My suggestion would have been be to build a quality lower, then toss a dedicated .22lr upper on it for plinking right now, since it sounds like that's going to be its primary role. Increase your round count so you're developing muscle memory, and .22 is the most affordable way to get better at shooting within 50m.
I would then spend the intervening time figuring out which upper configuration you like best - something like a 14.5" middy would be on the short list to look at.
If you do go with a DPMS, that lower half is certainly usable, but I've had poor luck with certain DPMS components used - that isn't the expensive part to get up to spec.
عندما تصبح الأسلحة محظورة, قد يملكون حظرون عندهم فقط
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Semper Fi
"Being able to do the basics, on demand, takes practice. " - Sinister
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