertised as forged are actually machined from mill rolled bar stock." i do know that USGI are drop-forged. although i must admit i dont fully understand the nuances of this type manufacturing. sorry i work with plastics.
the chinese rifles sell for $750 and up here. SA receivers are less than $750 and this is all i would buy a chinese for. and i can get SA rifle starting at $900 or so used. so unless i get one heck of a deal like 7th did i probably wont buy a chinese.
A lot of 'smiths and builders seem to prefer Armscorp, so I guess that would get my vote. (Maybe one of the smths online could explain exactly why they are preferred).
But the SA would be my first choice for building due to the warranty (and resale value). I don't have one to compare, but would likely consider Polytech if they had the same warranty and sold receivers at a good price. Or USGI if available.
Entreprise is apparently a good receiver, although I probably would not buy one due to their lax QC rep on their FAL receivers
Fed Ord probably beats out MKS rewelds as the very worst -- some of each were okay, but I would not want to have anything to do with either -- too risky, and no resale value.
-- cw
But the SA would be my first choice for building due to the warranty (and resale value). I don't have one to compare, but would likely consider Polytech if they had the same warranty and sold receivers at a good price. Or USGI if available.
Entreprise is apparently a good receiver, although I probably would not buy one due to their lax QC rep on their FAL receivers
Fed Ord probably beats out MKS rewelds as the very worst -- some of each were okay, but I would not want to have anything to do with either -- too risky, and no resale value.
-- cw
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Guest
·who makes the best receiver for a hand built rifle?
Had a Springfield, had problems with the receiver. Had a MKS, Had problems with the receiver. Had a Polytech and Norinco, Did not have roblems. Now have another Polytech, have no problems. Want more polytechs. If I had to pick from the three offered I would go with the Enterprise because it is billit VS the other two which are cast. Spingfield is rideing on the name recognition of the US government spingfield rifles which they had nothing to do with. It would be like ford went out of busness, I bought the right to use the ford name and started saleing a car that exteraly looked like a Ford,but made with inferior parts and poor quality controll. There would still be people who would buy them and pay more because it is a name that has a lot of history, and they had driven Fords in the past and liked them.
Had a Springfield, had problems with the receiver. Had a MKS, Had problems with the receiver. Had a Polytech and Norinco, Did not have roblems. Now have another Polytech, have no problems. Want more polytechs. If I had to pick from the three offered I would go with the Enterprise because it is billit VS the other two which are cast. Spingfield is rideing on the name recognition of the US government spingfield rifles which they had nothing to do with. It would be like ford went out of busness, I bought the right to use the ford name and started saleing a car that exteraly looked like a Ford,but made with inferior parts and poor quality controll. There would still be people who would buy them and pay more because it is a name that has a lot of history, and they had driven Fords in the past and liked them.
Hey fubar. just want to tell you, drop forging is when they hammer the hot metal into the die.
Question to you guys with Polytechs. You guys don't worry or question the quality of the metal material that chinese are using? :roll: Metals here in the states have to meet temper quality standards which the chicoms do not have to. Even a forged reciever can be weak. Because of that reason in my mind I would have to got with SA or Armscorp or Enterprise Arms. Being in the tooling industry I work with many metals, today's metal compositions in case steel recievers are generations better than just a few years ago. Sinclair
Question to you guys with Polytechs. You guys don't worry or question the quality of the metal material that chinese are using? :roll: Metals here in the states have to meet temper quality standards which the chicoms do not have to. Even a forged reciever can be weak. Because of that reason in my mind I would have to got with SA or Armscorp or Enterprise Arms. Being in the tooling industry I work with many metals, today's metal compositions in case steel recievers are generations better than just a few years ago. Sinclair
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Sinclair check out the following on the available M-14 receivers, it is from a long article by one of our own who posts here with us at battlerifles.com. I will also post the link so that you can read the entire article, it's well worth saving...
http://m14.freeservers.com/about.html
Receivers - There are three important factors in determining the quality of a M14 type rifle receiver. They are the material, heat treatment and dimensional geometry. American receivers are made of 8620 steel and the Chinese receivers made of 5100 steel. 8620 steel contains trace percentages of molybdenum, manganese, nickel and chromium. 5100 steel is a chromium alloy steel. Both are suitable for hardening using heat treatment. USGI, Chinese and Taiwanese receivers are forged. The U. S. Marine Corps found through competition shooting that the H&R, Springfield Armory and Winchester receivers would last 400,000 rounds and the TRW receivers were good for 450,000 rounds. Entreprise Arms and Smith Enterprise Arms receivers are CNC machined from raw billet. Springfield Armory, Inc. and other companies made receivers using an investment casting process. The notable exception is that Smith Enterprise did make a batch of about 260 forged receivers. Springfield Armory, Inc. and Entreprise Arms also make rear lugged and double lugged receivers for competition shooting. Federal Ordnance made two types of M14 receivers, one for all USGI parts and one for all Chinese parts. USGI parts were used extensively in their rifles through at least S/N 0085XX. Prior to 1986, two U. S. companies welded USGI M14 receiver halves back together and legally sold them. They were Hahn Machine and Specialty Arms (Ohio).
7th
http://m14.freeservers.com/about.html
Receivers - There are three important factors in determining the quality of a M14 type rifle receiver. They are the material, heat treatment and dimensional geometry. American receivers are made of 8620 steel and the Chinese receivers made of 5100 steel. 8620 steel contains trace percentages of molybdenum, manganese, nickel and chromium. 5100 steel is a chromium alloy steel. Both are suitable for hardening using heat treatment. USGI, Chinese and Taiwanese receivers are forged. The U. S. Marine Corps found through competition shooting that the H&R, Springfield Armory and Winchester receivers would last 400,000 rounds and the TRW receivers were good for 450,000 rounds. Entreprise Arms and Smith Enterprise Arms receivers are CNC machined from raw billet. Springfield Armory, Inc. and other companies made receivers using an investment casting process. The notable exception is that Smith Enterprise did make a batch of about 260 forged receivers. Springfield Armory, Inc. and Entreprise Arms also make rear lugged and double lugged receivers for competition shooting. Federal Ordnance made two types of M14 receivers, one for all USGI parts and one for all Chinese parts. USGI parts were used extensively in their rifles through at least S/N 0085XX. Prior to 1986, two U. S. companies welded USGI M14 receiver halves back together and legally sold them. They were Hahn Machine and Specialty Arms (Ohio).
7th
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