For years, the AR-15 buying playbook was simple: grab a budget rifle around $500, then spend the next 18 months dumping money into upgraded triggers, handguards, furniture, and controls until you had something that actually performed the way you wanted. Or, skip all that headache and drop $2,000+ on a Daniel Defense, BCM, or full Gucci build straight out of the gate. That was the binary choice. Endure the grind or pay the premium. That calculus is changing — fast. A new category of rifle h …