For that money, just get a PSA on sale. It'll last longer and runs quite well in comparison! Though to your point, a polymer setup could be ideal in some situations like you mentioned.
Anderson manufacturing am15, all metal all the time. Less filling, tastes great, no failures or smoking pipes of any sort and I'm very happy to promote a American made firearms manufacturer.
Bought the ATI Omni Hybrid multi-cal 5.56 back in 2015'ish and it still hasnt failed me and its my son and wifes favorite gun to shoot, its so light and a great little shooter! the Omni Hybrid is only polymer lower, the Omni Max is with a polymer upper! mine since the lower is the only polymer part its pretty accurate but i dont really shoot over 250 yards
Holy shit I didn’t know that!!! I have the Omni, 5.56 16 inch rifle (I customized TF out of it) and I have a OMNI 300 blackout ARP, Both runs flawlessly, even before I did my upgrades on my 5.56. I’m going to do the same upgrades with my 300 blackout as well. But man I wonder if ours being just lower polymer the reason why ours function well.
Just picked up the Omni-Hybrid in 5.56. Was a police trade in, came with a fire field multi color/reticle optic already fitted. Took it home and cleaned it very well and so far I personally have no complaints!!
@@iceman12451 They definitely do. They use it as their truck rifle. Got a lot of positive reviews from a cop while purchasing mines from a local gun show
I bought one a few years back as a first AR and I still shoot mine. I've been swapping out parts as I can afford it (new trigger, rail, barrel, stock) but the rest of the parts are original and so far haven't had issues with it. Me personally, I'd say for a beginner on a budget, not a bad rifle to start with.
@@eagleone5456 my gunsmith said the same thing lol but I was new to guns and didn't know what I didn't know. Right now I'm saving up for a new upper and lower and basically just morphing the gun into something else lol
when i was in the market for an under 400.00 ar15, the ATI in this video and the RADICAL FIREARMS FR16 were the only choices. I bought the RADICAL FIREARMS FR16 for 395 The lower, upper, and rail system are all aluminium and the current prices i see are still under 400 bucks I threw on a SIG green dot from amazon which cost under 80.00 and perfect working ar with dot, for under 500 bucks!
@@grinningDEATH76 i bought mine in january 2023, ive done a little over 4600 rounds, my only problem was magazine related. I had bought old military 30 round magazines. So the rifle, has had no issues. the magazines i bought were so old hey didnt have the anti tilt followers so I'd get jams galore. but other magazines have worked superbly. The rifle, I am amazed with it still.
currently you can get a blem psa upper and components kit for 300 and a lower for 30 bucks. so if you are smart enough to find a build video somewhere you can have one for 330 dollars
Used to work at a gun shop/ range and saw a bunch of these come though. I’ve seen receiver cracks where the buffer tube gets screwed in. Also some versions ship with polymer fire control groups that wear out over time. I also saw a few with loose gas blocks. ATI makes some aluminum ones for not much more called the Mil sport and are slightly better but would go with an Anderson at the bare minimum or a PSA which would be preferred for a dirt cheap AR
I own the 5.56. It was sent back with a loose gas block and a bad bolt carrier group. Got it back and still had problems so I put anderson byo lower parts kit in and got rid of all the plastic pins and plastic trigger group. The upper is still the same but it seems to ride really tight like it's shrinking down. But it does run after a little tinkering
@frankiejames650 I have the omni maxx and they do have a metal ring the buffer mounts mounts in. BTW my maxx is pretty accurate at 350 yards haven't been to a longer range to see any farther
Put a .22 lr conversion kit in it for my daughter and it runs good. But nice and light and a great way for her to learn the controls of an AR-15. Don’t have to worry about breaks or cracks with the power of a .22!!
bought my ATI Omni Hybrid back in 2018. I've had no breakages in shooting, but I cracked my upper at the front takedown pin when I was tightening the barrel nut after replacing the handguard. But it was reasonably accurate for me. No wobbles like the one John showed here. Poly lower still going strong years later
My step dad has one in 300 blk. After throwing away the stock mag, using pmags, and replacing the trigger with a timney it’s worked great the little I shot it (only like 200-300 rounds). He doesn’t shoot but maybe 50 rounds a year combined through all his guns so will last him forever . He just buys guns, ammo, and accessories, then shoots like 5 rounds through it then lets me shoot a little sometimes.
I've owned the ATI Omni in 5.56 for roughly 5 years. I use Magpul magazines with Federal ammunition. I have to say I haven't had many issues with it. A couple of slight hiccups, but nothing to cry about. It is, after all, a budget gun. I shoot out to 100 yards at times, shooting groups around 7 inches. I've done many, many mag dumps with it. For what it is, I like it. Oh, I use Balistol to keep it lubed up. I also paid $320.00 at the time. Great video, by the way!
I had a ATI OMNI Hybrid 5.56 AR pistol, it ran flawlessly. Probably about 500 rounds and then I got rid of it. But didn’t have all these jams like he has. The real plus is these can be had easily for under $400. With it being the Omni Hybrid it does have metal reinforcements inside where it counts.
I have one. Had it since March of this year. Only issue was the mlok hand Raul twisted like his, not the barrel, just the rail. I ran it dry for a couple hundred rounds, it did jam after the first 3 of 30 mag. Put the lucas gun grease that came with it on and now she shoots good. Just use good ammo.
@shelomonscales7273 literally just got myself a hybrid but the 7.5" model from a buddy that kept it in the back of his truck as an extra hog rifle so it is pretty dirty but still functions, gonna give it a complete clean down and proper oiling along with a new trigger assembly and fresh paint job, for a less than $350 rifle I can see no harm in adding it to my safe 👍
Can you point me in a direction of where to get that ? Even a little more $ but in that range. Always wanted an AR but didn't have the money for the $1000 plus or 1500 models I see around here.. thanks
@@johnlombardo7816freedom lower is 129$ and a decent upper from them is 300 and some change. It’s what I spent. I also live in sc and just walked into psa and bought it in person.
The Ruger 556 was my first AR and as a budget rifle it is unstoppable. Back when I bought mine, it was a higher end low budget AR and i have no regrets!
I’ve had one of those for nearly 10 years now. It was my first AR. I now have some “higher end” rifles. But I can’t let that one go and I still shoot it regularly.
The ruger 556 is great I’ve got about 3 deers maybe 600 rounds thru it runs flawless deadly accurate last deer was a headshot at 78 yards enough said 💯
That was my first AR. Well, not quite true. My first was an M&P 15-22. So I will say my Ruger was my first "real" AR. Got it in carbine length. That thing is rock solid and cycles every round I throw at it. Love my Ruger AR556!
I bought an ATI a few months ago, couldn't pass it up for the price. So far I haven't had any problems out of it and certainly not loose parts or anything. So far I'm a thumbs up for the most part. I do plan to change the upper on mine tho just for sence of mind.
