$800 is your budget. I'd save up for another month, or add a little debt to a piece of plastic and up the level a bit.
You can still get a PSA Patrol Rifle (complete) for $1199
http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...e-package.html
The optic alone is $430 +/- if you shop around hard enough and find a place that does not require LEO/MIL verification. If you don't like the rifle and want to upgrade, I'm sure you can pluck the Aimpoint and still get $800 for the rifle in resale for an upgrade.
At some point everyone and their neighbor is going to strongly recommend getting a RDS optic of some sort, which is going to add that $430 to your cost of playing. The Aimpoint PRO is an excellent optic.
Hardly anybody ever factors in the accessories and fluff to their budget. Mags, sling, BUIS (if applicable), optic, upgrades, rails, grips...Oh yeah, ammo, training classes, rifle case, cleaning kit, more ammo....You can easily double your cost of an entry level rifle getting the full treatment without going overboard with unnecessary BS.
My base rifle = $1400. Customized to my comfort and 8 mags = $2400. Two training classes, ammo (reloading parts), and more items that I grabbed because the price was < 75% of retail (spare BCG, mags...) = $4k.
2300 rounds down the pipe. Total # of equipment failures (firing cycle - 3, shit falling off rifle -1) to date = 4, and all 4 were operator **** up, and none of them took me out of the game for more than 3 seconds.
Do your research, get over the "Must have it now" feeling, shop around, plan, and up that budget.
FWIW - every manufacturer is subject to having a problem leave the shop, and it will happen when you absolutely don't want it to. My last class a gentleman had a brandy new $3k Noveske package that ran like a champ on day 1 (300 rounds). Day 2 was FTFeed every mag (short stroking - under-gassed) with M855.
Sticks
Grasseater // Grass~eat~er noun, often attributive \ˈgras-ē-tər\
A person who is incapable of independent thought; a person who is herd animal-like in behavior; one who cannot distinguish between right and wrong; a foolish person.
See also Sheep
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