OP back on topic, you have to chose what you want. (5.56guns) Decide what your goals are and your budget.
Commerical type guns (shit like bushmaster, dmps, cmmg, armalite,ect)
Military/TDP/Commercial-TDP Hybrids like middys and intermediates type weapons (Colt, DD, BCM, LMT)
High End/Military Priopertary System like the SR-15
The first 2 categories you can piece together yourself, get exactly what you want and save some money along the way. If you like Colt lowers and BCM uppers and LMT BCG's, then that would work great.
The 3rd, and really there is no one other than KAC that does this and executes it so well, you have to buy. Yea you can buy uppers/lowers but they are designed to work together. They(uppers) have design features that you cannot get anywhere else, not could you build. It starts with the E3 Bolt and extensions, which is the most reliable/durrable bolt in existance. Guarenteed for 20K rounds, and I have yet to see, hear, or read of one EVER breaking. They flipside is the cost and you can't just add them to another rifle without ALOT of money and there are less than a handfull of people in the country who could even do it if they could get the parts. They also have a very finely tuned gas system for shooting 5.56 mil ammo, that is one of the softer shooting systems. Its a longer gas system so it also reduces wear/tear on the system while increasing reliability. They have very good barrels and all the small parts/componets are top notch. The Lower is also fully abi and until recently, was the only option on the market. Now there are some nice fully ambi lowers, but you are going to pay SR-15 lower prices for one when all's said and done. (
AX556 Lower Receiver | AXTS Weapons Systems is the best 5.56 lower out there you can actualy buy). So yea, you are going to pay $2000-2100 for the rifle, but you also are getting one of the best rail systems on the market (URX 3.1 or URX 4 if your into keymod), the KAC 2 Stage, KAC Micro Flip sights, rail pannels, VFG, SOPMOD stock and all the testing and QC behind this proven system.
Personaly, I wish everyone hated KAC guns, so they price would drop and they would be easy to find. I have been building and shooting AR's since I was a kid and I can tell you they are all I shoot now. I still build guns for friends and family, but I usualy tell them to bite the bullet and get an SR-15 of they can afford it. Call me a fanboy or whatever, It doesn't change the facts. Even at $2k , its a bargin if you price out what you get and if you want those features.
So in summary, if you can afford it (and like the features) buy an SR-15. They will run like a top out of the box and you will have zero issues.
If your on a budget, piece together a quality gun using the Military/TDP type componets. You can always add a better trigger or Muzzle device or stock down the road. Get a good quality Carbine gas system (<14.5") or Middy (>16") and build it up as you go along. Right now, the BCM KMR ELW 16" uppers are probally the best product on the market. Its going to be around $1000 with a BCM BCG/CH, and you can either build a lower, or buy one. Should come out to less than $1500 for a very high quality, light and reliable gun you can trust your life to. As you can see, once you start adding triggers, muzz devices, stocks and quality sights you are getting into SR-15 money.
Cheaper guns like PSA, Bushmaster, CMMG are fine for plinkers and range guns, hell I got a bunch of them in the back of the safe, but they are not reliable/durrable enought for heavy use or to trust your life with. You need to decide what your goals and budget are, and go from there.
