New Ar-15 Owner!! Please look!

[gstrummer18]

Hey guys,
I am now a proud new owner of an M&p 15 16" barrel, no sights, plain ol' rifle. I want to deck it out and have ansome looking/performing rifle! I just have a few questions if you do not mind. I was wondering what sights are good to get? What carry handle? Bipod? Front grip? I have physical limitations, so i must rely on bench shooting now. I have been noticing that there are two kinds of quad rails. Free floating and 2-piece. Which is better/recommended?How long of a rail to use with bipod and front grip? Are the ones on Amazon any good? I would really love any help guys, I am very sorry for asking so much. I just want a great gun and this is the first site I have found. Please help with set ups and accessories I should look into. I would love to have a great shooter, but to also look like a Law enforcement/military rifle. Look forward to input guys. Thanks in advance!! Can't wait to hear what advice and accessories you can share with this eager newbie. Any input would greatly be apprectiated. I have ordered a few items, but i am eager to hear what you more advanced AR owners may be using or have a preference for. Thanks again guys.

[Gehrhard]

Welcome and congrats.
Less is more. You're gonna have quite a time choosing and wondering when to stop. Plus everyone's opinion is going to be the "best" choice.
Good luck, fun, and safe shooting.

[slappy]

I agree with Gehrard. Figure out what you actually need and never mind the rest of the toys and gadgets. First of all, a carry handle is pretty useless. Get a good set of sights, maybe a scope if your eyes are old an tired like mine. Otherwise, what do you need?

[DnPRK]

Performance = practice + good optics + good ammo + good trigger

[UtopiaTexasG19]

One of the nice things about the AR platform is that there are literally endless ways to outfit your gun to your specifications. Shoot the gun as it is and then add anything you might want one piece at a time. It's too easy to go out and buy a lot of add ons only to find out later that they were not necessary or really just add weight to the set up. I have a Harris/Larue Bipod on my AR and a Nikon 3X9 scope as I have been recently shooting out to 400 yards, but with my lenght barrel and muzzle velocities get pretty rapid drop off past 400 yards. Unlike some on this forum that can get out there with iron sights my age and physical health require me to use a bipod and scope at those distances. I re-load my .223 rounds and enjoy testing new loads for accuracy so my set up works well for me but might not be optimal for someone else though I can remove the scope and bipod in mere seconds and flip up the iron sights rather quickly if it ever became necessary. For me it's the perfect set up.

PS- Last week I installed a Geissele trigger and it is worlds smoother than the standard trigger that came with the BCM lower.

[Ridge_Runner_5]

Do you have a front sight post, or just a railed gas block?

Grips are a matter of what is comfortable to you. A Magpul CTR is a high quality drop in replacement for the collapsible stock. A Knights Armament forward grip would run $10-15 and gets the job done as well as any other.

If you have a front sight post, rather than a carry handle I'd recommend a Troy flip down rear sight, as that will still leave the rails open in case you want to mount a red dot or scope later on down the line.

[kokopelli]

go to

ar15.com

your life will never be the same.

[Microgunner]

My S&W M&P 15-T.
I added an EOTech and a Surefire M900a.
It came with a quad rail and Troy battle sights.
It's a very good rifle.

I've also added a CMMG Sierra dedicated .22lr upper.

[blacksky]

Congrats welcome to the asylum!

[checkmyswag]

Less is more.

This is good advice in response to about every post.

[gstrummer18]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. And Ridge Runner 5, I believe it is just the railed gas block. I am thinking I am going to be going with a free float rail system. I was just wondering how complicated this will be and what problems might i run into? I would like to know what to look out for ahead of time so it doesnt trip me up. My main thing is how long of a system could i use and about the gas block system? Thanks guys, and have a happy and safe New Years!

[Ridge_Runner_5]

If you have a railed gas block (which, in my opinion, are worthless for mounting a front sight) I'd just remove it and replace it with a low profile block, and get a lightweight, basic forend like a Troy MRF or Daniel Defense Omega-X, either in 9 inches. Those will give you a longer sight radius for your front sight, and the extended length will protect the gas block.

They are a couple hundred dollars each, but are high quality products and a fair amount lighter than a Midwest Industries or Tapco/CAA/EMA quad rail.

[Jim243]

I have been noticing that there are two kinds of quad rails. Free floating and 2-piece. Which is better/recommended?How long of a rail to use with bipod and front grip?

Any of them and all of them will work fine, it just depends on how much you want to spend. You could go inexpensive at first and upgrade as the cash becomes available or find that the inexpensive stuff works just fine. That's up to you.

Welcome to TFL by the way nice to have you here.

Jim

[lockinload]

To the OP, you have contracted a very serious disease. It can only be cured by large sums of cash and frequent trips to gun shows. Enjoy!

[Stealth01]

Now you're in trouble!

[tirod]

I want to deck it out and have ansome looking/performing rifle!

What a rifle looks like is directly dependent on it's specialized function. Obviously, a CQB carbine and SDM rifle will look entirely different based on the task they perform. The better thing to do is determine exactly what you want the rifle to do better than other rifles. Then the accessories enhance that.

