Several Newbie Questions

[Smitty79]

I used to compete in smallbore as a kid. Never very good. Eventually girls were a better way to spend money than rifles.

Fast forward 40 years. Want to start shooting again.
Bought a nice Ruger 40 and pump shotgun for immediate defense. Was going to wait on the AR until the current craziness settles down.

Was wandering through the gun store and there are a batch of S&W M&P 15 Sports for per-Newtown prices. Bought one.

First trip to the range was humbling. Had 2 jams in the first 12 rounds. Looks like an ammo problem. Stuff was local made. Put the Israeli stuff in, no problem. Old hands there suggested a 45 brush up the barrel. The front sight tool I bought, doesn't fit my sight. And most embarrassing, my middle aged eyes can't see the sights and the target well enough to sight in well for a 100yd zero.

1. What's the best way to adjust the front sight on this rifle? Pushing the pin in with a bullet and using pliers, seems bit rough on the equipment.

2. What tools should I have in my range bag to shoot this gun. Are there other ARs that need very different ones?

3. I think I can see well enough at 50 yds to sight in. I think I want to be about 2 in low with 3200 fps ammo. Then do the best I can at 100 and expect to hit around the middle. This about right?

4. To shoot well, I am going to need an optic. Seems like there are lots of reviews that like Primary Arms or Vortex. All the forums seem to say Eotech, Aimpoint or stick with BUIS. Hard to believe I need a $550 optic on a $700 rifle. Leaning Vortex Sparc. Am I wasting my money or risking my life?

[TunaFisherman]

Use the search button above, its your best friend on here.
Vortex are nice but heard they dont hold up well on 5.56, Primary Arms seem to get ok reviews also
Aimpoint pro matched with Troy back up sights is a good match.
I run Aimpoint, Nikon Ar and Leupold Mark Ar on my rifles. Magpul makes good sights for the price, but I prefer Troy.
Use search button there is a how to thread on sighting in your rifle.

Sight adjustment tool
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/259...ent-tool-ar-15
AR General Discusion at the top...here is example
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=7355

[Blak1508]

Look in the post above , and read through them all.. All types of neat info, and yeah you get what you pay for.

But yeah if you cannot find what you want there use the nice orange search button

[Degs]

Welcome! You picked a great forum to join.

(I'll leave the range answers up to the big guys)

For the front sight, push the pin down with the tip of the round, and use that to spin the post up or down.

As far as optics, what would you be risking your life on? If you are in fact planning on it being a home defense gun, spend the $500. And if/when said craze dies and you want a different rifle, you already have the optic.

[avengd7x]

there are a lot more informed and knowledgeable members that will help you out, but for me

1. I only use the tip of a bullet to adjust the front sight
2. I only take magazines, ammo, lube, a cleaning rod, and a multi tool with me to the range.
3. There are a few good resources on how to properly zero your gun in the stickies at the top of the forum
4. everyone here is going to tell you to buy quality for your optics. Aimpoint, eotech, and trijicon are commonly preferred for red dot type optics.

[Hmac]

What distance are you going to be shooting it at mostly? 50 yard plinker? 100+ yard varmints? Home defense? $400-$600 is what a quality optic costs...something rugged enough to hold up to repeated recoil without breaking or losing zero. Especially important if your eyesight isn't great. Get an Aimpoint PRO if your shooting is going to be 50 yards or less. Get a magnified optic if its going to be 50 yards or more.

As to your eyesight...it will be impossible for someone your age to focus on your front sight if you're using irons...you will need help from an optometrist. He can get you a correction that will let you use irons effectively, although I think of a good reason why you'd want to use only irons. If your distance vision is good (if it's not, you need to start there), even if corrected, you'll be able to use a red dot sight or magnified optic far more effectively.

[samuse]

You may wanna look through a red dot before you buy one.

I shoot with a couple of older guys who have and astigmatism and poor vision who don't do well with an Aimpoint at all.

One uses a Burris 1-4 the other uses a mini Acog of some flavor.

If you do end up liking a red dot, I highly recommend forkin' over the cash for an Aimpoint. I see many new shooters every year show up with cheaper optics that rarely make it more than a few days.

[T2C]

I use the tip of a Bic ball point pen to adjust the front sight.

[MistWolf]

...Old hands there suggested a 45 brush up the barrel...

NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Jamming a 45 caliber brush into a 22 caliber bore is a recipe for disaster. It will be much easier to jam that badboy into the barrel than it will be to get it out again. Your S&W is a good AR with few vices. It should shoot and function reliably with good ammo and proper lubrication. Remember MEAL- Magazine, Extractor/Ejector, Ammo, Lubrication. These are the things that affect AR reliability. Don't obsess over cleaning. Wipe down the bolt carrier group and run a patch through the bore now and again. Keep the rifle neat and lubed but it doesn't have to be surgically clean. Search the forums for threads on cleaning and lubricating, grab some popcorn and start reading.

It's awkward, but I use a bullet tip to adjust the front sight. Fortunately, it's not a chore that needs to be done very often. There are some good tools available.

My eyes are getting old as well. I find larger apertures work better for me. I bought an Aimpoint H1 Micro a little over a year ago and it's an absolute delight to use. Batteries life is measured in years with continuous use. The H1 doesn't even have an off switch, just a brightness dial.

If you buy a magnified scope and are on a strict budget, put the money towards optical quality and turrets that track accurately and skip the extras. Poor optics means eye strain, poor light transmission and poor resolution. Poor turrets means poor consistency.

Welcome to the forums

[matemike]

Congrats on your new gun!

Looks like you've got your answer for a front sight adjustment tool.

I prefer a 50/200 yard zero. Meaning with your standard 16" barrel, you'll be zeroed at 50 AND 200 yards with no adjustment. That being said, you'll be about 1" low at 25 yards and 1" high at 100.

Get yourself a sling, ammo, cleaning supplies, lube (froglube or CLP), and quality 30 round mags.

You'll want to save for your optic, something like an Aimpoint or ACOG can't be beat.

Lastly, maybe a light.

Besides the castle nut or barrel nut (you should not need to touch those), the entire platform and every accessory comes apart or is removed with regular household screw drivers and allen wrenches.

All that my range bag religiously has is eye pro, ear pro, a multi allen wrench tool incase a sight or grip comes loose, and spare batteries.

That should be more than enough to get you started and work for years to come.