I will speak to the configuration of a basic stick and let the Class 3 guys steer you down that path.
A good outlet is palmettostatearmory.com Those guys have pretty good deals and you can go a couple of routes with them. You can either buy a lower and then a rifle kit with everything you need to turn that lower into a rifle (parts kit and assembled upper of many varieties) or you can buy the lower and then do the rest a little at a time. If you go this route (lower, parts kit, stock kit, upper, and so on) check out Joe Bob's on the sponsor page for your parts. They have pretty good prices on the various parts and stock kits plus they give BSers a 5% discount. Their shipping is also quick as hell.
Whatever you do I would start as soon as your budget will allow. As we creep through the summer into election season, the prices will march upward. From what I've seen they have already begun to do so.
As an aside, I just built a Palmetto rifle from a lower I got last summer and the process is incredibly easy. I bought one of their kits and did the lower assembly myself. With plenty of jaw-jacking in the midst of the assembly it took about an hour. Watch the Brownells videos, use the right tools, and you can't go wrong.