So, basically, you're saying "Holy Cow, GV, what are you thinking?!" with my detailed complete rifle post.
If the overall cost is cringe-worthy, I'd recommend the M-LOK rifle with the iron sights to start out. $584 for a complete rifle with iron sights and five mags. Over $600 with FFL transfer since it's free shipping at the moment. Depending on your locale, you can find a decent FFL that won't cost you an arm and a leg. Many local gun shops do such a thing for a nominal fee. Or you can check out local FFL dealers here:
FFL Finder: Find an FFL Dealer In Your Area at GunBroker.com | GunBroker.com
The red dot I specified adds $200-ish to the overall price and I wholeheartedly endorse Primary Arms since their customer service is outstanding. If it breaks or has a manufacturing defect, they replace it free of charge and without question. It's not "necessary" but it certainly adds a highly useful component to the rifle.
The ammo can be purchased locally, but I've found SGAmmo to be the absolute best prices in the business as well as the fastest shipping. I think my personal record was ordering and 45 minutes later getting a shipping notification. Sam and his bunch are great to deal with.
Eventually, you're going to want to change out that grip and stock. That's a personal preference, but I can help with that as well. In truth, I'd go to your local gun shop and handle rifles with different grips, stocks and whatnot before buying. A lot of rifles are being shipped with Magpul grips and stocks, so it's easy to pick out "this works for me" rather than trial and error as some have done (this guy is guilty). I prefer the slimmer grip design myself, but it's not for everyone. Grips can easily be replaced by you so long as
you follow the directions exactly.
And replace that hated slotted screw with a hex head when you do...available at Brownells when they come back into stock. I despise slotted screws on an AR...anyway.
Stocks are easy to replace. I highly endorse the B5 Systems SOPMOD Bravo (
@GreyWolf1129 can attest) when they are in stock (most places are out at the moment). Otherwise, Magpul and Bravo Company make great stocks depending on your use. Likely the easiest upgrade you can do as it's take one off, slip new one one. Done.
For the weekend plinker, I wouldn't worry much about the buffer and spring starting out, but an H buffer is recommended over the long haul. I'd dare say the one that comes with the rifle is not an H buffer. You'll eventually want to upgrade to an H or H2 depending on what ammo you're using. I'd also pick up a
Springco Red or Blue at the same time. The buffer spring that comes with it will be fine, I just prefer the Springco since it really tames the recoil when used with an H or H2 buffer. My middy feels like a .22, though I have some additional toys I've tinkered with over the years.
Triggers are a bit more tricky as they require a certain level of gunsmithing knowledge to install. I recommend the
ALG Defense QMS or
ACT trigger as an immediate upgrade that won't break the bank and is far better than the bulk pack triggers Palmetto will install. Less gritty and way smoother out of the box. Others will try to entice you with far more expensive triggers, but the QMS or ACT will be perfectly fine for nearly all applications.
The A2 muzzle device will work fine. If you get into it enough, there are several options of brakes and devices I can recommend. For the casual soda can shooter, nothing wrong with an A2. If it ain't broke...
Lights and slings are a different animal which I tend to buy once, cry once. Let me know when you want one of those. Several items that won't break the bank that slip right onto your M-LOK rails.
Fore grips and hand stops are entirely on you. Personal preference entirely. Some like them, some hate them, some are "meh." I prefer the
BCM stubby fore grip that doubles as my hand stop. It works for me since
I use the support hand all the way forward and the barrel and handguards sometimes gets a bit hot, so I move down to the grip. Not too large, not too small, just about right. (no TWSS on that comment either)