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Old August 2, 2020, 08:19 PM   #1
gaseousclay
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Upgrading my AR: which brands are good?

I’m slowly upgrading my AR and was wondering if any of you can recommend some good brands. For example, today I bought a Magpul MOE K2+ grip and a Daniel Defense buttstock. I bought these brands specifically because these are the ones that consistently popped up on YouTube and they also made items made from over molded rubber, which is what I was looking for. Magpul seems to be the most recognized. I have a Magpul sling and 2 Magpul pmags and will likely use one of their swivel mounts. But, I know there’s more brands out there that I know nothing about.

Can you guys give me a list of your favorites and why they’re your favorites?
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Old August 3, 2020, 12:29 PM   #2
Shadow9mm
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Depends on what you want to upgrade and personal preference.
Magpul for a lot of things. I like their furniture, mags, and backup sights. I did NOT like thier moe handguard, it wiggled way too much. Their MOE SL is a nice snug fit.
BCM makes excellent stuff over all. not super cheap but not crazy high either. I love their free float hand guards. heard great things about their barrels.
trigger, Laure MBT. have not used any other thier other stuff but it is an EXCELLENT trigger for about $80. its a 2 stage, and measured at 2.5lb on my trigger pull gauge.
If you have a mil spec trigger and just want a cheap step up get the JP enhanced reliability spring kit. its around $11, replaces trigger, hammer and disconnector springs. It is designed to take a mil spec 5.5lb trigger down to 3.5lb. For me it took my 7.5lb trigger down to 5.5lb and it is a much better pull.
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Old August 3, 2020, 01:44 PM   #3
gaseousclay
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I'm basically upgrading as funds allow. I don't think i'll get really technical, such as trigger replacement or swapping out the barrel just yet. I'm pretty new to the AR platform so i'm trying to research stuff as I go. For now i'm just looking at swapping out the basics. I've already got a new buttstock and grip, so now i'm looking for a hand guard w/heat shield, a new ambidextrous swivel/qd mount for my sling, and a rear iron sight to replace the Magpul on my gun. I'll eventually get a scope, like a red dot or holographic, charging handle and maybe a Surefure light.
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Old August 3, 2020, 10:02 PM   #4
Shadow9mm
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Handguard. If you are looking for a snap in heat shield type upgrade, Magpul MOE SL (slimline). I have both the regular and Slimline, the regular rattles around and it really annoying, the SL locks in really solid! only downside is you have to remove the front sling swivel from the front sight and you have to have the round holder in the front no the triangle.
swivel/qd, there are a ton of good one. if you get the magpul handguard you should be able to get one that is M-lok compatable and attach straight to the handguard without a rail section.
rear sights, I sent you a PM. As far as a red dot I really like the Sightmark Ultra shot plus. takes a standard CR123a and is reasonably durable and plenty bright, holds zero. reasonably priced at $99 om amazon
charging handle, looked at all the fancy ones, never did it. read some reviews people said they tended to get hung up on gear and things. Never had a problem getting mine to work.
lights, i ordered the olight odin, it was a hot mess I just sent it back. I'm looking at a streamlight currently. Surefire is just to spendy. Waiting on the refund for the Olight.

Trigger, I wish I had done it sooner. It was a lot simpler and faster than I thought, 1 grip screw, push out the safety, and 2 push pins. the JP kit is $11, and it made a huge difference. It was a little lighter pull but way less gritty and jerky during the pull.
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Last edited by Shadow9mm; August 4, 2020 at 10:41 AM.
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Old August 4, 2020, 08:32 AM   #5
zukiphile
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gaseousclay
I'm basically upgrading as funds allow. I don't think i'll get really technical, such as trigger replacement or swapping out the barrel just yet. I'm pretty new to the AR platform so i'm trying to research stuff as I go.
If you are on a budget, I'd recommend doing whichever activity with it you enjoy quite a bit before putting together a plan and budget for that plan. That may give you your own ideas about what should be improved and what works well already. It may also save you from having a box of parts you tried but didn't like.

YouTube is sort of dangerous of you are suggestible. Almost everything these people do looks fun, but the stuff they are "reviewing" may have little to do with their abilities to shoot quickly or accurately. Meandering through the vast number of parts available can be fun; I've done it, but I've also wasted a lot of money doing that.

My weakness is triggers. A bad trigger doesn't really impede accuracy as much as I imagine it does, but I consider it an imposition to suffer a lot of weight and grit. A good barrel is nice of you like small groups, and ordinary A2 iron sights should let you exploit good accuracy.

After trigger, barrel and sights, a lot of what you see on youtube is just preference and fashion. If the purpose of your butt stock is to provide contact with your shoulder and face, and mount a sling, the ubiquitous waffle stock does that. I've tried other pistol grips, but I still prefer the A2.

Last edited by zukiphile; August 4, 2020 at 09:55 AM.
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Old August 11, 2020, 05:02 AM   #6
gaseousclay
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Yeah, YouTube is a rabbit hole for sure. But, I like to research before buying so that I know what I’m buying. For example, I initially bought a Magpul ms3 single to dual point sling but then decided it wasn’t for me and returned it. I then ordered a Vickers 2 point sling. The Magpul certainly would’ve done the job but I didn’t want to do any additional work to the lower receiver so that I can mount a single point swivel.
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Old August 11, 2020, 07:21 AM   #7
ghbucky
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For me, other than an optic, the first thing I did was put a Larue MBT on my AR, and it is an amazing trigger.

I have a brother who is doing all kinds of changes to a rifle he has barely fired, and going through a lot of steps back and then forward again. I think he is more bored than anything, and he has fun tinkering with rifles.

For myself, I got a stock rifle, put an optic on it (because it had no aiming device) and then shot it for a couple of hundred rounds before I decided what I wanted to change.
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