Complete Newbie Has A Question
Alright, alright, I've been reading enough to know newbies sometimes ask some dumb questions and have some dumb ideas. I am indeed a newbie, both to this site and to AR 15's. I do know I'm uninformed. Please bear with me. I tried to ask at my local gun store, but you know how it is there; if you're starting from scratch the guy quickly realizes either you aren't buying today and gets bored with your questions, or thinks that he might talk you into a big sale and so jumps on you with big words and both boots. I felt stupid there, which I was. I asked him, "What's the difference between that AR for $779 and that one for $3009?" He began listing things too fast for me to understand (starting with 'Mil Spec' which I wrongly assumed was HIS wife's name), ending with "You don't want that cheap one anyway, it'll break on you, if you really want the best deal you've got to spend $3000." Okay. But what kind of newbie would I be to shell out that kind of money just because a guy behind the counter with a nametag says so? Right, a dumb newbie. So, I began searching the web. I started with this premise: I have a family to protect, and I don't know what the future holds, so I need to get armed. My wife started with this premise: You are nuts, but if you're really going to do this, we can afford only $2000 tops, not a penny more because we have kids to send to college. If you knew my wife, you don't argue. She's incredibly competent and takes great care of our family and she's my princess so $2000 it is. I quickly realized after a few hours on the internet that although $2000 is doable, I will certainly have to make some compromises. Personally, I fell in love with the Colt M4 (which is how I ran across this site) with all the fixin's, which of course costs lots more than $2000. So my first question is: Knowing I need a complete package for $2000, including optics (I am 51 and I assure you I need optics), a dedicated upper .22 LR that I can switch out so I can practice without overspending my weekly allowance...well, what do you experts suggest? There it is. My dumb question, and probably a dumb idea too. Thanks, guys, I look forward to your time and expertise if you're willing to share.