Ho ho ho, Santa came early (AR15 upgrades)

[Corey]

I was doing a Google search last weekend for a gun shop near me, and I found one just a few miles away down by my Toyota dealership.
I drive by this place daily on my way to work, and I never knew they were there.
http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/index

My AR15 is pretty much stock with the exception of a picatinny rail and a Grip Pod that Jim (the guy I bought my AR from) put on a few years ago.

I have been wanting to have some upgrades to my rifle for awhile now to handle zombies
Here is a list of what I had done today:

1. Viking Tactics Light Mount
It fits my new Surefire G2X Pro 200 lumen light I got awhile back, and also an older Surefire light I have that is 80 lumens.
The 200 lumen one is my camping/work light, so I will probably pick up a new Surefire 200 lumen light for the AR15 at a later date.

2. ERGO Z Rail 2 Piece Drop In - Carbine
The new rail allows the addition of the light mount above, and down the road maybe a combo Surefire laser/light unit I was gawking at today.

3. Magpul CTR - MIL SPEC Stock
I do not really care for the stock that comes on the AR15, I like the tactical stocks.
They just look darn sexy
It is adjustable too, which is a key feature.

4. Armalite M-15 Carbine Buttstock Kit
We did not use the stock that comes with this kit since I am using the Magpul one, but I needed a new buffer tube and the spring to mate the Magpul stock to my AR15.

I also found out that it is perfectly OK to use 223 ammo in a rifle that states on the barrel 5.56 NATO.
I had a feeling I could use the 223, and it is more readily available than the 5.56 ammo I have now.

Also looked at some magnification sights with red dot in them, maybe down the road.
That would be good for target practice.

The upgrades today though really changed the look of my AR15.
I will definitely be shopping there at Rainer Arms in the near future as they specialize in the AR15 and the other clone makes that are on the market.
They have a huge assortment in stock.

First picture is the way the gun looked from a few years back when Jim and I modded it some.
The rest of the pictures are from today.

Set the Surefire light to 200 lumens and turned off the desk lamp.
What you can not see is the white hot center circle at the center of the beam, the camera did not pick it up.
The light is very bright though, my coworkers are very impressed with it when I can light up the side of a building or way up into a tree at work when it is pitch dark out early in the morning.
Yes, we are working when most zombies are still napping after a hard nights feeding frenzy.

Closeup of the new rail and light mount.

The new Magpul stock.

 

[Mr. Leary]

I had a very similar setup on my AR-15 before I backtracked to reduce weight. Once I set up one of my AK-47s for heavy volume fire then I didn't need to have the bipod forgrip and side stack mags any more.

I think you will be very pleased with your current setup. The added weight up front provides the stability that you will require for putting down large volumes of fire towards approaching zombies.

I have always preferred quad rail setups due to the ease of changing configurations depending on what type of outing you are going on. I prefer EoTech optics for my tactical configurations and find that the modular magnifier works well on a flat top or quad rail setup. Not to mention there's tons of additional crap you can attach right there close to your off hand.

Can't beat a Surefire. Nice peice.

 

[Corey]

Thanks.
I am tempted later to pull the light ring that was put on today and get that Surefire laser/LED light combo.

I looked at a few optics today, and the Eotech one had a nice green arrow lit up inside, but no magnification.
http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/manufacturer&manufacturer=11
Not sure which model it was.

The Aimpoint (or was it an Acog) not sure, had a red dot inside with 4x magnification I think.
http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/manufacturer&manufacturer=10

I think that would be better for me where I like to shoot.
We do it up at Greenwater in the backcountry where most of my camping takes place, and the targets we setup are far out.

I think the only advantage to that Surefire laser/LED combo is if it was being used in a home defense scenario, the laser offers some intimidation.

I really need to get a Glock 17 9 mm or similar though for home defense, and it would be great too to have next to me in the roof top tent.

Oh, and someway to electrify the roof top tents ladder when sleeping.
Gotta keep those zombies on their toes.

Gosh I love that new The Walking Dead TV show

 

[Mr. Leary]

Eotech makes a 3x magnifier that is separate from the actual scope. It can be configured for mounting as a quick release attachment, so you add it when you need it, and take it off and shove it in your pack when you don't. Sometimes its nice having optics that have no magnification and work with night vision.

