Accessorizing your AR15 and the issues you will have with your gun cases!
You live and learn in this industry but you can make fewer mistakes in life if you take your time and observe the mistakes of others. Recently we had several SWAT Teams arrive in our store looking for gun cases that held more than 1 rifle and they didn’t want a hard case. SKB makes some rock solid rifle cases and there are some pretty cool configurations you can do that can give you the customization that you want. Not everyone is packing the same sidearms and being able to cutout your case in the configuration that your gun is a must. Firearms like the LWRC M6A2 with a 10.5 inch barrel is going to be very particular because you don’t want a soft gun case that is over-sized. Your better with a gun case that fits properly because too tight is bad and too loose is also not good.
My LWRC M6A2 rifles are probable worth about $3500 with all of the Eotech Magnifier, Eotech 512, LWRC rear sights and front sight. I don’t want my guns getting banged around so I went with the Elite Survival gun cases like the Covert Operations case. This rifle case has tie downs that can go over the optics and the firearm at 4 different points. I also like to carry extra pistol magazines in this gun case, but that cost a few bucks extra. There is also a triple magazine pouch that comes with each of these carbine gun cases and you can get them for firearms like the MP5 or even AK magazine pouches. There are several different sizes for the Covert Operation case but you most likely will be using a 33 or 36 if you are running the average AR15 or M4 carbine.
I first stepped into the world of tactical carbines after years of toting around an M16A2 for close to 10yrs. We basically had to clean and maintain our firearms daily when deployed and I often wondered what we might have been able to do during the day if we didn’t have such a high maintenance rifle. Looking back, I realized there wasn’t much else to do and this was something that we did to just occupy time. The M16A2 is not a very clean running firearm, but it can go for hundreds if not thousands of rounds without cleaning if it was lubed correctly from the beginning. In all of my years of service with the M16A2, and the years standing next to operators with AR15 rifles, I’d say 90% of malfunctions were bad magazines or improperly loaded, and bad ammo. The next was improper lubrication. It’s been a few years since I’ve been on the range during hunting season, but It was about 5yrs ago that I ran into an AR15 owner that said the key to running an AR15 reliable is to run it dry. Well, if you own an AR15 and you think this is true, I can’t help you.
Even though the short stroke and other piston designs have come on the market, and these guns all operate much cleaner, the AR15s DI guns that are being fielded these days are far more reliable than the M16A1 that was issued in Vietnam. Designs and improvements of metalogy has been tremendous and this can be noticed just by feeling the difference between one bolt carrier and another. Another major point about why the AR 15 guns have caught on is that they are so ergonimically superior to most of the military style guns out there that they are easy teaching tools. I normally start people out with learning the fundamentals with a 22lr bolt action with iron sights, but when I’m dealing with an adult that is not afraid of recoil, a .223 A2 style Carbine is an excellent staring point.
I had the opportunity to get out to the range again this week. I tend to bring the same bullet weights with me to firing ranges whenever I’m shooting my ARs because there can be really big differences in bullet trajectory when shooting out to 600yds. There is also a very big difference between bullet drift with just a few extra grains of weight. I’ve pulled the trigger on 150gr FMJ bullets out to 500yds that missed targets just depending on whether or not I fired during a wind gust or not. It’s really a lot of fun to shoot distances because you find out that it’s not all about how well you hold a gun down and how well you pull the trigger. Timing is something that really plays a factor when shooting into the wind. I use to shoot at a range that had a wind that blew from right from 100-300yds and when you got out to the 400-600yds, the wind blew from the left.
There is much to debate when it comes to discussing the effectiveness of the 5.56 round. When it was originally deployed in the M16A1, the military had issues with the reliability of the gun, but I have heard not one complaint from any Vietnam vet about the lethality of the round. That was when the military was using a 20inch barrel with a 55gr bullet travelling well over 3000fps. The bullet is extremely violent at that velocity. The lethality of the round was greatly diminished when the military started using shorter length barrels and the 62gr SCBT also known as SS109 or M855. Although it is only 6grs heavier, the bullet is so well balanced that it basically zips straight through a target and the terminal ballistics are not very good below 2800fps which is practically what an M4 shoots it at near the muzzle.
The caliber wars are never ending, but once spin to the argument that in my opinion is not much of an argument anymore, is that bullet designs are becoming more and more effective. When you read about the 9mm vs 45acp debates people argue about the size of the bullet, over penetration and stopping power. The reality is that hunting bullets and defensive ammo has taken a step, maybe not a giant step, but a considerable step forward in increasing a calibers effectiveness.
If you are new to learning about defending yourself with a firearm, let me answer that question and save you from having to do any research. The answer that you will come to if you choose not to read further and decide to research on your own is NO! Using something as lethal as an Ar15 inside your home makes more sense than using any caliber handgun.
I strongly recommend starting new shooters out on some sort of 22LR bolt action rifle. It doesn’t matter if it is magazines fed or a single shot. Learning the basic shooting skills of aim, hold, sqeeze and learning how to hit the X at 100yds is important. If you are dealing with a young adult, one of the most fun things you can teach them on is a standard A2 AR15 and show them how to use the sighting system and the sighting system.