AR15 path to success?

Only in rare occasions well you need a O ring or D ring on the extractor. IF you have extraction problems a heavy duty spring and insert is the best starting point, only add the O ring if absolutely necessary.

The Accu wedge well help remove slop between the upper and lower. There are a few other methods that do the same, from O rings to set screws. A small amount of slop does not hurt anything.

2 cases of ammo and about 10 mags. The most important part you can add to make your AR more functional is between your ears.

By far, my favorite and cheapest mod I have done is installing a tactical latch on my charging handle.

Accu-wedge can help if there is a lot of slop but it is not necessary. One of my rifles has one but others do not.

Badger Tac Latch if your scope bell overhangs the charging handle. If you have irons or a dot scope, it is just something that sticks out and gets in the way.

D-fender? If your rifle has a problem it could be a quick fix, but fix the problem.

Accu-wedge: I have not needed to tighten up the wobble between the upper and lower. wedge unneeded.

Latch: I agree that a tactical latch for the charging handle is a huge benefit. I took a tactical carbine class 2 weeks ago. One of the first things the instructors talked about for equipment was the tactical latch. It helps. All of those instructors like the BCM, but prefer the Badger. I like both. Pick'em.

Mags: A dozen good used GI mags would be fine, but a dozen Pmags would be bonus.

Slings: I like a 2 point sling like the Magpul MS2 or MS3 with 1 point as an option. The MS2 or MS3 aren't padded. A pad for your shoulder might be nice during a long shoot, carbine class or duty.

Sling mounts: I like a single point at the receiver end plate and a Magpul RSA about halfway down the forend. This allows 1 or 2 point use. In 2 point it keeps the AR level, out of the dirt when crouching, easy to transition to pistol and back, etc.

sights: the Magpul MBUS are fine for most.

Optics: for us civilians i like an Eotech plinking, CQB, etc. It has a nice small (1 MOA) center dot for more accurate shooting and a 65 MOA ring for point and shoot. If i needed a red dot on all the time, duty, i would want an aimpoint because the batteries last for years. For 3 gun i like a 1-4x with clean crosshairs, no illumination.

For accurate shooting a free float tube and a good trigger are a must. With either good bags or a bipod will help a bunch.

What do you intend to do with the AR? Carbine classes? Three gun? High power? Home defense? Range fun?

Different roles means different equipment...

Trigger. Once you have a GOOD trigger in an AR, it is hard to shoot anything else.

The AR is really kind to users exactly the way it is. My suggestion is that you wait till you get the rifle and decide what to do after you take it for its first outing. Only then do you really get an idea as to what would make either you or the gun do "better" or at the least more comfortably.

However, if you must think about changing things out now, I'd stick to the cheaper parts like an enlarged/hanced trigger guard, the BCM Gunfighter, and maybe even different handguards. I'd also consider getting a fully functional set of irons (either as full carry handle or cut down) to learn on as well. AR irons are vastly underestimated.

Pmags > GI mags. If you get, or have, GI mags, get Pmag followers for all of them.

My personal AR is a very, very basic carbine. It has a fixed carry handle, issue 6 psn stock, and a Magpul MOE rubber overmolded grip. I am tempted to do something with a red dot, with flashlights, but for the moment, I can't think of a thing to do to it that would be a real improvement.

If you are new to ARs, the best thing to do is spend your money on ammo and target time. That experience under your belt will make it run better than anything you can add to it.

I'm for ammo and practice. You really won't know what needs to be improved for you until you've spent some quality time with the rifle. If you just feel the need to customize, I'd suggest some MOE furniture.

I'd also invest in a few spare sets of rings and a back up bolt, or at the least an extractor and springs/inserts.

Save your money and practice then make changes you feel necessary,with my Stag 3 I added a geissele SSA-E trigger can't see the need for other mods.

OK, given some experience - the answer is still go shoot it.

Mags, and ammo? Sure.

Grip? It's a rifle, you hold it up with the Other Arm, and your shoulder. The grip is just a finger rest. I prefer the A1, I still shot Expert with the A2, I bought the TD for my own, but only because it was the closest in size I could get with Foliage Green. Not having it in Black was more important on my list of priorities than having the perfect pistol grip, because - it's NOT a pistol. It's a rifle.

