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This is an often-asked question on various forums. Should you piece together an AR-15 from individual components, or should you buy one off the shelf? The answer really depends on budget and needs. If you're on an extreme budget, you should be able to piece together a rifle for less than the cost of buying it whole - if only because complete firearm sales in the United States are subject to an 11% federal excise tax. If you need a specific weapon for a specific task, you may have trouble… Read More

Bravo Company USA is a well-respected manufacturer of AR-15 components and rifles, as well as a major stocking dealer for companies like Vltor and LaRue Tactical. Their upper receiver groups have achieved high regard in professional circles because of consistently high quality and attention to detail. For several years, Bravo uppers were not available, due to the low supply of a certain small part. Paul Buffoni, who runs the company, wasn't willing to sacrifice quality for profit, so he stopped selling his uppers. That should tell you something about the… Read More

Recently I was sent an upper receiver by Spike's Tactical for test and evaluation. In the interests of fairness, this upper was provided to me for free. I still approached it from a critical angle and tried to find problems with the upper - of which there were none to find, making my job a little harder. If you're familiar with Rob Sloyer's infamous "Chart" detailing what makes a good fighting carbine, well, this upper checks every box but one. The bolt is not HPT'd, also known as "proof tested."… Read More

If you're like me, you've got a box of holsters somewhere, stuffed with the good, bad, and ugly of leather, kydex, and, yes, even nylon or Cordura holsters. I could probably buy a nice handgun with the money I've spent on holsters I don't use. A lot of people see a holster that looks cool, then try to find a reason for it. In fact, people do that with handguns, rifles, cars, houses, women...but I digress. You should start with your current and potential future needs and work from there.… Read More

There are currently a large number of chest rigs available. Not too long ago, this wasn't the case, and selections of such gear were slim and none. We're lucky that this is no longer the case. I'm writing this as a simple description of one setup that I like - this is not the "only" way or the "right" way, it's just not a "wrong" way. There are far too many gear options for me to cover in a reasonable amount of reading time. Now, a chest rig is a… Read More

None of what I write here is new or groundbreaking. I did not come up with any of it. It's just a distillation of the basics, the items you should buy if you're on a budget and have an AR-15. Even if you have a fat wad of cash, this is where you need to start. Before you buy any items such as optics or flashlights, you should buy what I've listed here. If you click on the pictures, you'll be taken to the item in Brownells' online catalog. Some… Read More

No investment you will make in the arena of firearms, gear, etc will be as important as the investment you make in training. Proficiency doesn't automatically come with the purchase of a firearm or first aid kit. I could hand you a well-stocked medbag, but if you didn't know how to use the most basic of its components, it would be worthless to you. I could hand you a precision bolt rifle, but if you learned how to shoot from a video game or action movie, you might not be… Read More

Here I'll be passing on my own concise, impartial gear reviews and tests. I've got a fair amount of experience with weapons and "tactical" gear, from both field use and practical design standpoints. Primarily I'll be reviewing weapon accessories, but occasionally I'll venture into other areas. Discussions are welcome, but civility is a must. Agree, disagree - doesn't matter. Thanks for checking out the blog.