All posts tagged AR15 Parts

Research your guns before accessorizing

Nowadays many companies will hit you with restocking fees on gun accessories and in all fairness, the real reason is to deter people from being lazy asses and ordering wrong parts and acting like it was the companies fault something didn’t fit.   Many stock accessories tend to not be drop in changes and some fittings may occur, this is very common for non-AR15 style rifles.   People make mistakes but 85% of time we get a call about a return on a gun accessory its because somebody didn’t know that the gun had to go to a gunsmith or that they need to buy another mount or accessory to fit it.

Many companies also give Free Shipping on an item and if you’ve been a lazy bum and purchased a C-more optic and didn’t know that you needed a $75 mount for it to work on your gun and now you want your money back on the scope, we’ll you’re the person I’m talking about.   If you have a question ask it, if you aren’t sure about Magpul Accessories, the manufacturer of your firearm probable knows best.  Everyone and there dog is putting the MOE stocks on their guns and if you have a question about it, call them up.

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Customizing an AR15? Invest in Magpul

One thing we really need around here that we don’t have is a ton of Loctite.   Too many people get caught up with the fact that their guns have better mounts than another when much of that has to do with “how” something is mounted.  I’ve seen guys put scopes on rifles that look like they had one shoe off when they mounted it or the scope rings made the optic look cock eye.   Spending $500 on a mount didn’t help them out at all.  You don’t always need some fancy leveling took either.   Just put the rifle on a flat surface and level the crosshairs to the gun.

When it comes to putting accessories on your AR15 or M4 Carbine variant.   Magpul Accessories gives you a very broad array of grips and stock options.  Every shooter might have a different role to fill for  his or her firearm and Magpul’s product line will get your gun in CQC or DMR roles in no time.  It always takes a little patience to get your gun customized because using Loctite and minor stock adjustments may be necessary.   There are difference in quality of firearms but I’ve had very good luck and little complaints from customers about Magpul products.

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Customization of Firearms, fun, but necessary

Even since the AR15 got shortened down to the M4 Carbine, many in the Military and Law Enforcement have realized that there are ways to improve upon the design for the operators advantage.  No longer is an individual issued a rifle and forced to adjust to the stock length.  I have several World War II Vets and Korean War Vets that have told me that they actually hated shooting the M1 Garand and the BAR rifles.  All of those individuals were  under 5’6″ and it was pretty obvious to me as to why they didn’t like it.  They claimed that they couldn’t hit a darn thing with it, but anyone that is a firearm instructor knows that this is probable true.

Nobody starts a 7yr old kid out with a full size bolt action rifle and expects them to shoulder it, now that we have the M4 Carbine in service the stocks are adjustable.   Not just body size, but the types of things you may be wearing like a vest, armor ect can affect LOP.  Magpul Stocks and Accessories are our number one selling stock accessories and and everything from trigger guards to gun grips can be customized.  Body sizes and preferences mean a world of a difference for an operator to become proficient.

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One thing at a time is the way to modify a firearm

People can move entirely too fast when it comes to customizing and AR15 rifle.   I  have seen countless times while attending Carbine courses where people end up just stripping their guns down and finish the courses with flashlights and grips being removed.   One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in recent months is a move away from foregrips.   That whole stance is somewhat un-natural for people although in some people’s minds, it looks cool  so they want to do it too.

The move away from using the foregrips of the past has actually been a move towards getting rid of them or the Magpul angled foregrips.   These Magpul stocks and accessories have really become original as a matter of fact, the MOE stands fro Magpul Original Equipment which very much lives up to it’s name.  Once students got down on the ground or were shooting from behind cover, the protruding gun parts and accessories really got in the way and opened an Operator up to snags and bonking.

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I’m an LWRC Piston guy, but……….

I’ve been on bandwagon with LWRC long before we sold their upper receivers and I really have a hard time spending money on anything but.  We’ve been involved with gun builds at various places in the Country and it’s been loads of fun doing it and see people build or assemble their first AR15.   The AR15 is still the next best training rifle after a 22LR bolt action for new shooters.   You can teach range adjustments and get people to learn how to manipulate a firearm that is basically the same thing that most of our standing military uses.

If you are looking to get your first AR15, I would not hesitate to tell you that you really don’t need to spend more than about $600.   I see nothing wrong with people buying something like Spikes Tactical Uppers and slapping it on a used upper receiver or a less expensive gun.   Spikes Tactical Uppers give you a very good starting point with quality parts and a good price point.   If you don’t think you’ll be put on the front line and be shooting 10,000rds a year through your barrel, don’t worry about spending the $2000 on an LWRC.

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AR15 upgrades without the hassles

There are enormous numbers of things you can do to customize your AR15 style rifles but one thing to consider is every time you do a gunsmithing job to your firearm, that’s one more thing that may not be  installed correctly.   The more you add on, the more can fall off, that goes from changing magazine releases, trigger guards, triggers, hand guards, gun grips and and more.   Instead of taking everything off of your firearm, it’s really better to just get another upper receiver or another firearm.   Especially if you think there is a chance you won’t like the modifications.  Piston conversions are another thing to be careful about because the gun should be functioning reliable after the changes and not less reliable.   And remember don’t fix something that isn’t broken.

