Tag: ar-15

"What AR-15 should I buy?" I used to have a copy and paste response for this whenever someone on AR15.com would ask. Two questions. "What is your budget, and what do you want to do with it?" It's easier to come up with an answer to the first question, I've found: many would respond "As little as possible." Well then, I would say to myself, what was your answer to the second question? I would cringe when I saw something like "patrol rifle". A plinker or range toy does not… Read More

Whenever the subject of home defense, patrol/duty, or "SHTF" comes up on various forums, a line is drawn in the sands of the internet. On one side are the KISS (Keep It Simple and Stupid or Keep It Simple, Stupid!) aficionados, the guys who feel that anything that uses batteries or has glass does not belong on their weapon. Beyond that, the definition is hard to pin down, because some like lightweight carbines, and others prefer 20" HBAR rifles. The one concession that most will make is that a sling… Read More

On the internet, the debate rages on. What is the debate? Well, it doesn't really matter. People will seemingly argue over anything - and I've been guilty of that myself. One of the more popular debates is weight. Proponents of lightweight rifles point to carbine courses where a heavy rifle can get tiring, and accessories that boost the weight of the rifle, meaning that starting with a lightweight carbine is better. Proponents of heavy rifles say that they work out a lot, and their grandfather carried a BAR while assaulting… Read More

Recently, a news story broke about US weapon malfunctions during firefights in Afghanistan. For many, this was a chance to renew their attack on the supposedly faulty Colt M4s in use by our troops overseas. For others - mostly, the troops who had been overseas with the weapons - this was something to scratch their heads about. My experiences with issued Colt M4s, M16A2s and FN M16A4s were nothing short of stellar. Despite claims - mostly by the uninformed - of constant maintenance requirements, I only cleaned mine when the… Read More

After a comparison test I did between the American Defense and LaRue Tactical Aimpoint mounts, I was offered a free Bobro T&E mount by Primary Arms, a Bobro dealer. When I pulled the mount out of the box, I first noticed that the mount seemed exceptionally well machined, although the design initially appeared to be overly complex. There are a lot more screws and springs on this mount than either the ADM or LaRue, and in my experience, while such designs may initially appear to work well in the lab,… Read More

A few years ago, piston/op-rod conversions for AR-15s were all the rage. We were bombarded with propaganda about how unreliable the standard AR-15 was. We were led to believe that our rifles, which had worked just fine for years, were suddenly obsolete with the introduction of a spigot, op rod, and other parts to replace the gas tube, that we'd have the "reliability of an AK-47" as a result. Many conversions became available in a matter of months. And for a while, everything seemed fine. Until, that is, people started… Read More

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

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

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