Acquired one very cheap, and I had the same experience with the barrel fitment and barrel nut torque concern. I sent it in, and ATI did the repair and a "once over" very quickly. I can torque down a barrel /castle nut, but I'm not gonna chance messing up the Plastic Fantastic. With light grease on the BCG, i haven't had a stoppage since it's return from service. (About 500 rounds post repair, Gen 2 Pmags, and only brass cases)
You can't go wrong with a PSA. Same price or cheaper if you watch the sales, and very well put together. Do have to shout out Bear Creek Arsenal I have two of their uppers and they shoot great. In fact the heavy barreled 20 inch upper shoots less than 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards. Best 220 dollars I've spent in a long time.
@@leadhead7338I have the one that is steal reenforced polymer upper and lower. I did put a trigger and a ambidextrous safety on it as well as an ambidextrous charging handle, I am left handed.
The Omni Max I had on my channel over the years I got up to 8k or so rounds. Still ran. Though it was fairly unreliable, every few mags was a stoppage. But it did keep going.
@willyberg123 Held zero pretty well, but the front sight block was canted so, the rear sight had some extreme windage adjustments going on. About 4 ish MOA with the steel i normally ran through it.
Have been using the WWSD rifle by KE Arms, sold on Brownells. It has a monolithic polymer lower and metal upper. So far no issues or worries with breaking or accuracy in all my shooting with it. I will be attending 3 days of classes with it soon.... will have to see how it runs there
I have and like polymer lowers. Uppers I don't think are there yet. And even with lowers there's a few things that should be done certain ways to avoid failure.
The ATI Omni Hybrid is only polymer on the lower, the Omni Hybrid Max is a polymer lower and upper not sure if he realizes that, i have the original Omni Hybrid with the polymer lower and its not bad at all other than maybe a hair crack on buffer ring/not sure if its a crack or o blemish but it has steel inserts under the polymer so it should be fine and has been since 2015'ish
Polymer is not my first choice, but I like that manufacturers are looking at different resources and build materials. I can see the potential in the future for home builds should the need arise.
I've got an older ATI Omni FrankenAR hybrid. Plastic hand guard replaced with 7" metal MLOC. The polymer lower got scraped for a Core 15 CXV with upgraded and tweaked trigger. Runs pretty good now .
KE Arms lower is pretty legit. Get the WWSD2020 rifle and you'll be impressed. Polymer lower, carbon fiber handguard and a pencil barrel. Right around 5.0 lbs for a 16" barrel and all.
Mine wouldn't cycle properly at first also. All I did was install a heavier buffer tube and a $5.00 Bravo Company extractor (they cost a bit more now). NEVER had another failure, runs like a champ and is extremely accurate. All I shoot is cheap Tula steel ammo too. It's by far the best $369 I have ever spent on a firearm.
I've only shot one 5.56 Omni AR, owned by a friend, and upon the first magazine it had multiple fire control issues. On multiple occasions one trigger pull resulted in MULTIPLE rounds being sent down range. It also started to behave like a binary trigger where a pull = 1 round, release = 1 round. I immediately stopped firing and told my friend his firearm was a legal nightmare and to immediately return it.
Ive had great luck out of PSA, and Bear Creek Arsenal, had an ATI omni and finally changed everything out or other parts, so now my ati is actually a Frankenstein gun made out of many different companies including PSA, BCA, AERO Precision, Bravo company, midway usa, and CMMG. And honestly its the best running ar that i have. But i do like building them myself.
I have the 5.56. It came with the loose barrel that you found. I sent it back for repair (lifetime warranty). Since it came back I have had only one stoppage in several hundred rounds and it was caused by a blown primer in a batch of Lake City surplus ammo.
Picked up a Radical Firearms 5.56 AR w/metal upper and lower, m-loc handguard, mil-spec trigger, etc for $379 on sale a few weeks ago. After shipping and FFL transfer fees it was just slightly over $400 total for a well equipped hand-off or SHTF rifle.
You should do Bear Creek Arsenal (BCA) next . There’s not a huge difference in the price between the two brands for the most part. However, their quality seems to be better plus they are American made and offer what I can only described as a copious amount of options. Everything from 223 to 30-06 in an various AR platforms.
I have been running a ATI hybrid polymer lower with a 10.5 standard upper with no issues at all. It has a CMMG lower parts kit. It has eaten every round I’ve fed it.
Back in February of this year I bought the ATI MilSport chambered in 5.56. The first time I shot it,it failed to eject, and tried to reload which caused a follow up round to get jammed. I cleared it and tried again, and once again had the same issue. Upon looking at one of the cleared casings, I noticed that ejector was actually chewing on the rim. I took it back to my FFL where I purchased it. They tested it using some of the Irma ammo I was trying. The issue was with the ammo. Since then I have had no more issues with any other ammo. I will be keep my ATI, and enjoy shooting it.
My buddy has one. I genuinely think it's a fun el cheapo gun, but it's scary in the long term. I feel like the pins will walk, the plastic metal/binding does not seem ridiculously rigid, the handguard mating up with the barrel, the castle nut as he described, etc.
I built a rifle with one of these ATI Omni lowers years ago and it still works with no issues. I do not like the idea of a polymer upper receiver and I see no real benefit at all to a polymer upper receiver. I have the Omni lower and the KP15 lower. I have had no issues with either as a lower receiver after thousands of rounds in all seasons and they have performed just like an aluminum lower receiver.
The ATI Omni Hybrid has a polymer lower only, but the Omni Hybrid Max is polymer lower and upper, i have the Omni Hybrid which is a Polymer lower and have had it since like 2015 and its a great shooter, i only had a couple stops with it on the first few mags and its been great ever since, and it darn sure does not twist like his did, i shoot it out to 250 yards all the time and its plenty accurate and when i bought it, it was the lightest AR on the market
I question this a bit, since the manufacturers of polymer lowers have all had to beef them up quite a bit from the milspec design, in order to stop breakage.
The first polymer lower I had experience with cracked at the area around the rear takedown pin where the material is very thin and not reinforced. The lower/firearm had not sustained any significant trauma which would have contributed to the failure. It had less than 100 rounds through it. An unexplainable and unacceptable failure, in my opinion.
I have 2 lowers from Tennessee Arms that have worked really well. The one hasn't seen a lot of rounds yet, but the other has had several thousand. Like, John, mentions the upper is what takes the force. Might not mean much coming from me, but I recommend Tennesse Arms if you're looking for a polymer lower. I haven't tested the durability by throwing em around or jumping on them, but there are videos of them being run over by trucks.
I would never choose a polymer upper, but I'd be willing to try the KP-15 polymer lower because its monolithic so it should have fewer structural weaknesses. I would like to see more reviews on the mid/lower end spectrum because the economy sucks and times are uncertain. Might help people who are new to the space.
I first started with polymer Cav-15 lower and while the first generation wasn't trouble free it was replaced with a Gen 2 and ran great, Russell has improved the design under the KE-15 and I wouldn't hesitate to throw on a 5.56 or 300 BO normal metal upper and pit it against a metal lower.
I built one from parts. After a bit of fitting it runs pretty well. The upper has a metal insert in the front for the barrel nut to retain the extension. I lapped the inside of the upper and the front of the receiver true. The lower also has a metal insert in the rear to mount the buffer tube. It needs set screws to keep the pins from walking out, but they provided them and it works. I cannot attest to them properly assembling the components, but the components I have used are nice and light with a bit of polishing. I run all my AR rifles dry with milspec ammo for 500 rounds. In the old days it was important to run 500-1000 rounds through a gun to break it in. The boutique rifles can skip this process because they're fantastically built by good well trained armorers.
