Spikes Tactical Review
01-26-2013, 09:44 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 362
Spikes Tactical Review
I have been shopping quite sometime for AR-15 lowers and haven't had a lot of luck without paying outrageous prices. I've found a Spikes Tactical stripped lower that is reasonable. Any reviews on them would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
01-27-2013, 10:17 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
Doing a review on a stripped lower just doesn't make sense. Sure, some have tighter machining practices than others, but it's not really an item that makes sense to do an in-depth review for.
Finish will be fine, as good as any, fit will depend on how well you match your upper, but I'd expect very good fit, function will be fine, as the stripped lower has no moving parts.
It's sort of like reviewing an aluminum can because it was made by pepsico bottling company. It ain't a pepsi, it's just a can. Pretty hard to screw up an aluminum can, pretty hard to screw up a stripped lower.
Finish will be fine, as good as any, fit will depend on how well you match your upper, but I'd expect very good fit, function will be fine, as the stripped lower has no moving parts.
It's sort of like reviewing an aluminum can because it was made by pepsico bottling company. It ain't a pepsi, it's just a can. Pretty hard to screw up an aluminum can, pretty hard to screw up a stripped lower.
01-27-2013, 11:06 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
Doing a review on a stripped lower just doesn't make sense. Sure, some have tighter machining practices than others, but it's not really an item that makes sense to do an in-depth review for.
Finish will be fine, as good as any, fit will depend on how well you match your upper, but I'd expect very good fit, function will be fine, as the stripped lower has no moving parts.
It's sort of like reviewing an aluminum can because it was made by pepsico bottling company. It ain't a pepsi, it's just a can. Pretty hard to screw up an aluminum can, pretty hard to screw up a stripped lower.
Finish will be fine, as good as any, fit will depend on how well you match your upper, but I'd expect very good fit, function will be fine, as the stripped lower has no moving parts.
It's sort of like reviewing an aluminum can because it was made by pepsico bottling company. It ain't a pepsi, it's just a can. Pretty hard to screw up an aluminum can, pretty hard to screw up a stripped lower.
One guy put in perfectly; " Why paid $150 for a $25 blow___, just because she is pretty ?!?!"
01-27-2013, 04:05 PM
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,679
Spikes tactical receivers are made by Aero precision. Aero makes lowers for a bunch of AR "manufacturers" and also sells the same lowers with the Aero name on them as well. Its all the same stuff, just a different name on the mag well.
02-11-2013, 07:20 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
I guess I should have pointed out the subjective value of a stripped lower, maybe that would make a fair review?
By and large, the only difference, and ony difference in resultant value, in MOST stripped lowers is the name stamped on the side. What a name means to any given consumer is purely subjective. Some names are a dead giveaway that it was a low-budget franken-build, some names suggest a guy was just trying to build a mall-ninja "mil-spec" super tacticool rifle, some suggest the rifle was built for high volume competition precision shooting, but by and large, it's mostly suggestive. I put more value on a Bushmaster lower (and spend about 50% more to buy) than I would a DPMS lower, even though I KNOW it's made by the same place, because I know I'll get better resale value out of the Bushy than a DPMS would.
Spikes is one of those mid-ground lowers, in my subjective opinion. A lot of guys use them for frankenbuild mil-spec mall-ninja rifles, so as a rifle, you'll need to focus your build to avoid that aire of inexperience (don't involve "MOE" anywhere except the trigger guard), and you'd have to market it to highlight the RELEVANT components, rather than focusing on the brand name and model number of your rail covers. Some guys will build nice rifles around a spike's, some guys will build a rifle that just looks really cool around one. What you do with it is up to you. I don't think it'll be the best for resale value, but it definitely won't be the worst.
By and large, the only difference, and ony difference in resultant value, in MOST stripped lowers is the name stamped on the side. What a name means to any given consumer is purely subjective. Some names are a dead giveaway that it was a low-budget franken-build, some names suggest a guy was just trying to build a mall-ninja "mil-spec" super tacticool rifle, some suggest the rifle was built for high volume competition precision shooting, but by and large, it's mostly suggestive. I put more value on a Bushmaster lower (and spend about 50% more to buy) than I would a DPMS lower, even though I KNOW it's made by the same place, because I know I'll get better resale value out of the Bushy than a DPMS would.
Spikes is one of those mid-ground lowers, in my subjective opinion. A lot of guys use them for frankenbuild mil-spec mall-ninja rifles, so as a rifle, you'll need to focus your build to avoid that aire of inexperience (don't involve "MOE" anywhere except the trigger guard), and you'd have to market it to highlight the RELEVANT components, rather than focusing on the brand name and model number of your rail covers. Some guys will build nice rifles around a spike's, some guys will build a rifle that just looks really cool around one. What you do with it is up to you. I don't think it'll be the best for resale value, but it definitely won't be the worst.
