OP, I was thinking of this thread when I saw the SAINTs hit the street.
So what did you finally get? Pictures ....
I knew my wife liked lighter but less "kick" in firearms, so I kept the weight towards the centerline, hence the SOCOM barrel. Saved some weight with the RDS. She does not really shoot as much as me or my daughter but she is comforted knowing there are HER guns that she can shoot and they still the same configuration any time she wants to shoot them. I was TAD overseas and my daughter was on duty (Rescue) with Matthew hit us. She had her Glock (Gen 2 19) and her AR on standby.
Daughter and I are fairly well trained but we are all taking a Carbine 1 class together early next year.
Sorry to ramble, good luck on your new AR. Ammo, Mags, Train, Practice / Lather Rinse Repeat.