New AR 15 Owner

[Thumper1969]

Afternoon Everyone,

So I recently got an SW AR 15 Sport for Christmas( See the picture below). I've been a handgun guy since my 21st birthday when i bought my first handgun. I've made several basic upgrades to my sport. I'm looking for advice on some future upgrades heres what I've done so far:

• MS1 Sling
• MOE Scout Mount
• MOE Hand Guard
• MOE K2+ Grip
• MOE SL Carbine Stock
• 4 Magpul Pmag's( not shown)

I have a B.A.D Lever in transit.

I need advice on:

• an Optic( thinking Burris Ar-332)
• an upgraded trigger assembly
• a muzzle break
• Cerakoting ( not for fashion reasons. to add durability to the weapon)

Thank you in advance,
James

 

[rtquig]

The best advice I can give you is to shoot the weapon a lot then decide what you would like to add. You need a reason for shooting, is it plinking or hunting HD ?

 

[Thumper1969]

The best advice I can give you is to shoot the weapon a lot then decide what you would like to add. You need a reason for shooting, is it plinking or hunting HD ?

Thank you for your response. As far as a reason for shooting ... plinking for sure.. I do IDPA so I'm at the range a couple of times a week for various reasons.... But at some point Id like to think about 3 gun competitions... I haven't hunted since I was a teen but that's something I might find myself doing next season... An as always with all weapons I own personal/home self defense.

One thing I do with my weapons choices is buy things that last( not necessarily the most expensive but durable.) I still have my Glock 19 from 1992

Again thank you for your time

James

 

[Kadonny]

Congrats, enjoy your rifle.

Optics. Look at Primary Arms. Great optics and reasonable.
Trigger. Budget look at the Rock River Arms National Match trigger. Awesomeness look at the Geissele SSA.
Muzzle break. Meh stay with the stock one. These rifles don't kick at all. Is there a reason you want to upgrade?
Cerakoting. Do it for looks only, it won't add much durability to the rifle IMO.

 

[sgtsandman]

I can't add much to what was said. I would recommend running the rifle and running it for what you want to do before you add more.

Optic is going to be a little tough. I think 3 gun needs a red dot for closer work and fast target acquisition. I may be mistaken on that.

 

[scooter123]

Optics. You are really going to have to get real familiar with your rifle and it's intended uses. Because the variety of suitable optics is beyond HUGE. For example for 3 gun you'll want a reflex and something in the range of 1-6X paired up on the rifle. If you want to do long range shooting you'll want a scope with magnifications up to perhaps as much as 24X. If you're doing short range action competitions you'll probably do well with a reflex sight. For home defense if your not Bill Gates you'll be shooting at point blank ranges so you won't need any sight, just point and pull the trigger.

Ceracoat. Unless you get into the really high tech gas diffusion coatings you won't find any applied finish more durable than basic anodizing. What produces visible wear on anodizing is loss of the dye based surface finish and that really has no effect of function at all. All you get with ceracoat is a more durable surface finish. So, if pretty is what matters spend the bucks for the ceracoat, if pretty really doesn't matter save your money.

Trigger. For a really good trigger suitable for competion you will have to spend 200 bucks or more. The plain truth is that great triggers don't come cheap. Personally, as a long time revolver shooter I prefer a single stage trigger with no pre-travel or sear creep, so I build my AR's with a Timney Single Stage. However, a lot of folks doing competitions don't like a single stage because it lacks the pre-travel typical to a military trigger and if you want a really good two stage trigger it's hard to beat a Geissele.

Muzzle Brake. Since I'm simply a target shooter I have no need for a muzzle brake and they do make the rifle a lot louder. However 3 Gun is such a Time intensive sport that getting back on target quickly can be make or break, so they can be considered an essential. Since Jerry Miculek makes a living by winning shooting competitions I think the best choice for a muzzle brake would the one he spent over 15 years developing. Check the following link.

