The two most important things on the AR to get right from the off are a decent trigger and a free float forend, without these you are going to struggle to shoot as well as you could.
- Triggers are a personal choice but the top shooters use two stage and considered amongst the best is the Geissele Hi-Speed Service Rifle Trigger which can be set to the minimum of 4.5 Lbs to meet the weight requirements for NRA Service Optic Class.
A free float forend is needed so that you can use a sling without putting any pulling force on the barrel, these come in many shapes and sizes but the simpler the better as a multitude of rails is not needed and just adds weight.
If £1800 is your budget does that include an Optic and mount as well? If it does you'll be a bit limited but the current flavour of the month are Vortex Optics which look to be doing quite well and come with a good warranty. x4.5 is the maximum power for Service Optic and Vortex do a couple of nice low powered scopes and relatively cheap mounts, however, with optics and mounts you can pay more for them than the gun itself.
Best bet is to try before you buy, if you are close to Bisley then get the necessary SSC Card and come along to the first CSR Winter League Match in October. If you wanted to shoot and did not have a rifle then one can easily be provided and there will be many available for you to look at. There will also be either one two or three RFDs there who could sort you out and provide advice, timescales and costs.
When buying try to avoid those that ask for a deposit and cannot give a guaranteed delivery date.
