My first AR I just walked into a gun show . Looked around , said this one looks pretty and bought it . I just wanted to get a hands on experience . It definitely helped me learn and understand the platform , which to be honest is not that complicated . I think for me confidence was an issue as being someone who never grew up around guns or had any experience with them . My biggest complaint was that I actually got a carbine . I thought a carbine was what I wanted initially . I really like holding on to the rifle handguard compared to an angledvertical grip , but the carbine handguard is pretty short and doesn ' t stick out enough for me . Now I have to consider getting an extended rail , but it won ' t fit unless I remove the fixed Front Sight Post , which means I need to buy a gas block , I also have to buy the $ 200 free float rail I want and a new front iron sight . I just easily walked into a $ 300 change on my rifle . Had I just got a midlength gas system on a 16 barrel I wouldn ' t have had this problem . I decided to roll with the punches and keep it the way it was . I put that money to better use with improved trigger , bolt carrier and other components . I now have the Magpul SL handguard on my carbine and the extra 2 inches it provides in space was exactly what I was looking for . Building with your friends might put you on a timetable , but you really should try to research as much as you can to try to figure out where you want to be with the rifle when you finish .