Lwrc or Daniels Defense?
 

What would you go with and why?

Which models are you talking about? Links?

Anyway, bottom line: Daniel Defense. Or BCM. No piston AR for me.

If you have the budget for a LWRC, I'd consider a LaRue or KAC or Noveske over LWRC. Don't get a piston for your first.

If you are look at DD consider BCM equalivent rep and build quality.

I don't have a budget I was really looking at the hk mr556a1 but that seems a bit heavy at almost 10 lb, what is it about piston you guys don't like

PS. I also have to see if they are legal in the wonderful state of New Jersey

The few that I've shot has a harsher recoil impulse.
They are heavier, and the weight is all up front.
They cost more.

Read the stickies. Its all in there.

http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/f20/ar15-primer-beginners-guide-59600/

Piston systems add weight, and usually double or more the price, some more than others. If you gotta go with a piston, you could do a lot worse than HK. I recommend you start with a DI rifle for your first, and if you gotta have a piston AR, then you can buy (or build) an upper. IMHO, that would be your safest go. Except for one or two brands out there, the uppers will interchange with no problems. My suggestion is to get a teir 1 rifle to start with, if you do take the piston route, you have a good baseline to compare.
I have built a few piston uppers, and although they are more reliable than a lot of the cheaper AR's, if I had had enough money to start with, I could have gotten a teir 1 rifle and been just as reliable and lighter weight, and cost about the same. LWRC and HK are high quality AR's, but unless you are going to really go through some SOCOM type useage, the extra money and weight are wasted. The higher end piston AR companies have doo-dads that add weight in addition to the extra for the piston, and if you gotta hump the rifle a ways, every microgram feels like a ton.

most are heavy and tend to be extremely nose heavy. the HK you meantion comes in at 10pounds for a 556!!

in regards to piston driven AR15, there is little need for em since the Direct Impinged AR15 run JUST fine and are every bit as reliable without the added weight or balance issues. i just dont see a need for a piuston gun in the AR15 format chambered in 556. too many guns that do it just as well or better without the drawbacks of harsh recoil impulse and unwieldy added weight

The only thing I can add to what already has been said here is: except for the short barrel rifle a piston doesn't add much to the AR platform unless you like white glove inspections.

Now for the harsh environment of SBR function there are advantages to the AR piston plus the extra weight isn't as much a factor with the light, maneuverable barrel. For 14.5" and longer barrels, DI is hard to beat and is what the AR was designed to use.

Your turn, what is it about DI ARs that you don't like, strix?

Why would you limit your picks to just these 2 manufacturers? And have you given any consideration to building your own, with quality components where you actually need them, and the rest as you find functional? (The only components that matter are the barrel, the trigger assembly and the optics - everything just hangs off the receivers). I can throw quite a few links your way on just barrels. There are actually very few manufacturers of receivers as well - they just get roll marked for different firms - and charge accordingly.

Those are two of the top of the line AR's representing each gas system. Other than that, price and local availability may have been a factor. The OP sounds like he is teter-tottering between DI and piston. The rest of us are giving him the pros and cons of each system. Quentin and I have each owned piston and DI systems, and have good and bad points of each. I think you are focused on the individual parts for building his own, which is another angle to look at. If I had the money and was going to buy a complet rifle, I would go with the DD myself. And there are a bunch of billy-joe-bob manufacturers working out of their shed out back producing crap for receivers, such as Vulcan/Blackthorne. Many will make marginally acceptable paperweights, but should never be used on an actual firearm.