Flashlights and optics and batteries
Ever since the gun community went from the A2 style AR15s to the M4 Configurations, the AR15 became the most modified and accessorized firearm in existance. I sometimes have to stair at some of these AR15 designs to tell if it is even a 5.56 gun anymore. The AR15s these days are the old style Direct Impingement guns and also various style pistol driven guns. There are plenty of lower grade stock accessories that look cool and tactical, but they won’t hold up to bad weather and rough play. The old “you get what you paid for” is still true today.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to picking a configurations. Leave yourself open to as many options as possible, and keep it as basic as possible. The onle thing I would also suggest to people is leave a flashlight on or next to where you keep your gun. It’s always good to have a white light available. If you are putting a lot of accessories on your gun, you may want to think about batter storage. Section8 Tactical has had the M4 Tac-Pac on the market for people that don’t want a lot of accessories with compartements and I have to be honest, I’ve seen guys dump batteries and cleaning accessories from bumping guns around. There are some top tier firearm stock options like the VLTOR Rifle Stocks. These rifle stocks can hold 2 AA batteries or 1 CR123 Battery in the back compartment. The storage units can hold 3 AA batteries on each side or 4 CR123 Batteries.
It’s hard to know if a configuration is best for you. I recently got a phone call from a shooter that sounded like he was new to the AR15 family. He was asking about which rifle stock configuration was best and then I asked him what his LOP or length of pull was and he had no idea. The reasons for adjustable stocks is because each operator issued a Carbine has a different arm length. I’ve punched myself in the nose with rifles and shotguns that were too short for me and modified several of my M1A rifles to fit my comfort. There are also other reasons for having stock modifications. If you are wearing a heavy winter coat or body armor you will want to shorten your stock. Next time you are at a gun shop or a shooting range, ask other shooters if you can hold there gun and see how it feels. Check the gun stock manufacturer and do some research.