I'm a rookie and looking to buy an AR type rifle.... I'm trying to learn as much as possible. So far it's been fun... Looking forward to my first AR...
Bring up some Ted Peters smoked fish and I'll let you try out a few AR's!
Regarding the importance of twist rate: If you're going to shoot 55 gr, I'd say 1:7 or 1:9 should be good. If you really want to dig into it, post up your question i the "Long Guns" forum and you'll see the opinions roll in.