Help Me Upgrade an AR

[brysdad]

So my wife found out about a new AR that I traded for this week. She wants it for her now! I wanna trick it out for her.

I’m starting with a standard M&P15. I want to replace the A2 front site/block and put a free floating forend. How hard is that site to take off and what block do I need to replace it with? Also, what would be a good forend? I want one that is pretty long. I plan on putting BUIS with a mid grade red dot on it.

[ahlongslide]

I’d be tempted to sell it and add the proceeds to the money you were going to upgrade with to buy a highend AR for her. Otherwise, I like handguards from BCM, DD, 2A (if you want ultralight) Larue, some of the MI stuff. The FSB can be a pain sometimes to remove, but replace it with any low profile gas block. I prefer tuning the gas at the block, so I use SLR adjustable gas blocks.
My new favorite mid tier red dot is the Sig Romeo 5. It is motion activated, so you can just leave it on and it will still last for years on one battery.
Let us know what you decide to go with and good luck!

[brysdad]

Resell on ARs just ain’t what it used to be. I’m gonna just have to build off this foundation. I’m sure I already lost money on my trade to get the rifle.

[twostepct]

Once I set up and tuned a rifle with an adjustable gas block I won't build another with anything else. Also, take a look at the Matrix forends.

[brysdad]

Tell me about adjustable blocks then? I know NOTHING about all this.

[twostepct]

Being adjustable simply allows you to adjust the amount of gas coming into the bolt. I tuned mine by turning the gas all the way off and slowly increasing it until I could load a magazine with one round and it would lock back on empty, and then an additional 1/2 turn. Mine is a rifle length gas system and once tuned is by far the softest shooting and cycling rifle I have. It makes my non adjustable carbines systems feel obnoxious.

[Pushbutton2]

So my wife found out about a new AR that I traded for this week. She wants it for her now! I wanna trick it out for her.



I’m starting with a standard M&P15. I want to replace the A2 front site/block and put a free floating forend. How hard is that site to take off and what block do I need to replace it with? Also, what would be a good forend? I want one that is pretty long. I plan on putting BUIS with a mid grade red dot on it.

Me and a buddy just put a free float handguard on a Rock River AR15.

It kinda sucked a bit. Not bad bad. They used Loctite on the barrel nut and handguard screws.
We ended up having to drill out the screws on the handguard and. Than heat up the barrel not to get it off.

I'd recommend a vise and a vise block

Adjustable gas blocks come in handy if you run a Suppressor. It helps limit the gas coming back to the bolt.

I went with a 15" Midwest Industries Slim Free Float handguard on my AR10 when I upgraded my barrel 18" stainless match barrel.
I'm not a fan of handguard going all the way to the compensator look.

There's two common ways to attach rail sections to the handguard. M-Lok and Keymod. I like the way M-Lok looks. You don't have to remove the handguard.

UTG has there own way to attach rail. They use screws and you need to remove the handguard.

[Tony Pic]

Get a good trigger like the LaRaue MBT.

https://www.larue.com/products/larue-tactical-mbt-2s-trigger/

I'd second the Romeo 5 unless your gonna go with a scope.

[Playa]

I second a trigger upgrade. I also did a satern barrel when I improved my AR

[SaltwaterSlick]

The two best upgrades I did to my first AR was to replace the FCG (trigger assembly) with a drop in Timney trigger, and replace the front sight post/gas block with a low profile adjustable gas block.
The trigger is a 15 minute job... simply knock out the pins, loosen the vertical grip, and take out the pieces of the trigger/hammer/springs, then just drop in the Timney assembly replace the pins, and tighten some set screws... done... One note of caution, when you loosen the grip, there is a spring and detent pin that the grip hold in on the frame. Don't loosen it enough that they pop out, or if you do, don't loose them. That is the detent for the safety switch... Oh yea, I replaced my safety with an ambidextrous safety (I'm a lefty). Easy to do when you do the trigger if you want to do that.

The front sight post/gas block is a bit more of a task but not hard. You have to knock out the pins and take of the flash suppressor and that can be a pain if it is lock-tighted in place. A heat gun would be your friend if it is... While you have that apart, that's a good time to clean the gas tube real good, and also a good time to replace the hand guard with whatever you plan to do. I HIGHLY suggest buying a good armorer's tool (https://www.amazon.com/Mystool-Combo...rmorers+wrench ). Also a vice block to put the lower in while you work on it is a real plus.

You can also put BIUS on even with a scope mounted by using a 45 degree offset block. That's what I did and have successfully used them a couple times on unexpected moving targets.

[Clay C]

Unless you are going to shoot it suppressed a lot or use it as a gaming gun I wouldn't bother with an adjustable gas block. Just shave down the FSB. If down the road you find you want the benefits of the adjustable block just get an adjustable Bolt Carrier Group.

As others have said a new trigger is a big upgrade. As for rails, Midwest Industries makes a nice drop in free float Mlock rail that will attach to a standard barrel nut (assuming that is what you have now).

Maybe a Vltor A5 or Geissele Super 42 buffer system later on if you want to tinker some more.

[CoolArrow]

Unless you are going to shoot it suppressed a lot or use it as a gaming gun I wouldn't bother with an adjustable gas block. Just shave down the FSB. If down the road you find you want the benefits of the adjustable block just get an adjustable Bolt Carrier Group.

As others have said a new trigger is a big upgrade. As for rails, Midwest Industries makes a nice drop in free float Mlock rail that will attach to a standard barrel nut (assuming that is what you have now).

Maybe a Vltor A5 or Geissele Super 42 buffer system later on if you want to tinker some more.

This is exactly what I was looking at today. So your saying that I can just cut and shave down the front A frame sight? I recently purchased a Nikon p223 tactical sight and I don’t want to see the front fixed sight.

Sorry. Didn’t mean to hijack this thread

[Clay C]

This is exactly what I was looking at today. So your saying that I can just cut and shave down the front A frame sight? I recently purchased a Nikon p223 tactical sight and I don’t want to see the front fixed sight.



Sorry. Didn’t mean to hijack this thread

Yes you can, but, what magnification is that optic?


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[CoolArrow]

Yes you can, but, what magnification is that optic?


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It’s 3x32.

[brysdad]

First upgrade is in place. After reading glowing reviews here I purchased a Sig Romeo5. Gonna focus on the trigger soon.