1st Accessories for AR15

[powermad]

For me I found the usefulness of a light when I was using iron sights at first.
While under trees when it's overcast I was having trouble picking up the front sight.
Switch on the light and the front post stands out much better, same with a pistol for me.

 

[litework]

I don't know what kind of rail you have on the AR but I'd mount a light first. You already have a way to aim and you have a sling. I'd put a Romeo 5 red dot on it and see if you like this type of sight. They're cheap and solid. When I build an AR or buy something on a whim and I'm researching to find the perfect optic to put on it,I always temporarily put Romeo 5 on it so I can get range time in while I wait. I'm always impressed by the value of the Romeo 5 and how light weight it is.

 

[Simple Shooter]

I don't know what kind of rail you have on the AR but I'd mount a light first. You already have a way to aim and you have a sling. I'd put a Romeo 5 red dot on it and see if you like this type of sight. They're cheap and solid. When I build an AR or buy something on a whim and I'm researching to find the perfect optic to put on it,I always temporarily put Romeo 5 on it so I can get range time in while I wait. I'm always impressed by the value of the Romeo 5 and how light weight it is.

Best advice, yet. A light and a motion activated red dot is all you need. I use a 9mm AR as my primary home defense gun. it is bare bones with just a Streamlight TLR RM1 and a Sig Romeo5. Anything more tends to just get in the way.

 

[Charlie Martinez]

The ideal AR for emergency situations inside the house should probably have a very short, maneuverable barrel, a light and IMHO a suppressor is a must (who takes the time to put on ear protection during that kind of emergency?). Inside the house distances are very short so sights can be anything and whatever the individual feels comfortable with but a laser might not be a bad idea.

 

[jmorris]

I also don't get much time to practice at the range,

If you are going to defend your life and those of loved ones with it, that would be more important to me than having any sight on the rifle, for “in home” distances anyway.

However, the only lives I have ever had to defend have been outside my house and distances require a better way for me to precisely aim. For that job, I have always liked the Acog reflex. No buttons, batteries or switches, self adjusts from full daylight to pitch black. Not a “long range” optic but more accurate than point shooting as the distances increase.

 

[C-grunt]

A light is an absolute must. You need positive ID to take a shot.

Is the petson in your kitchen a murderous burglar? What if it's one of the kids trying to sneak back in? Or a family member stopping by late that your wife forgot to tell you about? Or the 80 year old lady next door with dementia having a bad night?

Or one of the hundreds of other circumstances that happen every day in life.

After that a sling. It shows you to free up your hands if you need. Also it's very useful for weapon retention.

A good red dot is very useful. It's advantages have been covered by others well.

 

[JAshley73]

The ideal AR for emergency situations inside the house should probably have a very short, maneuverable barrel, a light and IMHO a suppressor is a must (who takes the time to put on ear protection during that kind of emergency?). Inside the house distances are very short so sights can be anything and whatever the individual feels comfortable with but a laser might not be a bad idea.

Sounds a lot like a handgun with big dot sights, if we're being honest. (Not that I disagree with you, at all BTW...)

 

[Varminterror]

Inside the house distances are very short so sights can be anything

I caution folks any time I see this kind of sentiment expressed. Anyone which has done any kind of shoot house and CQB firearms training will immediately recognize how ridiculously simple it really is to MISS at short ranges which are presented in home defense scenarios. Certainly, at muzzle-contact distances, it’s hard to miss, but we also have to remind ourselves of the criticality of point of impact to STOP threats - things like the “21ft rule” acknowledge the broadly accepted fallacy that a firearm is a shield, as short ranges retain the challenge of placing shots well, and magnify the challenge of delivering sufficiently fast stopping before bodily harm can happen.

So despite short distances, great sights which are easy to use, easy to see, and familiarized by practice, including in the context of the potential threat scenario, remain critical to success.

 

[C-grunt]

I've investigated many close range shootings and gunfights. I've had cases where guys shooting at each other from inside a car, missed more shots than they landed.

 

[LimaCharlie]

My home-defense AR is a stock Colt LE-6920 with zero modifications or additions.

 

[Charlie98]

A good red dot is very useful. It's advantages have been covered by others well.

I must not have gotten a very good RDS... every time I take the lens cap off, all the RedDots fall out...

 

[C-grunt]

I must not have gotten a very good RDS... every time I take the lens cap off, all the RedDots fall out...

View attachment 1132169

That's a non electronic red dot. No batteries needed!

It's used to amplify the light from a match or lighter. Stick one of those in there and you'll get a very bright dot.

 

[shafter]

What you really need on an AR is a sling, optic, and a light. I would consider those three to be essential for a fighting carbine. The next would be backup sights. I wouldn't list the backup sights as absolutely essential because they are a redundancy to the optic but it's smart to cover that base as soon as funds allow. Anything more than that isn't needed for home defense.

For me, for home defense that would look like
Two point sling
Red dot sight. Any reputable model will be fine.
Light. Surefire or Streamlight.

 

[Charlie98]

That's a non electronic red dot. No batteries needed!

It's used to amplify the light from a match or lighter. Stick one of those in there and you'll get a very bright dot.

Actually, it sort of reminds me of the Starlight scope we mounted on the M2... even the size of the .50cal didn't dwarf the size of that thing...

 

[Chuck R.]

