Is Less, More?

[nate89]

That NCStar laser though..

[M&P15T]

Hell, attach a cat toy laser if ya want!!!!

I once bought a cheap, air-soft PEQ15, just for poops and giggles. All I wanted out of it was for the laser to work, but I busted it screwing around with it. If I hadn't, it would have been a perfectly usable item. It even had a pressure pad that (sort of) worked.

[SteveL]

I don't know what defines a "gadget" but I suspect many of us on M4C have more than just a BUIS, optic, weapon light, and sling. Examples would include QD sling attach points, enlarged trigger guards for those of us in cold climates, upgraded triggers, ambi selector, QD optic mounts, and non-A2 muzzle devices to name a few common upgrades.

It really depends on what you want to do with the rifle and what features your rifle already has as "stock".

I don't really consider the things you listed as "gadgets." The reason I say that is because one way or the other you're going to have sling attachment points of some kind if you have a sling, you're going to have a trigger guard, a trigger, a selector, some sort of mount if you run an optic, and most of us are going to have a muzzle device of some sort. I view these items as upgraded replacements and not as add-ons.

When I think of "gadget" I think of things like grip pods and those hand grip things that go on over the front of the magwell.

As for me, I have pretty much the same things as everyone else here: An optic, sling, light, and BUS. I also have a stubby VFG.

[wildcard600]

99% of ARs in this country are owned as toys, so what goes on them is basically immaterial. Even for HD/SD, there's really very little worries about what you chose to put on them, as long as it still works.

So, put whatever the heck you want on there, as long as the carbine is still functional. The chances that anyone will ever need to use their AR is a HD situation is extremely small. The chance that some accessory will hamper it's use in the extremely small chance it's used in a HD situation, is even smaller.

So, you can chose to look at your AR as nothing but a tool, and take a minimalist approach. Or you can also enjoy it both as a toy as well as a tool, and put whatever you want on it. Lights, lasers, bottle openers, whatever.

true, but when shit goes down i wouldnt want to find out at that moment that the NCstar shit that ive been using isnt up to the task or hampers my ability to utilize the weapon.

if you enjoy hanging shit all over your rifle then have at it, i just dont have take any enjoyment from such activities, thus my minimalist approach.

YMMV

[M&P15T]

true, but when shit goes down i wouldnt want to find out at that moment that the NCstar shit that ive been using isnt up to the task or hampers my ability to utilize the weapon.

if you enjoy hanging shit all over your rifle then have at it, i just dont have take any enjoyment from such activities, thus my minimalist approach.

YMMV

The operative word you used was "when", and that's highly assumptive. The better word to use is "if", as in the chances that any of us will use our ARs in anger is virtually 0. Don't get me wrong, I like to fantasize about some sort of zombie apocalypse, but it's just that.....a fantasy.

And since the odds are so low, if someone enjoys putting whatever on their AR, there's no real reason not to do it. As long as what you have actually works, or doesn't hinder the basic functioning of your AR, it's all good.

[wildcard600]

The operative word you used was "when", and that's highly assumptive. The better word to use is "if", as in the chances that any of us will use our ARs in anger is virtually 0. Don't get me wrong, I like to fantasize about some sort of zombie apocalypse, but it's just that.....a fantasy.

And since the odds are so low, if someone enjoys putting whatever on their AR, there's no real reason not to do it. As long as what you have actually works, or doesn't hinder the basic functioning of your AR, it's all good.

i own a weapon for "when" and not "if" however unlikley the odds. that is the same reason i have a spare tire, wear a seatbelt, wear full gear on my motorcycle, etc.

YMMV

[Brigand]

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?

I like Clint Smith's philsophy. Don't put stuff on your rifle you don't need. If it's a fun gun, do whatever. If it is for defense - remember, what can break or fail, will. You don't want stuff getting in the way, slowing you down or causing any issues.

Simply put, the advantages have to outweigh any possible disadvantages or problems.

The simplicity approach has another benefit. Less gadgets and nonsense keeps you focused on what really matters - fundamentals. Thinking and shooting. As they say, it's not the arrow, it's the Indian.

[TexasGunNut]

?........is a little coolness ok?

I like quality equipment but I think some colors are cooler looking than all black, so I have a few FDE mags and panels. On a purdy AR. Take my man card if you disagree, I'm too old and cranky to care. My go to Daniel Defense knock around AR looks like it's been drug behind tractor. It's been slicked down to a TR24, sling and a light mount. Wife keeps swiping my light out of the mount since I keep it by the back door. I almost always shoot suppressed so I guess I have to add that. Heck of a lot less than I used to hang and haul.

[TehLlama]

The operative word you used was "when", and that's highly assumptive. The better word to use is "if", as in the chances that any of us will use our ARs in anger is virtually 0

... and therein lies the midset of somebody who is unprepared should a low probability high severity even happen. Wildcard provided all the necessary analogies. Even hampering secondary functionality has the ability to create unsafe situations (i.e. having to dick around with garbage bolted to a rifle for people that find themselves overwhelmed just operating a motor vehicle would pose a safety danger to themselves and others with a loaded AR if they're trying to troubleshoot it.
I'm more concerned about people spending money to buy trash to bolt to a rifle instead of things like training, ammunition, or magazines. I see plenty of rifles with $500 of accessories when they'd be better served with a $200 basic course, a few quality magazines, and spending the rest on ammunition - instead it's a toy that the owner has the wrong idea about the capabilities of.

[MistWolf]

It was as a small boy carrying a rifle or shotgun nearly as big and heavy as myself, to go afield with my father and grandfather, that I learned to put nothing on my firearm that did nothing to help it take game better. It was a hard lesson driven home with every step of that last mile hiked back to camp