Right now I'm primarily looking at BCM and Spikes for the upper because of all of the good info I've been able to read on the two outfits. PSA just caught my eye due to the specs, so I've been trying to do some due diligence on them before I ultimately make a decision.

I've also been going back and forth between M4-style or mid-length uppers. There is a lot of debate out there on which is better, and based on what I've read I've concluded I will be well-served with either... it would just be a matter of personal preference for my particular application.

Carbine vs mid-length gas systems is an interesting thing. Most of the rifles I've owned, all of my SBR's, are carbine-length. With a good compensator and the heaviest buffer they'll tolerate, recoil isn't a big deal in a .223/5.56, especially with some training and practice. Having said that, I've had a Noveske Light Recce with a mid-length system for about a year. It has functioned perfectly, and with the compensator the ability to stay on target in controlled pairs has been a revelation to me. At the last Tac Team excercise, I let a buddy shoot it and he made me prove to him that it was a 5.56 and not a .22 conversion. I have ordered a VLTOR A5 buffer system for it (in fact - delivered tomorrow). If that component's reputation is accurate, it should be yet another revelation. I have a TriCon course coming up Oct 4-5-6 with Jeff Gonzales. That's a high-rep 2000 round course where 3-inch groups at 50 yards from standing/kneeling/prone in rapid fire are the norm...I'll be interested to see how this mid-length gas/VLTOR A5/BattleComp compensator system works to keep me from taking too much criticism from a Navy SEAL.

I got my bipod today and installed it, I looooove it, its badass.:happydance:

Im waiting on my Vertical Forend now, and should be ordering my night light soon.

Any recommendations for an Optical Sight thats not $500?

:worthless:

As for "optics", thats a pretty loose term LOL. are you talking about a scope, or holographic/red-dot/EoTech etc etc

Open sights ftw

HaHa, high power scope FTW... (one shot, one kill.. saves ammo)

Trooper, you hit me with "this thread is worthless without pics" ouch man, thats wrong.:bowrofl::roflpuke2:

I guess I was a little bland on the "optical" term, hehe, but I do like the Red Dot sights. What do yall recommend?

I just laugh when I see this, damn...:tup:

If you are any kind of marksman you should be able to do with iron sights what you can with a scope:stirthepot:

If you're talking about red dot sights, for low round-count, range use where maximum reliability isn't a factor, look at Primary Arms. I can't vouch for their quality but the store itself has good customer service and the owner is reputed to be a stand-up guy. He makes no bones about these being budget optics. I don't know how long they'll stand up to 5.56 recoil or how accurate they are...reviews are mixed as they often are on these Chines imports, but they might meet your needs. The Vortex sights have a little better reputation and would be worth considering.

If you're talking about 1-4x scopes, Vortex, Bushnell and Nikon are supposed to be pretty good for the money. Vortex Optics

As far as optics gor for an AR platform. Leupold just came out with there MARKAR Series that are specifically designed around the AR. I have used them and the quality is awesome espically if you mount them up with a Lareau Tactical Mount. I have the 6x18 mildot.

For red dot EOTECH is the way to go. It's pricy but well worth it. RRA offers a mount for them that lets them cowitness with your ironsights.

Provided you have the vision of an eagle.

lol vision of an eagle probably still wouldnt help

I can fix that for you. I take my 1911s down to no two parts touching once a year or so... Not counting the barrel link or anything else staked in place...

Eotech vs Aimpoint is an ongoing raging debate in the top-quality RDS category. I have both. I prefer the Eotech reticle, but generally speaking, the Aimpoints are considered to be more rugged, and their 3-5 year battery life vs Eotech's 600 hour battery life might be a significant convenience for some people.

The Eotech inline battery series tends to be problematic with failure of battery contacts a known issue. Better IMHO is the XPS/EXPS series where a CR123 lithium is mounted transversely. I think the Eotech OPMOD sold by Optics Planet is an outstanding bargain at $495 if you don't need compatibility with night vision equipment. I've had one on my SBR for thousands of rounds without a hiccup. I just recently put an Aimpoint PRO on my Light Recce. I haven't shot it much, but it's a nice optic and at $400 it's an excellent bargain. Problem with that optic is that it's only available to law enforcement or military.

Virtually all of the RDS co-witness with the iron sights. The preference comes into play as to where you want them to co-witness -- either in the center of the optic, or in the lower 1/3. Personally, I prefer co-witnessing in the lower 1/3 and use a 7mm riser on all my Eotechs. The PRO with stock mount co-witnesses somewhere between the middle and the lower 1/3 and I haven't had an issue with that, what little I've used it. The Eotech EXPS series (including the OPMOD) includes the 7mm riser, so all of them co-witness in the lower 1/3 out of the box. The riser is removable for those who prefer co-witnessing in the center.

eww that would be me.. hehe:tup:

Ohh I can bro, believe me, 8 years in the military has got me pretty good at using M-16 sights.:tup:

Hey Mac, thanks for posting up these pages, I only need a light and a scope, and I think I'll be all set. :tup:

SKD Tactical. You can scan and email your credentials to them. They're out of stock ATM, however. I think I got the last one from them 10 days ago.

