Ask HN: HTTP on Bare Metal?

Both for research purposes and fun, I'm trying to see how fast I can make a single HTTP request. Although I realize I can't control most factors (network latency, distance from the data center, speed of the responding API, etc) I want the machine to... 1. Send an HTTP request. 2. Save the response ... as fast as possible when it comes to the factors I can control. I only need to do it once and there's no need for scaling or production issues for consistency / reliability. I realize this is a hopelessly neophyte question for all the high frequency people out there, but interested in getting started understanding these elements of the stack.