A day of "Back to Basics"

[GriffonSec]

I don't post often, but read quite a bit. There's several threads on parts and upgrades and after that afternoon of shooting, I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd post up.

This past Sunday, an employee of mine brought a friend up to the house to shoot his 2 new rifles. He picked up 2 Colt 6920's from Wally world right before the buying frenzy, a standard and MOE version (997 and 1097 price on each). He has never fired, handled or disassembled the AR platform before, so it was a complete learning experience for him (and in the end, myself as well). I'm not a high speed instructor whatsoever, but I went over disassembly, sight picture, trigger and safety controls and what I expect for range safety we walked to the range lane behind the house and started a few dry drills, then I checked zero and was pleasantly surprised the Colts were dead on for me out of the box, and a 2 click adjustment in the front sight post for him. I set up an 8" steel plate and we began to shoot at various ranges ~25, 50 and 75 yds and the 3 of us were very constistant ringing steel with about every shot.

What was nice about the day is shooting a factory stock rifle with iron sights. I had an absolute blast and thought, this is so basic but fun, and found myself shooting just as well as if I had my "tricked" out SBR. Sure, aside from the MOE version I had some light "ergonomic" issues with the round M4 handguards and standard pistol grip, missed my VLTOR stock a bit, but both rifles were a joy to shoot, plain jane out of the box.

I suppose my point, if there is one, is in a world where we almost instantly modify rilfes out of the box with whatever the latest greatest doodad is, I think the basics get left behind sometimes and take away from the fun of just shooting the damn gun.

My relatively plain jane 1985 SGW A-1 is definitely getting more range time now just because it's so basic it's fun again.

Anyways, apologies if it sounds more like rambling than anything else, but I felt the need to share....[BD]

[rob_s]

The rifle I've been shooting more than any other lately is my BCM Dissipator for exactly those exact same reasons. MOE forend and VFG and fixed A1 Cavarms stock, and Troy rear fixed iron sight. I'm enjoying simply pushing the basic gun as far as I can to test myself, and I'm finding that I give up almost nothing to the guys with all their untested new hotness.

The one thing that has come out of this, for me, however, is that an RDS or low powered fixed optic is absolutely the one upgrade that is worth the cost and weight. More so than triggers, brakes, free-float handguards, etc. it's the optic that can produce measurable improvements, primarily in time or in accuracy within a given time. I can shoot as tight, if not tighter, a group with irons but it takes me much longer, and it takes me longer to get the first hit.

Getting back to basics can really help sort out what is really necessary and what is just fluff. And taking a gun full of excuses and spanking the shit out of a guy that's using a gun slathered in new Internet hotness is its own special kind of satisfying.

[GriffonSec]

Saw that build in the "Explain your AR" thread, which is kind of what made me think of posting what I did.

I'm still working out the red dot I currently have. I'm faster on target with irons, simply because I'm trying to get past the red dot not being a precision scope and chasing the dot around like a lot of folks do with lasers on pistols. I agree, though, a good red dot is definitely a plus, once you get the proper use down.

My A-1 is setup only with the MOE handguard and the old original VLTOR modstock. The old factory trigger was the best I've ever had until I inadvertently buggered it up chasing problems in another build. It has the Spike's NiB coated now that I ended up with for free, and works just fine. I like my SSA trigger, but don't think I could justify the cost over most of the factory triggers I've used. The triggers in both Colt's were quite nice.

At the end of the day, I broke out the 6.8 and let him fire it, it's wonderful to shoot and when he finished, he asked "What do I need to do to mine?". I told him to do nothing, just shoot it as is for a long while. There's nothing wrong with box stock.

[Paulo_Santos]

Funny, that in the last few years the only things that I've mounted on my AR's are the BUIS, T-1, V-TAC 2-point sling, and weaponlight, and the BAD ASS.

[csmith]

When I assembled mine last year I thought of all of the things I'd have to buy to make it like our issued rifles. I ended up getting a Magpul rear sight, MIAD grip (because who really likes the A2 grip?) and an Aimpoint PRO (to mimic the M4S we're issued, but at a hell of a discount). The KAC rail, flashlight and all that other madness? Keep it, I'll stick to simple.

[Stickman]

RDS get rounds on threats faster. Anything else is secondary.

As always, people need to understand what they are doing, and why they are doing it. Otherwise they are spending money just because it feels good, though obviously that is cool too if they make the scratch to play around that way.

[rob_s]

RDS get rounds on threats faster. Anything else is secondary.

As always, people need to understand what they are doing, and why they are doing it. Otherwise they are spending money just because it feels good, though obviously that is cool too if they make the scratch to play around that way.

This is true. I am not some "KISS" whacko, looking to keep irons because I'm afraid of the after affects of an EM pulse or whatever.

I believe there is training value in stripping down and getting back to basics. I learned this the first time when I spent a year with an AK and started with the basic gun as it came out of the box. In relatively short order I found some items that I simply had to replace, and very shortly after that I learned that some of those items were wholly unnecessary. The year culminated with my taking high shooter at a Pat Rogers class against 23 other shooters with ARs, and I realized that the AK may be a hindrance for me, it still left me ahead of 23 other guys. Other guys running the "better" gun/optic/trigger/flux-capacitor/proton-pack/etc.

My experiment with this Dissipator is, for me, simply a way to get in touch with the basics, and to validate what I think I already know which is that 99% of the crap we bolt to these guns are luxury/vanity items and crutches. Ignoring people's right to set their own money on fire as they wish, if an item adds cost, weight, or complexity but does not produce tangible, quantifiable benefits then it is probably, strict,y speaking, not worth the money or the time it takes to install it and learn to use it.

Of course, that's not a popular option in a market that relies on MOAR!

[Taco John]

If people want to pay outragious prices because they want an item even though they do not need it it is on them. There is no price gouging in the AR market. I am from South Florida and I can tell you aboubt price gouging.

[markm]

We've done this too. My shooting buddy brought out a bone stock 6920. Feels strange to go shoot a dry rifle. I also put an 11.5 with the round OEM colt handguards together.

There's a certain beauty to a slick carbine.