You could try Ian McCollum's, from Forgotten Weapons, polymer rifle. The WWSD ultralight carbine. It's manufactured by KE Arms using the KP-15 monolithic polymer lower. I'm not sure if the upper is polymer or not though.
The upper is a standard aluminum. I have two KP-15s. They run great and can stand up to a good deal of abuse. An important difference is that they have a fixed polymer stock, so you eliminate the problematic interface at the buffer tube.
I'd really like to see you make a video with Hoffman Tactical, who designed the Orca 3d printed AR15. Leaps have been made with the 2A 3D printing community, and I'd argue Hoffman is among the leaders in innovative design. It would be a cool spotlight on the community, showing the advancements made by comparing some of the earlier designs, and talk about the challenges that spurred changes that led to the current iteration. Maybe some stress and accuracy testing, as well as talking about improvements that could be made going forward without losing the ability for it to be made by the average citizen in spite of a tyrannical government, which I would argue is the most important aspect of 3d printed arms.
I bought an ATI stripped upper (it was on sale for $20) and I could not bring myself to use it in a center fire build. It looked and felt cheap, with crude pot metal looking inserts. I filled in the FA hole with epoxy and used it for a dedicated .22 build. I had originally planned to use it in a lightweight build. The lower I purchased for that project was a Tennessee Arms, and that was the polar opposite of the ATI crap. It uses quality metal inserts including threaded brass for the buffer tube, and I have no qualms at all using it for center fire applications. It worked great in my lightweight build (paired with an Anderson Sport upper for low weight without spending $$$ on exotic metals, etc.) Next up, I’m buying one of their carbon fiber AR10 lowers for a lightweight .308. I do use anti-rotation pins with their lowers as that is a known point of wear/potential failure in polymer lowers. The other polymer alternative worth considering is the KE Arms monolithic lower. Brownell’s has been selling them for seventy bux on sale, and considering that includes lower, stock, buffer tube, and pistol grip, that’s a bargain. Add it to a sale PSA upper, and you can easily put together a nice lightweight build for what you spent on the ATI.
Oh great vid, BUT I have the 5.56 version and you could build your own on their site about 8-10 years ago. I have the best barrel, my own bolt carrier group and charging handle . Forward asset, metal pins , pined gas block, my our controls , and kept the trigger . Mine eats anything, has never failed and it more accurate then my service M4. So it's best to build it off of their parts kits
Hey John, love your stuff, but WPS store could have better customer service! It's quite difficult to get in contact with someone. I love you stuff, but find it hard to get support at times. Please help! Love what you're doing!
To be fair the first thing you should have done was properly torque and stake the castle nut. Then properly torgue the barrel nut and handguard clamp screws (with loctite). THEN throw them in the dumpster.
I bought two of the non hybrid poly lowers about 10 years ago to mess with. I put a 22lr upper on one and a 5.56 on the other. The 22lr upper lasted fine and had no issues as there is no movement of the BCG into the buffer tube. The 5.56 broke after about 20 rounds. It cracked below the tube where it connects to the sides of the lower. They were both $30 so no big loss. The Omni looked like it was supposed to be an improvement, but I still wouldn't trust it when you can get a Poverty Pony lower and have it last for a long time at only $35-60 depending on the sale. I built a PSA rifle for $280 on black Friday sales a few years ago. It ran great and was decently accurate. ETA: PSA had sales on lower and uppers the past few weeks and you could put a complete rifle together for around $330.
I built a AR with a ATI lower to cut weight so my granddaughters could shoot it easier. Its ran fine for the past 5 years but i spent all the money on the upper and barrel.
Mine works well . I did have to replace the ejector, it does not have high quality parts in it, but if you have knowledge of an ar-15 you can tweak it some and have a good rifle. Certainly not a choice to carry in battle, but it can serve a purpose. Accuracy is fine
Hoffman redesign the lower off the specs just for 3D printing. The polymer lower in this video appears to be the standard metal design just in plastic. Same with the upper. The Orca is what John should check out and give his opinion on though. Polymer upper and lower, but designed to be stronger where needed.
thats because the designer of that lower solved the main issue, which is the buffer tube connection point, by completely doing away with it. lowers are one thing, uppers.. completely different lol
I see others making the same recommendation, but here's another vote for the KP-15 lowers from KE Arms. I picked one up a couple months ago, and I've been trying out some different uppers. I did get some failures to lock back on an empty mag when firing 55 gr through an upper tuned for 77 gr, but I suspect that might resolve itself after the buffer spring has cycled a few hundred more times. .300 BLK ran flawlessly with everything from 110 to 220. (Yes, ATF, it was a 16" barrel on the lower with a fixed stock.) So far, I'm pleased. It's a very light lower and it seems very sturdy.
Any AR is better than not having one at all. That being said plastics have come along way, just look at the different uses already. I.E. lightweight hunting rifles use 90% carbon fiber and using way bigger calibers. I’d like to see if a bcm or DD made a polymer cause it might just make the difference. Keep up the funny reviews and loved the book, you had me fooled for years that you didn’t know how to write or read
I disagree, there is zero reason to buy this. It's better to save your money for something that is at the very least functional. Andro, Anderson and PSA make dirt cheap AR's that actually run and shoot decent, often for around $400 too. There's nothing wrong with getting a cheap AR, but just get one that will shoot reliably. I have seen multiple reviews of the ATI Omni and all had an insane amount of stoppages, and they are super picky with ammo and mags.
@@JordanJimmyDavison What do you think the word 'polymer' means? I ask seriously and honestly. Go look it up: Every combination of any kind of non-metallic solid/semi-solid that has been homogenized with another solid/semi-solid (metallic or not) becomes a polymer. In this case, most likely a Nylon blend with either Glass Fiber or Carbon Fiber and likely a resin - which makes it a polymer. Here's a fun fact: Did you know that common glass is technically a polymer? No? Shame... This is why most high schools recommend students take a basic chemistry course. And if they don't, they damn well should. In short: Carbon Fiber IS a polymer my friend. It can be nothing else.
I have had great luck with BearCreek They go on sale a lot and you can get a complete lower and complete upper for about $200 each, pin them and go Still budget, but I’ve had good luck with the ones I have in 10.5 and 7.5 both 5.56
I needed a light gun so I picked up an ETI that is running well so far. Hornady One Shot. Bridge the upper and fore end with a 1/2"X6" riser. Had to do this with my M&P 15-22 and thought it would need the same. Allows the use of standard scope rings and low mounts.
Thanks John, for all the informative and entertaining content. " Sniffing like Hunter in the White House," lol literally. A polymer upper scares me. I purchased one of the early ATI polymer lowers after watching an advertisement where they ran over the unit with a truck, and it didn't break, but aluminum ones did. I have seen people have had trouble with the lowers cracking in the rear where the buffer tube threads on, but so far, mine hasn't. That being said, I have probably run less than 1000 rounds through it. I have since purchased a second AR-15 with a forged lower.
