Kit Preview: Lancer’s L15 LE Lower Upgrade
Not long ago I tested the Lancer L15 LE Lower Upgrade Kit for Law Enforcement. For readers who like to hear the “bottom line” first: This is worth a serious look. It is in the top one percent in ergonomics and quality, and features of all the patrol carbines we have ever tested.
In the midst of hundreds of manufactured AR-15 products, Lancer has taken an “end user” approach in response to a problem that every patrol officer has had with a long gun. The problem is, when a patrol officer bails out of the patrol car with a carbine, he rarely has a second magazine. A second magazine gets in the way on a belt already filled with safety equipment and they bang around in cargo pockets. While most of us have configured an “active shooter pack” full of extra magazines for pistol and carbine, they don’t get deployed every time one clicks the Big Sky.
This may be all right in a high risk traffic stop where several officers are converged on a vehicle, but it is critical for all other calls. The solution to this problem is the GL Mag Buttstock, a component of the L15 LE Kit by holding a spare magazine.
Lancer Systems is a U.S. manufacturer whose products are designed, tooled and manufactured here at home. They use in-house engineering, which allows a design to go from concept to 3D modeling to full production. They also have in-house engineering capabilities and are best known for hybrid magazines which capitalize on the best qualities of metal and polymer in the same product. Lancer has made some of the most innovative weapons products and accessories for the law enforcement professional and competitive shooters in the industry.
The L15 LE was designed as a money saving upgrade to an existing agency program. It includes an AR-15 semi auto receiver, 30, 20, and 10 round magazines, and the GL Mag buttstock. The GL Mag Buttstock will fit almost any AR-15 magazine, but Lancer’s L5AWM are lighter and quieter.
The company also has an “already built” version called The L15 Professional Patrol Carbine. The L15 Professional Patrol Carbine has a 14.5-inch barrel and a mid length gas system. It is lightweight, owing to the compact design and the use of carbon fiber. It also comes with one each L5AWM 30-, 20- and 10-round smoke magazine.
When I talked to Ty Weaver, Director, Advanced Weapons & Components at Lancer, he walked me through the engineering goals of the L15 LE Kit. Foremost, the spare magazine on the gun and seconds saved with mag changes increase officer survivability.
On the range, the ergonomic design was immediately apparent. The GL Mag Buttstock has a large button release that is indexed by the non-firing hand. One can pop the mag out without searching for it, even while rotating the gun for a chamber check. The latching mechanism is placed so the officer has the fresh mag in the hand in the correct orientation for reloading. With the freight-train-sized opening of the Adaptive Mag Well, slide lock to accurate shot placement is within a few seconds.
Officers will find the oversized magazine release and ambidextrous bolt release are reason enough to use this receiver. I had no problem finding these controls while staying on target.
Manufacturers have played with the dual sided bolt release concept for years now. Lancer has managed to incorporate this into the receiver without an extension device that runs through the trigger area. My trigger finger could easily find and distinguish both controls, even while rolling the gun.
Ty also demonstrated Lancer’s Single Point Sling Mount, which also comes in the kit. Rather than use a solid mount, it has a coated steel cable slung between two mounting posts. Because the cable is flexible, a clip on single point sling is easily mounted. I found the Single Point Sling Mount allowed me to shift the gun around in a handgun transition, which keeps protrusions from the gun (like extended charging handles) from riding into my chest. Many agencies will like this setup because it does not interfere with vehicle locking devices. The Single Point Sling Mount mounts on the buffer tube and is secured by the castle nut. I have to play with this product a bit more. While it suspended the gun at a great balance point for my tack driving MMC Tactical Upper Receiver, I could feel the cable on top of the web of my hand when I acquired a shooting grip. It didn’t get in the way, it was just different.
I used a CMMG AR-15 Lower Parts Kit to complete the receiver. CMMG of Fayette, Missouri manufactures complete rifles, uppers, lowers, parts and part kits. They have an outstanding reputation for quality and are well known for reliable builds.
Among law enforcement trainers, CMMG is best known for their 22 LR conversion kits. They are a tremendous training tool because they can convert the duty carbine to sub caliber. Officers can use the same gun, same optics for training scenarios. I have put plenty of rounds through a CMMG conversion and they are reliable. Using my CMMG parts, I turned the Giants game on and sat down to build my Lancer kit. By the time Tim Lincecum had pitched six winning innings, I was doing a function check on my lower. I used only one tool for the entire build: My Brownells AR-15/M16 Multitasker Series 3 Multitool. Then I headed to the range.
The Lancer L15 Receiver is forged from 7075-T6 aluminum. It is precision machined with Lancer’s unique features. I have built several AR-15s and as soon as I handled the bare receiver, I detected a certain “beefiness” to the design. This includes an integral trigger guard which adds to some of the frame strength, and an ambidextrous bolt release. The magazine release is oversized and both the bolt release and mag release have machined cuts for indexing without looking.
The L15 LE Kit comes with the Adaptive Mag Well already mounted. Introduced this year, the Adaptive Mag Well attaches by opening the trigger guard and sliding the Adaptive Mag Well over this area; then secured with two Allen screws and seamlessly fits on any Mil-Spec receiver. Compared to my others, the Lancer L15 Receiver is a bit more reinforced on the buffer tube mount and other high-wear areas.
The Lancer L15 Receiver is precision machined and the even the magazine well is broached, which is a more precise way to form keyways and openings. Flat areas are completely flat and the drillings are completely concentric. The finish is applied evenly and threaded areas are flawless.
I had to play with it a little in order to confirm my impression. There are plenty of moderately priced AR-15s out there that give the owner pretty good performance. These are minivans compared to the Lancer L15 Receiver, which is a high revving sports car.
I just built my new “go to” AR-15. The CMMG components are high quality aftermarket parts, giving the lower a crisp trigger and reliable operation. The Lancer L15 LE is set up to enhance the officer’s capabilities, and increase officer safety.
Officer Lindsey Bertomen (ret.), Contributing Editor
Lindsey Bertomen is a retired police officer and retired military small arms trainer. He teaches criminal justice at Hartnell College in Salinas, California, where serves as a POST administrator and firearms instructor. He also teaches civilian firearms classes, enjoys fly fishing, martial arts, and mountain biking. His articles have appeared in print and online for over two decades.
