ATI Omni Polymer AR-15 Lower: Initial Review

Recently I was at my neighborhood gunsmith having some night sights professionally installed on a handgun of mine. I know my limitations and installing sights on a handgun properly are beyond them. As I was paying my bill, my gunsmith made one of those “oh by the way” comments that always seems to cause me to spend more money. He said “oh by the way. I don’t know if you would be interested, but I just ordered some polymer AR lower kits. I’m selling them for $150 tax included. Complete lowers with the buttock and everything.”

The complete ATI Omni AR-15 lower receiver assembly.

Now I was not in the market for a firearm purchase, but I was a little intrigued. I’ve seen the plastic AR lowers advertised, although I've never seen one in person. I told my gunsmith to give me a call when they came in and I might be interested. I received a phone call when the order arrived and I went up to my gunsmith’s shop after work that very day. And as expected, I left his shop with the lower assembly and a $150 lighter checkbook. Of course I did give it a thorough examination before I wrote the check.

First impression: I am impressed with the quality and the strength of the injection molded lower. The lower is strong and not flimsy at all. I can squeeze down on the mag well with quite a bite of force before is will flex. While the main parting line of the mold was pronounced, it isn’isn't bad. It was clear of any flash or burrs and there was no sign of sinks or material swirling.

The fit between the plastic lower and the trigger, selector switch & mag release is excellent. All function perfectly.

The trigger that came with it has a constant 6.5pound pull and a clean (enough for me) break.The trigger could be a little better, but it is very good for a “stock” AR trigger. The plastic lower weighs about 4 ounces less than the forged aluminum receiver of my other AR. My Pmag and GI mags fit just fine. The upper for my DPMS AR-15 fits like a glove on it.

The overall construction of the polymer lower receiver is very good.

Now to get its own upper to put on and see how well it holds up over time. Since I really wasn’t in the market for another AR, I’m going to do something a little different with the upper. I have no need or desire to have two AR-15s chambered in 5.56 X 45, so I've ordered a complete upper that is chambered in 7.62 X 39. This will be an interesting rifle once I put it all together; inexpensive to shoot and possibly a nice little compact deer rifle.