Just Bought an AR15

Refer to my first post in this thread showing you what things you need to get.

Nothing wrong with that line of thinking.

By 'thing' I'm assuming you mean that red dot optic that you got? If so then no, you have it mounted incorrectly. Behind the red dot optic should be your BUIS (back up Iron sight). That way should your red dot fail then you engage the BUIS and you are still in the game and your rifle has not been reduced to being either a noise maker or club. Look at the following pics. They show how the BUIS is mounted at the rear of the rail, with the optic in front of it.




I you do not have a BUIS I suggest something llike an ARMS 40 or a Troy Industries.

Having an optic with no BUIS is like the brakes on your car. Sure the calipers may be good, but with out pads life can get really interesting really fast.

So could I and I probably still can (if I could get to the only 300m range within two hours driving time). But I freely admit that I am a gear queer. However it comes to a point where its counter productive and you run into being a mall ninja. IMO The red dot optics are fantastic for CQB in that they allow the user to have quicker sight acquisition and they give a greater field of view. Add a magnifier (or just get an ACOG) to it and now yes you can more easily nail that 300m target. Changing out the standard hand guard for some rails mainly allows you to attach a fore grip (attaching the fore grip to the standard hand guards is bad ju ju). I do this because with the fore grip I don't have to shoot off hand and therefore have a more stable firing position when standing. Well since you have the rails, then why not attach a light so in a CQB situation you can see what you are shooting at inside your house. That's about where I stop though. My only personal stance is that I'll pass on the cheap stuff and wait till I can buy stuff that isnt going to be prone to break in a high stress environment (competition, defensive carbine course, home defense, etc..). A lot of the cheap stuff, especially the Chicom knock offs optics are made poorly with substandard parts and are prone to failure. Normally shit fails when you can least afford it. So I'm not gonna take that chance.

But you can do so much more with the AR platform and honestly that to me makes it fun. Don't like the buttstock, change it. Don't like the pistol grip, you can change that too. Wanna swap out uppers, go for it. Wanna put a magnifier on it, do it and see your targets better. Wanna Duracoat your rifle in some psychedelic pattern, let your imagination be your limits. Hell you want a laser, you can mount that as well. The available options out there are amazing if thats your thing.

I hear ya, but I've got three kids in the house. I want to be 100% sure of what it is that Im shooting at. Plus all you do is mount it with a pressure switch and you get instant on/off that doesnt give your position away.

amateur Seriously though shootER is right. The fore grip does give you better control than you would get with the mag well. This is especially true cause each person is different and you can move the fore grip to accommodate each individual shooter. You cant do that with the mag well. Finally the fore grip is also a great place to mount the pressure switch for the light.

IMO, make the BUIS a priority.

Yep, Shoes is right. It's based on personal comfort which is based on your body size and height. Im 5'10" with arms that are about 28" or so long (fingertip to shoulder). So I set the fore grip as close to the mag well. This allows me to rest my (upper arm shoulder to the elbow) arm against my torso when in a standing / offhand position. This stance allows one's body to support the weight of the rifle, rather than the arm providing the support. By distributing the weight of the rifle like this, it provide a more stable firing position in the most unstable of positions.

Ok some food for thought regarding a BUIS that I picked up at another board. Yeah you can go with ah ARMS, Troy, or LaRue BUIS....or you can do this. Pick up a spare hand guard (or take the one that came with your rifle) and..CUT OFF the carry handle so all that is left is the sight and the rail mount. DUH!!! It's easy to do. The only complicated machinery you'll need is a hack saw and if you wannt get sexy a belt sander for the rough cut edges and some black spray paint and volia. You get a sight that is fully adjustable and it should save you a few bucks!!!!!

Ok I give, whats an HCOG?