Just wanted to drop a line here and say thanks to y’all - I’ve been lurking here and other AR-15 related forums for a bit, searching for advice on good brands, good parts, etc. A few weeks ago I was mostly decided on a S&W M&P-15T.
Then I started digging deeper - and found that the S&Ws were made by Stag (at least in the past) - and while Stag wasn’t exactly the bottom of the barrel, they did cut significant corners in regards to adherance to the basic milspec.
I found that the most commonly recommended out-of-box rifle by many of those infinitely more familiar with the AR-15 system than I (Pat Rogers, Larry Vickers, and others that post here) could be summed up with four digits - 6920.
So I looked around locally, and as luck would have it, Virginia Arms in Manassas had one! I immediately asked if they would hold it, and went and picked it up as soon as I could.
I then added a few items I felt would make my life easier. She still needs a good light system, but this is what I’ve done with her so far:
I’ve also got a MagPul CTR stock on the way - that’ll replace the standard Colt M4 stock that’s on there.
As far as a light system goes, what do ya’ll recommend? Surefire? Should I hold out for the M95 system, or just rig up something like an E2D on a LaRue mount?
I’m looking forward to the smoke MagPul PMags as well - they look fantastic. I just wish I could find some of the windowed black ones - they seem to be sold out everywhere.
Something else you will want to consider is a new pistol grip. Most people find that the gap between the A2 and the triggerguard is very uncomfortable when shooting for long periods, and that the finger groove is placed in a very uncomfortable position. You can cure this any number of ways, from an A1 grip with a gapper to a full Magpul MIAD setup.
Looks good though, and good on ya for starting out right. If I had everything to do over again starting from scratch today I would buy one 6920 and one 6933 and set them both up very similarly to what you’ve done.
Thats almost exactly like mine. I have a Tango doen pistol grip, and VFG run at teh very front of the rail.
For alight, right now, I have a SureFire 9volt classic series with an XM switch in an VTAC light mount, mounted at the 12oclock position, putting the light at 2oclock. That will be replaced with a 951.
Well, you sure weren’t screwing around with that first rifle! With the top shelf parts you have, you’ve got a rifle that’s gonna last you a long, long time.
In terms of lights, there are really only two: Surefire and Pentagon. I’m very much partial to Surefires. If this were my carbine, and I had your (apparently, given the parts you’ve used) money-is-less-an-object funding, I’d go with either a Scout Light or an X200 with the tape switch tail cap. There’s a ton of ways to go with lights, but the trend these days is to LED lamps (no tungsten filament to break) and small size. Smaller generally equals lighter, which means you can have your rifle up in the working position longer.
If you haven’t tried it already, try running out your vert grip until its almost uncomfortable, and see if your control doesn’t improve. I found I had to work up to being able to support my carbine that way (Ibn Fadhalan: “I cannot wield this!” Herger the Joyous: “Grow stronger!”), which I did by dry firing at the TV. Now that I’m used to it, I feel my control is better and groups are tighter. Give it a shot, see if it works for you.
Since you appear to have some funding for this project, the one thing you need to do as soon as its feasable is: get trained. Find a good instructor and take a class, or two, or three. You have a really nice rifle. Learn to run it!
I hadn’t looked too hard at other lights than Surefire’s line - I’ll take a look at Pentagon too now!
Training is definitely in the plan down the road a little bit.
CTR stock showed up on Tuesday evening and is now on the rifle. Maybe it’s petty, but I didn’t much care for the way the stippling on the M4 stock ripped up my shoulder - the CTR’s rubber pad is much less painful.
And because the thread would indeed be worthless without (more) pics…
Unless you like it, in which case there’s no reason to change it. That damned finger rest drives me nuts, though. The shape of my hands means that no finger grooves or rests are comfortable. Oddly, even though my hands are very large, I find most of the MIAD set ups that most people seem to prefer are too thick for my use. 'Course, the great thing about the MIAD is that you can change the shape to whatever you want it to be. For my use, I found that the Tango Down Battlegrip fit my hands, and I like it a lot. Check out a few of 'em and see what you think.
I agree Haji. To date I haven’t found anyone who’s hand actually fits the A2, and if they think it does when firing at the static range that quickly goes out the window when they start shooting from unconventional positions.
I too like the Tango Down, and also find that an A1 grip with a gapper works well for me too. A benevolent M4C member recently sent me an old school “duckbill” grip (thanks to VA_Dinger) that I keep meaning to try out as well.
