I suggest buying Patrick Sweeney's book "Gunsmithing the AR" and reading it front to back and back to front. It tells you everything you need to know about building, accessorizing, painting, maintaining....well it tells you everything about an AR.
Buy a flattop in your price range, I am personally a RRA fan, have been since I used to shoot a friends crappy, short cycling, 18 MOA, POS AR and then when I shot another friends RRA AR I knew what I wanted.
There are "better" brands ..for more money RRA is the cheapest that I would buy complete. I have owned Del-ton, Stag, Colt, LWRC, and KNigts Armament AR's in 5.56 Nato chamberings...all functioned just as well, but no better than RRA, for generally more money.
I suggest buying a complete AR (matching upper and lower) for your first AR. This should cost no more than 1200 and thats to me a high high figure.
It should be at least a carbine length gas system with a heavy or bull 1/9 twist barrel in 5.56 nato chambering, hardware will most likely be black on it. The 1/9 twist allows for bullets weights all the way up to 68 grains, only the heaviest bullets (75 up) are not accurate. Most ammo I have found for 5.56/223 is 55 grain FMJ ball ammo.
a good laser/light combo EMAtactical.com has the TLL plus they have alot of other cool toys at good prices. the TLL is my preference runs about 89 bucks at gunshops around here. Works everybit as well as 400 plus dollar "mil-spec" combo's from Surefire and Veridian.
Rail covers , I would go with magpul, have really easy on/off stuff at very affordable prices. Multiple colors, while there check out stocks and pistol grips to match (or mix)
for sights look at BSA and NcStar, not top of the line, but top of the line for the bottom dollar in my experiance. They have between them an immense selection. I don't care for thier laser sights, but ..you might.
Pmags ...go to cheaperthandirt.com ...get them cheaper than dirt.
Hit gunshows find the stuff you want and write it down if you can't afford it then.
Recent build I did for a friend, I have two AR's that are near carbon copies of this, and lot of shooter friends in the area enjoy my set-up. Several clones of this rifle in the winnie, texas area, most I assembled. Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery lol.
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx355/IR0479/GunsandGators361.jpg
It started out as this
http://rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=398
I bought it cheaper, at the tune of 800 dollars at a gunshow, i then added.
NCstar sniper scope with Illuminated Mildot recticle and 55 grain range turrent adjustment, 99$ at Gunshow
Magpul rail gaurds 32$ from Magpul (8 a pack 4 packs total for carbine length rail)
EMatactical TLL (Class 3 red laser and 150 lumen light with QD mount) 89 dollars at gunshow ( laser is nice, light is musthave for my night hunting)
Knock-off Grip pod (75$) Reg gripod runs 200 at gunshows, only difference IMHO is quality of mounting hardware, I bought the cheap one and hit a hardware store for some true steel bolts.
YHM quad rail $150 at gunshow, and though I could mount it myself, mounting was free from vendor
YHM low pro gas block $35 (mounted myself)
YHM picatinny sling mount $24 (mounted myself)
Troy COB Single or 2 point sling $49
5 p mags $70 (S&H included) at Cheaperthandirt
thats $1483 tied up in one rifle, assembled over a years time, and truthfully I could have purchased some parts cheaper. It is a hog stopping, yote slaughtering machine. It is a "work" rifle, I carry it 4 hours a night minimum when I am working within an hours drive of home. No tacticool accessory on it is useless for what I do with it, and none are so expensive that if that part did "epic-fail" while wadeing though mud, trees and 6 foot high grass I wouldn't be able to replace it with a fraction of my next check.
Next move for me is to take them (I have 2 just alike) and duracoat paint job all the metal except the rails, been saying I am going to do this for years though...too busy shooting them to coat them.
When I do carbine classes I use a BSA reddot sight (89$) and YHM BUIS's (
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ARR5040-7.html ) I have never busted out of a course because my rifle went down, or missed a shot because of my equipment failing. Its an AR, its your rifle, do what you want with it.
. I personally have no use for a laser, but I do know you should buy quality stuff in that aspect. Verticle foregrips are uncomfortable to me and ALL my AR's are free floated FWIW. My buddy has a A2 style and I like it, but I like things not putting pressure on the barrel. 1/9" twist is probably good for 55gr/62gr that is typically found in 223 ammo. Spend money on good stuff is my overall advice. My light was $99 but worth 20 cheap flashlights. Don't skimp, as hard as it is to shell out $$$, it typically is worth it 2x over in the end.
