Enjoy the process, my only advice would be to have zero expectations. Especially if this is your first go-around with red dots and magnifiers.Bought a Holosun 3x yesterday and mounted it. Will go to range today to sight both in.
Whole new ball game for me.
In my experience and opinion, they're not for "precision shooting" so expecting MOA or some similar metric is not realistic. But they excel at practical accuracy. meaning minute of A zone, minute of deer lung, etc. and provide good increases to speed due to not being restricted by eyebox issues of traditional magnified scopes. Variable magnified optics and red dots both have value for different needs, there's no right answer, only what's right for you. I do firmly believe that fixed power optics are a thing of the past and provide zero benefit over todays current offerings though.
And yes, magnification can certainly be beneficial for a defensive rifle/carbine. Especially when it comes to PID and things of that nature. Or if you're the type that carries a rifle in your car and you're involved in an active shooter situation (Allen Mall anyone?).
No issues with Holosun either, even if they are manufactured in China. Sig optics are also manufactured there, as well as Primary Arms (a Texas company) and many others source their diodes and electronics from there. Holosun was actually an OEM vendor for red dot electronics before they started self branding and leading the pack in innovation. I'm all for buying American and love our American companies, but a lot of them have gotten stale, and having another player in the market is good for all the consumers and the quality of future products.