The Eotech scopes are also bomb proof, literally. They have a very robust design and will stand up to dropping, banging, submersion, and constant pounding from the elements well. I have a few buddies who used them in the sandbox who swear by them. One of the scopes used took a peice of shrapnel from an RPG and remained useable for the remainder of the battle of Fellujah (sp?). After hearing that story, I was sold.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Either you are a Glock person or you aren't. I'm not. The gun that sleeps next to me is either my Taurus Judge or my Baretta 92 FS.

I'm a 9mm fan. I think it is the ideal caliber for a home defense weapon. Some jacketed hollow points and a magazine capacity of 15 plus in full sized models ensures that if you hit, it will put some hurt on them, and if you don't, you've got a quick re-aquisition time and plenty of remaining rounds to make your point. Not to mention its cheap to shoot and there is never an ammo shortage of 9mm.

I had an aimpoint scope... had trouble with it handling the recoil. Several re-adjustments later and I gave up on it for my larger caliber weapons. I never tried it on a .223.

Lasers slow me down, so I don't use them. My eyes can aquire and focus faster if I'm not distracted by that little dot. Some people like them. Not for me, I suppose. They certainly do send a message very quickly that you mean business.

 

[Corey]

Thanks, I have seen those Eotechs with the separate piece that mounts in front, I always wondered why they were two separate pieces.

I guess I should go to the range, it is another six miles or so down the same road as the store I was at today.
I can test out a variety of handguns there.

Back in the early 90s I had a 9 mm Taurus that my brother picked up for me with a Miami Vice type holster, I liked it a lot.
Had to sell it during my first Boeing layoff unfortunately though.

I will have to ask my oldest son too what he used over in Iraq for optics.
He saw three tours there before coming home.
He saw the Grip Pods over there too like I have, but I think me mentioned he did not have one.
I like the Grip Pod, push a button and the two legs deploy like a bloody mary knife.

 

[Corey]

Question on slings.
My old sling is still on the old stock, and it looks like it will not work with the new setup.

What is a good sling to get?
I see Magpul and many others have them, but not sure how to attach.
I still have the stock sling mount up front, but the light ring that holds the light hits it, but I can move the light to a new position on the rail.

For the rear I am not sure how it attaches with my stock.
http://store.magpul.com/product/MAG310/83

There is a round hole on the stock, but it is near the top, not the bottom, and a square looking hold near the bottom.

 

[Metcalf]

You can loop the sling through the long slots. They are designed to take 1" webbing for the most part. For a dedicated 2-pt 'modern' style sling I like the vertical slot on the butt-stock, however, your generally going to want a side mounted sling loop on the forearm ( 9 o-clock ) in the vertical position. This will help the rifle lay on your chest/back the way you want without it trying to flip itself over or out away from you.

 

[Corey]

Thanks.
I ended up getting a quick disconnect that goes into that hold on the stock.
I will experiment with both the QD and using the slot in the rear.
The sling mount up front is a fixed one.

I will have updated pics this weekend of the stock sling with it, and another item I picked up.

 

[thebrassnuckles]

http://stores.homestead.com/Laruetactical/Detail.bok?no=86

I have this sling... It is very nice..

 

[jeeper92]

Hey

Im not trying to start an arguement. Im jsut curious, why do people need this kind of firepower? Again im just curious

 

[blazinid]

DUH! ZOMBIES....jeeeez some people:victory:

 

[thebrassnuckles]

Im not trying to start an arguement. Im jsut curious, why do people need this kind of firepower? Again im just curious

why dont they need it?

This kind of firepower, is only marginally powerful enough to take a deer at most hunting distances.

I use mine for coyote, squirrel, and rabbit eradication.

ground squirrels and rabbits dig tunnels that livestock, such as cattle, can fall into and break their legs.

I also use mine for paper punching.

I used my AK 47 to kill a rabbit 2 weeks ago..

 

[Mr. Leary]

Corey, I would recommend that you look into single point tactical slings. I really like mine. It sits close across your body and hangs down from the stock, allowing you to drop it and completely free your hands, all the while the weapon stays in the right position to be easily raised into the firing position. I have even seen retracting anchor points in front of the magazine that pull the weapon in close so it stays out of the way in case the need arises to run or maneuver in close quarters.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Im not trying to start an arguement. Im jsut curious, why do people need this kind of firepower? Again im just curious

Its a hobby. Why do you need a 4wd truck?