Great concept but I have seen quite a few from my friends that have been sent back because there are problems. But if i had chance, i would definitely try one out though
That crazy I have an Omni hybrid 7.5in pistol I never had an issue with it. I didn't like the pistol configuration with 556 caliber so I made it a carbine and used quality parts like brownells wylde barrel, new blitzkrieg Nickle boron bcg, act trigger group and more quality parts. I love the polymer receivers, but I would recommend just buying the receivers and building around them the only parts original to mine are the upper and lower and the forward assist everything else has been changed. And I would recommend lots of oil if she ain't spitting she ain't happy lol
I know a lot of us are stuck in our ways. But. I highly recommend RISE ARMAMENT triggers. They’re almost a must. And in my experience WAY better than any other drop in triggers
I am not a big ar fan but I did get an Omni in 300 . Its barrel.and butt stock are tight . I have a vortex 1x6 on it it's right about 1 1/4 at 100 yds and will ring a 6 inch gong at 200 untill you get board . You need the factory or magtec mags or it will not run. It is very specific. I do like mine but obviously there are better built guns out there. Mine probably has 400 plus rounds through it and last year I took a hog with it .I would absolutely buy another one.
This is the first I have heard of a polymer lower AND upper AR-pattern rifle. I considered a polymer lower at one time, but a trusted friend persuaded me to stay with metal.
So I own an ATI Omni Maxx, which is a normal Milspec AR for dirt cheap. Then slowly over time upgraded parts with Aero Precision. I've had it for years, 10k plus rounds and carried it on patrol/SWAT for a fee years.
Windham makes a polymer rifle, and it’s dead in reliable. Also has a decent barrel. I no longer have one, but I had one for about 5 years. I trained hard with it and had 0 stoppages in maybe 2,000 rounds. I’d highly recommend it.
My first AR was a PSA. It didn't work from the start. Turned out the gas block was loose. After that I bought 5 or 6 uppers and a AR15 rifle by Bear Creek Arsenal. I haven't had any problems with any of them and they seem to be accurate enough for me. Just my experience. John and WPS should do a Bear Creak Arsenal test.
I have the older Omni with poly lower and aluminum upper, got it back in 2016 when it was the only option available. It shoots really well all considering. Only a few stoppages and those were at the start. I don't think I would ever want to shoot it supper hot. I have pounded 3 mags through it pretty quick and it was ok. My wife loves if because the weight. Had to go to the Christensen Arms CA-15 with carbon fiber barrel to find a quality rifle she like the balance of.
These cheap ones always come down to: Were they made on a Monday, or a Friday? But because they were cheap means you can keep them around to hand them to friends and family in case of the zombie apocalypse, you can also use them to train on the dirt and grime and spare the wear and tear on your better ones.
Bought an Omni 5.56 few years back. No problems so far. Has never jammed even with different mags. My SKS is more accurate. I'm an amateur though and probably will never put it through the paces John does. Thanks for the video, I'll keep wits about me.
I got an upper/lower combo from them and built a rifle with the intent to run it as a .22LR using a CMMG kit. No issues at all and it's a nice little plinker. As for whether I'd throw a BCG in it and fire off 5.56, eh... If my other rifles were lost in a boating accident, maybe? But it's FUN shooting it as a 22.
James Madison Tactical (JMT) made a very nice carbon fiber 80% lower. They were much easier to mill out than the Polymer80. Unfortunately, they stopped making them when the owner recently passed away.
I don't even know why someone would consider this option. Just get a sub $400 AR at PSA, they are on sale there all the time. Sure its not a Danial Defense but I have one from PSA that cost $350 and it has ran flawless. Made in America with great warranty. It's a no brainer.
I have an ATI Omni Hybrid in 5.56. It was my first AR. About 1000 rounds down range and my only issue is my gas block came loose around 700 rounds. Other than that I haven't encountered any of these issues.
"Sniffing like Hunter in the White House" LOL. Well played sir, well played.
That gave me a good giggle too
Laughed so hard!
Other than that and the laptop are Joe's
Yes sir that was a good one
@@dontask8979Traitor Joe's
For that money, just get a PSA on sale. It'll last longer and runs quite well in comparison! Though to your point, a polymer setup could be ideal in some situations like you mentioned.
And the PSA of today is far better than the PSA of 5 years ago.
Yeah he’s vouched for PSA before. Good to see him go to the extreme budget option. This is literally the cheapest ar out there
I saw these for $260 on rural king guns before.
Anderson manufacturing am15, all metal all the time. Less filling, tastes great, no failures or smoking pipes of any sort and I'm very happy to promote a American made firearms manufacturer.
PSA for best bang for the buck and for the win
Bought the ATI Omni Hybrid multi-cal 5.56 back in 2015'ish and it still hasnt failed me and its my son and wifes favorite gun to shoot, its so light and a great little shooter! the Omni Hybrid is only polymer lower, the Omni Max is with a polymer upper! mine since the lower is the only polymer part its pretty accurate but i dont really shoot over 250 yards
ive got the max, it shoots great.
Holy shit I didn’t know that!!! I have the Omni, 5.56 16 inch rifle (I customized TF out of it) and I have a OMNI 300 blackout ARP, Both runs flawlessly, even before I did my upgrades on my 5.56. I’m going to do the same upgrades with my 300 blackout as well. But man I wonder if ours being just lower polymer the reason why ours function well.
@@TruthGotGunz probably
I have the same gun I only run 223 through it no failure yet
Just picked up the Omni-Hybrid in 5.56. Was a police trade in, came with a fire field multi color/reticle optic already fitted. Took it home and cleaned it very well and so far I personally have no complaints!!
There is no way law enforcement would trust this rifle
@@iceman12451it’s not a bad one
@@charlessandoval3765 looked it up. They are in fact not police trade ins. They were just cheap stuff thrown on a cheap rifle
@@iceman12451 They definitely do. They use it as their truck rifle. Got a lot of positive reviews from a cop while purchasing mines from a local gun show
I bought one a few years back as a first AR and I still shoot mine. I've been swapping out parts as I can afford it (new trigger, rail, barrel, stock) but the rest of the parts are original and so far haven't had issues with it. Me personally, I'd say for a beginner on a budget, not a bad rifle to start with.
You built out a poly receiver set? Honestly with what PSA offers, it just wouldn't make sense to buy anything like this now.
@@eagleone5456 my gunsmith said the same thing lol but I was new to guns and didn't know what I didn't know. Right now I'm saving up for a new upper and lower and basically just morphing the gun into something else lol
when i was in the market for an under 400.00 ar15,
the ATI in this video and
the RADICAL FIREARMS FR16 were the only choices.
I bought the RADICAL FIREARMS FR16 for 395
The lower, upper, and rail system are all aluminium
and the current prices i see are still under 400 bucks
I threw on a SIG green dot from amazon which cost under 80.00
and perfect working ar with dot, for under 500 bucks!
I have well over a thousand rounds through my 7.5 in Radical and have never had a stoppage of any kind even when bump firing. Well worth the price.
Just got me a fr16 and loving it. Got a buttstock pad and some iron sights. Gonna get a holosun with the acss and a magnifier soon.
