Vulcan Arms Lower

[vmkeith]

Does anybody know anything about the Vulcan Arms lower receiver? I've heard good things the Plum Crazy composite lowers, and the price of the Vulcan Arms lower has peaked my interest for getting a low cost AR15 in 5.56.

[HKILLER]

Where did u find the Vulcan lowers?

[vmkeith]

Saw an advertisement in the latest Guns&Ammo Book of the AR15. You can see them at

http://www.vulcanarmament.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/product.html&setup=1&ida=254&idp=1&his=0|1&cart_id=256042.17040 (http://www.vulcanarmament.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/product.html&setup=1&ida=254&idp=1&his=0|1&cart_id=256042.17040)

[imarangemaster]

I believe Vulcan, Hesse, and Blackthorne are all on outfit. (they also share a PO box in the same zip code. I have built up 6 or 8 ARs from Blackthorne kits, and they were decent, entry level weapons. I believe they use Mossberg barrels. Their customer service is very spotty, though. The only problem I had with a kit was they use terrible M4 recoil springs. WAY too heavy. I replaced them with USGI M4 springs. As for the Vulcan polymer lowers, I have not heard any bad press about them. Plum crazy had a few that cracked just below the lower receiver extension trunnion (where it screws in) I would Google search "Vulcan polymer lowers"

[HKILLER]

Oh no stay away from anything they sell. Just remembered the horrible two uppers they sent me.

[drine]

Does anybody know anything about the Vulcan Arms lower receiver? I've heard good things the Plum Crazy composite lowers, and the price of the Vulcan Arms lower has peaked my interest for getting a low cost AR15 in 5.56.
Is it cost or weight you are shooting for? If just cost, get the Palemtto Arms lower. If it is the weight........can't help there. I haven't seen any of the composite lower torture tests nor do I know if they use inserts around where the pins would go through, two items I would like to know for myself........although I'm not in the market for any at the moment.

[okie shooter]

Vulcan, Hesse and Blackthorne, do your reasearch and then decide. Just google them. There are plenty of comments on the old board and this one to make a judgement by.

[imarangemaster]

I should add a caveat to my earlier post. I said they built up into OK entry level weapons: for armchair commando or plinker. Occasionally there were minor fitting required, that means less than optimum quality. Now with that said, if I were building up a serious weapon I was going to have my life depend on, I would go true mil-spec. I am not a tacticool, AR snob, but I would go with 1/7" Colt, LMT, or Bushmaster 16" flat top upper, etc.

[vmkeith]

Thanks for the opinions...I've dusted off my google fu skills and found more than enough negative comments to stay away from Vulcan, Hesse, or Blackthorne.

[Perro Del Diablo]

doesnt say what type of warranty it has with it, and i know for a fact Plumcrazy has a lifetime warranty on the lower, and fire control group.
I have spoke with a couple of people who know alot about the PCF lowers.

I know PCF uses metal inserts inside of the composite.

the PCF lowers have known to crack the hammer if you dry fire it without a bolt in the gun - like a bare lower. They give you a card with every single lower you purchase that clearly states that the FCG can break if you dry fire it enough so dont dry fire it.
If the composite FCG does not work out for you, you can swap out any metal FCG into it without issue. I know of a few people who have built post sample MGs off of these, and standard fire control groups fit perfectly into them.

they have also had 1 returned for a cracked buffer thread area. one guy got a shell stuck inside of his chamber and instead of using something to pry the bolt back from the ejection port or disassembling the gun he started to pound the buttstock on the ground trying to get the bolt to dislodge.

1 was returned for cracked front pin area - cannot remember what caused this

1 was returned because the person had a brain fart and couldnt remember how to open the gun. Stuck the buttstock on the tailgate and proceeded to hammer on the top of the receiver to try to get it open and eventually it pulled the buffer tube out of the threads.

1 was returned because he was trying to tighten the castle nut down on his ambi sling plate and torqued it so much it cracked.

out of the 15,000 or so they have sold, there have been a VERY small amount returned. less than 1% which is less than some of the big name companies forged aluminum receivers.

I was one of the people who returned one - i had a friend forget how to open the AR and propped the buttstock on top of the truck and went to wail on the top of the upper to try to pop it open and it pulled the buffer tube out of the threads.
1 call to Beth at PCF rectified the problem, and they sent a brand new lower receiver no questions asked.


