Not to slight others on this thread, but this advice is the best one on this thread.gigag04 wrote:For $1k you won't get better than a Colt LE6920.
That will be the best value as a starting point.
You get what you pay for.
The main thing is though... what do you want to do with it? If you ever planning on really pushing it, as in taking a multi-day class, shooting hundreds and hundreds of rounds, etc. then you'll want a higher quality rifle made to take the punishment, and run well when really dirty, hot, and/or dry.
In this scenario, you can see why certain rifles cost more than others even though under range and plinking conditions, they appear to shoot the 'same'.
The 6920 is a tested rifle that gives you the best platform to build onto over time, for the money.