Home AR-15 How Should You Set Up A Rifle?

How Should You Set Up A Rifle?

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Lucas Botkin explains some of his mindset that goes into building out a carbine, and then breaks down his well-used BCM build.

Setting up guns is about mission and mindset. Not just cool parts and expensive accessories.

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46 COMMENTS

  4. lowers are not all the same, you can get lucky but they are not the same. It goes way beyond the forgings. Mill work is what sets the cheap asses lowers from the high end lowers. You get what you pay for. I will always buy the higher end lower, substantially better QC and tolerances.

  16. I've kept my BAD lever on my main fighting rifle despite one of my buddies saying it's a hazard because it can break off, or get in the way of your trigger if you're wearing gloves. Personally, after going through a few classes and practicing, it's never been a problem for me

  22. I paid close attention..
    He fired one round, reloaded, and fired two more rounds before the mag hit the dirt. Thats so fast, i now believe terminators exist and they arent 6'2 and 200lbs of solid muscle..they're the guy you least expect.

  39. Meh to most of this. I would go with the M&P 15 Sport 2 for a base. IraqVet melted it down at near 900 rds of full auto for about 475-550 (depending on the sale) that's not bad. What follows is my mods to the system thus far and a justification for each.

    Odin Works Ragna Forend: $120 (Included forend sucks on the M&P, this is light, basically skeleton, and has the M-Loks where you need them as well as a full top rail)

    Aero Precision VG6 Compensator: $70 (Raise your hand if you have a budget build that you want to put a suppressor on… no, have shot both the Surefire he has and the VG6 and the difference was $50 in my pocket… also because I don't like the A2)

    Vortex SPARC AR/ SightMark Wolverine: $120-200 (I got both on sale for around 120, both are excellent options that will work in rain, desert, and snow. Both have an easy to Zero setup, easy to use controls, and simple to understand settings… oh yeah, both use a readily available battery type that's cheap, lasts a long time, and is easy to stock up on).

    Timber Creek Grip and Enforcer Mini Angled ForeGrip: $140 (This one was because I thought they looked cool. That said, they are light because skeletonized Aluminum, they are strong because Aluminum, and oddly they work for what they are. The grip is actually gripper in my experience than a K2+, BCM, or A2. As for the foregrip, I've found minimalist to be better but it comes in handy later on).

    Odin Works gas block: $10 (Need a new one after removing front sight).

    Odin Works XMR Mag Release: $15 (I happen to run the XMR 1, you run which ever, it's a nice thing and increases release speeds).

    Palmetto State Armory Nickle Boron Bolt Carrier: $50 (he's right… a good bolt is an amazing thing but it need not break the bank. The PSA BCG is inexpensive and has the benefit of being super easy to clean and easy to run, it's good and doesn't break your bank).

    Magpul MOE SL Stock: $50 (It's a good stock, if you don't know that… why don't you know that).

    Armaspec SRS H2 buffer systen: $75 (Does the same as the JP but at half the price and arguably better).

    Timber Creek QD ring: $10 (I needed one in the back and this worked)

    Magpul MS3 Single QD Sling GEN 2: $50 (Multi purpose should be the name of every game ever, I have literally used this as an arm sling when I nearly broke my elbow and couldn't move it. It's also QD and Clip so it runs either 1 or 2 point on almost every rifle with those options).

    Streamlight TRL-1 HL: $100 (It's the pistol version and the reason why that mini grip is now your best friend. Your thump will 100% of the time index to your accessories. No pressure pad BS, just a light with switches you know how to work and is really good at half the price).

    Magpul Backup front sight: $30 (good news kids, your M&P comes with a Magpul pop up sight in the back… get one for the front and now you have backup sights. Seriously though, the include back sight is nice and after removing the front sight post, this is a nice thing to add on the cheap).

    None of this is to say that T-Rex is wrong or to even say I measure up to anywhere near his skill… I don't. That said, who among us needing build guide for our AR does, not many. My build is significantly cheaper than T-Rex's with comparable quality parts especially in the initial platform and sights. He can say it's not about expensive cool accessories, but that's basically all he has. Better to save the money and buy bullets to practice with.

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