What do you guys think of my setup?- Comments/ Critiques

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walter34payton2002

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Here is my AR setup. I'm out of scratch so this it it for a while. It is supposed to be an all around versatile, survivalist, defense, "battle worthy" rifle that I can rest easy knowing its going to be reliable and be able to take a beating. I really like the setup, but I want to hear from you guys.

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BCM complete upper 16" m4 1:7 twist chrome lined
DPMS complete lower
BCM M16 bolt carrier group MPI/HP
BCM H buffer
VLTOR EMOD Stock
BCM Gunfighter Charging handle with Large Latch
Hogue pistol grip
MI bolt on gas block w integrated flip up front sight
BCE Battle Comp
GG&G Standard Extreme Duty Bipod
Magpul rear BUIS
Troy drop in quad rail
Magpul rail covers
Tapco Intrafuse vertical foregrip w/ storage
ATN Javelin 125w tac light
EOTech 512
EOTech 4x magnifier w/ flip to side mount

Spent my budget for the gun doing the upgrades....
The only things I can think of are:
The tac light is a bit heavy (near 16 oz I believe)
Could use lower parts upgrade from Grant
Need to stake castle nut
Weighs 10 pounds- a little on the heavy side, but when I change tac light I should be in the 9 neighborhood
 
If you like it thats all that matters... there's nothing wrong with the setup, pretty much all good parts mounted properly.
 
That looks like a great setup IMO. For my use with an AR, I just dont have a magnifier or a bipod on so as to cut down on weight when walking around. But thats just my setup, not a critique on yours at all :)

Looks like it will do exactly what you want it to, have fun!!

(oh and save some money for ammo) ;)
 
(oh and save some money for ammo)

Read you loud and clear. Luckily I got a lot for the time being, but I always buy here and there. I suppose I want to change my mind about steel cased however. A while back we all had a heated discussion on it and I got to say that if your rifle won't fire it then you need to fix your rifle. I may give it a go. This coming from a guy who shoots a lot of m193.

Thanks for the comments guys. If you have a criticism, please have at it. I don't take offense at all. I'm always open to improvements. THANKS!
 
Lots of first class gear there. Although my first impression looking at it is that you've spent more time amassing gear than you have shooting the rifle. Ultimately, the purpose of the gear is to fufill a task and the rifle and accessories either aid that task or they don't.

This is one reason I really like getting some formal training off of a traditional rifle range. Around here, you are lucky to find a range that will let you practice standard NRA match positions, let alone do anything like non-traditional positions, shoot while moving, rapid fire, etc. Classes are not only a good place to learn how to do these things safely, they can also teach you things about your gear that you would never have thought about otherwise.

Weighs 10 pounds- a little on the heavy side, but when I change tac light I should be in the 9 neighborhood
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Yes, one of the problems with a "do-everything" rifle that can do any number of tasks is that it doesn't do any of the tasks as well as a specialized rifle and it gets to be a fat pig too. My own attempt to build an AR that can do any conceivable task you could expect of .223 from 0-500yds is around 12lbs loaded with the suppressor.

On the tac light, I went with a Surefire G2 with a replacement Cree Q5 lamp dropped in. The entire set up gives me a 200 lumen LED light with a 2 hour run time off of 2 CR123s for about $80 and 5oz.

While I am a big believer in a weaponlight on a long gun, training with it is even more important. Actually getting out and shooting in low-light is something I haven't been able to do as much as I'd like and there is a lot to learn there. I remember the first time I was inside a nice dark area and lit up the room with a 200 lumen weapon light - those big, white walls can reflect a disturbing amount of light right back at you and the bigger the light you are using, the more you notice it indoors.
 
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Well....ummmm...it's an AR that's for sure. Not my cup of tea at all but if you like it and don't mind the weight then it's all good.
 
What BR said. In the Advanced Tactical course that I have taken, we fired in zero-light, and low light conditions. It's a whooooole different world. :cool:

You an very nice set-up there. Feel free to ship it to my FFL. I'll break it in for you. Please send ammo...lots of ammo. :D

Geno
 
To me it looks like a lot of add ons that could get hung up or caught on stuff. The important thing though is if you are satisfied with the reliability and accuracy of it.
 
You might want to consider easing up there, chief, on the bohickies and doodads. Just my .02
 
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Thanks guys. Good stuff so far. The Surefire g2. Someone else told me that too. Any idea where to get it? Yeah, I have not even fired it yet, I just finished with some of the stuff early this week. I originally had a DPMS upper that I shot the hell out of, so I decided to upgrade while I replaced it with the BCM for a serious rifle. I'm going to get out this week and get everything sighted in and just shoot the crap out of it.

Don't get me wrong guys, I have shot many an AR for many a year. I've had everything from irons to cheapo red dots to Bushnells to EOTechs. First magnifier though. I really push em hard and I train with all my gear. Most of this stuff I have carried and shot many a round with. Some of it is new for me (the upgrades were 4x magnifier, upper, bcg, stock, gas block, buis). All else I have really already run hard and am used to. I like the ability to run em hard so hence the BCM and quality gear stuff. Still need to take my first class and it has been something I have really wanted to do. Thanks!

