So what sets noveseke/LMT/CCMG/COLT/DD apart from like Spikes/RRA/DPMS?
Chalk the following up to Internet blah, blah, blah hearsay. I am not an expert on the matter. The following is only my theories/ideas of hwere receivers come from and why they are different.
My understanding is that forged upper and lower receivers come from only a handful of sources. Once the receivers are forged, they are shipped out for final machining and finishing. There are more machining facilities than there are forging sources, but it isn't like every AR brand name does their own machining. Receivers from different brands - and differently perceived brands - may be final machined by the same company. I do not have any docmented examples of this, but I do recall reading about it more that once in my AR-related travels on the Internet.
Well, I did find an example on another forum:
Melensdad on some other forum circa 2008 said:
Bold name- milling/machine shop that machines raw receiver forgings.
Non-bold name - AR brand name that has their receivers machined by shop.
Lewis Machine & Tool
LMT
Lauer
DS Arms
PWA
Eagle
Armalite
Knights Armament
Barrett
Continental Machine Tool
Stag
Rock River Arms
High Standard
Noveske
Century (New)
Global Tactical
CLE
S&W
MGI
Wilson Tactical
Grenadier Precision
Colt
LAR Manufacturing
LAR
Bushmaster
Ameetec
DPMS
CMMG
Double Star
Fulton Armory
Spike's Tactical
JVP
Double Star
LRB
Charles Daly
Mega Machine Shop
Mega
GSE
Dalphon
POF
Alexander Arms
Olympic Arms
Olympic
SGW (Schnutzen Gun Works is the custom shop for Olympic Arms)
Tromix
Palmetto
Dalphon
Frankford
Century (Old)
Sun Devil
Sun Devil forged billet receivers
Superior
Superior Arms
Lauer (New)
-------------------------------------
The above list contains the machine companies that machine the raw forgings into usable receivers. Each individual company applies their own finishing standards.
Bear in mind that the FORGING company is very likely DIFFERENT than the company that finishes the milling of the forged receivers. Further the company that does the milling may not be the company that does the application of the finish, it may also not be the company that does the final polish, etc.
The above list is subject to change from time to time! I believe this list is correct at the time I posted it. (11/2008)
Notes - The above list does not include every single AR brand name available in 2008, or now.
The above list was quoted and provided as an example and shouldn't be taken as absolute gospel. I have seen other lists like this. It has been some time since I, personally, got into the nitty-gritty origins of AR components, and have no idea who currently milss/machines/makes what for who. Brand names may shift to other milling/machine shops over time as contracts expire and are renewed.
Thank you to Melensdad, wherever you are, for letting me lift your post, edit it slightly for clarity, and repost it here.
The quality of the final machining and finish has something to do with the actual and perceived quality of the piece. And the quality of the final machining and finish may depend on the quality control standards a company has in place. And the quality control standards a company has in place may depend on what sort of market(s) they cater to, and/or the volume of product(s) they crank out. Smaller, niche companies can afford to have more attention paid to detail, therefore they produce a finer product, and therefore can charge more money for said product. Larger companies producing higher volumes probably do their best to strike a balance between keeping their production costs down while still delivering a quality product.
I guess in summary, more expensive parts should look better than less expensive parts, but all parts should have all the right holes cut to the right sizes and put in the right places.
Again, just my theories/ideas based on reading I've done.
Fine print: This post has been provided for entertainment purposes only. Don't blame me if it is all wrong. For all I know, Aliens from another dimension make Noveske stuff and then each item is touched by the Flying Spaghetti Monster (aka God) and that's why it's so spectacular. 