Is Less, More?

[NCGREENSWAMP13]

With all the gadgets there are for the AR rifle is it easy to over do it. What do you guys think about the fine line between necessity and too much. I'm not talking about "mall ninjas" but is it better to get rid of things you don't absolutely "need"? Or is a little coolness ok?

[Talon167]

Depends on what you're using it for, but I would keep it as simple as you can. For me personally, an RDS, BUIS, VFG, and light are all I like to have on my ARs.

[ghostsup]

Red Dot sight (T-1), Back up sight's, light, and sling attachments are all I have on both of my rifle's.

[texas48]

Red Dot sight (T-1), Back up sight's, light, and sling attachments are all I have on both of my rifle's.

Same here. Have a bipod in my kit but only used to zero, not a regular fixture


The hypnotized never lie

[Kain]

Depends. As has pretty much been said mission drives the gear. However, most can get away with a lot less than what they have. Do you need item X? Chances are no. My requirements for a general purpose fighting rifle would be good quality irons, a sling that is also quality, and a quality light in that order, this is assuming you have a quality and reliable rifle/mags/ammo already. An optic is nice, but I can live without it if I need to, and in fact sometimes prefer irons, again depending on the mission/purpose of the rifle. Optics are nice, but again can and will fail, have pulled up a dead Aimpoint at the range before, thank god for irons. Smart enough now I keep an extra battery on the rifle for it, but again. VG? No required, and while nice for some uses, they can get in the way, and I can often shoot just fine without. Nice trigger? Again nice to have, but as long as the trigger in my rifle isn't pure shit I can cope just fine. Hell was at the range today zeroing an old Bushmaster of mine that has been taken back to a irons only rifle with an old carry handle. Still has the original Bushy crap milspec trigger. Had no issue keeping M193 in a nice tight group at 50 and staying respectable at 100 meters. Grips/buttstock/rail is again a luxury that while nice again I can get by with A2 furniture if I must and still shoot the rifle well. Will I be as comfortable? No. I much prefer my Miad grips and fancy Magpul and B5 stocks, but again on a budget, or whatever I can get by without.

You don't need the kitchen sink, useless crap, and junk on the rifle for it to work. Get a good quality rifle, mags, ammo, irons(Fixed, back up, carry handle or whatever), a sling, and a light and then start looking at the luxury items like a good optic, nicer triggers, stocks, grips, rail(if your rifle doesn't have one factory), and the small things.

Now with all that said. Is less more? Honestly, in my opinion, would I strip down my BCMs of their lights, slings, optics, nice grips and triggers, BCM CHs, extended safeties, VGs, and stocks and feel I am better off? No. While not all items are mission essential, IE Magpul grips and stocks, extended safeties, BCM CHs, nicer triggers, optics(depending on the rifle's purpose), VGs, rail covers, ect) they do aid in function, comfort, and my ability to engage targets effectively. My bare basic bushmaster is a fun toy but would not be the first choice for a go to rifle set up, even if I did mount a light.

[Leftie]

As many have said, the mission dictates the equipment. I only put things on my rifles that allow me to better accomplish my goal. Personally, I like lighter rifles that are uncluttered, so I lean towards slick rails (particularly the NSR and KMR), iron sights (LMT and Troy are my preferred irons) a Grip Stop, a Surefire Mini Scout light, a Way of the Gun Proctor Sling and a BCM Gunfighter Mod 3 charging handle. I feel that this configuration enhances the AR platform's handling characteristics while not creating excessive clutter on the rifle. Am I opposed to mounting a powered optic or a red dot on the rifle? Not at all as long as it enhances my performance behind the rifle with minimal detriment. As long as you can run the rifle well, and you have a justification for what you put on the rifle, I see no reason to completely strip a rifle down to its bare essentials unless you feel a reason to do it out of principle.

That being said, I feel that mastering the bare essentials is critical to understanding what will enhance your rifle's characteristics.

[Eurodriver]

There is a whole lot of foolishness in this thread

How can anyone have a variable optic, tape switch for their sure fire, free floated rail, compensator, high tech buttstock and pistol grip, VFG, BAD lever, BAD ASS, sling,And still have a "less is more" rifle?

Sent from my iPhone with iron sights, plastic handguards, sling, and push button white light.

[Onyx Z]

For a fun gun, less is more. For SHTF, I like to have my Aimpoint with BUIS, a reliable light, and a sling.

[wildcard600]

as said above, mission dictates the equipment. for my general purpose AR's its irons, light, sling.

[JusticeM4]

as said above, mission dictates the equipment. for my general purpose AR's its irons, light, sling.

This.

FF rails/handguards are nice if its lightweight and good quality (BCM, Noveske, etc).

I usually set up my rifles the same way with a light and sling, then the optic/buis depending on use.