Looking for some advice on AR-15s.
More specifically, I want to buy something that's quite good out of the box. It looks like price points for ARs chambered in 5.56 start at around $449 (Umarex)... however I'm very much of the mindset that good ain't cheap and cheap ain't good. I don't want to buy something that's going to require a bunch of upgrades before it's enjoyable to own.
Reasons for purchase: 90% for the enjoyment/challenge of hitting targets proficiently; 10% for home defense.
Desired price point: ~$1k. I will go higher if it's justifiable but if I could check all the boxes for that price I'd be happy.
Right now, I don't know what I don't know so anything you can share would be helpful.
On some aspects like the stock and the grip, I feel as though good enough is good enough. Where I don't want to sacrifice quality are the trigger, weight and flexibility of the ammo it will shoot. I also think I'm partial to the picatinny rails that run the entire length of the rifle although I'm not sure it's needed. Easy maintenance is also important to me.
Is there a resource that explains the pros and cons of the various attributes in an easy to consume fashion like a matrix? I'm tired of Googling every time I run across an acronym I don't understand
Right now, I'm looking at this rifle as an option:
https://www.dunhamssports.com/produ...mi-auto_scoped_rifle_package/W0000072805.html
They also have this version but I'm not sure what the differences are:
https://www.dunhamssports.com/product/m400_scoped_semi-auto_rifle_package/W0000074634.html
There's an 'elite' version of that rifle but it seems to be discontinued.
I'll stop there so this doesn't turn into a book. Any advice you can share would be greatly appreciated.