The question to ask isn't what to trick it out with, because anyone's particular favorite isn't necessarily going to do you any good at all, other than drain your wallet and return you a membership in that particular Rifle Fad of the Month club. Two things need to be nailed down and made solid: what kind of target, and what distances to be shot.

Obviously, a 25m live target infra urban gun is going to have different needs compared to a 500m paper shooter.

You'll get some who preach their dogma that certain things must be purchased, like the acolytes who insist certain magazines, a sling, and a light are mandatory. Well, take that with a grain of salt - my 6.8 dissipator was built for live game hunting, and that means 6.8 stainless mags, NO sling, and NO light are what I prefer - the light also being illegal.

Your better option is buy ammo and go shoot, doing different things at different places, and see what YOU prefer, not what the "hive" of AR zombies insist - which is really just following the latest marketing fad of the vendors. I'd hope the respect toward the serious side of propelling bullets at targets would get more to rise above the Mallchild attitude of what's the latest cool toy to clamp on.

[Dusty Rivers]

Under the influence of the holiday cheer, I just bought my first black rifle, a LMT CQB in 223. It is a DI type. I now am faced with the ugly choice of which of my other guns to sell to pay for this purchase. Looks like everyone is getting a black rifle these days. I hope they are as fun and functional as many people post.

Happy New Year

[rj7799]

I am very serious about buying my first AR-15, but I am blown away by the WIDE variety of choices out there. What can anyone tell me about the pros and cons of a gas impingement operating system compared to a piston type?
Thank you in advance for any information/opinions you may be willing to share. rj7799

[MythBuster]

The first thing I do to a new AR is install a RRA trigger if it does not already have one.

[MythBuster]

"What can anyone tell me about the pros and cons of a gas impingement operating system compared to a piston type?"

The gas piston AR is the perfect solution to an nonexistent problem.

Get a quart of good synthetic motor oil. Keep the bolt and carried lubed with it. If you have a good rifle to start with you will not have any problems.

Using this lube you can shoot as long as you need to without powder residude being a problem.

In fact I clean the AR I shoot the most about once a year.

[HiBC]

Agreed,less is more.

If you have lots and lots of money,think of it as a Barbie Doll.

If you have to be careful with $,go to the Rock River site.While a Gisselle trigger is great,a RR 2 stage NM is a very good trigger for half the price.

Look at the RR scope ringmounts.I like the fwd mount as I like to shoot with my collapsable stock about one click out,maybe two.Its a good mount,and,at about $70,high value.

Are you going to scope it and go for accuracy,or is it an up close lead slinger maybe with iron sights/red dot?

Reason I ask,The free float forend.If you are going to use a sling,or scope up for long range accuracy,a free float is an advantage.

If its for noise,dust,zombies and rocks and your range is only 200 yds,goiing a free float four rail,it nice but you may not need it.

Yankee Hill makes some good,solid 4 rail free float forends for a good price.It takes tools and some know how to change it,They make some gas block folding sights,too.

A good trigger,some quality sights of your chosen type(scope,irons,etc),and,if you want to learn to shoot,a match type sling you might find examples at Sinclair or Creedmore.

Then you might try getting some ammo,and going shooting.

If you must shoot at a bench,mostly,you may find a short Harris bipod useful.It attaches to a sling stud,no rail necessary.

I sometimes use a fore grip like a monopod,my fist resting on the ground or rest of opportunity.It can be very steady.

More bells and whiistles just makes it heavier and more unwieldy.

The "look"?
I dunno.Look like what?Wannabe Rambo? A better look is a nice target,some skill,proficiency.You get those with education and experience.
Let form follow function.It will find its own elegance.

[Achilles11B]

One of the things that brings me great joy with the purchase of a new rifle is finding out what kind of ammo it likes best. Buy one box from a bunch of manufacturers and see what groups you can put up. What is the rate of twist of the barrel?

Anyway, just go shoot it. Get good with irons. Also, what role do you want the rifle to fill? Close quarter home/zombie defender? Or perhaps you're going for distance and accuracy? Either way, as previously stated, less is more. Get good with the rifle with simple irons, then maybe go piece by piece.

[atlantadad]

I agree with Ridge_Runner_5. Gas block. M&P15OR - remove the railed gas block and add a FF - I would go with an 11" for more rail surface and to make sure you cover the gas block. But it changes the pointing dynamics because it adds weight forward slightly. But if you are bench shooting or have long arms it is ok as it also mimics the feel of a midlength.
Daniel Defense Omega is a good choice for a drop in. Otherwise Troy but then you need to know what you are doing or use a gunsmith.
If your eyes are decent - a simple 4x or 1x4x 30mm tube scope is fine. You can always add iron sights (Troy, GG&G or Gen 2 Magpul) later. I use everything from Trijicon Accu Point, ACOG, Leupold and Weaver for magnification to Aimpoints and Eotechs. Beware many of the Chinese scopes as they do not always hold up or maintain zero.
Harris bipods are great and adjustable but metal and again add weight. Gripods with the metal inserts in the legs are lighter but not adjustable - but also function as a front grip.
Yes - you now will end up spending at least what you paid for the rifle on more cool things for it.

[dummy]

My cheapo ARs have performed as well as others tier 1s at about 1/3 the price. So be careful before spending mucho dollars on things you may not need or care about later.