Whatever you decide on, don’t throw your brass . If you decide to reload further down the road you'll already have fire formed brass , if you choose to stay using factory then selling it will go toward buying more ammo .
Good call on a .223 , great choice . Before you go buy , you need to at least handle a rifle and see what suits you . A heavy barrels only real advantage in 223 will be how long it takes to heat up , it's a light recoiling round . If you're carrying it around along with other gear it might be too much , a scope and mod' will soon ramp the weight up . Don't rush your decision , easier to walk away than change your mind once it's on your f.a.c .
There's a stunning T3 semi- custom for sale on SD but it would require screw cutting for a mod". I've no connection with the seller.