Anderson Arms is a well-known name in the rifle world. But the key word here is rifle. I was surprised to see a handgun by Anderson Arms, and even more delighted to see the complete lower sold separately. While perusing in the gun store for that next hidden gem, I saw a very attractive Glock clone lower. It caught my attention because it looks a lot nicer than a Glock OEM lower.

I know this is my opinion, but, Glock handguns are kind of boring. For the hard-core Glock lovers, I’m sorry but most Glock clones are better looking than Glocks. And these lowers will make any Glock clone gun look good. Anderson makes good quality stuff so the best thing about these new lowers is the price. I paid $89.99 for the complete lower. All it needs is a slide and barrel. The lowers are Gen 3 compatible, so keep that in mind as we discuss.

When you buy a high-end gun, you know you are getting quality. You also pay a premium price for that name. I like knowing the gun is built for a warrior and even the harshest of environments can’t stop it from running. But I also like finding those guns that are reliable and come with a low price tag. Trying to find the cheapest gun that is still worth owning is somewhat of a challenge that I enjoy. So here is the lowdown on the Anderson Arms lower and the gun I built for under $300.

Anderson Kiger 9c

When Anderson stepped into the handgun market, they did it with the Kiger 9c. The lower frame I purchased is the Kiger without the slide and barrel. Anderson AR-15 lowers always stood out to me. There was something about them that made me notice one from the entire shelf. The Kiger lower frame is the same way. The combination of texturing and serrations give the Anderson lower a beefy, tough guy look.

I tend to get picky with texturing. I don’t want it to be too aggressive, but I don’t like it when there isn’t enough either. Anderson found a sweet spot with texturing. The serrations along the back and front of the grip give it some contrast with the texturing on the sides. The sandpaper texture is heavy enough to keep your hand on the grip, but during shooting, it didn’t bother my hands at all.

They added some texturing around the slide release and along the top edge of the frame where the support-hand thumb rests. One of the few things I would like to see changed is the beavertail on the back. It does come up over my hand just a little, but when shooting the gun, the beaver tail pushed into it some. The trigger guard has serrations on it for those who place a finger on the outside for support. I like the look of the oversized trigger guard, but I found it was not compatible with some of my holsters.

Matching the Anderson With a Slide

I could have purchased the complete Kiger 9c, but that doesn’t work with my journey to build a cheap but reliable Glock clone. I already had a PSA Gen 3 slide and barrel I purchased on clearance for $180. Not all Glock-clone frames and slides are compatible. When mix-matching brands, some work together and some do not. I took two slides (a PSA and Bull Armory) to the range with the Anderson to see how they did.

Both slides worked well with the frame. The Gen 3 guns use a single recoil spring, so they kick a bit more than I’m used to with the Gen 5 guns. But overall, both slides shot great on the Anderson frame. The PSA slide I purchased on clearance is a green flat finish MOS slide with a standard Glock-19 compatible barrel. I had a Vortex Viper optic that was not being used so I stuck it on there for fun. The PSA slide came with tall sights so I could see them easily through the optic window. What started out as a project to build a cheap, reliable gun turned into one of my better-looking handguns. The Bull Armory Axe slide looks just as good as it does on the Bull Armory frame.

Trigger and Reset

The trigger on the Anderson frame is where it really gets interesting. I noticed I was shooting just a little faster with the Anderson than I was with my Glock-19 Gen 5. The weight on the triggers appeared to be about the same so I studied them a little closer.

What I found was the reset on the Anderson is shorter than the Glock. If you are not familiar with trigger reset, it is the distance the trigger travels forward after pulling the trigger. To test for this, make sure the gun is unloaded and safe. Pull the trigger (with the gun pointed in a safe direction) and hold down on the trigger.

While holding down the trigger, pull the slide back a few inches and let go. As you slowly release the trigger, you will hear a “click” as the trigger resets for the next shot. When checking the triggers with my Wheeler trigger gauge, both triggers were showing around 5.5 pounds. The shorter reset on the Anderson was noticeable at the range and a pleasant surprise for a frame that is about half the price of a Glock frame.

A Good Bang for the Buck

The frame worked great with the PSA, Bull Armory, and Glock slides. I would guess just about any Gen 3 slide would work on the Anderson frame. Because it is a complete frame with a serial number, the frame sold as a gun. This means you need to purchase it at a gun store through an FFL. A slide and barrel can be purchased online. All my Glock mags are Gen 5 and they worked fine in the Anderson frame. Anderson flared the magwell just a little to help with mag changes.

I used some Glock OEM mags, ETS, and ProMags at the range. Finding a quality frame at this price that looks good is rare. I would like to see them come up with a Gen 5 version of the frame, and maybe someday they will. But until then, try out the Anderson Arms Kiger 9c frame. Then all you need is that perfect deal on a slide and barrel for a custom-looking Glock clone that looks just a little nicer than the Glock itself.