What timing! I just built one of my lowers tonight (*/- 1hr, taking my time)!
I’m with what Mike said. It’s going to all depend on your budget and how you want your rifle to come out. What’s the rifles purpose? Sport, target, precision, self defense, shtf?
Don’t fall into the rabbit hole of buying the most expensive (usually the Instagram soldiers choice) parts out there, it’s really not needed. You can build a really nice basic rifle for under $500 these days (sans red dot sights and accessories). I have and have had several Anderson, Spikes, PSA, ect..... most are made by the same machine shop and then the company puts their name on it. I prefer to keep lower/upper receivers the same manufacturer for a better (tighter) fit. If you do have some wiggle there is a polymer wedge you can insert in between the receivers to tighten it up. No big deal. Just make sure the parts kits you buy say “mil-spec” and they will work just fine. Barrels are a dime a dozen now and you should be able to easily find reviews on them online. I like the 1-8 Wylde chambered barrels. This way I can shoot 5.56 and 223 from 55gr-75gr and still be decently accurate (all shots hitting <12” target at 300yrds). A free float hand guard is the way to go (I prefer M-Lok). Optics is personal preference as well as accessories.
Start with the lower and upper and go from there.... you will probably change your mind several times throughout the build. [emoji23]
Most importantly, have fun.
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