...do it again?
Current prices for M16s are staggering. I never thought I'd be financially capable of purchasing an M16, but here I am. Well, not now, but in 6 months or so of setting some money aside for it, I'd have enough to purchase an original M16a1/a2 at current pricing, which is what I want, and is around $27-30k from what I'm seeing. It would be a great gun to have and shoot, I'd own a great peace of American history, and I'd be getting in on something that I'm pretty sure won't be available forever. You also get a lot of bang for your buck, per se, because of upper options - .22, belt fed, etc. It'd be a lego gun. I'd probably stash the upper, and just have a bunch of other uppers I swap out.
For those who own one, was it worth it? Did it get old or wear off after a while, and you regretted it? Would you do it all over again? I've been going back and forth for a few months. Finally told myself, set the money aside for it, and after you've reached the that number, if you're still doggin' for it, get it.
Edit:
Other routes I've looked into are lower priced Colts (ar15 marked etc) as well as simple stripped lowers like the PAWS olympic. Both seem to be in the range of $20-25k.