AR15 Essentials (upgrades)

[blaxsun]

Rails, stocks, handguards, grips, sling attachments, levers, buffer springs, etc etc etc...aren't really all that paradigm shifting. A shooter can still be effective without these enhancements. Before the days of rail, Zap straps, guntape were king. I'm not old school'ing it, I'm just saying, rails didn't make me a higher performer behind the gun. Neither did, ergo grips or recoiless buffer wizardry.

You purists ruin all the fun...

As I said, this is just a list of accessories that I've found offer some benefit (performance, functionality, weight savings, etc.) For those that say you just need a good sling, you'd be hard-pressed to argue against a Blueforce-Vickers. Ditto for a set of Troy BUIS for those that just want to run irons. So as I said, you can take some of, all of or none of the suggestions.

 

[nza]

I'm not a purist, No hate No hate. I've got magpul and ARMS, and DD, and so on, on my guns too....while they enhance the shooting experience, they lack the ability to make me a better shooter. I do question why some of the better enhancements are not OEM yet. Like why does the A2 grip hurt my gurlish hands, yet it is still OEM.

Having said that, I pine for the latest and greatest gun stuff. And I drink the coolaid. I'm just saying that I'm never surprised when some bloke with an old school bone-stock carbine can outshoot me.

 

[Sadosubliminal]

Tagged for interest.

 

[blaxsun]

I do question why some of the better enhancements are not OEM yet. Like why does the A2 grip hurt my gurlish hands, yet it is still OEM.

I have noticed that some manufacturers (like PWS) are shipping a lot of upgraded accessories (namely Magpul) on their firearms, which is nice. I'm assuming a lot of the stock stuff (like the crappy A2 grips) are there just there because you need something, and I'm guessing they cost next to nothing.

 

[TSE_Justin]

A2 grips and A2 flash hiders are still a staple in the industry because:
1) They're inexpensive
2) They work (I prefer to grind off the humps on my A2 grips)
and
3) People have largely varying preferences in both those categories (pistol grips and muzzle devices)... I'd rather get saddled with a $9 A2 grip than be forced to buy a $40 MIAD.