I am purchasing an AR. This will be my first one, likely my only one. I'd like to approach this the same way many on this board recommend approaching pistol shooting; Get a quality gun (like a Glock, P30, M&P), get mucho ammo/magazines, and get some training.
I will use it to take carbine courses, 3-gun, and defense.
I don't need a free-float tube, quad rails, or other tactical stuff as yet; I will add them as I need them. What I want is a basic AR with quality components, durability for high round counts, and acceptable accuracy. (If it has all the tactical stuff, that's fine too)
I do not mind spending more for quality, so for that reason I will not set a budget.
I suppose what I am asking is: Who makes the AR equivalent of an out-of-the-box HK P30/Gen 3 Glock?