Hey guys! This is my first post here on M4carbine.net, I’ve read enough threads here in the past so I just figured I’d sign up! Anyways I bought a milspec AR from a small local shop called “Brother n arms” and have been pleased with it but I want to trick it out a bit. Currently I have a Vortex spitfire 3x, surefire x300 ultra, Blake Hole Weaponry 16" stainless steel 1/8 twist match grade barrel, magpie accessories, and I just ordered a Cryptic Coatings “Mystic Black” bcg. I have to save up a little but I’m looking into a Gisselle SD-E and eventually a suppressor. So here’s the question… Is there a single “king of the hill” is you will? I have no company bias I just want to know who gets the lowest decibels. Any other upgrade advice is also welcome.
Here is a pic of my current setup (- the beautiful CC bcg)
I’m not a fan of quad rails, and the current fashion is keymod or mlok handguards, typically significantly longer than carbine length (12" is pretty common on a 16" barrel, some people even go with 15" rails on a 16" barrel). Many options out there are slimmer and more comfortable, but that’s a personal preference thing. They usually cover the lopro gas block, which makes it harder to burn yourself.
Depending on your use, the SD-3G is an amazing trigger. I love mine on my shoot fast gun. If you’re shooting off a bench it’s a little touchy.
What are the specs of you rifle that leads you to believe it’s mil-spec? Tell us more about the specs, and perhaps we can offer suggestions as to upgrades.
Well it’s a milspec trigger, had a milspec barrel till I replaced it, milspec bolt carrier (just ordered a new one), and they said the receiver was “milspec”. I understand the term is often misused so maybe I was lead astray but it seems like a quality rifle. Also has a standard birdcage flash hider. And to previous responses yes I know what a crush washer is, I just didn’t want to fix it improperly if there was a correct way to do it.
It was a brothers n arms bolt carrier. They do all the manufacturing of their weapons in house. I was intrigued by Cryptic Coatings extremely low maintenance and low friction coefficient (.01) people do some pretty wild torture tests on them like no lube 2,000 round tests in a single day and they look brand new after you wipe them off with a cloth. Plus it’s 100% made in America with a lifetime warranty and looks bad ass.
Sell it, use some of that suppressor money to buy a BCM, Colt, or SIONICS of your liking, and go from there.
I don’t say this to put you or your rifle down at all, but it’s clear that there’s some inexperience in the assembly process. So I’d look at a rifle that you know will be built well from the factory. Or even keep your rifle and take a build class, plenty of gun stores/ranges have AR build classes that would be good to show you the proper way to install/time a muzzle device, what to look for in parts, etc.
But as far as general changes to make… I’d ditch the handguard for something lighter and longer (MI Gen 2 SS/SSK/SSM, BCM KMR, ALG Defense EMR, etc.), since you already have a low profile gas block. I’d also check that the barrel is dimpled for the set screws, and that the set screws are loctited in place. I would add back up irons as well, and of course the usual once-over checking castle nut staking, gas key staking, and find the heaviest buffer it’ll function with. Being a carbine, you should be able to use at least an H2, which’ll make a big difference if you’re currently using a Carbine buffer. Just run your lowest-powered loads to check function. A trigger is a great upgrade, but I might would hold off and give some attention to getting the rest of the gun squared away.
Thanks for the input. I have thought about selling but as far as rifle quality goes I think they’re up to snuff. They provide weapons to local law enforcement. Maybe I’m being naive but that is comforting to me knowing the rifles have been approved by someone who know a hell of a lot more than me. Thanks again and I’ll look into those build classes!
Just because some PD has them doesn’t make them quality rifles. Just means that a bean counter found them to be the cheapest(most likely reason that they got them), not because they were the best or even good. Contrary to popular belief cops are not weapons experts. Lots of departments have issued Bushmaster, DPMS, and other commercial brands. Doesn’t mean that they are milspec, or even in spec.
My suggestion would be to do more shooting with the rifle you have, and a lot more reading about the AR platform and go from there.
