Surprise! Not everyone agrees on this. Find a range that rents AR’s and build your own database. Even if you buy the most expensive option you will like be getting another later on. Instead of working from highest price down, work the other way. Get one designed and built to run .223 and/or 5.56. You are not ready for 7.62/.308 yet. Don’t weigh in too heavily into optics yet. Concentrate on the basics and use add-ons later to enhance your skills and experience. When you are ready for an upgrade buy a complete rig. Modifying your entry level AR is a money pit. Most importantly, be safe and responsible, and have fun.
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Damn, I hate it when people get all practical and stuff. 
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I bought a couple Anderson lowers recently, trying to catch up to the breeding uppers lol. Anyways, they were $134 complete minus brace( in my case). Saw them complete a few weeks later for $100 with stock. AR-15 discounts has uppers, dirty bird and another house brand for sale around $200 pretty often, minus bolt and charging handle. I’ve put a couple of these low dollar combos together, 11.5 and 16" and they are just as fun as my higher end guns. I prefer mid length over carbine length gas systems on 16" guns, smoother and suppress better ime.
Got a few Aero Precision builds as well. They raised their prices recently but are decent. My higher end guns are Daniel Defense and Spikes Tactical. Cold hammer forged barrels (Spikes uses FN barrels) and all the good non destructive testing done on the bolts. Higher end charging handles as well, easier to access and rack.
Nice thing with AR’s is you can run different uppers on 1 lower. Easy to swap buffers, gas blocks etc. to tune the gun.
AR-15 Discounts, Joe Bob outfitters, Eurooptic, Palmetto State Armory, Primary Arms good places to look.
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HEY! WTF? I told you you can have my Hellion for practically a song Man! 
( the kicker would be gettin’ it to you)
Bart Se7en:
I Don’t know your Price Range you’re looking to spend but here goes: (You need to be a little specific when asking us our opinion Bruh).
I have a Hellion (Springfield Armory) ( $1200+) FDE Nice (had 2 one died, Bolt carrier malfunction)
A Palmetto State Armory PA15 (Pistol) 11.5" brrl. Black Scary Kool: $499) Takes sh!tty cheap ammo and really good ammo, rejects nothing.
An Anderson AR15 16" brrl. .556 Nato/.223 $600 prolly the ‘Go to’ AR for starters in My Opinion—A few Thousand rounds through her and she didn’t blink!
And my old (COLT) Service Weapon M4 w/ Acog scope, collapsible stock, M&P Flash
and Mil spec Green laser ----- Priceless—she’s been dropped, Blow-up, sand stormed, 'Monsooned ‘on
and keeps on crankin’.
This inventory was available right before the Horrendous BOATING ACCIDENT of 2023! So Sad.
The Trick is NOT to go too cheap. The Palmetto State Armory was a find. Some ($500 AR’s aren’t so good) I just couldn’t resist a Pistol AR finally.
You want this Rifle (any one you choose) to last like it’s the last rifle on earth.
If No Guns repair shops are open you need to be able to service it yourself.
You don’t have to know immediately how to break her down but that should
be a priority for near future learning. I always admit that I am NO Gunsmith.
But now I can get by pretty much on my own.
Good Luck Bruh.
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How about Rock River? They seem to be some of the most pricey at my LGS.
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Slacker! Make me a deal I can’t refuse and I will drive out there to get it myself. Don’t threaten me with a good time 
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Honestly Brother you don’t WANT my Hellion.
Maybe another, Newer, fits what you are looking for.
Any ‘Savings’ in initial cost I can give you now may
hurt our friendship in the long run. NO Joke.
You HAVE to TRUST your Weapons.
As I said my other Hellion Broke. (Dramatically)
When the Gunsmith came out shaking his head it’s like
I lost a Friend (won’t say child but friend).
I look @ my surviving rifle and DON’T Trust it.
I bought these two rifles USED, They needed a thorough cleaning and
the surviving one needed a BCG, Trigger replacement, The BCG FAILED
in the other one and this one needed a replacement… 
I had zero HISTORY about what these Guns have been through
(and it’s registered to me) That sucks and limits me what we can do to make a transaction.
If you REALLY want a Hellion BUY NEW! Treat it right, and see how it goes.
I would feel awful selling you this weapon, TRUTH.
Springfield Armory was my ‘go to’ company. When I first started posting here I was a FAN,
Handguns were my Duty Pieces, Rifles were my Home D and Truck guns. NOW? Not so much.