Charging handle? If the bolt catch is doing the job, and you aren't battering the gun against obstacles, you only charge the weapon the first time ... after that, it's drop mag, insert, release bolt, and fire. Soldiers have used the GI charging handle for 40 years, it's never been a Crane SOPMOD update yet.

Buffer? You have to shoot it a lot first to find out what it's doing wrong, then determine what might fix it.

Sling? For some limited uses, a sling is nice, others, no. The Infantry School taught me to take the silly thing off, we weren't on parade, we were locked and loaded to shoot other people. It made noise, hung up on brush and gear, impeded combatives, and was generally a nuisance. For MP use with detainees on the street, maybe, in vehicles, never.

Optic, yes. Rear sight, I cut down an M4 carry handle sight. GI, milspec, durable, won't fall apart, always ready to go. If the optic can't be trusted, then you can't wait - but lots of soldiers don't have one mounted, they just hump it in case. Less dead weight on the rail.

The reason we say shoot it - most spend money on kitting out the gun beyond their skill level, and their focus of use becomes peculiar to their ability and target. There's lots of marketing and options out there, but very little to recommend until a very specific circumstance is presented. What helps on a hog gun doesn't work for CQB is useless for varmints might be illegal for NM competition.

And a lot of it is very little incremental return for the geometric increase in expense. I don't get 5X improved anything for a TD grip vs A1, the BRT flash hider doesn't give 8X the noise reduction over a $8 GI.

Show me a 25% hit probability increase going to a certain brand adjustable stock. Please. Otherwise, it's an A1 until then. My trunk is big enough to get it to the range. When your skill level and understanding point out a deficient area, then change that. Until then, it's all very speculative.

Based on mine, I'd say get some high quality lubricant too.
I'm not sure what you're lubing with but the usual light oils haven't worked satisfactorily with my AR. As the factory lube that BCM uses wore off, I encountered a few FTE's with some types of ammo.
Although slip2000 was recommended, it is also pricey and not available locally. A combat rifle shouldn't need imported lube that costs $16 a bottle to run, so I tried synthetic 5W30 motor oil and that seems to work fine.

FWIW, although I cut my teeth on M-16's with the standard charging handle, I like the BCM Gunfighter now that I have it. It makes charging with the weak hand possible without risking damage to the charging handle. I'll be keeping mine.

Does your AR come with sights? I don't like the standard A2 style. I could always hit well enough with them but they seem fragile and overly complex. Now that I'm using my own rifle and not using what was issued, I have a Daniel Defense A1 style rear on mine.

I lube mine with a 50/50 mix of Mobil 1 5w30 and Marvel's Mystery Oil. A quart costs about $10. If you used regular motor oil it would be about $5 a quart. Very slippery stuff.

When the insides get dirty, the enough of the grim is suspended in the oily mess that most just wipes off with a rag. Then some CLP to finish and oil it up again.

Dimis said:

...I have figured that the first thing I want to replace is the standard grip with something that fills my hand better...

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Check out the Ergo grips. I have larger hands and the A2 grip was swapped out before I fired my first round. I went with the right-handed suregrip and like it a lot:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/21...vermolded-rubber-black?cm_vc=3206BrandPopProd

Dimis said:

...then I was looking at the larger trigger guards...

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I installed Magpul's enhanced, aluminum trigger guard. No valid reason, other than I liked the way it looks.

Dimis said:

...also a sling...

Click to expand...

I went with a Magpul MS2, seems nice but I haven't ran through a class with it or used it extensively beyond plinking at the range.

You have just asked a question about how to specifically improve a general class of firearm for an undetermined purpose. You seem to be less than pleased with the responses, but they seem fair given the question.

If you asked what to change on a bolt action rifle, or pump action shotgun or semi auto pistol you would probably get the same type of responses.

If you want to know which aftermarket parts for AR platform were considered a good value by members, maybe that should be the question? Not trying to put words in your mouth, but I for one am not too sure what you are really asking.

I actually answered your question with my first post,but it simply comes down to personal choice,most of the AR15 stuff is simply bling to me,I need two things a good trigger and good sights( optics).

1. Forget the accuwedge ... if you need something to tighten up the halves, get a JP Enterprise Tension Pin ... it pulls the upper and lower together instead of pushing them apart. http://www.jprifles.com/1.5.1.7_small_tp.php

2. Good trigger, if funds are tight a RRA 2-stage is hard to beat