AR15 Essentials (upgrades)

Grizzlypeg said:
10 round LAR mags are my must have. That and a proper mount for your optics, if any. It's hard to shoot well without the right ergonomics and eye relief.
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I left out optics and mounts because there's so many variations to make a determination, not the least of which is the calibre, barrel length, application, etc. But, that being said...

Mounts
LaRue. Need we say more? My Trijicon and Elcan come with an ARMS setup, and those are pretty good, too.

Optics
Aimpoint, EOTech, Trijicon. The big 3. The Aimpoint Micro is just the sweetest red dot out there, any of the EOTech HWS are fantastic (especially with a magnifier) and the Trijicon ACOG is probably the best fixed 4x you can have. I also like the Elcan SpecterDR with the 1-4x ability, although it's a tad on the heavy side.
 
Great thread. You need to consolidate your additions (magazines, optics, etc) into your first post for ease of reference.
 
blaxsun said:
Well, as indicated - you'll want at least a few LARs just so you can legally shoot 10 rounds. It's literally twice as much fun as it sounds like. :D PMAGs are pretty much the standard. Virtually indestructible and very reliable.

In terms of the accessories, if you're thinking about an XCR the majority of the components (with the exception of the AR-specific internals) are good to go. That's one reason (in addition to the non-restricted status) that it's fairly popular.
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Thanks for the info! Now to save for an XCR...:ar15:
 
In all honesty, after years of being a huge gear wh@re, I've gone back to a basic C8-pattern carbine with fixed A1 irons and no non-standard gear being my favorit AR to operate. I can easily and quickly ring the gong at 100m all day long with it, with boring reliability and it's so light and fast pointing I find I don't even miss red-dot optics.

Essentially, I'm saying your premise that ANY "upgrade" over the basic M4 pattern is tough to sell as an "essential". If I had to pick something though, it would be Pmags.
 
radpipe said:
Nice list. However, I'd like to see a list like this but for people on a budget.
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Buy used? I've usually listed a couple of alternatives, but you can't really get around "cheaper" Geisseles, etc. The performance gain is the whole point. But just a few examples where you can substitute:

CTR stock » MOE stock
Geissele, KNS Pins » Stag or RRA 2-stage with LPK
BAD selector » ambi selector
MIAD or MOE+ grip » MOE grip
Aluminium trigger guard » polymer guard
Troy BUIS » MBUS
PMAG MagLevel » PMAG

CV32 said:
Great thread. You need to consolidate your additions (magazines, optics, etc) into your first post for ease of reference.
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Done.

Claven2 said:
In all honesty, after years of being a huge gear wh@re, I've gone back to a basic C8-pattern carbine with fixed A1 irons and no non-standard gear being my favorit AR to operate. I can easily and quickly ring the gong at 100m all day long with it, with boring reliability and it's so light and fast pointing I find I don't even miss red-dot optics.

Essentially, I'm saying your premise that ANY "upgrade" over the basic M4 pattern is tough to sell as an "essential". If I had to pick something though, it would be Pmags.
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I wasn't trying to imply that you need to implement all of these upgrades, but rather, if/when you decide to upgrade - which are the best quality ones that get you the most bang for your buck (so to speak).
 
I like how you mentioned the UTG rubber covers, they are cheap and work excellent, and are not too bulky

The VCAS sling is really nice, but I like the magpul MS series for shorter rifles/shotguns
 
For me, add ons, mods go into two categories: essentials and enhancements (upgrades).

Mission essentials: Sling, Optics.
I concur about the BFG sling. I have the VCAS on two of my ar's. However, for shorter ar like 7.5" I've been using a single point /2 pt setup with magpul sling. Maybe its ergonomics, but thats my preference.

For BUIS Optics, I've used ARMS40, MBUS, TROY. Once sighted in, they all do their job. So for me, it doesn't really matter. For RDS, COMPm2 and T1. The comp m2 is old school for some, but it works. For holosite, I had an eotech that pooched, so I got really good at using it as a ghost ring. For magnified optics, TA01 (NSN?). I really don't like those flip to side for RDS - just another thing to snag on the sling.

