Thanks for all of the advice and opinions.

Perhaps I'll just build it how I want. Pretty sure I had the rifle parts priced out about $1,300 including a good barrel, nice handguard, billet upper and lower receiver, and Geissele trigger. I'll have to look everything up again to make sure I didn't miss something. If the optics and mount put me a little over my target budget then so be it.

Of course,,a brand new Remington 700 Tactical heavy barrel would probably set me back about $600 and I could drop it in an XLR Element chassis for about another $700.

Darn it. Still too much to think about.