Going back and forth from a direct impingement firearm to a pistol driven gun and then back to DI is a bad idea.   There are some really cost effective versions of the piston uppers like the CMMG uppers for sale at Rogue Elite.   LWRC is still the king of the piston driver uppers especially after the new lightweight upper receivers have come out that are just slightly over $1000.    The M4 LEPII is a popular upper receiver and only change of your recoil spring should do the trick.   The key to maintaining a reliable firearm is to maintain it, not constantly mess around with it.   If  you want to do minor changes, go ahead, major changes to a firearm, get a new one.   The cost in time and money may be about the same.

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Sale on LWRCI upper receivers

As we move into our new facility we’ve been listing to our customer base tell us about what they wish they would see in the store.  Many of our customers complain that although the internet is where most of their shopping takes place there are certain things you really need to get your hands on.   Things like clothing and rifle accessories are a real royal pain to figure out online and many gun shops don’t want to deal with the headaches.   We’ve had to modify our return policy because we’ve had too many take advantage of our return and exchange policies with gun parts.   I have heard of 2 gun shops in our area not stock gun accessories because people were buying them, walking out the door, and then coming back a few days later complaining that the parts broke or were broken.   From the gun shops stand point, it’s because people didn’t know how to install them and were lacking gunsmithing talent.

 

This unfortunately had happened to us via online sales and we’ve had people buy $400 optics and call  up and complain that they didn’t know they needed a $75 adapter for their AR15 and now they want to return the optic.   When we inform them that we are charging a 10% restocking fee they complain that we’re ripping them  off.   We are stocking LWRCI uppers which puts a lot of money on the line with small margins, but given that they are unique gun parts, sometime there are pens that need to be fitted when attaching upper receivers.  Do you research or find a gun shop that stocks the products, then do your homework on how to properly install gun parts and be patient.  If you have questions, ask them, every gun is different and there are always fitting and tweaking that can occur.

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Fixen up the AK

Tapco AccessoriesI think many of us have seen wild variations in quality of the Kalashnikov firearms.   Back in the early 1990s there were very inexpensive guns coming in from Eastern Europe.  The quality of many of these guns were pretty darn good.    As the years went by, the guns got worse and worse and I started to see my fair share of AK style weapons that did not live up to the AK47s reputation of reliability.   There were a few importers that were assembling guns that looked bad, but they worked very well.   Some rifle sights were misaligned but other than that, it was really all about the rifle stocks.

If you are interested in learning how to modify one of your Ak rifles.   A good starting point of figuring out what you can do and modify on your gun is to start with Tapco accessories.  If you are working on a stamped receiver, I suggest looking into the Tapco side folder, fixed stock or the T6 adjustable stock.   The M4 Carbine will always have an edge over the 7.62×39 style for speed, but you can make your AK style weapon into a BETTER CQB gun.   The pistol grip on the AK is also an easy change that will improve your hold on your firearm.  The AK family of rifles were mostly designed for shorter operators and for users wearing gloves and heavy jackets.  You should be able to modify your gun to be more comfortable and closer to you LOP if you feel the AK is too short for you.

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More bang for the buck

Smith & Wesson 5.45 UppersWe’re still waiting to get feedback from our operators to see how well this upper holds up over time.   I don’t believe they’ve been on the market long enough to get combat worthy reports yet, but we shall see.  There seems to be a dry spell on finding a good AK in 5.45×39 and the AR15 Upper may be your best option.  The Upper comes in an flat top configuration and will be a great secondary or primary weapon to keep around.

 

The S&W 5.45×39 is probable the most financially useful upper you can get.   There are pistol caliber uppers you can get that are also not very expensive, but the 5.45×39 rifle ballistics are far superior in energy and lack of over-penetration compared to pistol caliber variants.  Smith & Wesson 5.45 Upper Most of the 5.45×39 may not be using this gun for home defense, but it is something to think about and there is absolutely nothing wrong with using this caliber for home defense.   The Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 upper comes with 1-30rd mag Item # SW812005

 

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Upgrades and Doodads

Tactical GearIn the early 1990s there was a surplus of military style rifles coming into the Country.   There were goofy thumbhole stocks to avoid violating gun laws or cheap parts for kits.   Many of these rifles had pretty ugle stocks especially many of the rifles coming in from China or Egypt.   If you have one of those MAK90s or Maadis that works great, but looks like crap, you might want to upgrade your stock with a synthetic.   Many of these stocks are made in the US and can be considered US Parts to add to your legal alterations of your gun.

One of the best and easiest upgrades for any of your Chinese or Russian guns is a Fiberforce stock for your SKS.  The SKS is one of the better balanced guns that the Soviet Bloc states put out and the Fiberforce stock won’t offset that.  There is even a folding stock version that might help you if you want this as a truck gun or want to save some room in your safe.    For AR15 accessories, you can go nuts on AR15 upgrades, but think about what you really want on your gun before you just start buying, try handling your buddies guns before you just order pistol grips that you don’t really know much about or how they really feel.  Everyones hand is different and not all grips will work for you.  You can mess up the balance of your gun if you throw a heavy rail on it, especially if you don’t really need much tactical gear on your gun, why do it.

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