(This rifle will stay with me till I leave this mortal coil. I’m Sorry Brother).
You WOULD have a great time if you came here!–THREAT ISSUED!
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I am headed to the range/shop in a bit, and I’ll see if they have one there. If they do, I’ll report back.
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I picked up a Radical Arms .223/5.56 a while back for under $500 and I honestly can’t understand why it was so cheap. I had planned on getting an M&P15, and went to my LGS to buy the one they had in stock. I’ve known these guys for years and totally trust their advice. They’re all family, serious shooters, USCCA instructors and would rather sell me nothing than the wrong thing.
Anyway, I was looking over the Smith and Wesson and about to pull out my wallet when he handed me the Radical. All the specs on the two rifles were identical. The fit and finish looked exactly the same, the triggers felt the same, we took them apart and the internals all looked comparable, but the Radical had nicer furniture (B5) and cost about $300 less. I wasn’t familiar with the brand. He said they’re a manufacturer, not an assembler, in Texas, veteran owned/run company, lifetime warranty. So, I got the Radical and saved the rest of my money for an optic.
Honestly, for a general purpose, knock around, HD, plinking and SHTF rifle I couldn’t be happier. It has never had a single hiccup, even with the crappiest bulk ammo, and can hold tighter groups than my eyes and less-than-steady hands can. I know there are much finer rifles out there, but I trust it for HD and couldn’t have more fun shooting it, so that’s what matters in my book. Anyway, you don’t have to break the bank to get a fun, reliable AR platform rifle, that’s for sure.
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Love it. Fine choice!
I think DD rifles are a great value. This year I bought the standard DDM4-V7 and, as I mentioned about your choice, love it!
Balanced, relatively quiet for a 5.56, smooth, single stage trigger (IMHO) and accurate up to 200 yards.
Like you, now looking at 300 Blackout or 6.5 Creedmoor.
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They didn’t have any Rock Rivers, unfortunately.
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So what are you thinking now @Bart7?
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I’m here. Reading it all and taking it all in. Lots of information to sift through. I love my sig 364 x macro, but when it comes down to it the MCX Spears are $2K and up so for a first rifle it does seem a bit much right out the gate, especially not shooting one before. Now rethinking the sig and looking at thonksnlikenallnhave mentioned above such as palmetto state, Radical Arms, etc. also learning more about the platform, what I’m looking for and why to narrow it down to more specifics. Don’t know where to learn about them in general other than a local gun store. Keep the advice coming I’m learning as I read and thanks!
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I can’t recall if it was mentioned, but my local ranges rent by the caliber. Maybe yours does too. Rent 5.56 and shoot a bunch of them.
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That 
is the most important part. In my life, I have kept every single firearm I have ever purchased, until recently. I got rid of my Kel-Tec 15 and I got rid of it because “I did not trust it”. I loved the idea behind the Kel-Tec 15, but the implementation was/is flawed.
I have several “Safe Queens” that are in my safe “just in case”. I ever needed it. But that one shotgun was too untrustworthy. I didn’t want my wife or I to be in a high stress situation and grabbing whatever is available and it turn out to be that shotgun that I am trusting to be my wife’s last resort. So I got rid of it.
Trust in your gear/training is everything in those situations
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My Go To Hell rifle is/was a custom built AR-15 that is/was significantly more expensive than $2,000. I have 0 regrets about that purchase, because I haven’t had to spend a single penny on it since (other than semi annual maintenance, from sending it to my gunsmith). I do maintenance, but I also have a professional look it over a couple of times a year.
I would highly recommend renting as many different AR-15’s as you can. Take the time to find “the one” that “floats your boat”. Then try some different set ups on it, if you can. Then buy it. Whether it’s an expensive firearm or not. “Your peace of mind, and your trust in that firearm are worth more than any amount of $$”.
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Thanks to you for starting a thread that’s not about politics nor religion 
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Don’t count out PCC’s. I watch the guys running those at our monthly TacNight and they have as much lethality as any of the AR’s (if that is your concern bear in mind PCC encompasses .40SW and .45 ACP, and .357 and .44 mags as well).
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My go to AR is an Adams gas piston upper on recently acquired an Anderson stripped lower with a JMT trigger and PSA kit. I have had the upper for 10 or more years but it does not have a huge round count. It has never had a malfunction even with steel case. The previous lower did have a trigger go binary which can be a surprise if you are not expecting it. Replaced it.
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