@@grinningDEATH76 i bought mine in january 2023, ive done a little over 4600 rounds, my only problem was magazine related. I had bought old military 30 round magazines.
So the rifle, has had no issues.
the magazines i bought were so old hey didnt have the anti tilt followers so I'd get jams galore.
but other magazines have worked superbly.
The rifle, I am amazed with it still.
i also got the radical firearms 400$ AR and its been great
When you can get a blem psa for 499, there is no reason for one of these. Love the Videos you put out
When you can print an Orca for under $400, there's REALLY no reason for one of these.
around a week ago you could get complete PSA upper and lower for 330 all said and done.
Complete Bear Creek rifle or pistol AR can be $349 on sale 2x a year. They also have uppers @$199 complete with BCG for .22LR to 50 Beowulf
currently you can get a blem psa upper and components kit for 300 and a lower for 30 bucks. so if you are smart enough to find a build video somewhere you can have one for 330 dollars
Psa actually just had a sale and the had a full Ar for 360$
Used to work at a gun shop/ range and saw a bunch of these come though. I’ve seen receiver cracks where the buffer tube gets screwed in. Also some versions ship with polymer fire control groups that wear out over time. I also saw a few with loose gas blocks. ATI makes some aluminum ones for not much more called the Mil sport and are slightly better but would go with an Anderson at the bare minimum or a PSA which would be preferred for a dirt cheap AR
I own the 5.56. It was sent back with a loose gas block and a bad bolt carrier group. Got it back and still had problems so I put anderson byo lower parts kit in and got rid of all the plastic pins and plastic trigger group. The upper is still the same but it seems to ride really tight like it's shrinking down. But it does run after a little tinkering
bought the Omni Hybrid 5.56 in like 2015 and havent had a problem with it and i shoot mine in below 0 weather here in the North East
ATI started reinforcing the lower with aluminum.
@@frankiejames650 I bought mine in 2015 and it was reinforced then
@frankiejames650 I have the omni maxx and they do have a metal ring the buffer mounts mounts in. BTW my maxx is pretty accurate at 350 yards haven't been to a longer range to see any farther
Love the shout out to Scott. I'm sure he would love to have you back to try out more guns you'll hate... that 4-bore would be a wild ride
just received "The Warrior Poet Way" a couple of days ago and I couldn't put it down, well done!
Put a .22 lr conversion kit in it for my daughter and it runs good. But nice and light and a great way for her to learn the controls of an AR-15. Don’t have to worry about breaks or cracks with the power of a .22!!
bought my ATI Omni Hybrid back in 2018. I've had no breakages in shooting, but I cracked my upper at the front takedown pin when I was tightening the barrel nut after replacing the handguard. But it was reasonably accurate for me. No wobbles like the one John showed here. Poly lower still going strong years later
My step dad has one in 300 blk. After throwing away the stock mag, using pmags, and replacing the trigger with a timney it’s worked great the little I shot it (only like 200-300 rounds). He doesn’t shoot but maybe 50 rounds a year combined through all his guns so will last him forever . He just buys guns, ammo, and accessories, then shoots like 5 rounds through it then lets me shoot a little sometimes.
I've owned the ATI Omni in 5.56 for roughly 5 years. I use Magpul magazines with Federal ammunition. I have to say I haven't had many issues with it. A couple of slight hiccups, but nothing to cry about. It is, after all, a budget gun. I shoot out to 100 yards at times, shooting groups around 7 inches. I've done many, many mag dumps with it. For what it is, I like it. Oh, I use Balistol to keep it lubed up. I also paid $320.00 at the time. Great video, by the way!
I had a ATI OMNI Hybrid 5.56 AR pistol, it ran flawlessly. Probably about 500 rounds and then I got rid of it. But didn’t have all these jams like he has. The real plus is these can be had easily for under $400. With it being the Omni Hybrid it does have metal reinforcements inside where it counts.
I have one. Had it since March of this year. Only issue was the mlok hand Raul twisted like his, not the barrel, just the rail. I ran it dry for a couple hundred rounds, it did jam after the first 3 of 30 mag. Put the lucas gun grease that came with it on and now she shoots good. Just use good ammo.
@shelomonscales7273 literally just got myself a hybrid but the 7.5" model from a buddy that kept it in the back of his truck as an extra hog rifle so it is pretty dirty but still functions, gonna give it a complete clean down and proper oiling along with a new trigger assembly and fresh paint job, for a less than $350 rifle I can see no harm in adding it to my safe 👍
With the sales running on PSA right now you can put together complete ARs for around $320. It's insane.
Can you point me in a direction of where to get that ? Even a little more $ but in that range. Always wanted an AR but didn't have the money for the $1000 plus or 1500 models I see around here.. thanks
@@johnlombardo7816freedom lower is 129$ and a decent upper from them is 300 and some change. It’s what I spent. I also live in sc and just walked into psa and bought it in person.
The legend says he is still waiting for your answer. 😂
@@reiniergarcia yep 🤣
@@johnlombardo7816 there's probably a factory in china pumping out black market ARs for $50. 🙂
The Ruger 556 was my first AR and as a budget rifle it is unstoppable. Back when I bought mine, it was a higher end low budget AR and i have no regrets!
I’ve had one of those for nearly 10 years now. It was my first AR. I now have some “higher end” rifles. But I can’t let that one go and I still shoot it regularly.
I have one. I’ve never had a problem with it. It’s always gone bang and hit the target when I pulled the trigger
I love my ruger 5.56
The ruger 556 is great I’ve got about 3 deers maybe 600 rounds thru it runs flawless deadly accurate last deer was a headshot at 78 yards enough said 💯
That was my first AR. Well, not quite true. My first was an M&P 15-22. So I will say my Ruger was my first "real" AR. Got it in carbine length. That thing is rock solid and cycles every round I throw at it. Love my Ruger AR556!
I bought an ATI a few months ago, couldn't pass it up for the price. So far I haven't had any problems out of it and certainly not loose parts or anything. So far I'm a thumbs up for the most part. I do plan to change the upper on mine tho just for sence of mind.
@WarriorPoetSociety925 and what would that be
I’ve seen quite a few melt at the front takedown pin. Cool concept though.
i cant understand how the barrel nut is able to lock up tight enough. not to mention when its 400 degrees.
I've had a Omni Maxx for 7 years, mine runs like a top,eats anything, good accuracy.
@WarriorPoetSociety925 ??
That's a new york City number, nothing good ever came out of New York City
Love that you pointed out that there are some redeeming factors in even the cheapest firearms
Acquired one very cheap, and I had the same experience with the barrel fitment and barrel nut torque concern. I sent it in, and ATI did the repair and a "once over" very quickly. I can torque down a barrel /castle nut, but I'm not gonna chance messing up the Plastic Fantastic. With light grease on the BCG, i haven't had a stoppage since it's return from service. (About 500 rounds post repair, Gen 2 Pmags, and only brass cases)
You can't go wrong with a PSA. Same price or cheaper if you watch the sales, and very well put together. Do have to shout out Bear Creek Arsenal I have two of their uppers and they shoot great. In fact the heavy barreled 20 inch upper shoots less than 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards. Best 220 dollars I've spent in a long time.
