Upgrades for an AR.

Cowboy

Cowboy

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What kinds of stuff you guys like to upgrade? I got my first AR and I have a feeling this could be addicting.
 
Cowboy said:
What kinds of stuff you guys like to upgrade? I got my first AR and I have a feeling this could be addicting.
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Depends

Which AR do you have?
 
I wish I would have upgraded my trigger sooner. Made a very nice and noticeable difference but as @amnesia mentioned it depends upon what you have to begin with.
 
Yeah depends. Give me a 3400$ billet JP and I might leave it alone. MIGHT.
 
Depending on the rig. For starters, quality iron sights, ammo, then practice, practice, more practice.

My first one was upgrade after upgrade, turned heavy, pretty, accurate... Great on a range without question.

Second one was pure cheapo build. Cheap as I could get every part. Mft stock, magpul forend, irons only. Guess which was used more.... I did upgrade to an ALG trigger on it for consistency in the pull. But turns out a few Simla things were all that were needed/wanted

Spend time with the basics then add as you see fit.
 
The only things I've done to my A4 is:

micro_flip_up_rear_sight_25650_white-720x290.jpg


opplanet-leupold-63300-1x14-tactical-prismatic-rifle-scope-2.jpg


th


For the heavy barrel M4:

803-1.jpg


and the same sling as above. That's all I wanted to do, KISS rifle and KISS carbine.
 
Yep, on that rig first thing I would do is a trigger then a quality RDS or lower powered scope depending on what you wanted to do with it.
Ergos for me are a big deal, so I like a decent charging handle since the stock one is a POS, and then ammo. Lots of mags and ammo.
 
Cowboy said:
It is this ruger.

https://www.carolinafirearmsforum.com/index.php?threads/fs-ft-ruger-ar-556-model-8500-spf.16397/
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I'll go against the advice given so far and say the first thing you should get is an optic. It's 2017, no need to waste a lot of time shooting irons while holding off on an optic, which you will inevitably get.

Have someone who knows AR's try the rifle. If the trigger is on the awful side of milspec, they'll let you know. But if it's average for milspec, I'd say definitely optic first.

Just looking at the pic, I'd go optic first, then either a handstop or stubby vertical grip or go whole hog and get a free float handguard. Either will be more comfortable than gripping that MOE handguard. Then trigger, then maybe a less angled grip (if you prefer a more squared up shooting stance vs a bladed stance).
 
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SLM said:
The only things I've done to my A4 is:

micro_flip_up_rear_sight_25650_white-720x290.jpg


opplanet-leupold-63300-1x14-tactical-prismatic-rifle-scope-2.jpg


th


For the heavy barrel M4:

803-1.jpg


and the same sling as above. That's all I wanted to do, KISS rifle and KISS carbine.
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Is that the Luepy Prismatic? How do you like it?
 
NKD said:
Is that the Luepy Prismatic? How do you like it?
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Absolutely love it. It has an etched reticle and is the toughest optic Leupold has produced. It is dead on out to 375m (I haven't anywhere farther to test it) Lightweight, small and simple...set it and forget it. I have a damaged right eye (shooting eye) that has caused an astigmatism, so non-etched reticle red dots don't work for me. I like it so much I purchased one for the Tavor SAR w/ 18"bbl. works perfectly on it as well!

The only downside is the battery is non-std and only has a life of 400 hrs, but I don't care, due to the etched reticle. Wouldn't trade the Leupold PGS. It's perfect for me.
 
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SLM said:
Absolutely love it. It has an etched reticle and is the toughest optic Leupold has produced. It is dead on out to 375m (I haven't anywhere farther to test it) Lightweight, small and simple...set it and forget it. I have a damaged right eye (shooting eye) that has caused an astigmatism, so non-etched reticle red dots don't work for me. I like it so much I purchased one for the Tavor SAR w/ 18"bbl. works perfectly on it as well!

The only downside is the battery is non-std and only has a life of 400 hrs, but I don't care, due to the etched reticle. Wouldn't trade the Leupold PGS. It's perfect for me.
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I have been wanting one. I have the Vortex 1X Prism scope that I love, for all the reasons you cited. But, I imagine the Leupold is better glass.
I really don't use the illumination at all.
 
I have the JP springs as well, replaced that fire control group with a cmc trigger, but I bobbed the hammer of the factory trigger, and polished all the contact points and had it breaking at 4lbs 5oz consistently. $13 and 10 minutes of my time.
 
For a base Ar I would buy a decent optic ( I love my PA micro $90), then trigger. Get a good sling, I'm still looking for one.

The grip, stock, handguard etc is all personal opinion. I like magpul stocks and grips.
 
NKD said:
I have been wanting one. I have the Vortex 1X Prism scope that I love, for all the reasons you cited. But, I imagine the Leupold is better glass.
I really don't use the illumination at all.
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My brother has the same Vortex as you, it's on his truck gun. He loves it.
 
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Right away, the things you touch the most.
-Trigger. Like @Burt Gummer says the CMC flat shoe is a great addition, drops-in, sweet feel. Doesn't break the budget either at around $150.
-Charging handle. I'm fond of the BCM Mod 3, but there's lots of cool aftermarket handles out there. $40

Looks like you already have a couple things I like;
-Buttstock. Highly subjective as far as feel, but I like the sopmod styles.
-Nickel Boron BCG. Not only do they work better, but they're 1000x easier to clean, and the BCG is the hardest part of the rifle to clean. Worth it for ease of cleaning alone.

I'd run the magpul furniture you already have and play with the iron sights for awhile.
Looks like your next step imo is a trigger, and then an optic.

My personal flavor with AR's is light is right. Be careful bolting a bunch of stuff on there. I got buddies with AR's that are loaded baked potato's- ACOG with magnifier, bipod, foregrip, light, buttstock with extra batteries, buis...
Yeah they're cool and shoot dimes at 100 yards, but they weigh 10 pounds. Without ammo.
When I start to approach 7 1/2 lbs, I back up and punt.
 
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Depends on the job it’s for and your wants. For a HD carbine K.I.S.S. and maybe a micro red dot (Holosun, Primary Arms or such for a budget Aimpoint T2 for a Rolls), metal BUIS (I’m partial to Troys) and a good 2 point sling w/ QD attachments. I do have a weapons mounted light and suppressor on the shelf if the situation calls for a little extra.

I don’t think hanging extra stuff that adds weight and knocks the balance off. Again K.I.S.S. !!!
 
Friday said:
My personal flavor with AR's is light is right. Be careful bolting a bunch of stuff on there. I got buddies with AR's that are loaded baked potato's- ACOG with magnifier, bipod, foregrip, light, buttstock with extra batteries, buis...
Yeah they're cool and shoot dimes at 100 yards, but they weigh 10 pounds. Without ammo.
When I start to approach 7 1/2 lbs, I back up and punt.
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Right on! Simplicity generally equals reliability.
 
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Light if SD/HD.
Trigger, then optic, probably sling. Mags, they're cheap now, same for ammo.
Grip or stock if you don't like what you have.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk
 
Optic: Beownells has the Sig Romeo5 on sale for $139 shipped, otherwise I really like my PA Micros
Mags: grab 6-10 mags of your choice since they're super cheap right now. You'll never regret having extra mags
Ammo: just go shoot it and see what you don't like

Trigger: the JP yellow springs are a nice way to lighten up a stock trigger but they don't fix the grittiness, creep, over travel, or crispness. I too am a huge fan of my CMC 3.5lb flat single stage!
 
I should add, besides that, Ive upgraded my optic.
 
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