Well maybe you will feel more at home here. I am an old brown shoe Marine that traded my US rifle M1 Cal 30 for a M14 7.62 NATO and the Matel M16 was just an Army pop gun when I left active duty. I never had one except I did order a Sterling 5.66 Stamped metal rifle and kept it as a Demo when I was in the gun selling fixing busness in 1980, didn't like it and sold it to a young hippie. I only have been in the DPMS Oracle LR308 crowd for 4 years, kinda like it, been studying it and doing some mods on it, new trigger, charging handle, ETC. using my Arkansas stones and 400 grit emery cloth to polish out some rough places, but I also bought a Springfield M1A NM rifle, First new one I have ever bought. I have scoped both of them. Didn't have any trouble from the DPMS after I found out it needed to be lubed up really good.
Hang with these guys, they are good.