With the election coming up I thought I should go ahead and get 1. I've never held an AR. Truly have only had a slight interest in them. But didn't want the day to come that I wouldn't be able to own 1 so I bought 1. I am not new to guns and shoot weekly varying between deer rifle, handgun and shotguns.

Questions:
1.) can the front sight be removed to mount a scope as close to the rail as possible like I'm used to on my hunting rifles?
2.) if I can't remove the sight, what kind of entry level sights are being recommended? I'm interested in 20-100 yard accuracy
3.) while handling different brands they handed me a colt with a camo "furniture kit" can this be added later? I liked it.
4.) what brand of aftermarket magezines are recommended? 30 and 10 round are what I'm looking for
5.) anything I should do for it different from any other firearm?

I'll come up with more ?'s but this is what is on my mind right now.

Thanks in advance


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Welcome to the forum... as far as your questions..

1. You do not want the scope mounted as close to the barrel as possible on an AR. The stock is a straight line back from the receiver, with no drop like a hunting rifle. If you mount the scope low, you will not be able to get a proper cheek rest. Also, with a 4x scope, the front sight will ghost out, so there is no need to remove it for a scope.

2. Entry level sights? Use the ones that came on the gun! Learn to shoot the irons, very good for the distances you are asking about.

3. Yes, you can change the furniture. Hanguard, stock, and grip changes are very common & easy modifications. Hanguard and stock are just slip off old, slip on new. The grip has a spring and detent for the safety that you have to watch out for, but still easy modification.

4. For magazines, you can't go wrong with Magpul P-mags. If you want metal magazines, D&H with anti tilt followers are also solid, as well as inexpensive.

5. Nothing different from any other firearm. Clean it, lube it, shoot it... repeat.

That makes sense about the scope mounting. Just didn't think of that. Thanks for the quick reply


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I've collected a couple of AR's since the 70's, they're my favorite platform and a couple of thoughts. Whatever you buy make sure it's a Milspec gun so interchangeablity of parts is never a problem. There are quite a few subpar AR suppliers out there, you don't have to spend big $ to get quality, you just have to do your research.

The beautiful thing about AR platform is the flexibility and ability to quickly repair it. You can have 1 lower and unlimited uppers for various applications such at CQB, matches, hunting, target, self defense and long range.

If you need any help, send me a PM and I'll be happy to point you in the right direction.

I like the Magpul magazines, can't beat OEM quality and they can be found at times for under $10 each for a 30 rounder. Like you, this was my first AR, bought in case the prices go nutso again. The only mods I made were a Vortex scope, new handrail and stock, and a custom cerakote job.

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I have a 3x9x40 scope on my Sport. The front sight does not interfere with the scope sight picture. Most people feel the same and do not feel it is necessary to remove the front sight.
You can add furiture to your rifle. Lots of options depending on your tastes.
I use C Mags and P mags with 100% reliability.
If you go with a scope, an extended charging handle may be a good idea.
If you are target shooting for accuracy you might consider replacing the trigger. It helps enormously.
Good luck and enjoy your new rifle.
Jim

Jimbo if you get a chance can you post a picture of your rifle. I'd like to see the scope height


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I suggest a single piece mount made specifically for an AR 15, such as the Burris PEPR. Nikon also makes some AR mounts. These mounts will put the scope at the proper height, without fussing with rings and risers.

For 20-100yds a 1-4x scope is worthy of consideration if you are shooting offhand. If you're going to be sitting at a bench or otherwise shooting from a supported position then higher magnification is advantageous. This is the style of a typical 1-4x scope mounted in an AR specific height mount. You will have front sight ghosting issues at lower magnifications levels. Once you get up to around 4x it's no longer an issue.

This is on one my .22s but it's an AR platform.

^I have a PEPR mount and a Vortex Strike Eagle sitting in my safe just waiting to be mounted to my AR.

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First WELCOME to the group!
I am also a New Sport II owner. For Mags I agree P mags are great also look at the Hex Mag line. I caught a special 6 30 pack mags 49$ delivered!
Magazines for Rifles, Handguns and Shotguns | GunMag Warehouse
Can not help on a scope I just installed a Vortex Red Dot,but I see you already got some good advice..
You Tube has a TON of videos on maintenance !

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I do not have a pic but my scope is mounted about 1" from the rail to the bottom center of the scope ring.
Jim

Here is a Primary Arms 1X6 in a American Defense Recon 30MM mount. It is riding on a 18" stainless PSA build. I pushed it to the front of the rail section on the receiver so I could get proper eye relief.