02-11-2013, 12:16 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 362
Nomercy (and all)
Thanks for the replies and the input. I wanted to hear some consumer thought and experience about the products out there. I don't know a lot about the manufacturers in the AR trade. I have "shot" a lot of M-16/M-4 over the years but when it comes to the products on the civilian market I have little experience. I approach it the same way I approach motorcycles.... Sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes you are paying for a name and not so much quality...
Thanks for the replies and the input. I wanted to hear some consumer thought and experience about the products out there. I don't know a lot about the manufacturers in the AR trade. I have "shot" a lot of M-16/M-4 over the years but when it comes to the products on the civilian market I have little experience. I approach it the same way I approach motorcycles.... Sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes you are paying for a name and not so much quality...
02-11-2013, 12:58 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
Unfortunately in the AR game, the "paying for name" thing goes even further than most people realize.
As has been mentioned, there are MANY MANY MANY brands of AR receivers, but actually VERY VERY FEW different manufacturers. I look at it very similar to Closed Reed predator calls. Every hunting company makes one, but they ALL (every single one of them in the US) use J.C. Products reeds. DPMS, Bushmaster, Remington, which receiver do you think is better than the other? None, they're all made by the same company...
BUT, in the AR game, the name on the receiver of a franken-rifle is the "name" on the rifle. Build a ground up custom from junk parts on Bushmaster receivers, then you have a bushmaster rifle. Build a precision build on del-ton receivers, all you have is a low-rep del-ton rifle. You can throw very cheap parts into a Bushy receiver set, put in a nice trigger, slap on a match barrel, and have a rifle that will hold value like superglue. Thinking of motorcycles, think if you could put harley badging on a honda kit bike and call it a true-blue Harley? Or what if you could buy all of the same HARLEY PARTS for half of the price because they were labeled "Vulkan" to build the same bike? That's where we're at in the AR world. Names don't mean jack, but the perceived importance of names means everything. Spikes might flash a "mall-ninja" warning to me, but to a true mall-ninja, it might scream "high quality mil-spec must-have!"
The Spike's will be fine for resale value. Functionally, I couldn't tell you if I honestly thought I could tell the difference in performance between any lower, it's really just a chassis, and they're all the same. The fit and finish might be cleaner on one or the other, but by and large, a lower is a lower is a lower...
As has been mentioned, there are MANY MANY MANY brands of AR receivers, but actually VERY VERY FEW different manufacturers. I look at it very similar to Closed Reed predator calls. Every hunting company makes one, but they ALL (every single one of them in the US) use J.C. Products reeds. DPMS, Bushmaster, Remington, which receiver do you think is better than the other? None, they're all made by the same company...
BUT, in the AR game, the name on the receiver of a franken-rifle is the "name" on the rifle. Build a ground up custom from junk parts on Bushmaster receivers, then you have a bushmaster rifle. Build a precision build on del-ton receivers, all you have is a low-rep del-ton rifle. You can throw very cheap parts into a Bushy receiver set, put in a nice trigger, slap on a match barrel, and have a rifle that will hold value like superglue. Thinking of motorcycles, think if you could put harley badging on a honda kit bike and call it a true-blue Harley? Or what if you could buy all of the same HARLEY PARTS for half of the price because they were labeled "Vulkan" to build the same bike? That's where we're at in the AR world. Names don't mean jack, but the perceived importance of names means everything. Spikes might flash a "mall-ninja" warning to me, but to a true mall-ninja, it might scream "high quality mil-spec must-have!"
The Spike's will be fine for resale value. Functionally, I couldn't tell you if I honestly thought I could tell the difference in performance between any lower, it's really just a chassis, and they're all the same. The fit and finish might be cleaner on one or the other, but by and large, a lower is a lower is a lower...
Last edited by Nomercy448; 02-11-2013 at 01:00 PM.
02-11-2013, 07:32 PM
#10
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 362
All good to know and interesting info. Like I said I am new to the territory of commercial AR rifles. Right now all I have is reviews online and several forums that I stumble on. Just trying to get educated on what is available and what is quality beyond popularity etc..
FYI.... I have ended up with a Noveske Gen 1 stripped lower. I am in the process of shopping for a lower parts kit.
FYI.... I have ended up with a Noveske Gen 1 stripped lower. I am in the process of shopping for a lower parts kit.