Have had mine for a few years now. I love it
Do you have the Omni Hybrid with only polymer lower, or the Omni Hybrid Max with polymer lower and upper?
@@leadhead7338I have the one that is steal reenforced polymer upper and lower. I did put a trigger and a ambidextrous safety on it as well as an ambidextrous charging handle, I am left handed.
The Omni Max I had on my channel over the years I got up to 8k or so rounds. Still ran. Though it was fairly unreliable, every few mags was a stoppage. But it did keep going.
@willyberg123 Held zero pretty well, but the front sight block was canted so, the rear sight had some extreme windage adjustments going on. About 4 ish MOA with the steel i normally ran through it.
Have been using the WWSD rifle by KE Arms, sold on Brownells. It has a monolithic polymer lower and metal upper. So far no issues or worries with breaking or accuracy in all my shooting with it. I will be attending 3 days of classes with it soon.... will have to see how it runs there
I have and like polymer lowers. Uppers I don't think are there yet. And even with lowers there's a few things that should be done certain ways to avoid failure.
The ATI Omni Hybrid is only polymer on the lower, the Omni Hybrid Max is a polymer lower and upper not sure if he realizes that, i have the original Omni Hybrid with the polymer lower and its not bad at all other than maybe a hair crack on buffer ring/not sure if its a crack or o blemish but it has steel inserts under the polymer so it should be fine and has been since 2015'ish
I have the same gun in a pistol. It runs fine and does one inch at 50 yards. For the price, I have no complaints.
Polymer is not my first choice, but I like that manufacturers are looking at different resources and build materials. I can see the potential in the future for home builds should the need arise.
Polymer is not my choice in handguns either. Will they be here in 50 or 100 years for my heirs to enjoy ?
I've got an older ATI Omni FrankenAR hybrid. Plastic hand guard replaced with 7" metal MLOC. The polymer lower got scraped for a Core 15 CXV with upgraded and tweaked trigger. Runs pretty good now .
KE Arms lower is pretty legit. Get the WWSD2020 rifle and you'll be impressed. Polymer lower, carbon fiber handguard and a pencil barrel. Right around 5.0 lbs for a 16" barrel and all.
And on the more budget friendly side, their Civil Defense Rifle is also great.
Whats the full name or part number on this one
Mine wouldn't cycle properly at first also. All I did was install a heavier buffer tube and a $5.00 Bravo Company extractor (they cost a bit more now). NEVER had another failure, runs like a champ and is extremely accurate. All I shoot is cheap Tula steel ammo too. It's by far the best $369 I have ever spent on a firearm.
mine has double stacked o rings on the extractor. grabs the brass so hard it leaves brass flakes behind.
I would love to see John collab with Hoffman and do a review of the Orca.
Same
Hoffman is deadass in the comments lol. Look for the one talking about polymer lower stress and check the replies
I've only shot one 5.56 Omni AR, owned by a friend, and upon the first magazine it had multiple fire control issues. On multiple occasions one trigger pull resulted in MULTIPLE rounds being sent down range. It also started to behave like a binary trigger where a pull = 1 round, release = 1 round.
I immediately stopped firing and told my friend his firearm was a legal nightmare and to immediately return it.
Ive had great luck out of PSA, and Bear Creek Arsenal, had an ATI omni and finally changed everything out or other parts, so now my ati is actually a Frankenstein gun made out of many different companies including PSA, BCA, AERO Precision, Bravo company, midway usa, and CMMG. And honestly its the best running ar that i have. But i do like building them myself.
My kind of guy.
I have the 5.56. It came with the loose barrel that you found. I sent it back for repair (lifetime warranty). Since it came back I have had only one stoppage in several hundred rounds and it was caused by a blown primer in a batch of Lake City surplus ammo.
Picked up a Radical Firearms 5.56 AR w/metal upper and lower, m-loc handguard, mil-spec trigger, etc for $379 on sale a few weeks ago. After shipping and FFL transfer fees it was just slightly over $400 total for a well equipped hand-off or SHTF rifle.
Radical is trash meat
I have the American Tactical Omni Hybrid 5.56 and so far absolutely no issues with it at all. Its a great shooting gun
You should do Bear Creek Arsenal (BCA) next . There’s not a huge difference in the price between the two brands for the most part. However, their quality seems to be better plus they are American made and offer what I can only described as a copious amount of options.
Everything from 223 to 30-06 in an various AR platforms.
Also you can get a 410 from Bear Creek that’ll fit !
I have been running a ATI hybrid polymer lower with a 10.5 standard upper with no issues at all. It has a CMMG lower parts kit. It has eaten every round I’ve fed it.
thats vastly different compared to this though.
Ive heard mixed reviews about these omni hybrids so this should be interesting..
Back in February of this year I bought the ATI MilSport chambered in 5.56. The first time I shot it,it failed to eject, and tried to reload which caused a follow up round to get jammed. I cleared it and tried again, and once again had the same issue. Upon looking at one of the cleared casings, I noticed that ejector was actually chewing on the rim. I took it back to my FFL where I purchased it. They tested it using some of the Irma ammo I was trying. The issue was with the ammo. Since then I have had no more issues with any other ammo. I will be keep my ATI, and enjoy shooting it.
My buddy has one. I genuinely think it's a fun el cheapo gun, but it's scary in the long term. I feel like the pins will walk, the plastic metal/binding does not seem ridiculously rigid, the handguard mating up with the barrel, the castle nut as he described, etc.
About 1000 rounds in for me, the only thing bad that happened was my gas block came loose which is a maybe $10 fix.
I built a rifle with one of these ATI Omni lowers years ago and it still works with no issues. I do not like the idea of a polymer upper receiver and I see no real benefit at all to a polymer upper receiver. I have the Omni lower and the KP15 lower. I have had no issues with either as a lower receiver after thousands of rounds in all seasons and they have performed just like an aluminum lower receiver.
The polymer lower plays very, very little role in the viability of the gun itself. 99% of the work is handled by the upper.
The ATI Omni Hybrid has a polymer lower only, but the Omni Hybrid Max is polymer lower and upper, i have the Omni Hybrid which is a Polymer lower and have had it since like 2015 and its a great shooter, i only had a couple stops with it on the first few mags and its been great ever since, and it darn sure does not twist like his did, i shoot it out to 250 yards all the time and its plenty accurate and when i bought it, it was the lightest AR on the market
I question this a bit, since the manufacturers of polymer lowers have all had to beef them up quite a bit from the milspec design, in order to stop breakage.
@@guruthossindarin3563 It's mostly true, but there is still significant stress do to handling.
@@leadhead7338🤮
The first polymer lower I had experience with cracked at the area around the rear takedown pin where the material is very thin and not reinforced. The lower/firearm had not sustained any significant trauma which would have contributed to the failure. It had less than 100 rounds through it. An unexplainable and unacceptable failure, in my opinion.
Bought a Ruger AR556 in 2020 for just north of 600 and for a budget AR it has been GREAT. A little overpasses,it has been 100 % reliable
John did Scott dirty😂
I have 2 lowers from Tennessee Arms that have worked really well. The one hasn't seen a lot of rounds yet, but the other has had several thousand. Like, John, mentions the upper is what takes the force. Might not mean much coming from me, but I recommend Tennesse Arms if you're looking for a polymer lower. I haven't tested the durability by throwing em around or jumping on them, but there are videos of them being run over by trucks.