I am not the biggest AR15 fan in the world - not by a long shot actually
i am not a brand name snob. It doesnt matter to me if the side of the thing says PCF or Colt as long as it works. I dont care about the platform enough to care about the brand.
the savings in weight IS there with the composite lower - and combine that with a pencil barrel and WOW its a LIGHT rifle. it is quite a bit lighter than my forged aluminum lower receiver, and my wife LOVES lightweight so this is helpful to me to have it as light as possible.
i have actually had one break because of abuse, and the customer service was top notch. One call to Beth and you will get your problem fixed and that is actually very important to me. I cannot say enough nice stuff about her!! My wife uses a PCF lower on her razorback belt fed upper and loves it.

I have no problems recommending the PCF lower
i have no idea about the vulcan / hesse

[Planning]

doesnt say what type of warranty it has with it, and i know for a fact Plumcrazy has a lifetime warranty on the lower, and fire control group.
I have spoke with a couple of people who know alot about the PCF lowers.

I know PCF uses metal inserts inside of the composite.

the PCF lowers have known to crack the hammer if you dry fire it without a bolt in the gun - like a bare lower. They give you a card with every single lower you purchase that clearly states that the FCG can break if you dry fire it enough so dont dry fire it.
If the composite FCG does not work out for you, you can swap out any metal FCG into it without issue. I know of a few people who have built post sample MGs off of these, and standard fire control groups fit perfectly into them.

they have also had 1 returned for a cracked buffer thread area. one guy got a shell stuck inside of his chamber and instead of using something to pry the bolt back from the ejection port or disassembling the gun he started to pound the buttstock on the ground trying to get the bolt to dislodge.

1 was returned for cracked front pin area - cannot remember what caused this

1 was returned because the person had a brain fart and couldnt remember how to open the gun. Stuck the buttstock on the tailgate and proceeded to hammer on the top of the receiver to try to get it open and eventually it pulled the buffer tube out of the threads.

1 was returned because he was trying to tighten the castle nut down on his ambi sling plate and torqued it so much it cracked.

out of the 15,000 or so they have sold, there have been a VERY small amount returned. less than 1% which is less than some of the big name companies forged aluminum receivers.

I was one of the people who returned one - i had a friend forget how to open the AR and propped the buttstock on top of the truck and went to wail on the top of the upper to try to pop it open and it pulled the buffer tube out of the threads.
1 call to Beth at PCF rectified the problem, and they sent a brand new lower receiver no questions asked.


I am not the biggest AR15 fan in the world - not by a long shot actually
i am not a brand name snob. It doesnt matter to me if the side of the thing says PCF or Colt as long as it works. I dont care about the platform enough to care about the brand.
the savings in weight IS there with the composite lower - and combine that with a pencil barrel and WOW its a LIGHT rifle. it is quite a bit lighter than my forged aluminum lower receiver, and my wife LOVES lightweight so this is helpful to me to have it as light as possible.
i have actually had one break because of abuse, and the customer service was top notch. One call to Beth and you will get your problem fixed and that is actually very important to me. I cannot say enough nice stuff about her!! My wife uses a PCF lower on her razorback belt fed upper and loves it.

I have no problems recommending the PCF lower
i have no idea about the vulcan / hesse

well, it looks like i may get a few of the PCF lowers and try them. sounds like that is what i need for my grandsons to use for a while. ( i know, i know your getting tired of hearing about my grandsons). light weight and dependable would fit just fine. i have been waiting on a good write up on them. this one was good. thanks mike.

ron

[cz777]

Vulcan, Hesse and Blackthorne, do your reasearch and then decide. Just google them. There are plenty of comments on the old board and this one to make a judgement by. RUN !!!away fast as you can ..sorry but the word is junk at the button line ...

[Glock Holiday]

RUN !!!away fast as you can ..sorry but the word is junk at the button line ...
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x42/Glockholiday/fonzie_thumbs_down.jpg
Don't bother gambling with your money with those guys.

[19Charlie_84]

If you get double Fonzie thumbs down, that says it all. I wouldnt touch vulcan, hessie, blackthorne with a 10 ft clown pole.