re: Ordered a Palmetto State kit

Stripped forged lowers are essentially all the same until you get into the really high end manufacturers, and even then there isn't a ton of difference. You're paying mostly for the roll marks.

The Aero M4E1 lowers are nice because the trigger guard is integrated (one less thing that you have to buy or might break), it has a tension screw for the upper and lower, and the bolt catch pin is threaded. Worst part of this lower is the giant Avengers "A" roll mark, which some people like. Aero has blem sales pretty often where you can get their lowers for <$70, so keep your eye out.

One thing I learned after my first build is its good to have an extra stripped upper and lower receiver. As you upgrade parts on your primary build (and you will, no matter how many times you say you won't), you can slap the old parts on the extra stripped receivers. Eventually you'll have 2 complete receiver sets