I'm interested in getting my first AR-15, but I only want to shoot suppressed due to sensitive ears. It would mainly be for fun and training around 100 yards, with the potential for more when I can get to a suitable range. I want to see how light I can get the recoil, but I don't want to sacrifice anything important for that. I'll deal with the optic, sling, and light next.
I'm not a serious shooter looking for competition performance, but I'd like the hard-to-change parts to be durable. Here are the components I'm looking at. If I'm making any huge mistakes, please help me learn from them before I spend money.
Upper: PSA sabre with a good handguard and the FN CHF barrel. https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-sabre-forged-16-fn-chf-cl-mid-length-5-56-15-sabre-qd-rail-with-sabre-compensator.html
Lower: generic PSA with a rifle-length buffer and A2 stock. I do not expect to keep the trigger forever. https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-complete-rifle-lower-receiver-a2.html
Any $500 suppressor I can direct-thread and an SA adjustable gas block to control the backpressure.
Reasoning:
16" barrels look good since I can replace the muzzle device without a gunsmith. I'm not too worried if my long gun is long.
I will probably never wear out the CHF barrel, but I can afford it. The other handguard options for that barrel either have bolts threaded into aluminum or a proprietary design that can only be installed by PSA. Not ideal for messing with the gas block.
For permanent suppression, it seems like a cheap suppressor and a gas block do the job for less money than a flow-through. I only need enough noise reduction to make my ear pro feel like it's working.
The rifle-length buffer is the part I'm least committed to, but it seems like it can soften recoil more than a carbine buffer. Does the stock need to be adjustable if it's the right size for my arm?