My experience with AR pattern rifles is limited to M16A1's and M16A2's, along with a homebuilt 20" A2 style AR I bought off a guy once (and resold), and an ultralight carbon-fiber version I've got now. I'm not a huge fan of the .223, but I've got to say I like the ergonomics of the shorty ARs I've seen recently.
I think I'd like to own one, but I don't have a good feel for my options and I really don't know how the various do-dads people attach to their weapons actually affect the ergonomics of the thing.
So, I'm looking for help.
For starters, something short would probably work best -- 16" will likely be fine, but my concern is having a short enough rifle that it feels light, and quick. I think I'd go with a shorter version over a full-sized barrel if they were the same weight just for the difference in the way it handled.
So, on to my questions.
How about manufacturers -- does it matter much? Is this something where I could buy a lower from one maker and an upper from another and be happy, or is this something that causes problems 10% of the time?
I guess that's it for now. Please be gentle.
[1]: my night vision's not as good as it used to be, but back when I was in the Army I remember leading a brigade march in Germany where it was dark -- overcast, no moon, heavy tree cover. My track got tagged to lead the march for some reason after a couple of officers ran into problems keeping on the road, and I still remember hearing my sergeant's voice in my helmet saying "God d*amn Zeanah, I'm glad you're keeping us on the road because even with NODs I can't see ****" Now that was more about peripheral vision, and we had the tactical light running on the front of the vehicle, but I still do really well without lights when things go "bump" in the night. Don't know how well I could take things in and use a sight on a rifle, though...
I think I'd like to own one, but I don't have a good feel for my options and I really don't know how the various do-dads people attach to their weapons actually affect the ergonomics of the thing.
So, I'm looking for help.
For starters, something short would probably work best -- 16" will likely be fine, but my concern is having a short enough rifle that it feels light, and quick. I think I'd go with a shorter version over a full-sized barrel if they were the same weight just for the difference in the way it handled.
So, on to my questions.
- Who makes a good trigger? All the AR/M16s I've fired have had really gritty two-stage triggers. I like two stage triggers, but I'd like something closer to the feel of a "real" rifle. Does anyone make a trigger that feels close to a Garand or M1A (ie, not perfect but pretty darn nice)?
- Adjustable stock. Future gun school use means I may very well be wearing something like an LBE, and standard size stocks have always felt a bit short for me. Which stocks should I be looking at?
- Optics. Gonna have optics -- likely a Trijicon reflex. So I'm leaning toward a flattop, maybe with back-up irons. What's the best way to mount these? More important -- are they really necessary? Reflex sights don't actually seem that fragile (especially the milspec ones), so if I could get away without one then that may very well be the most practical choice.
- Twist rate. People are moving to larger rounds the last I looked, as the lighter rounds lose "oomph" at short ranges with short barrels. What's a good twist rate to handle most any ammo I might decide to shoot?
- Hand guards. This is where I start guessing. I've seen lots of folks using tommy-gun style foregrips mounted to the underside of the barrel -- do these help controllability? Do y'all think they're an improvement over the standard handguards (likely when shooting a lot without gloves, I'd think)?
- Doo-dads. Everyone seems to want tactical lights mounted on their rifles these days. I remember night fires @ Fort Benning where we couldn't see anything because we had no moon, and chem lights weren't even visible at 50m, so I can see how they could be useful. But (and this is a big "but") are they actually useful? Do you need these for gun schools, and do they aid much in an around-the-house defense rifle for someone who's got surprisingly good night vision anyway[1]? How about weight and fragility?
How about manufacturers -- does it matter much? Is this something where I could buy a lower from one maker and an upper from another and be happy, or is this something that causes problems 10% of the time?
I guess that's it for now. Please be gentle.
[1]: my night vision's not as good as it used to be, but back when I was in the Army I remember leading a brigade march in Germany where it was dark -- overcast, no moon, heavy tree cover. My track got tagged to lead the march for some reason after a couple of officers ran into problems keeping on the road, and I still remember hearing my sergeant's voice in my helmet saying "God d*amn Zeanah, I'm glad you're keeping us on the road because even with NODs I can't see ****" Now that was more about peripheral vision, and we had the tactical light running on the front of the vehicle, but I still do really well without lights when things go "bump" in the night. Don't know how well I could take things in and use a sight on a rifle, though...