So I bought a Bushmaster and want to start my Christmas list for customization and upgrades.
I want this particular weapon to be configured for CQB (Immediate target acquisition from 0 - 50 yards)
However, it needs to be capable of longer shots as well.
As for lights, I like pressure switched lights mounted up front.
For optics, I am looking at EoTech but also a fan of AimPoint.
Free rein boys… no unrealistic budget constraints, let’s hear your ideas.
The pic below is what it looks like now… build away.
Bushmaster AR15 Modular Carbine, .223 (5.56mm)Caliber. Pre Ban Config A3 type FLATTOP, 16" Chrome Lined Chrome Molly Fluted Barrel & Milled Gas Block, BMAS Ambidextrous hard neoprene Pistol Grip, Detachable dual aperture rearsight, and Folding B.M.A.S. front sight. BMAS Free Floating Precision 4 Rail Handguard with rubber rail covers, 6 position Collapsible Stock, Bird Cage Flash Suppressor.
I’m really not trying to be a dick (it just comes naturally), but wouldn’t you be better served by bouncing around the forum and reading up on the various parts and pieces, or checking out the photo threads and getting ideas?
As to what to do with your carbine? Budget no object but limited realistically?
I’d sell it. I’d buy a Colt 6920 and I’d put an Aimpoint on it in an ADM or Larue mount. Take a class.
Research lights, install the make/model/mount that works for you. Take a class. One that has a night shoot.
What makes your situation different? 6920, Aimpoint, Surefire. Done.
Without any more information about your situation, “6920, Aimpoint, Surefire” is (and should be) the stock answer.
You started out with the wrong gun, ok. So then either sell it and start over with “6920, Aimpoint, Surefire” or just skip over the “6920” and go straight to “Aimpoint, Surefire”.
Well written… I now see where you are coming from.
My bad.
The intent of this weapon is for recreational use only.
The occasional pig hunt with the other prior guys in the area or maybe some drills to stay sharp.
This weapon is NOT intended for real “hard” use.
Even for home protection, I’ve got plenty of other weapons that are better suited.
My background and training in firearms stems from the Marine Corps where I was an operator in the Force Recon community for several years.
I’ve fired tens of thousands of rounds through similar weapon systems.
However, I am always open to further my skill set (thus the questions regarding taking a class).
The stickies are a wealth of info and again my bad for not providing more back ground and detail as to the use or intent of this weapon.
In your first post, you mentioned CQB. This does not equal “a plinker.”
The AR is actually best suited for personal/home defense (more so than any other weapon).
My suggestion would be to fix your BM and configure it with the optics and light I have mentioned. Then you would have a reliable weapon that is good for everything (not just dirt shooting).
Hunting pigs with the AR is FUN IMHO. Shot placement on pigs over 80 lbs or so with 5.56 is critical.
I have hunted hogs with a 3x Compact ACOG twice and found the magnification to be excessive the second time. I’ll be trying it with an Aimpoint next time.
I just picked up one of Grant’s package deals for a new rifle with anAimpoint C3 in an ADM mount for under $450. Good optic, good mount, and won’t break the bank. I went with the 2 MOA this time, and for hogs up close I’ll just turn up the brightness.
Grant’s suggestion of the Surefire M600C is a good one, and as he mentioned it comes with a tape switch as well. I’m dying to do a night hunt on some hogs to try out some lighting setups but haven’t gotten the chance and am not sure of the legalities locally.
Cecil, I highly recomend going through Grant’s upgrades, even if it is “only” a recreational gun. The upgrades he mentions are cheap, even free if you have the right tools.
As you plink and use your gun, you will become aware of any problems you might have with your BM and can fix them as they pop up, but if you go ahead, stake the carrier key, buy a BCM extractor upgrade kit, get an H-Buffer, and stake the castle nut, you will have a BM that has nearly everything fixed, a gun I’d bet on to work very reliably.
Add to that a few thousand rounds of use to check the gun’s function, and you can have a very reliable gun, that won’t fail you on a hog hunt.
As far as Training Courses, a lot of people wouldn’t blink an eye on buying the lastest and greatest $700 - 1500 Optic, but they’ll squirm when someone talks about a $400.00 carbine course.
Spend some time in the Training section of this forum and you’ll get a lot of ideas of some of the best instructors in the world. I fully recommend that you train from a few instructors so that you get get a varied of styles and philosphies so that you can form what works best for you.
Some of the names that come to the top of my head are:
Paul Howe (CSAT)
Larry Vickers
Travis Haley (MagpulDynamics)
Chris Costa (MagpulDynamics)
Jeff Gonzales (Trident Concepts)
Pat Rogers
Pardon me if I don’t list other very talented instructors out there, but these are the ones on the top of my head and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those folks.
BTW, to save you some asspain and further reading on optics, get an Aimpoint. However, if you insist on reading, read this excellent thread by USMC03: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=4209
I started with an Eotech, and while i loved it, I found that the ring around the dot was abit much for me. Im right handed, but left eyed dominate, so it puts me looking threw it kinda funny. I went with the Aimpoint and I have no trouble what so ever, its very fast, and the battery life is amazing. My rifle is setup for CQB as i use it on duty. Ive been considering getting another Eotech for Range days and general shooting… Im thinking if I train enough with one, I may can figure out a way to make it work for me. Right now im sticking with the Aimpoint.
While they can be blunt, Grant and Rob are two of the best we have here and their advice is golden. In fact, I am happy to see that both of them are quick to help yet another newcomer with questions that they have already answered many times over.
choices on the optics i’ll defer to others as my experience there is limited.
when you consider options for your light, think of which way will be easiest/most comfortable for you to operate it (remote switch, thumb switch, ect), do you want rechargeable, total lumens? Another factor that is important is the style of the illumination; “on”, “momentary on”, or “strobe”. many departments are now training the use of strobe style when searching buildings, and if your light isn’t set up for this, your thumb rapidly gets a cramp and your switch dies :rolleyes:. Some of newer lights have the strobe option in the switch. Main advantages of the strobe include disorientating a possible advisary, and the strobe effects makes it difficult for an intruder to get a track on your light (and subsequently a track on you).
nothing beats actual hands-on experience, so visit a good gun shop and see which light setup feels best for you. Once you have good idea of what you want, ask for specific feedback from forum members on their experiences with that light. Then pick on Grant.
