angryeyebrows
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Oscar Mike
I just received a stripped NEA lower in the mail and I'd thought I'd post a few pics and comments on my initial inspection.
First off, I'd like to say good job to NEA for trying something no one else was doing and following through with a larger project, however long in the making. Now on to the lower.
I have some likes, dislikes and general concerns. Hopefully NEA will be able to comment on certain areas. Now it should be noted that I do not have my Swiss lower here to swap all the parts and I'll probably add to this when the rifle gets back from the gun smith.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box, was how grey the anodizing really was. It is on par with early Colt SP1 rifles and carbines. I was hoping for a little more of a black color, like the plethora of AR lowers that are out there, but it's not a deal breaker.
Full Shot, Front Right
There aren't a ton of markings on the lower, which in my mind is a big plus. On the right hand side, at the top of the mag well "NORTH EASTERN ARMS" is machined in a fairly conservative size font. Thank you for not plastering crap all over the side of my mag well just because there is space to do so! The only other markings on the entire thing are the "S" and "F" located in their proper place by the selector lever. The odd thing is that on the right side, the "S" and the "F" are cut fairly deep into the metal. While on the left side (the side most right handed shooters would look at), the letters are very faint by comparison.
Right Side Selector Markings
Left Side Selector Markings
The next thing I noticed, is some areas where the machining was a little rough. Specifically the rear of the receiver and the magazine well. Nothing too crazy but it's worth mentioning. After all, the stripped lower does cost $500 bucks.
Inside the Rear of the Receiver
Inside the Magazine Well
Outside Rear of the Receiver
I then proceeded to install the parts I did have on hand. I had a 5 position, mil spec, Vltor buffer tube as well as a Colt castle nut and index plate. These parts fit fine and there were no issues. However, when I moved on to installing the AR magazine release I found that because of the thickness of the lower in comparison to an AR lower (which the part was designed for), it proved slightly difficult to install. When I did get it properly installed, I noticed there was barely any button protruding. This is slightly troubling. On the flip side, the catch is so recessed that I seriously wonder the ability to use an ambi-catch such as the Norigon. Admittedly, I do not have one here to test but to my eyes it may not work correctly.
Magazine Catch Correctly Installed (end of the shank is flush with the button)
Left Side Magazine Catch (deeply recessed into receiver)
Comparison with an AR lower (showing button protrusion and color difference)
I ended up backing the catch out one full turn to get a little more button showing. Kinda hokey, and I'm not totally happy with this solution. I may have to fabricate a catch with a longer shank on it or perhaps a longer button. It should be noted that an AR catch does not need to move a whole lot to release the magazine and this one did function, despite it's limited travel. I would have just liked a little more of a positive button to push.
Overall I'm satisfied so far with the purchase, but I think there is definitely areas for improvement. The colour was not what I anticipated, the machining is a little rough in certain areas, especially for the money, and the magazine catch is the biggest issue. The ability to use and AR catch was actually one of the selling points for me. I think this could be solved by relieving some of the material on both sides of the catch to allow both the regular button to protrude more, as well as an ambi-catch on the other side.
I hope this helps those who have been eyeballing this lower and are maybe sitting on the fence.
As always, feel free to PM for questions.
Here's a final shot of the lower all oiled up. It does look a lot better with some oil on it!
***UPDATE***
I received my Swiss Arms carbine back from the gunsmith and it turned out perfectly. I decided to install and try out the NEA lower on my carbine. It took me about 20 minutes to strip all of the factory parts out of the Swiss Arms lower and then an additional 20 minutes of so to install them into the NEA lower. Almost everything went together smoothly but I did have some issues with a few areas that I will outline below.
As I installed all of the lower receiver parts, being careful to assemble them correctly, I only had real difficulty with installing the bolt catch. The part part would not slide all the way into the slot that was machined for it, as well, the channel for the bolt catch spring did not seem deep enough. The only way I could line everything up properly was to really press down on the bolt catch and force its retaining pin though the hole. Once installed, the fit was way to tight, which caused the catch to not function properly. I did some reading and apparently some of the lowers required the end user to clip part of the bolt catch spring in order to fit properly. This is unacceptable. NEA did make an offer to send out new springs to those who had to clip their factory springs to complete the install. I think the channel in the lower should be drilled a little deeper and then fine tuned in future production versions.