The gun also has Magpul Pros on it which ghosts out with the scope on so there is no need to remove the post unless you want to. On my setup the quick detach mounts makes it so I can deploy irons reasonably quickly if needed.





For mags I recommend Magpul Gen 2 or Gen 3 which ever you get get under $10 delivered or D&H alum which can be had for around $8 delivered. Palmetto State arms is a good source for both for example:

D&H 5.56 30rd Aluminum Magazine

I've grown really fond of the D&H mags. I've got a decent stash of pmags. I think for the rest of the year I'm going to focus on the DH. Got about 15 right now. Would like a bit more. They seem very well put together


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I've got a large stash of D&H and OK mag's Last D&H's I got from PSA had their floor plate on them. Thought that was kinda odd, but they work.

To the OP... you can't have just one AR.

16"
11.5"
10.5"
7.5"

No one has answered this specifically. Yes, the front sight can be removed. I have used 1-4x24 scopes and the front sight bugged me when the mag was set to 1x or 2x.

One thing to remember though, the front sight is also a gas block. Removing it is fairly easy, but does require removing three pins. If you want specific instructions on how, we can discuss that more at a later time.

I'm a huge fan of the single piece mounts. They make mounting the scope much easier and give you a little more clearance. However, there are some pitfalls to watch out for. Take a look at this pic:



This scope is mounted too far back. The ocular lens is getting in the way of the charging handle. The gun can be used this way, and I've done very well with it, but it does make operating the charging handle much slower. With these rings the scope can't be mounted any further forward. This is the beauty of the cantilevered mount:



See how much further forward the scope is here? This one could still be moved forward a tad more, but it is much better than the one above.


Not all "one piece" mounts are created equal either. I have three; Nikon P-223, Burris P.E.P.R. and Vortex. The Nikon has an inherent problem that I really don't like. The clamping mechanism is a three piece affair. This allows the scope to be canted left or right. If you're not paying attention, it won't be in line with the bore. This is bad. The other two mounts only have one moving part on the clamp. This ensures that the scope is at least physically aligned with the bore. This makes zeroing the scope much easier.

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Rastoff, please forgive my lack of scope knowledge, but why can't the scope be mounted forward (first pic)? It looks like you have 6 or more slots to go.

From the look of it, the forward slots are not on the same rail. And if you look close, the forward rail has no side grooves for the scope mounts to fit into. Look at the side of the rail between the scope mounts, and then look at the side of the forward rail. The mounts need the slot to grab the rail, which is why it can't be moved further forward. At least, that's my guess from the photo.

Most of the time it is not a good idea to mount a scope on the barrel section of the rail because it moves. It can be influenced by a sling, non-free floating rail and even the whip of the barrel IIRC.

How much it will move depends on the rail and its design. Any non free float will move some really beefed up free floats might not but as a general rule people don't do it.

I see what you mean. I need to check my Sport II, and see how far forward it goes.

Ok. You guys have laid out some great information. I really appreciate the knowledge and the professionalism of each comment. Thank you for not knocking on me for most likely repeated newbie questions. I've been wearing YouTube out and have come to the decision that my first purchases will be ammo, magazines, quality quad rail, and then optics. Possibly a light and 45 degrees iron sights in the future. Thank you again for all the help


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The other thing to consider is eye relief. That is the distance the scope can be set at from where your eye is and be able to see out of the scope properly. The variability range of that relief varies from scope to scope. Some are quite forgiving and others are very limited. This proper eye relief range is also called an "eye box". So, in the picture above, he says the scope can be physically moved forward more. The eye box may not allow that even if the scope can be move forward physically. So, the scope may not be useable if it is moved too far forward.

I've got the Ruger AR556. Similar gun to the M&P Sport II. I put a Vortex Crossfire II 1-4x scope on it with a Burris PEPR cantilever mount. At 1x I can see the front sight, but it is below the crosshairs and doesn't bother me. At 4x the front sight disappears.

I'm a relatively new shooter, I only have about 700 rounds through my AR556. I shot this 20 round group at 100 yards earlier this year, using the Vortex scope. I'm not claiming to be a great shooter, but it's definitely better than my efforts using the iron sights that came with the rifle.