I would never choose a polymer upper, but I'd be willing to try the KP-15 polymer lower because its monolithic so it should have fewer structural weaknesses. I would like to see more reviews on the mid/lower end spectrum because the economy sucks and times are uncertain. Might help people who are new to the space.
I first started with polymer Cav-15 lower and while the first generation wasn't trouble free it was replaced with a Gen 2 and ran great, Russell has improved the design under the KE-15 and I wouldn't hesitate to throw on a 5.56 or 300 BO normal metal upper and pit it against a metal lower.
I built one from parts. After a bit of fitting it runs pretty well. The upper has a metal insert in the front for the barrel nut to retain the extension. I lapped the inside of the upper and the front of the receiver true. The lower also has a metal insert in the rear to mount the buffer tube. It needs set screws to keep the pins from walking out, but they provided them and it works.
I cannot attest to them properly assembling the components, but the components I have used are nice and light with a bit of polishing. I run all my AR rifles dry with milspec ammo for 500 rounds. In the old days it was important to run 500-1000 rounds through a gun to break it in.
The boutique rifles can skip this process because they're fantastically built by good well trained armorers.
You could try Ian McCollum's, from Forgotten Weapons, polymer rifle. The WWSD ultralight carbine.
It's manufactured by KE Arms using the KP-15 monolithic polymer lower. I'm not sure if the upper is polymer or not though.
The upper is a standard aluminum. I have two KP-15s. They run great and can stand up to a good deal of abuse. An important difference is that they have a fixed polymer stock, so you eliminate the problematic interface at the buffer tube.
My copy of your book just got here and I can’t wait to read it! Thank you again for your service and for your hard work.
@WarriorPoetSociety925 you do?
Ohhh the book. Got it 😂
I'd really like to see you make a video with Hoffman Tactical, who designed the Orca 3d printed AR15. Leaps have been made with the 2A 3D printing community, and I'd argue Hoffman is among the leaders in innovative design. It would be a cool spotlight on the community, showing the advancements made by comparing some of the earlier designs, and talk about the challenges that spurred changes that led to the current iteration. Maybe some stress and accuracy testing, as well as talking about improvements that could be made going forward without losing the ability for it to be made by the average citizen in spite of a tyrannical government, which I would argue is the most important aspect of 3d printed arms.
I bought an ATI stripped upper (it was on sale for $20) and I could not bring myself to use it in a center fire build. It looked and felt cheap, with crude pot metal looking inserts. I filled in the FA hole with epoxy and used it for a dedicated .22 build.
I had originally planned to use it in a lightweight build. The lower I purchased for that project was a Tennessee Arms, and that was the polar opposite of the ATI crap. It uses quality metal inserts including threaded brass for the buffer tube, and I have no qualms at all using it for center fire applications. It worked great in my lightweight build (paired with an Anderson Sport upper for low weight without spending $$$ on exotic metals, etc.) Next up, I’m buying one of their carbon fiber AR10 lowers for a lightweight .308. I do use anti-rotation pins with their lowers as that is a known point of wear/potential failure in polymer lowers.
The other polymer alternative worth considering is the KE Arms monolithic lower. Brownell’s has been selling them for seventy bux on sale, and considering that includes lower, stock, buffer tube, and pistol grip, that’s a bargain. Add it to a sale PSA upper, and you can easily put together a nice lightweight build for what you spent on the ATI.
...I have one...love it.
Oh great vid, BUT I have the 5.56 version and you could build your own on their site about 8-10 years ago. I have the best barrel, my own bolt carrier group and charging handle . Forward asset, metal pins , pined gas block, my our controls , and kept the trigger . Mine eats anything, has never failed and it more accurate then my service M4. So it's best to build it off of their parts kits
Love the videos!
Haven't had any experience with polymer, but for about $100-$200 more, PSA always has a sale. I love my Palmetto State Armory AR-15
Hey John, love your stuff, but WPS store could have better customer service! It's quite difficult to get in contact with someone. I love you stuff, but find it hard to get support at times. Please help!
Love what you're doing!
Just get an Anderson. Cheap. I found one with magpul furniture for 350 bucks. It's metal. Works great. My first AR. I'm happy with it.
To be fair the first thing you should have done was properly torque and stake the castle nut. Then properly torgue the barrel nut and handguard clamp screws (with loctite).
THEN throw them in the dumpster.
🤣
😂😂😂😂
Just got your book for my birthday yesterday! Very excited to read it 💪🏻👍🏻
Great to see more weapon reviews
This is a paperweight review not a firearm. 🔥 🔥 🔥
I have one in .22lr run the upper on my binary trigger and it is a kick. My daughter has a ball!
Love your content! Thanks for being a great teacher 🙏🥰
Hello There - Ben Kenobi
I bought two of the non hybrid poly lowers about 10 years ago to mess with. I put a 22lr upper on one and a 5.56 on the other. The 22lr upper lasted fine and had no issues as there is no movement of the BCG into the buffer tube. The 5.56 broke after about 20 rounds. It cracked below the tube where it connects to the sides of the lower. They were both $30 so no big loss. The Omni looked like it was supposed to be an improvement, but I still wouldn't trust it when you can get a Poverty Pony lower and have it last for a long time at only $35-60 depending on the sale. I built a PSA rifle for $280 on black Friday sales a few years ago. It ran great and was decently accurate. ETA: PSA had sales on lower and uppers the past few weeks and you could put a complete rifle together for around $330.
I built a AR with a ATI lower to cut weight so my granddaughters could shoot it easier. Its ran fine for the past 5 years but i spent all the money on the upper and barrel.
Mine works well . I did have to replace the ejector, it does not have high quality parts in it, but if you have knowledge of an ar-15 you can tweak it some and have a good rifle. Certainly not a choice to carry in battle, but it can serve a purpose. Accuracy is fine
Hoffman Tactical has a 3D printed AR design, I'm sure an injection molded polymer gun is fine.
Hoffman redesign the lower off the specs just for 3D printing. The polymer lower in this video appears to be the standard metal design just in plastic. Same with the upper.
The Orca is what John should check out and give his opinion on though. Polymer upper and lower, but designed to be stronger where needed.
Brownell’s is selling KE Arms lowers for $69.99 on sale. No need to spend time/effort to print anything unless you wish to do so to remain off a list.
I got the pistol version just for fun and never had any problems with it. I would not bet my life on it but, to have around for plinking is fine.
The WWSD 2020 by InrangeTV, and Forgotten Weapons seams to be the only polymer lowere that gets consistently good reviews.
thats because the designer of that lower solved the main issue, which is the buffer tube connection point, by completely doing away with it. lowers are one thing, uppers.. completely different lol
Great training item as it has so many issues! I need one!!
I want to see John test a Hoffman Tactical Orca AR-15. It's also plastic. Very inexpensive as well.