MIC-COMP-223 Miculek Compensator AR-15 (.223) [MIC-COMP-223] - $39.99 : Team Miculek - The Legacy Lives On

 

[Thumper1969]

Thank you for all of the help... I've got some info now to begin looking at those components I asked about.. I'll update this post once I make those choices and do the install

As always thank you

James

 

[W.E.G.]

Do NOT put a muzzle brake on a .22 caliber rifle.

All you will accomplish with such a cursed modification is to piss off everybody else on the firing line.

Where people get the idea that they need to "moderate" the recoil of a .22 caliber rifle is beyond me.

 

[Black_Sheep]

I have only used the Aimpoint PRO which has been an excellent optic so far, battery life has been excellent.

When considering a trigger upgrade, take a look at the ALG QMS Quality Mil-Spec Trigger.

Quality Mil-Spec Trigger (QMS)

 

[JaPes]

I've been there, done that. I've spent too much money modifying an AR-15. You'll see my posts. My opinion:

1. Furniture wise, your rifle is fine just the way it is.

2. IMO, you need to buy a couple cases of ammo and more mags before the inevitable 2016 election year panic buy cycle gets into full swing.

3. Trigger. Budget = Rock River Varmint or National Match 2-stager. Go big or go home = Geissele.

4. Optic = can't cheat an optic. Aimpoint Micro, Aimpoint Patrol. If you need a budget dot while you save up some $$$, look no further than Primary Arms. EoTech = give it a pass.

Do NOT put a muzzle brake on a .22 caliber rifle.

All you will accomplish with such a cursed modification is to piss off everybody else on the firing line.

I wholeheartedly agree. My buddy has a brake on his AR-15. I will avoid using the two benches to his immediate right or left. IMO, you're after flash suppression. Look for a Smith Vortex flash hider.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Afternoon Everyone,

So I recently got an SW AR 15 Sport for Christmas( See the picture below). I've been a handgun guy since my 21st birthday when i bought my first handgun. I've made several basic upgrades to my sport. I'm looking for advice on some future upgrades heres what I've done so far:

• MS1 Sling
• MOE Scout Mount
• MOE Hand Guard
• MOE K2+ Grip
• MOE SL Carbine Stock
• 4 Magpul Pmag's( not shown)

I have a B.A.D Lever in transit.

I need advice on:

• an Optic( thinking Burris Ar-332)
• an upgraded trigger assembly
• a muzzle break
• Cerakoting ( not for fashion reasons. to add durability to the weapon)

Thank you in advance,
James

Have you fired it yet?

 

[rtquig]

Thank you for your response. As far as a reason for shooting ... plinking for sure.. I do IDPA so I'm at the range a couple of times a week for various reasons.... But at some point Id like to think about 3 gun competitions... I haven't hunted since I was a teen but that's something I might find myself doing next season... An as always with all weapons I own personal/home self defense.

One thing I do with my weapons choices is buy things that last( not necessarily the most expensive but durable.) I still have my Glock 19 from 1992

Again thank you for your time

James

I still have my Ruger P89DC since 92, still in great shape.
Rich

 

[Thumper1969]

Have you fired it yet?

Yes I have.. been to the range twice so far.. Going again Tuesday after work... Like I said in the post above I do compete in IDPA for hand guns so I'm at the range +/- 2 times a week.. I suspect I will have 100's of rounds through it in the coming months.. I'm not a range warrior that goes and throws 150 rounds down range in 30 minutes and goes home.. I'm actually looking to become proficient with the weapon as I am with my 2 carry hand guns.. But In preparation for the the inevitable upgrades that this weapon will have. I'm asking questions now so I can research and decide what I feel is important to upgrade and what I can do without... I probably should have mentioned that in the beginning... Right now the task at hand is learning iron sight shooting. then it will be optics shooting( once I decide on one). In any case thank you all for your input, assistance..

James

 

[Grjfer]

I'll only add that for a budget trigger upgrade, don't over look PSA's enhanced trigger. Currently on sale for under $30.00.