AR556andVortexCrossfireII.jpg

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The other posts are correct. The forward scope mount is as far forward as it can go and still be attached to the receiver. Yes, there are more slots, but they are on the forearm. Mounting it in the first slot or two of the forearm might not be detrimental, but it's not a best practice.

The reason for this is movement. Because the forearm is a different piece from the receiver it can move. If it moves, however unlikely, it will affect the point of impact. So, you want it mounted to the most rigid part of the rifle. More specifically, the part that is most fixed in relation to the bore of the barrel. For an AR, this is the receiver.

In deed. Eye relief is the reason the scope was mounted as you see it in the picture.

If this were not a "battle" rifle, I would never move it. Because it is a rifle designed for self-defense, and may be used that way, scope mounting requires a tad bit more thought.

This is where an adjustable stock comes in. When it comes to magnified optics, you not only need to have the distance fore/aft correct, but up/down and left/right as well.

Here's what that rifle looks like now:


I've changed the scope. This allows for much better clearance to the charging handle. It also makes the gun lighter. The adjustable stock lets me set the correct eye relief and proper comb height so I don't have to search for the reticle.

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Freedom isn't free.

No one has mentioned this either; consider a red dot.

Red dot optics are much easier to use. They have no magnification so, there is no eye relief issue. Also, you don't have to have the dot perfectly centered in the optic to hit the target. This makes them much faster to use.

I went with a scope because my eyes are not what they used to be and I use the gun out to 100 yards regularly and even 200 occasionally. Without magnification, those distances are just too hard for me.

Even so, I would prefer a red dot at 50 yards and closer.

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Freedom isn't free.

A red dot is certainly a way to go and the front sight will not be an issue. Like Rastoff said, it works well for things 100 yards or less. If that is where you expect to spend most of your time, it is a good choice.

If you need to go out further or the larger dot a red dot has compared to the cross hairs of a scope is a problem, perhaps a 1-4 or 1-6 power scope with an illuminated dot would be your answer. You get the almost no magnification for closer work and the illuminated reticule or dot and can reach farther more easily.

The caveat is that a good illuminated scope tends to cost more. It just depends on where you want to compromise and what you are willing to spend.


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Tons of great info here, and I am a AR SPort Noob so this thread has helped alot! As Rastof said look into a Red Dot . I just put a Strikfire II on mine and I could hit the target at 100 yard IMO that was more luck on my part then skill lol.. All I could see was a blur of paper.. I am also 63 y/o. BUT if you will be shooting 100+ a scope IMO will be better ! If I start shooting 100 yards more I will go to a scope but for now I love the Red Dot and will be shooting 50 yards. My 2 Targets below are from 100 yards

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Radco looks like you saved the girl!! Good shooting!

Thanks . I was extremely shocked I never hit her lol The luck of the Irish fell on my that day But IMO That was pure luck :O all I could see with the Red Dot at 100 yards was a white blurr of paper, and I just tried shooting in the area, I am happy just to hit the paper lol , But as others have said at 100 yards a Scope would be better! I will be trying to bag a few more Zombies tomorrow lol

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I personally don't care for plastic body magazines. It's probably a prejudice born from having used metal body magazines when I was carrying an M-16 in the Army, so while I have the P-MAG that came with each of my M&P-15s and have shot from them without any problems, they live in a box in a cabinet in the garage underneath my reloading bench.

I have several aluminum body magazines from Ammunition, AR15 Parts, Magazines, Bulk Ammo - Palmetto State Armory (PSA) that have worked well. You have to check PSAs website on a regular basis since their offerings seem to come into stock and go out of stock quickly and regularly.

I also have some blackened stainless steel magazines from CDNN SPORTS - CDNN Sports - Huge Savings on Guns and Magazines that I have really been impressed with.

Not really. Just follow the cleaning and maintenance procedure on Pages 38 to 40 of the manual that came with the rifle.

Since the AR is a direct impingement system (i.e. propellant gas is redirected directly onto piston rings at the back of the bolt) the level of disassembly of the bolt is greater than on a traditional hunting rifle. That will probably be a new step that you have to learn.

Also, you cannot hang around any AR forum for long without coming across a thread about the "best" oil or lubricant for your gun. Page 38 of the manual that came with your rifle says to use a "high quality firearms oil", so what you are using on your other guns will work with the M&P-15.

'M Pro-7 gun oil' isn't pricey but does great at cleaning and lubrication, also. It is sold at most Wal-marts, too.