Im on primary arms right now, and I like the Nikon scopes so far, but I gotta admit, Im totally a rookie when it comes to these scopes. But I do know I dont see myself spending more than $300 on one.

Hey D. Are you sure you only want to spend 300? ;) I have an Aimpoint with the 4MOA dot lying around not getting much use that I'll give you a good deal on for the CQB stuff and I have an older Leupold MR/T 1.5-5x in good shape which will hit steel gongs (18-24") at 450yds. The nice thing about the Leupold is the bullet drop comp dial. The Leupold is not for home defense or an entry gun though.

Brian, Dude, I feel like such an idiot, I dont even know where to start when it comes to purchasing one of these scopes. Heres my deal, I want something nice, but Im not into the whole sniper shot from 1000 meters. I just wanna be able to go to the range, pull out my AR-15, have a few people say, "nice weapon.." and be able to hit a target up to 300 meters.

I like the idea of the Red Dot, and I also like the idea of a Cross Hair Reticle. I dont know if Im contradicting myself or what, but thats where Im at.

I spent some time looking at scopes tonight here at work, and all the specs; i.e. acronyms and numbers are just freaking mind boggling.:ugh2:

Brian,
How much did you want for that Aimpoint Scope, I googled it, its very nice.:tup:

I'll text or call you tomorrow night.

mine
 

Hey guys!

Here is a pic of one like mine... Its a Ruger P95, with a laser pointer, and about 300+ bullets plus 30 for personal defense. I took it once to a shooting range with a friend and fired like 600 bullets but haven't used it since.

After I bought it, I realized that I couldn't conceal it, so I will need to buy another 9mm with a smaller factor.

I also want to buy a .22 to keep at home for market-crash type scenarios.

Thank you sir.. I appreciate that.

I'd get a subcompact glock 26 (9mm) or the 27 (.40mm) if you wanna conceal it.. I have both, very easy to conceal.:tup:

awesome, thanks for the tip!

Eventually, I also need a .22 with lots of rounds. A friend of mine made these recommendations (knowing I am on a budget) a Ruger 10/22 or a Marlin model 60.

But... holding off purchases for a while :(

Just know this, if you do go with a .22 caliber weapon, that caliber weapon does not have any knockdown power, so if you're using it for personal protection, or home protection, its not really gonna do any good to the would be intruder or robber. Especially for some intruder high on drugs. Even a 9mm, you'd still be lacking knockdown power. Once you start looking at .40mm, .45mm, or .357 then you're doing some REAL damage and achieving knock down power.

Just a thought. Something to keep in mind.

eRep eh?? :tup:

Here you go, check out these Vortex scopes. A dozen or so decent scopes for $200 or less, that will easily get you hitting the target ~300yrds

Vortex Scopes Lifetime Warrenty

I have a Vortex Crossfire 4-12x40

:tup:

HaHa, you'll get the rep once ya stop talking about ya .40 cal .. LMAO

OK, just kidding, but good point, a .22 aint going to do anything for you other than go "Hunting Wabbits"

I don't think he'd be using the .22 for anti-personnel, but for a general survival type rifle... small game hunting... that type of stuff.

The 10/22 has a great reputation and a long history. It's very mod friendly and obviously cheap to operate, as bulk .22lr is effing cheap!

I don't have one (yet).

I think a .22 would have more knockdown power than your .40mm and .45mm weapons combined:roflpuke2:

:icon18:

Darren, Im strongly considering the Vortex StrikeFire, they've got good reviews. Im about 90% sure, thats where Im going.

:bowrofl::roflpuke2:

Sucha funny comment to wake up to, thanks buddy.:tup:

:shakes head:

A .22 is gonna make an intruder say, ouch.. you shot me with a beebie gun!:wtf2:

Yeah but you said .40mm, which would be .015 cal. :bowrofl:

A .22lr probably won't kill someone right away unless you get a perfect hit, but it will kill someone. But the point of something like a 10/22 in a "end of days" situation is that you can get squirrels and rabbits cheaply and reliably with it.

They are useful and fun to plink with. And cheap!

Ahh thanks buddy, I didnt know it calculates like that.:tup:

yeah, like Steve said, I am happy with my 9mm and the hollow point bullets for personal protection.

Just need the .22 for general type survival (cheap bullets, lighter to carry, etc). Also, someone probably wouldn't survive a bullet wound if there are no doctors around.

I'll try to stay up-to-date on the thread... would like to join you guys if you go shooting as a group.

One final thought, did any of you buy emergency food back when Congress wouldn't raise the debt ceiling to avoid losing the AAA credit rating?