Enhancements:
Truth be told, I've went all the way to the dark side and back full circle to almost OEM everything. Other than MOE Grip and stock, and rails, all else is standard a2 style. I think that even rails are an enhancement, why? because I've used zapstrap to secure whitelight to the rifle before (cause thats what the binrats had on hand without having to go through NSN supply chain), and it was more secure than an ARMS mount to rails. The MOE stock isn't proving to be any more lighter or reliable or easy to manipulate compared to the standard 6 pos collapsable stock. It doesn't add any balancing improvements to a 14.5 or 7.5. So I will probably just go back to the standard stock. If I was playing with a 18"+, I'd probably opt for a stock that would help to balance the load and provide better ergonomics for the type of shooting most likely seen with a length like that - that is...rested prone or perched.

In terms of foregrip, I have a Tango Down, Larue, AFG, and the jury is still out whether they make any significant improvements in my shooting skillz. If anything, they just act as an index.

Now, I am mixing a bit of work-related situations with training or recreational situations, but I guess for me KISS to just the bare essential add ons, and then enhancements to fit the situation you're in.

Note that on the other side of the world, ppl using the other very very popular gun are shooting quite effectively without a metric ton of enhancements, other than paracord or boot lace slings. (I'm talking about the trained good guys of course).
 
IMO the only real 'essential' is a quality optic. Everything else is just tuning the gun to a particular purpose.

And a good sling. Really nice to have.
 
nza said:
Enhancements:
--& snipped &--
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I agree with much of what you said.

I like the mil-spec CTR and MOE because you can add the enhanced stock pad. For me it results in the perfect LOP and makes it more comfortable to shoot. I prefer the CTR because it has both the locking mechanism and integrated QD sling mount.

The big advantage of the Magpul MOE hand guards is that Magpul makes a string of accessories that attach directly to it: MSA sling adapter, MVG vertical grip, MOE light kit, etc. I also like that they have an integrated hand stop.
 
TSE_Justin said:
IMO the only real 'essential' is a quality optic. Everything else is just tuning the gun to a particular purpose.

And a good sling. Really nice to have.
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I'd probably expand that list a bit further, in that there are a probably a few "essentials":
• Stock, grip, hand guard/rail, sling and optic (be it iron sights, red dot or HWS)
 
I think when Magpul ever releases the XTM hand stops all my afg2 will dissapear. Like having a firm location to assist but the bulks not needed IMO. Each to their own but that will be a nice little upgrade all my AR rifles will see.

They're taking forever to get them on market though :(
 
Claven2 said:
In all honesty, after years of being a huge gear wh@re, I've gone back to a basic C8-pattern carbine with fixed A1 irons and no non-standard gear being my favorit AR to operate. I can easily and quickly ring the gong at 100m all day long with it, with boring reliability and it's so light and fast pointing I find I don't even miss red-dot optics.

Essentially, I'm saying your premise that ANY "upgrade" over the basic M4 pattern is tough to sell as an "essential". If I had to pick something though, it would be Pmags.
Click to expand...

I have also fallen back in love with the bare bones K.I.S.S. M4 (a2 irons/carry handle FTW)...there's just something about it that warms the cockles of my heart :)
 
I think it's too easy to get all caught up in the gear and bobbles. Stock rifles are nice. Aside from optics (irons can only get you so far so fast), all mine are plain jane.
 
A couple years ago I heard comments that aftermarket triggers fail more often compared to stock mil-spec triggers, is there any truth to these comments? Is it a skill level thing, in other words, are beginners better off to start off with a standard trigger until more familiar with the system? Or have things changed over the last few years.

For my use I don't want to sacrifice any reliability for speed, as I don't have ANY experience tinkering with firearms... yet :)
 
In terms of triggers, I've used Jewel, Giselle, RRA, and Armalite match triggers. I no longer bother with any of those, opting instead for a proper trigger job on good quality GI parts and JP reduced power trigger springs. I'd rather have a nice smooth breaking 4# GI trigger than a fancy match trigger which has more parts and won;t last as long. When the GI trigger starts getting gritty again, 5 minutes with a 60 grit stone and it's back to zen.
 
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