Thanks for all your help on a previous post.  Went tonight and looked at two options:

1.  Bushmaster Predator 20" - nice rifle, free floating barrel, two stage trigger.  Looked at a couple bench scope options in the $400-700 range.  Guy I was talking to recommended a Burris.

2.  Armalite 16" flattop.  Also a nice rifle.  Telescoping stock, regular trigger.  Don't know if I would put a bench scope on this one or do a red dot or something like that for indoor range, 25yard fun.  Could also put a rear and front flip-up open sight and forget about optics alltogether.

So, here's my dilema - which one to start with.   Bushmaster Predator is $1029 plus say $500-700 for the nice long range scope.  Armalite 16" is $889 and either $150 for the flip up open sights or maybe $500 for a red dot.  Honestly, I have no idea how to proceed and am more confused now than ever.  I can't afford to do both right now.  So I'm trying to figure out if I should build the long range bench gun or go for the 16" and use it primarily at the indoor range (just don't think I'd be good at 100 yards with a red dot). Any tips for a beginner?

It depends what kind of shooting you plan on doing most, Ricky Bobby.

Your two choices are sorta on opposite ends of the spectrum!

 My first ar was a bushy flattop m4, my second was a bushy preadtor with a  mark 4 14x 50 leupold ( 8 bills for the glass).

 I would pick up the carbine first then go for the long range rifle.  Since then Ive picked up another m4 bushy and a 20 in. a4 armalite that was to good to pass up.
 Plus two ar10 armalites, yes Ive got a bad case of BRD  ETA. My M4s both have  512 EoTechs