Oh yeah....Forgot to mention....Some of the weight is in the stock which I have 2 sets of spare batteries (2x AA and 2x CAR123A) for optics/lights, a broken shell extractor, and a couple of rounds. Anyway, I agree, its still a little heavy.
 
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Thanks guys. Good stuff so far. The Surefire g2. Someone else told me that too. Any idea where to get it?
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I think http://tnvc.com/ sells the G2 with the Q5 Cree already installed for $78. At least that is where I bought mine several years ago. If you are set on the tape switch, you'll need to buy one of those separately though.

I really push em hard and I train with all my gear. Most of this stuff I have carried and shot many a round with. Some of it is new for me. I like the ability to run em hard so hence the BCM and quality gear stuff. Still need to take my first class and it has been something I have really wanted to do. Thanks!
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I remember when I first got out of the military and was getting back into shooting, I was shooting 1,000 rounds of 9mm a month through my pistol at the local range - which I thought was pretty impressive. Unfortunately, it was mostly self-directed training so I was A) reinforcing bad habits B) not pushing myself outside of my comfort zone at all and C) Just flat out did not know and could not conceive of some of the things I needed to train for.

So for me, the first formal training class I took was a huge leap forward. I mean, I'd had a rifle since I was 12 (7 if you count my Daisy 881) and had grown up shooting - and not just hunting; but military and NFA firearms. I had five years of military training and I thought I was pretty knowledgable about firearms. I learned more in that three days than I did in the previous 15 years - and it turned out that wasn't even the best training experience I've had.

And with AR15s, it has been even more true; because a lot of gear that works well from a static firing line does not work as well in more dynamic shooting (and vice versa for that matter).
 
ONE Change I'd make is an integrated bipod / vertical fore grip to save weight and space.

Nice build good quality stuff.
 
Bartholomew Roberts....Wow, thanks for sharing that. Interesting stuff. Can't wait till my first class. When I can get away from the range and onto my land, I try to change it up...Target transitioning at varying distances, Mozambique, and double tapping targets and varying distances. I work on all kinds of stuff from stance to cover, ect. And I think you are dead on about "A) reinforcing bad habits B) not pushing myself outside of my comfort zone at all and C) Just flat out did not know and could not conceive of some of the things I needed to train for." Thanks again for sharing that, really good stuff.
 
WTH....are you going to do with that? Play war? Sorry, but you said to bring it.
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Hehe. At least you didn't accuse me of being the dreaded mall ninja. :eek:I'm sure this thing will evolve as I go, maybe mostly after taking a course. First time I set a rifle up like this so we will see how it goes. Thanks!!!
 
i say lose the bi-pod, magnifier, and the flashlight and then youll have a pretty good rifle.
 
Man, your little carbine weighs as much as my 18" precision rig with a 2.5-10X32 Nightforce, ADM mount and UBR stock.

I'd put it on a diet. Even for a big guy, holding up a 10lb rifle for any length of time gets to be a chore pretty quickly. Don't get me wrong. You have all of the right names there, but you really don't need all of that stuff.

It's a down and dirty carbine. I'd lose the (huge) magnifier or go to a 1-4X variable/ACOG. I'd get rid of the bipod and just add Magpul Ranger plates to my mags for use as a monopod. I'd lose that heavy light and go to either a G or E series Surefire light. I'd also get rid of those drop in quad rails in favor of some MOEs with rails added where you need them. That should be an 8lb rifle tops. I just feel that carbines are supposed to be light and handy. My carbine comes in at 7lbs, but I have a UBR on it that makes it back heavy, so it feels light up front.

On the other hand, if you really don't mind all of that weight, just put a Magpul UBR stock on it to balance it out some.
 
All in all nice, however, unless you are planning alot of long range shooting (400-600m) lose the bipod & magnifier. Lose the vertical fore grip and use the front of the magwell. Move flashlight to where bipod is, but have QD and only mount at night / dark areas. I agree a lower parts kit or at least a trigger pack would be nice. I wish I had something like this while in the sandbox.
 
The most important option of all is you. Are you battle ready? Have you been in combat before? As as been said above, make sure you're ready and then you can add all the bells and whistles.
 
Where's the sink?

I am not an AR guru by any means, but i agree that the magnifier/bipod and light might be a good thing to get rid of. If you really want a light, get the Crimson Trace forgrip with light and laser built in.
Looks like a fun range toy, and fun goes away if it's too heavy to use. Gonna do 3 gun? Then the bipod/foregrip might work - saw a guy stand on a rifle with that bipod deployed to show it's tough enough.
 
I like it. The exact optics that I want to get for mine. The only thing I would probably drop for that particular setup is the bipod, that would lighten it a bit too.
 
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