Since I recently kitted out a gun, here’s what I’d grab:
$1,495 (1,465 + 30 shipping + transfer fee) Noveske N4 Light Basic*
$55 Magpul MS2 sling**
$85 5x Magpul PMag with window ($70 without window)
$400 Case of your favorite flavor of Ammo***
$20 Cleaning kit (traditional or boresnake, patches, etc. etc.)
$10 Spray bottle of CLP****
$?? Carry bag
$30 Tools (See below)
$2,095
If you put off buying the case of ammo, or want help on a future wish list, here’s the other “essentials” I’d add:
$30 Magpul MOE Handguard
$10 Magpul MOE Hanguard rail attachment*****
$35 Magpul AFG (unless you want a broomstick)
$100 Magpul CTR (the Noveske comes with a nice VLTOR stock, but it’s not my cup of tea and I’m aiming for a color scheme other than straight black)
$20 Troy CQB grip (The TangoDown grip the Noveske comes with is nice but I like to grip high. I’ve been told these start shipping end of month. Just make sure whatever grip you use covers “the gap”)
$500-1200 Optics w/ LaRue mounts (Save yourself the headache of searching and just buy the mounts and maybe even the optics from LaRue. Seriously quality. And they give you some fantastic dry rub, too! Go ACOG, red dot, red dot with mag, or EOTech, but seriously spend time researching NOT what you want but what you NEED)
$25 BCM charging handle (Mod 3 or 4, I think the medium one is the perfect size)
$20 Magpul MOE trigger guard
Then if you want to take classes, you’re going to have to research what gear you want: kneepads?, chest rig or belt rig?, camelbak or plain water bottles?, pistol holster on chest rig? belt? drop-leg?, pistol mags, bug spray, eye and ear pro you can wear all day all weekend, speed loaders, spare bolt, spare batteries, sun screen, folding chair, dump pouch, loctite, etc. etc. If you want to take a class, I’d say read the forums on what you need and maybe buy a carbine course training video and pay attention to what people have, what works, and what you think will fit with you. Remember that after fees, ammo, gas, food, hotels, etc. carbine courses can cost upwards of $2,000. Buying a $40 dvd set to get the most out of your investment doesn’t sound so rough, now, huh?
After that, you can really go crazy on stuff you don’t need. I’m EXO-coating my BCG, I’ve got a Geissele 2-stage trigger on the way, I’m putting in an ambi safety, I’ve got a BAD lever, a weapons light, a BHI enhanced SOPMOD bolt upgrade kit, a troy di-optic flip up rear sight, and I’ve even replaced the rubber cover to my Aimpoint COMPML3 to match my color scheme. But none of that’s “starter-kit” stuff. All of that is “because… fuck it, why not?” stuff that you can get when you’ve got a little money to spend.
TOOLS:
Once you start adding stuff like a BAD lever, rail sections, and lights/optics and their mounts, you’re going to need a dizzying variety of hex and torx heads. I went to home depot and got this Husky driver set with 10 metric hex bits, 10 imperial hex bits, and 10 torx/star bits (with a single flathead and a single phillips head bit) plus the ratcheting screwdriver. Most useful $30 I’ve spent on my AR15. Just make sure you find a set (preferably small enough that you can keep it in your range bag and never worry about where it is) that has a whole range of torx/star and hex (metric and imperial) bits so you never have to worry about buying an addition or modification and then stripping screws or being left with the coolest whizbang on the market with no way to get it on your gun.
*The rifle’s the critical part. Make sure you’re picking the one you’ll want for the future, not now. For example, there are “nicer” Noveskes (i.e. more expensive) but my optics mount on the rail it’s got, so no need for a monolithic rail running all the way to the front sight. I also planned (and already have) on using Magpul’s handguard, so no need to get a quad-rail system. Also, since all I was mounting up front is a light and an the magpul AFG, no need for anything sturdier than polymer, plus it saves some weight, I’m sure. The only downside to the N4 Basic is the fixed front sight. But since I’m running a Aimpoint red dot, I can co-witness, and when I flip up the 3x Magnifier, the front sight disappears completely. I’m sure there are people who hate the front sight in their field of view, but I’m completely indifferent. Personal preference.
**There’s maybe 2 other slings I’d even consider spending money on. The MS2 is 100% what I’m looking for. Watch this video to see the sexy Chris Costa run down the sling and ASAP mount (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5nOt2pSySY). You can shell out $30 for the ASAP mount but the quick-detach stuff you’ll get with the Noveske gives almost just as much range of motion and you’ll probably only notice the difference if you’re a Magpul whore :).
***Last I checked, Midway USA will have 3-4 different lengths in stock by the end of this month or sometime in April. USCav is shipping them now but only in one length (10 slots). They’re polymer, too, so the weight difference between the 3-slot and the 12-slot is probably negligible.
****Personally, I’ve found that a spray bottle makes cleaning 100x easier. There are so many small nooks and crannies that are a real bear to clean by shoving patches around on the ends of sticks.
*****With the 1:7 twist, you probably want something heavier than 55gr, but I doubt you’ll notice it at shorter ranges. I’d put off buying the case of ammo and take 40-50 rounds of 55gr, 62gr, and maybe even 70gr and see how they shoot wherever you’re plinking. I’m still waiting for a few parts before I take mine out to the range and do some testing myself, so I can’t help much there.
There, hope that helps get you started.
I’ll be in touch if my schedule changes.