Here's my two bits.
I own one and had a ball with it. But after a couple of years a couple of things hit me. One is that this rifle isn't really a black rifle. I may get egged for saying that, but it's true. It's heavy, and much more awkward than most black rifles with that thumbhole stock. You won't see the 3-gun guys using it. If you put serious optics on it in hopes of making it a target or varmint gun, the thing becomes even more ungainly. At that point a good bolt gun makes sense if you are going after varmints or targets. They will shoot sub MOA but you will experience some real frustration trying to get it there. Sometimes dual sport hybrids work well and sometimes they don't. In my opinion the SL8 doesn't.
On the other hand, my HK USP Tactical is the best semi-auto I have ever had. It is incredibly accurate, handles like a dream, and I can't say enough good stuff about it. Price on it was around 1400 bucks new so it wasn't cheap...but try buying a high end 1911 from Wilson Combat or any other high end maker - the pistol IS good value for the money. I will never sell it.