The next thing I noticed was that the rear take down pin was not sliding straight across into its closed position. The reason for this was that there is a small amount of material left inside the rear of the receiver that was making contact with the teeth on the take down pin if the pin was not inserted in a certain orientation. In order for the pin to slide through smoothly, I had to rotate it slightly so the teeth would not make contact with the excess material in the receiver. This is not a huge problem, just a quality and design point which would easily be resolved by removing that excess material.
After the pins were in, I noticed that the rear pin had a slight amount of play. The front pin fit perfectly and had no side to side play. Again this is not a big deal but overtime, this might contribute to the upper and lower loosening up. When I tried to break the rifle open by sliding out the rear pin and hinging the front end down, I found that it would not hing open like the factory lower did. The area around the front pin was making contact with the upper receiver. I was unable to remove the bolt group without first separating the upper an lower completely. This is a major annoyance. When cleaning the weapon in the field, it is absolutely essential to minimize the degree to which you must disassemble the rifle to access the key components.
After using the rifle, fully assembled with the new lower, I must say that the ability to use the AR15 magazine and collapsing stock, certainly improves the handling characteristics. If you are familiar with the AR15 platform, this lower will close the gap enough that you will feel at home with the Swiss rifle in your hands. I did notice one more point that bothered me. It was the sharpness of the the front of the magazine well. A lot of shooters and soldiers grab a hold of this area when firing and I found that when using certain firing positions that required the use of the mag well grip, it was uncomfortable on my hand. I don't know what the purpose behind the overly flared front is, but if it's purely cosmetic, then it should be removed.
I think there are enough weak areas, to warrant NEA to take a hard look at fine tuning this lower. The stripped NEA Swiss Arms lower retails for $499 CAD and in my opinion, definitely needs improvement to justify that price point.
Bolt Catch Area
Rear Take Down Pin
Play in Rear Pin
Limited Hinge of Upper and Lower
First off, I'd like to say good job to NEA for trying something no one else was doing and following through with a larger project, however long in the making. Now on to the lower.
I have some likes, dislikes and general concerns. Hopefully NEA will be able to comment on certain areas. Now it should be noted that I do not have my Swiss lower here to swap all the parts and I'll probably add to this when the rifle gets back from the gun smith.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box, was how grey the anodizing really was. It is on par with early Colt SP1 rifles and carbines. I was hoping for a little more of a black color, like the plethora of AR lowers that are out there, but it's not a deal breaker.
Full Shot, Front Right
There aren't a ton of markings on the lower, which in my mind is a big plus. On the right hand side, at the top of the mag well "NORTH EASTERN ARMS" is machined in a fairly conservative size font. Thank you for not plastering crap all over the side of my mag well just because there is space to do so! The only other markings on the entire thing are the "S" and "F" located in their proper place by the selector lever. The odd thing is that on the right side, the "S" and the "F" are cut fairly deep into the metal. While on the left side (the side most right handed shooters would look at), the letters are very faint by comparison.
Right Side Selector Markings
Left Side Selector Markings
The next thing I noticed, is some areas where the machining was a little rough. Specifically the rear of the receiver and the magazine well. Nothing too crazy but it's worth mentioning. After all, the stripped lower does cost $500 bucks.
Inside the Rear of the Receiver
Inside the Magazine Well
Outside Rear of the Receiver
I then proceeded to install the parts I did have on hand. I had a 5 position, mil spec, Vltor buffer tube as well as a Colt castle nut and index plate. These parts fit fine and there were no issues. However, when I moved on to installing the AR magazine release I found that because of the thickness of the lower in comparison to an AR lower (which the part was designed for), it proved slightly difficult to install. When I did get it properly installed, I noticed there was barely any button protruding. This is slightly troubling. On the flip side, the catch is so recessed that I seriously wonder the ability to use an ambi-catch such as the Norigon. Admittedly, I do not have one here to test but to my eyes it may not work correctly.
