Got my first AR today

good quality sling

good quality weapon light

PMAGS

quality brass cased ammo

training

skip the bipod, it's a carbine, not an M60:D
 
Maybe just a better pistol grip is all it needs.

Back in '79 I made that grip for the Colt AR that eases off the tight bend in the wrist a bit and a little thumb rest.
Now it sits on one of our 6920s.
The other half of the grip is Gaboon Ebony and the grip's bolt is almost as long as the grip.

If the OPs gun with the added sight holds a nice group at 100yds, about 1.5" or thereabouts, then a top quality trigger might be worth a try. I like single stage. A sling and grip that works for him can't hurt.

Our OEM 6920s have a bit of take up and then break acceptably but I'll keep one stock, except for a custom grips, and drop a quality trigger in the other.
Will be nice to compare the Colt with a better trigger to our No.1V in 223Rem.
Ruger is 1:12 and the Colts 1:7
We have a Weaver T36, poor man's F class, for testing accuracy on our rifles and then use red dots or whichever glass is necessary.

Varget powder and some heavier bullets would be nice. :D
 

Attachments

  • 413CAE7E-571A-41C0-AB04-7FDC6DE97032.jpg
    413CAE7E-571A-41C0-AB04-7FDC6DE97032.jpg
    53.4 KB · Views: 37
Last edited:
"Any tips on what to add, upgrade, etc. first?"

Everything, welcome to Legos for adults.
Seriously, the first thing I change out are the mag release to an extended one and the BCG release button. These 2 mods alone will make life so much more fun.
cEmGAeo.jpg

gTVeLcI.jpg
 
Last edited:
I bought one recently as well. Added a Romeo5 red dot and some Troy folding BUIS. No other mods planned until I run a couple hundred rounds through it. IMHO, a 3# trigger is good for range shooting but bad for home defense. YMMV.
 
Besides the "shoot & see" advice, which is very good, a couple of suggestions.

If your handguard doesn't have heat shields, it's a good idea to up grade. Mag-Pul makes some good ones that don't beak the bank. A light is really good idea.

If defensive use is on the menu, be wary of changing the trigger components. The specification for the AR trigger is 5-8.5 lbs, but the quality is far more important than the weight. 500-1000 rounds/dry fire cycles should clean the trigger up so far as being smooth. If you find you're at the high end of the spec, ALG has some drop in parts that'll get you down on the lower end.

I've always personally loathed the angle of the stock pistol grip-and the reach to the trigger. YMMV. I found a grip (Bravo Company) that has not only the filler/spacer at the rear but close to a 1911 angle.
 
Last edited:
The first thing you need to Learn is how to field strip it. Then to clean it. Then shoot about 300 rounds through it be fore you start adding stuff to it. My personnel opinion. For a duty rifle just add a flash light to it and maybe a Laser. I have seen AR rifles with so much stuff on them that they weight as much as a Light Machine Gun.
 
Got my first in 1966 and if you have the vision for it iron sights are indestructible . If you learn to use them you may decide you don’t need a bunch of things hanging off of your rifle and you have more money for actually shooting it.
 
I got my first AR in 1970 in Viet Nam. The only thing that got added to it was lots of red dust and mud. I would just wipe it out and off and it would fire. They are fine rifles with a little care taken. I have several and I love them all. When I was working as a Police Officer. the one I carried was just a AR 15 with just a flash light added It was a Delton I think.
 
I picked up my first (personal) AR today. I've never really had an interest in them (beyond training/qualifying as LEO), but for some reason I got the bug a few months ago and happened upon this M&P15 Sport II brand new at a big box store for around $700. They even had ammo in stock. Now to read up on them and find out what to tinker with first.

I also got the Vortex Strikefire II while it was on sale.

Any tips on what to add, upgrade, etc. first?
I'm thinking of first a bag.... then a bipod.

The AR is a great weapon right out of the box and all that junk you hang on it will soon come off as you tire of the weight on the far end.

Besides after building an ammo fort of a few thousand rounds you won't have any money left for many toys to weight it down with. The one I reach for most is the pencil barrel ultra light weight carbine. Just iron sights. Thank you Lord for still having great distance eyesight.

Bob
 
Back
Top