You guys can credit Stickman for me being here :) I didn't even know you guys existed until recently, but now that I am poking around I like it.

A little bit of background... I am from Texas. I have always been a firearms owner. Most of the stuff I have is due to me being a skeet shooter. In the past few years I have also gotten quite a collection of pistols. I admit I am Sig fanboy when it comes to pistols. I also quite enjoy the concept of precision rifle shooting. Learning about grain weights, reloads, calculating DOPE so on and so forth are also very interesting. I have shot an MP5 and an MP40 as well as other types of interesting firearms. I do own an AK.

I am telling you guys all this so that you can know that I didn't just fall off the truck. The basic concepts of things I pretty much have down :)

Now all that said, of all the firearms I own I have never built or owned an AR. I've shot em but never owned one or built one.

I am on the virge of building my first AR (being able to build a rifle is part of the appeal of the platform) but the truth of the matter is there are SO MANY different parts and manufacturers and bells and whistles that it kind of scares me off from things. Maybe the term 'scared off' isn't the right word, but it it does get kind of confusing.

The decision I face now is, do I go relatively cheap or do I go with what I (think) are premium components? I could easily get a spikes lower and upper and build about that level throughout the rifle...IE moderately priced, name brand, still pretty good quality.... or I can go full on billet upper and lower and have a nicer trigger and a nickel M16 bolt. (I am thinking Seekins for the upper and lower)

I am kind of stingy with money UNLESS I can see a difference in what is produced. I don't mind spending $900 bucks on a Sig pistol because in my experience vs a $300 cheap model I can tell what it does and doesn't do and WHY they are different. I don't know all that when it comes to an AR.

All that said, if you were in my boat thinking like I think... should I go kind of cheap until I learn whats up or should I just go with what I perceive to be better?