Congratulations! You have finally decided to follow your enthusiasm for weaponry and build your AR-15 rather than purchase one. You have come to the right place as we are just as enthusiastic about rifles as you do.
How well do you know your rifle? The question may sound trivial but the Rifleman's Creed suggests otherwise. The best riflemen have an unbreakable bond with their rifle – by having a thorough knowledge of its parts and how they work. And knowing which accessories are on the market and the options available to you for tinkering with your AR-15. A number of interchangeable and after parts available today make the AR-15 the go-to platform for infinite customizations according to budget and specifications of the buyer.
As you already know, the AR-15 is the most customizable rifle on the market. Although building an AR-15 may sound quite intimidating, it is actually relatively simple to assembly – there are countless resources to help you with this. However, Prebuilt AR-15s are very much upgradeable, tinkering with individual components as time and needs warrants.
Those with a keen eye can attest to how even the slightest detail can really place one rifle above the rest. As a result, to aid the average AR-15 enthusiast to add style and function at a reasonable price, we detail the best AR-15 accessories on offer that make up your formidable AR-15.
- Bipods: Because the AR-15 is used from sporting targets to serious tactical shooting, one of the most useful accessories you would need is a bipod. Bipods help for stability. Providing a pair of legs which extend out from under the rifle to provide a ready to-go stable shooting position. There are a plethora of options available for us to choose from. The best AR-15 bipods will be one that mounts to a Picatinny rail, and it's both foldable and height adjustable. There are also bipods built into the fore grip, which serves as a compromise between a full blown bipods and none at all.
- Iron sights: iron sights are not the most sophisticated parts you'll find on an AR-15. And they are definitely not the most advanced sights accessories you can have on the AR-15. Newer owners are more likely to attach high-end optics to their AR-15 – and never learn the basics of aiming with open sights. Iron sights are your best bet for holding zero. Coupled that with the resilience of steel and aircraft-grade aluminum, iron sights certainly has one or two over the polymer construction of some of the recent optics technology out there.
- Grips: no matter how comfortable and sleek your new AR15 may look, all that goes out of the window as soon as it spots a standard A2 pistol grip. You can only imagine how uncomfortable it will be when your middle finger keeps coming in contact with its hard plastic knob, and that's only if your hand is small enough to fit into a standard pistol grip profile.
This all changes once you upgrade your pistol grip with some of the more comfortable and common options which include offerings from Bravo Company, Ergo grips, Magpul or TangoDown.
- Slings and sling attachments: all AR-15 are the same, it is the little things that make the difference. Don't overlook the importance of a sling! If you're comfortable carrying your AR-15 like you would your briefcase heading for the office, by all means, you may not need one. But if you intend to conserve your energy when possible and deploy your weapon as fast as possible tactically, then you'll definitely want to get a sling – one that's right for you, considering your height and reach.
Consequently, you'll need a sling mount to attach the sling securely to your weapon. Keeping it simple here is key – you would want something that's easy to attach and detach, and not hinder your access to crucial parts of your weapon whatsoever.
- Scope mounts: the AR-15 has gained widespread acceptance for a long time now. In that time, different configurations have been introduced. And one of those components which have gone through different stages of development is the scope mount. With hundreds of different scope mounts available for the AR-15 unusually suited for optics.
The best scope mount?
The options available are many and the logical question is to ask which is the best for AR-15. The top scope mounts spot either a 30mm or one-inch tubes. But this difference in accuracy is negligible to most shooters and they wouldn’t mind one that could take both a 30mm tube and one-inch tube. Affording us a flexible option to change optics without investing in multiple scope mounts and saving some cash at the same time.
- Handguards: these are some of those things you simply can't do without. After firing your rifle for some time, it can become very hot very quickly. One of the primary use of the rail systems and Handguards is to protect your hand from this unbearable heat so you can be as comfortable as possible as you continue your shooting. There are several options to go with as long as Handguards are concerned, one popular choice is the free-floating Handguards. It is both aesthetic and offers greater accuracy over traditional two-piece, non-free-floating Handguards.
A forward grip position usually transfers tension to the barrel, resulting in inconsistency in the point of impact. A free-floating Handguard corrects this problem with a single, solid mounting point where the barrel meets the upper receiver. This prevents stress and tension from being transferred to the barrel when using a forward grip position.
- Scopes: choosing an AR-15 optics depends on many Some of them are tailored toward competitive, tactical or hunting purposes – there is basically an optics to suit any need. Optics vary in prices and style and are usually quite expensive, so be prepared to spend a considerable amount on a quality sighting system. Investing in a variable power scope is a good way to minimize cost, but also having something that is flexible enough for different purposes. A scope like the Leupold M6C1 offers the rifleman great flexibility for long and short distance targets.
- The gas block: the AR-15 was designed to work with gas pressure in its operation. After firing your rifle, gas pressure forced the bolt carrier into the buffer tube. This is responsible for the ejection of a used round and mounting of a new one. Gas length is classed into four groups: rifle-length, mid-length, carbine-length and pistol-length. The names are coined after the location of the gas port on your barrel. For most cases, your specific barrel length can be ascertained by reading the packaging that came with it. The gas block is installed on the barrel inside the Handguard. While the gas tube is connected to the block and the upper receiver.
- Magazines: obviously one of the more popular terms associated with rifles and weapons in general. You'll need to hold the bullets in place somehow, that's basically what the magazine is used for. There are different sizes one can get, although laws vary from state to state as to the size of magazines one can possibly carry.
There you have it. There are tons and tons of other moving parts that you can possibly replace. While most cannot be termed as accessories in the real sense, as with machines with moving parts, wear and tear are expected with time and they are going to need replacement soon enough. It doesn't sound like a bad idea to have replacement kits laying around somewhere for when you'll need them. You never know when the weakest parts of your rifle decide to give in!
The ultimate rifleman should incorporate ample amount of shooting, cleaning, and tinkering in equal measure. Knowing your AR-15 inside-out like the back of your hand ultimately translates to operating it more efficiently and effectively.
