Bought my 5.56 NATO MMR Hunter (naked) in December from a private dealer via GunBroker for $559 + $30 for shipping -- came with a 5-rd Mossberg mag and a 30-rd Pmag. FFL transfer was $25 + $46 tax. Bushnell AR Optics 1x4 for $148 and scope-mount for $45. Case (1,000 rds) of Wolf gold 55 gr .223 for $350, shipped. Four 30-rd mags (IMI) for $32. So for a basic AR clone with mid-quality scope and a decent suppy of plinking ammo, I'm out a about $1,250. You can add another $350 for a rifle case, a mag pouch, a one-piece carbon-fiber rod, fixed-handle chamber rod, and the usual brushes, mops, bore-snake, yada, yada, yada. I already had a good supply of Ballistol, Hoppe's #9, oil, grease, and patches.
Still need a sling and a bipod. Otherwise, I think I've bought all the stuff I need and then some. Did I go overboard a bit? ...yeah, maybe. But for an AR with all supporting gear and a thousand rounds of range-fodder, I think $1,700 is reasonable.
Later, I'll test out 3 or 4 types of self-defense ammo (70-to-75 gr), see what makes the MMR sing sweetly. Then I'll buy another 1,000 rounds of that ammo and a few more mags (keep the plinkers separate from the SHTF stuff). Of course, that second case of ammo will cost more than double the price of the Wolf plinkers, but that's life.
I used to reload...a lot. Still have all the gear. Maybe it's time to dig it out, and get a 5.56 mm die set. The amount saved is significant for the more expensive self-defense loads.