First off from Cali so I decided to pick up 2 lowers before I no longer cant. The guys at my local gun shop are good dudes but had very different opinions on builds and kinda lost me. I have spent some time looking over this forum the last few days and have answered a lot of my question already but I have a few that hopefully you guys can help or point me in the right direction.

I picked up 2 Anderson AM15 stripped lowers and was thinking build a budget version primarily ordering from PSA parts and then a higher budget build and still checking out products. I have read a lot that PSA make a good product and I hope that still applies.

One main question is about the gas piston upper, do i need to do anything different on the lower if I choose to do a gas piston upper? And is cleaning the gas piston upper more difficult then traditional DI style?

Also I would prefer to have the proper tools to assemble, so do any of you know of a complete build set that is crazy overpriced?  

Thank for the help in advance,

PSA makes good stuff for lower parts kits and stuff. I wouldn't hesitate at all to buy a lower build kit to finish a lower from them. All of my rifles are Direct Impingement, so I don't know anything about piston systems. Direct Impingement is the more traditional route to go. I know that piston systems keep your upper cleaner, but as far as if any cleaning to the piston system itself is needed, I haven't a clue.

For tools, I would recommend an armorers wrench, non marring upper and lower receiver blocks to be used in a vise, a vise, then a roll pin punch set helps tremendously over regular punches. Watch lower receiver build videos before doing anything. NSZ85 made some very comprehensive, step by step lower build videos.

I think this is the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1omm6jY7Gg

Watching that video will give you a really good idea about what tools you need, and techniques to use to build the lower.

Nothing special needs to be done to a lower reciever for piston or di, so long as it's in spec. It's good to go.

Cleaning is not particularly different or difficult between the two. The gas system rarley if ever gets fully disassembled. They do however use different bolt carrier groups so google that if you didn't already know.

Psa is the go to for affordable value based parts. The sheer amount of product they move however means mistakes do happen and qc can miss things. They usually do a good job at resolving issues and I personally haven't had any complaints with them.

Andersons would not have been my first choice but work fine for many many people.

As for the tools you'll get more varied answers than you can shake a stick at. I'll leave that to others. I didn't buy any special tools till my third build and I knew I was going to do more. Here in west Texas there were plenty of people tooled out to give me a hand. Check local and make a new friend maybe.

A little advice.

Press pins in, punch pins out. Trust me

For the lower, having the correct punches helps.

 Welcome, AK.  I suggest you finish the budget build first, then leverage your learnings and updated preferences for the next build.  PSA and BCA, among others, supply quality parts.  Never take a chance on brand names that don't have a loyal following.  If you stick to ordinary milspec direct impingment, the parts go together without much fuss.  If you try on some budget piston gizmo, you will likely be buying into more difficulties than you bargained for.  Pistons may keep some combustion products out of the action, but that's not the critical area for powder fouling - rather its the chamber that gets really dirty, no matter what.

As for tools, get an inexpensive clamshell-type upper receiver block to hold the receiver in your bench vise while you tighten the barrel nut.  Get an armorers wrench for that task, plus a few choice roll pin starter and driver punches.  As I recall, there are only two roll pin diameters to deal with.  A torque wrench is not really necessary IMO, just use common sense when tightening that steel barrel nut into aluminum threads, nice and snug with moly grease does the trick without risking damage to the upper receiver.  

Follow the instructions at the top of this subforum, plus Brownell's videos on YouTube, and you'll do fine.  The first rifle will take a while to assemble, but you will never regret the experience.  Best of all, no gunsmiths required.  good luck - CW

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the information and help already. Thanks for the link to the youtube video and tools i should get. I spent sometime getting my tool kit together and glad to hear that PSA parts are the way to go.

Have a question regarding lower kit. I'm looking at buying the lowered PSA kit with the ACT triger but it's not California compliant. All I need to do is buy the Bullet Button and swap it out correct?

I would recommend a Magpul BEV block over a clamshell receiver fixture.  I have both, and as of late I've been assembling billet uppers that don't fit in the clamshell blocks.

So at what point in a build do you have to knuckle down on DI vs piston?  I'm wanting to build a DI for my first and ordered the matched upper/lower from Spikes Tactical. What do you do to the upper to make it piston?

Most piston kits replace the gas tube with the piston apparatus and come with an updated bolt carrier group that works with the piston. Other kits change out the whole gas block along with the other mentioned parts.  So I would say buy the piston kit and leave out the parts that the kit will replace. The BCG is the most expensive part that is replaced I would say. Osprey and Adams are the front runners when it comes to piston kits unless you buy a factory dedicated piston upper, not a conversion.  I have an Ares piston kit but I don't think they make them anymore.

Is there a big advantage doing Piston over DI?

One costs a lot more and impresses some people.  They both work well.

I have three Anderson lowers.  The two that I have built into rifles work beautifully, #3 is a work in progress.  They are as GTG as anything IMO.

What do you guys suggest for a hand guard rail system. I like the look of the quad rails but would only use 2 rails. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Get keymod or m lok hand guards. that way you can just ad rails as you need and you dont have sharp edges of the quad rails snaging on things.

I own a piston upper from one of the best, LMT, but I don't think it is worth it over DI.  Since the MRP upper takes different barrels, 99% of the time it is configured as a DI.

As for tools a wrench for the castle nut on the buffer. A wrench for the barrel nut, a torque wrench, a vice block and roll pin punches..as for pistons. I was going to go that route but the availibility was limited so i went with di... I put in a nickle boron bolt and it works flawlessly. 300+ rounds not a single misfeed and the insides still looked clean. Just needed a wipe down.

Thanks i got all my tools together now and looking into uppers. Is the nickle boron worth the extra money? I just came across Aero Precision and like what they have to offer. PSA is pissing me off with there 3 week shipping delay and everything out of stock.

And think about how much stuff you'll actually use.  M-Lok ff hg were developed off the M-Lok standard that's on the Magpul MOE hg.  I have the MOE SL on the 5.56 and the MOE on the 300blk.  M-Lok slots all over them.  My plan is a light and forward sling qd, that's it.  

I put a quad rail on the l1a1 because it wasn't Black Rifle enough when I bought it, and had to basically stop shooting it until I got a double handful of rail covers.  Based on that experience I stuck with the GI style hg mounting and went with Magpul furniture.  No tools to change it out if I decide I want to...

Thanks for all the help so far I really appreciate it. Is there a thread that has pictures and specs of people guns so I can get some idea and see some cool stuff everyone has bought or built?