Magazine Catch Correctly Installed (end of the shank is flush with the button)
Left Side Magazine Catch (deeply recessed into receiver)
Comparison with an AR lower (showing button protrusion and color difference)
I ended up backing the catch out one full turn to get a little more button showing. Kinda hokey, and I'm not totally happy with this solution. I may have to fabricate a catch with a longer shank on it or perhaps a longer button. It should be noted that an AR catch does not need to move a whole lot to release the magazine and this one did function, despite it's limited travel. I would have just liked a little more of a positive button to push.
Overall I'm satisfied so far with the purchase, but I think there is definitely areas for improvement. The colour was not what I anticipated, the machining is a little rough in certain areas, especially for the money, and the magazine catch is the biggest issue. The ability to use and AR catch was actually one of the selling points for me. I think this could be solved by relieving some of the material on both sides of the catch to allow both the regular button to protrude more, as well as an ambi-catch on the other side.
I hope this helps those who have been eyeballing this lower and are maybe sitting on the fence.
As always, feel free to PM for questions.
Here's a final shot of the lower all oiled up. It does look a lot better with some oil on it!
***UPDATE***
I received my Swiss Arms carbine back from the gunsmith and it turned out perfectly. I decided to install and try out the NEA lower on my carbine. It took me about 20 minutes to strip all of the factory parts out of the Swiss Arms lower and then an additional 20 minutes of so to install them into the NEA lower. Almost everything went together smoothly but I did have some issues with a few areas that I will outline below.
As I installed all of the lower receiver parts, being careful to assemble them correctly, I only had real difficulty with installing the bolt catch. The part part would not slide all the way into the slot that was machined for it, as well, the channel for the bolt catch spring did not seem deep enough. The only way I could line everything up properly was to really press down on the bolt catch and force its retaining pin though the hole. Once installed, the fit was way to tight, which caused the catch to not function properly. I did some reading and apparently some of the lowers required the end user to clip part of the bolt catch spring in order to fit properly. This is unacceptable. NEA did make an offer to send out new springs to those who had to clip their factory springs to complete the install. I think the channel in the lower should be drilled a little deeper and then fine tuned in future production versions.
The next thing I noticed was that the rear take down pin was not sliding straight across into its closed position. The reason for this was that there is a small amount of material left inside the rear of the receiver that was making contact with the teeth on the take down pin if the pin was not inserted in a certain orientation. In order for the pin to slide through smoothly, I had to rotate it slightly so the teeth would not make contact with the excess material in the receiver. This is not a huge problem, just a quality and design point which would easily be resolved by removing that excess material.
After the pins were in, I noticed that the rear pin had a slight amount of play. The front pin fit perfectly and had no side to side play. Again this is not a big deal but overtime, this might contribute to the upper and lower loosening up. When I tried to break the rifle open by sliding out the rear pin and hinging the front end down, I found that it would not hing open like the factory lower did. The area around the front pin was making contact with the upper receiver. I was unable to remove the bolt group without first separating the upper an lower completely. This is a major annoyance. When cleaning the weapon in the field, it is absolutely essential to minimize the degree to which you must disassemble the rifle to access the key components.
After using the rifle, fully assembled with the new lower, I must say that the ability to use the AR15 magazine and collapsing stock, certainly improves the handling characteristics. If you are familiar with the AR15 platform, this lower will close the gap enough that you will feel at home with the Swiss rifle in your hands. I did notice one more point that bothered me. It was the sharpness of the the front of the magazine well. A lot of shooters and soldiers grab a hold of this area when firing and I found that when using certain firing positions that required the use of the mag well grip, it was uncomfortable on my hand. I don't know what the purpose behind the overly flared front is, but if it's purely cosmetic, then it should be removed.
I think there are enough weak areas, to warrant NEA to take a hard look at fine tuning this lower. The stripped NEA Swiss Arms lower retails for $499 CAD and in my opinion, definitely needs improvement to justify that price point.
Bolt Catch Area
Rear Take Down Pin
Play in Rear Pin
Limited Hinge of Upper and Lower
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