mattitude  |
AR Upgrades - Comments
So I am starting to save up money to upgrade my AR. Currently it is a stock Bushmaster O.R.C with a Bushnell 3x9 scope on in. My first upgrade is going to be a tactical charge handle, probably a BCM Gunfighter Mod 4. Some other upgrades that I want to make are below, any suggestions on brands or any comments on my selections would be helpful! An ERGO Tactical Grip (without the palm shelf) A floated rail handguard such as the UTG Model 4/15 about half way down the page here I would love to save up for different optics, preferably a holo or red dot type sight, but I don't want to cheap out. EOTech has of course been suggested. Any specific sights you all would suggest? I would love comments one the specific products, or recommendations for other upgrades. "...one is allowed to resist against the unjust aggressor to one's life [...] even 'til the aggressor’s death. In fact, this act is aimed at preserving one’s life and to make the aggressor powerless. Thus, it is a good act" - Thomas Aquinas |
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hillbilly77
I know every guy has every right in the world to do with his firearms whatever he wants, but you did ask for suggestions. I am not entirely sure but the Bushmaster ORC has a 16" barrel on it and the Ergo tacti-cool grip is more of a prescion long range shooting rifle and I don't feel a 16" barreled rifle qualifies in that catigory.Another thing that jumps out with me with that grip is when trying to get hold of it in a hurry up situation the platform on the bottom could get in the way. Also if you have access to another AR with that type grip with the forward grip as well you may want to make sure that they are both at a comfortable angle with each other to be able to shoot with stability. If you go with a red dot type optic the tacti-cool charging handle may not be needed either. If your looking at making it a long distance rifle I would stay with a standard cross hair type optic with maybe a lighted reticle.Go with the Ergo grip, but I would look into one of the many forward grips with the quick release bipod built in.I have a Nikon mounted on my 24" barreled DPMS and I added a green laser to the foregrip for the upclose shooting if I need it.But like I said it is up to he guy that has to shoot it, and whatever makes you shoot more accurately then thats what I would go with. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
mattitude
Thanks for commenting HB.
The tactical ergo has to options, the standard, and the one with the palm shelf, which is like a target grip. I was wanting to go with the one without the palm shelf because I realize that it could get in the way if I need to grab the grip too quickly. Is it just the palm shelf that makes you think it is a long-range target grip?
Yes the O.R.C is a 16" barrel, which is why I want to change it from a long-range target rifle to a short range tactical rifle with a reflex type sight and forward vertical grip.
My goal is to purchase a 22"+ AR-15 or an AR-10 for my long-range target rifle, but that is a year or more down the road the way our money situation is.
I agree that the tactical, or "over-sized" charge handle may not be necessary if I get rid of the standard optics, but I don't like the standard charge handle anyway, and one-handed operation is a definite no with the standard handle, so I think I will upgrade anyway.
Let me know about the ergo tac grip, and if you think the one without the palm shelf would be an ok grip for a short-range tac rifle.
TXLUCKYGUY
The Hogue AR handgrip is one of the best I've used, so long as the finger grooves are to your liking. The standard A2 grip works just fine for me.
In addition to the BCM charging handle, the PRI GasBuster is also a great setup. Brownell's also offers the FailZero coated charging handle; FailZero is one of the better aftermarket AR parts finishes.
Having had lousy experiences with forward grips attached to standard handguards, I'd recommend the Viking Tactics or Yankee Hill Machine railed foreend.
I have never cared for EoTech, and have seen them fail in various ways on other officer's rifles. I've been running an AimPoint Comp in a cantilever mount for about 10 years in 3-Gun comps and at work...never missed a beat. I leave it on a medium setting all the time and just replace the batteries every 90 days (you can honestly wait a LOT longer between battery replacements).
As far as I'm concerned, Trijicon (Reflex, AccuPoint, ACOG) or AimPoint (Comp M/ML, M68, Micro H-1) are the best AR sights/scopes out there. Various groups of US.mil folks has had good results with both.
The VERY first thing I'd do is select a proper weaponlight and mount. I don't think anyone has any business running a long gun for 'social interactions' without a good light. The Viking Tactics single-ring plus a SureFire poly LED is one of the best entry-level setups I've seen. SureFire also makes several excellent dedicated weaponlights (X300, Scout, etc.).
mattitude
Great thanks for the tips, I will look into viking tactical. I originally figured I would wait on the weapon light for when I install a railed handguard but maybe I will shift my priorities.
sather86
i've had three types of optics on my M4 that i've used in afghanistan. an EOTech, Aimpoint M68 and a Trijicon ACOG. my favorite by far is the ACOG. i could go into all of the reasons why an ACOG is better for a combat environment but that might be useless for the reasons why you would want that same optic.
mattitude
Unfortunately the ACOG is also the most expensive at $1,000+. The Aimpoints being $400-800 depending on the model. And the EOTech running $300-500. They are all different types of sights as well. Unfortunately due to $$ limitations I am not able to go for an optic over $500, and would really rather keep it at $350 or under.
I know that limits what I can buy, but currently that is all I can afford.
Ishootdaily
http://www.opticsplanet.net/riflescopes.html
This is a good place to find most of the name brand stuff, check out the reviews and such. Then do a Pricegrabber search for the lowest price?
just a thought...
Also, might look at this Eclan...
http://www.botachtactical.com/elcanspecterrd.html
............
Oh and here are some Russian ones on this site.
http://www.binocularsmart.com/rifle-scope.shtml
runawaygun762
I prefer the Aimpoint over the EO Tech because of reliability, battery life, and the fact that the Aimpoint doesn't have an automatic shutoff feature like my EO Tech 552, allowing me to put the rifle in the closet and not worry about the reticle being off when the gay communist muslim zombies come.
mattitude
Thanks for the links Ishoot, I will check them out.
Runs, I figured the Aimpoint would be a better product than the EOTech, and the Trijicon would be a better product than the Aimpoint. I mean it stands to reason that if you spend twice as much you should get a better product overall. Same goes with guns themselves (most of the time) and cars and everything else. Glad to hear you like your Aimpoint, maybe I can save up a little longer and get a nice Aimpoint instead of the EOTech.
runawaygun762
I can make pretty decent mid range hits with an Aimpoint better than I can make close up hits with an ACOG. if you look at my videos, you'll see a stage from my first three-gun match. The first portion was a rifle stage where you had to engage a bunch of close targets, then four steel targets further out. I don't know the range to the steel, but it was a couple hundred yards and they weren't huge targets, but as you can see, I was able to transition from close to those steel and get a first round hit on all four fairly quickly. Then stop the video after that, because the shotgun portion was just brutal.
edit- here's the link. This was done with a Bushmaster AR with Aimpoint Comp M3, the civilian version of the army's M68
http://www.gunslot.com/videos/runawayguns-first-three-gun-match
dockit
Monsky wants to be banned
luckybychoice
:)