Totally agree. Gotta select the right tool for what you need/want.
I will say that you can have a mouth watering coffee table discussion piece for maybe a bit less than what you’d expect? And tickle your funny bone at the range. :)
It is kinda a bummer though, cuz as soon as you splurge on a little bit of hardware, then you gotta invest in a range appropriate scope.
https://ruger.com/products/HawkeyeLRT/specSheets/47189.html?buy=1
https://ruger.com/products/precisionRifle/models.html
Mrs. L got a very nice AR for Christmas. She picked out the girly components, (handguard, Cerakote colors, etc) but the real $$ went into reliable components (think a really good trigger), and the best optics we could afford (Aimpoint red dots).
Included was a big pile of Magpul magazines, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, and range time.
Love those Rugers. Wish I could come up with a believable excuse to buy one. I really want one of these:
https://ruger.com/products/scoutRifle/models.html
L