My two ARs that are set up for HD:




Simple setups: light, sling, RDS, BUIS. This is after taking multiple defensive carbine classes and shooting a a lot of 3Gun matches. Assuming the carbine came with irons, my "accessories" in order would be:

Light
Sling, 2 PT quick adjust. This so you can do stuff with both hands and also it aids with retention.
RDS; quality with cantilever mount
BUIS rear.

and a class.

I like a fixed FSB because it's one less thing to screw with should you find your dot gone.

Tritium IMHO is useless for HD due to the requirement to ID the TGT. Once the light goes on, the BUIS are silhouetted in the light. The use of a quality RDS with solid battery life, also negates the odds that you'll even end up using the BUIS anyway. The money is better spent on ammo or tuition.

You can use the RDS tube as a giant ghost ring rear in a pinch, I've made good hits out to 50yds doing so.

Being a "county" guy I may swap the RDS for a LPVO, because the odds are significantly higher that I'll use my HD carbine against a coyote than a human intruder.

 

[Charlie Martinez]

I caution folks any time I see this kind of sentiment expressed.

You did not include the rest of my quote. I said "anything and whatever the individual feels comfortable with". I don't get angry at people that disagree with me but people that misquote or omit portions of things others say just to be able to contradict them or make them look stupid for some strange reason really piss me off.

 

[Varminterror]

@Charlie Martinez - nothing about the rest of the quote changes anything about what I quoted.

The sentiment expressed, that short distances negate criticality of a firearm sighting system is wholly incorrect, and frankly, incorrect and near-irresponsible to promote.

but people…really piss me off.

Ok…

 

[redneck2]

For mine, I’ve got a Trijcon holo sight. Uses fiber optic, no batteries. If there is any even minimal ambient light the dot is visible

Head position and cheek weld are not critical. From any angle, if the dot is on the target you’re good to go

We have quite a few LED night lights scattered around the house, so target ID should be covered, although I do keep a charged flashlight by all the beds

Honestly, if you don’t have an alarm system that would be my priority if I already had at least one adequate firearm, either basic AR, pistol, or shotgun

 

[Charlie Martinez]

The sentiment expressed, that short distances negate criticality of a firearm sighting system

You simply don't understand. I'll leave it there.

 

[JAshley73]

Light
Sling, 2 PT quick adjust. This so you can do stuff with both hands and also it aids with retention.
RDS; quality with cantilever mount
BUIS rear.

and a class.

I like a fixed FSB because it's one less thing to screw with should you find your dot gone.

Tritium IMHO is useless for HD due to the requirement to ID the TGT. Once the light goes on, the BUIS are silhouetted in the light. The use of a quality RDS with solid battery life, also negates the odds that you'll even end up using the BUIS anyway. The money is better spent on ammo or tuition.

You can use the RDS tube as a giant ghost ring rear in a pinch, I've made good hits out to 50yds doing so.

Being a "county" guy I may swap the RDS for a LPVO, because the odds are significantly higher that I'll use my HD carbine against a coyote than a human intruder.

If you have time, on your "rifle," could you post a photo of your sight picture, showing the RDS and the front post? Also, if your RDS is absolute, or lower co-witnessed.

I've always been curious of the sight picture of such a combination. Seems like having a fixed/A2 front post would be distracting, regardless of whatever optic type was mounted. Maybe not, I really don't have any experience here to draw from. (Thanks in advance.)

 

[hawg]

No offense intended but an AR would be my last choice for home defense. A handgun would be my next to last choice. A short barreled pump shotgun would be my first choice.

 

[Chuck R.]

If you have time, on your "rifle," could you post a photo of your sight picture, showing the RDS and the front post? Also, if your RDS is absolute, or lower co-witnessed.

I've always been curious of the sight picture of such a combination. Seems like having a fixed/A2 front post would be distracting, regardless of whatever optic type was mounted. Maybe not, I really don't have any experience here to draw from. (Thanks in advance.)

Not my pic, but this is what an absolute looks like:



I have both absolute (above) and lower 1/3rd co-witness setups, both with FFSBs. Neither really bother me, but I've used both for years.

The key IMHO, is to focus on the TGT and let your eye put the dot where it belongs. IF you're focusing on the sights, you're going to "see" too much. You're also going to slow yourself down and lose the key benefit to the RDS.

 

[redneck2]

Not my pic, but this is what an absolute looks like:

That’s what my Trijcon looks like

 

[Varminterror]

No offense intended but an AR would be my last choice for home defense. A handgun would be my next to last choice. A short barreled pump shotgun would be my first choice.

I used to share this as my own common advice, until airsoft firearms became available and I was able to experience force-on-force training for the first time.

The first FoF scenario I ever experienced was simulation of waking up to an intruder standing the bedroom door. Out of dozens of attempts by a handful of students, NONE were able to land a shot on the assailant before the intruder was able to get a dominant physical position and deflect the muzzle of a long gun. Equally, it was VERY quickly realized that many of us instinctively regripped the pump when trying to disarm the defender (when playing the attacker in the scenario), so after the first shot fired into the wall during the struggle, we were then holding the pump out of battery, disabling the weapon.

Alternatively, creating space to retain a handgun away from a CQD assailant was east and instinctive. The risk wasn’t fully mitigated, but we’re able to put rounds on bad guys near 100%, whereas with long guns, the result was 0%.

So forever onward, I have given up any long gun as a sole option for defense. Sure, go clear rooms with a long gun, but a handgun should be in the mix somewhere, especially on the nightstand.

 

[redneck2]

That ^^^^^ is interesting and informative. Thx