I see others making the same recommendation, but here's another vote for the KP-15 lowers from KE Arms. I picked one up a couple months ago, and I've been trying out some different uppers. I did get some failures to lock back on an empty mag when firing 55 gr through an upper tuned for 77 gr, but I suspect that might resolve itself after the buffer spring has cycled a few hundred more times. .300 BLK ran flawlessly with everything from 110 to 220. (Yes, ATF, it was a 16" barrel on the lower with a fixed stock.) So far, I'm pleased. It's a very light lower and it seems very sturdy.
Any AR is better than not having one at all. That being said plastics have come along way, just look at the different uses already. I.E. lightweight hunting rifles use 90% carbon fiber and using way bigger calibers. I’d like to see if a bcm or DD made a polymer cause it might just make the difference. Keep up the funny reviews and loved the book, you had me fooled for years that you didn’t know how to write or read
I disagree, there is zero reason to buy this. It's better to save your money for something that is at the very least functional. Andro, Anderson and PSA make dirt cheap AR's that actually run and shoot decent, often for around $400 too. There's nothing wrong with getting a cheap AR, but just get one that will shoot reliably. I have seen multiple reviews of the ATI Omni and all had an insane amount of stoppages, and they are super picky with ammo and mags.
Carbon fiber is not the same as polymer.
@@JordanJimmyDavison What do you think the word 'polymer' means? I ask seriously and honestly. Go look it up: Every combination of any kind of non-metallic solid/semi-solid that has been homogenized with another solid/semi-solid (metallic or not) becomes a polymer. In this case, most likely a Nylon blend with either Glass Fiber or Carbon Fiber and likely a resin - which makes it a polymer. Here's a fun fact: Did you know that common glass is technically a polymer? No? Shame... This is why most high schools recommend students take a basic chemistry course. And if they don't, they damn well should. In short: Carbon Fiber IS a polymer my friend. It can be nothing else.
Because we keep coming back for more. Think and about that.
I have had great luck with BearCreek
They go on sale a lot and you can get a complete lower and complete upper for about $200 each, pin them and go
Still budget, but I’ve had good luck with the ones I have in 10.5 and 7.5 both 5.56
KE Arms has good reviews on their polymer lower and WWSD rifles.
Buy “The warrior poet way”. You’ll thank me later
Oh ya..thanks for the great review. It's good to see goo honest gun reviews.
We defeated the wrong enemy.
The KP-15 polymer lower is a very high quality piece of kit IMHO. I would be skeptical of a polymer AR upper.
One of the few people that their assessment is the gospel for me.. TY
@Warriorpoetsociety- nice try scammer
I needed a light gun so I picked up an ETI that is running well so far. Hornady One Shot. Bridge the upper and fore end with a 1/2"X6" riser. Had to do this with my M&P 15-22 and thought it would need the same. Allows the use of standard scope rings and low mounts.
Thanks John, for all the informative and entertaining content. " Sniffing like Hunter in the White House," lol literally.
A polymer upper scares me.
I purchased one of the early ATI polymer lowers after watching an advertisement where they ran over the unit with a truck, and it didn't break, but aluminum ones did.
I have seen people have had trouble with the lowers cracking in the rear where the buffer tube threads on, but so far, mine hasn't. That being said, I have probably run less than 1000 rounds through it. I have since purchased a second AR-15 with a forged lower.
Great concept but I have seen quite a few from my friends that have been sent back because there are problems. But if i had chance, i would definitely try one out though
That crazy I have an Omni hybrid 7.5in pistol I never had an issue with it. I didn't like the pistol configuration with 556 caliber so I made it a carbine and used quality parts like brownells wylde barrel, new blitzkrieg Nickle boron bcg, act trigger group and more quality parts. I love the polymer receivers, but I would recommend just buying the receivers and building around them the only parts original to mine are the upper and lower and the forward assist everything else has been changed. And I would recommend lots of oil if she ain't spitting she ain't happy lol
I know a lot of us are stuck in our ways. But. I highly recommend RISE ARMAMENT triggers. They’re almost a must. And in my experience WAY better than any other drop in triggers
I am not a big ar fan but I did get an Omni in 300 . Its barrel.and butt stock are tight . I have a vortex 1x6 on it it's right about 1 1/4 at 100 yds and will ring a 6 inch gong at 200 untill you get board . You need the factory or magtec mags or it will not run. It is very specific. I do like mine but obviously there are better built guns out there. Mine probably has 400 plus rounds through it and last year I took a hog with it .I would absolutely buy another one.
This is the first I have heard of a polymer lower AND upper AR-pattern rifle.
I considered a polymer lower at one time, but a trusted friend persuaded me to stay with metal.
So I own an ATI Omni Maxx, which is a normal Milspec AR for dirt cheap. Then slowly over time upgraded parts with Aero Precision. I've had it for years, 10k plus rounds and carried it on patrol/SWAT for a fee years.
Windham makes a polymer rifle, and it’s dead in reliable. Also has a decent barrel. I no longer have one, but I had one for about 5 years. I trained hard with it and had 0 stoppages in maybe 2,000 rounds. I’d highly recommend it.
My first AR was a PSA. It didn't work from the start. Turned out the gas block was loose. After that I bought 5 or 6 uppers and a AR15 rifle by Bear Creek Arsenal. I haven't had any problems with any of them and they seem to be accurate enough for me. Just my experience. John and WPS should do a Bear Creak Arsenal test.
I have the older Omni with poly lower and aluminum upper, got it back in 2016 when it was the only option available. It shoots really well all considering. Only a few stoppages and those were at the start. I don't think I would ever want to shoot it supper hot. I have pounded 3 mags through it pretty quick and it was ok. My wife loves if because the weight. Had to go to the Christensen Arms CA-15 with carbon fiber barrel to find a quality rifle she like the balance of.
These cheap ones always come down to: Were they made on a Monday, or a Friday?
But because they were cheap means you can keep them around to hand them to friends and family in case of the zombie apocalypse, you can also use them to train on the dirt and grime and spare the wear and tear on your better ones.
Bought an Omni 5.56 few years back. No problems so far. Has never jammed even with different mags. My SKS is more accurate. I'm an amateur though and probably will never put it through the paces John does. Thanks for the video, I'll keep wits about me.
@Warriorpoetsociety- what can I do for you?
I got an upper/lower combo from them and built a rifle with the intent to run it as a .22LR using a CMMG kit. No issues at all and it's a nice little plinker. As for whether I'd throw a BCG in it and fire off 5.56, eh... If my other rifles were lost in a boating accident, maybe? But it's FUN shooting it as a 22.
I like the concept. WWSD has good ideas with that lower too. Carbon fiber is also interesting.
James Madison Tactical (JMT) made a very nice carbon fiber 80% lower. They were much easier to mill out than the Polymer80. Unfortunately, they stopped making them when the owner recently passed away.
I don't even know why someone would consider this option. Just get a sub $400 AR at PSA, they are on sale there all the time. Sure its not a Danial Defense but I have one from PSA that cost $350 and it has ran flawless. Made in America with great warranty. It's a no brainer.
I have an ATI Omni Hybrid in 5.56. It was my first AR. About 1000 rounds down range and my only issue is my gas block came loose around 700 rounds. Other than that I haven't encountered any of these issues.