The AR-15 and Preparedess

 

The AR is easy to set up for individual shooters

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Easy to use, low recoil, accurate, and reliable. These are all traits that make the M16/M4 variants successful in today's military. They are also great attributes to a general purpose rifle for the preparedness minded individual. Almost anyone can learn to shoot an AR well. With an adjustable length of pull due to the telescoping stock, they are great for smaller shooters. A base AR15 can be customized to fit any shooter and almost any mission, with little gunsmithing needed.

Continue reading after the jump.




Ergonomics- The AR is inherently ergonomic and can be adjusted for either a left or right handed shooter with long or short arms, or the amount of weight a shooter can handle in a rifle. The standard collapsing stock allows for you to change the length of pull, adjusting to different size shooters, or even whether the shooter is wearing body armor or not. The controls of the rifle are extremely easy to learn. Being able to switch from safe to fire without releasing the pistol grip is a big advantage over the Kalashnikov family of rifles.

Accuracy- Due to the low recoil of the round, the design of the rifle itself, and quality parts, most AR's come out of the box more accurate than most shooters are actually capable of. In the Army, everyone is expected to be able to put shots on man-sized targets at 300 meters, with iron sights. Obviously, in the civilian world, it would be hard to justify the need to "defend" yourself at 300m, but it proves that the rifle is capable of reaching out if needed.

Customizable- The AR is capable of being modified with very basic tools. The heart of the system, upper receiver, barrel, and lower receiver can usually be left alone if you purchase a base rifle with the qualities you want. You can also, with a few more tools and some basic knowledge, build a rifle from the ground up off of a serialized lower. The picture above shows the differences in two different individuals rifles.

The rifle on the left belongs to me ( Kyle). I am 6'5" tall, and use a C-clamp grip when shooting my rifle. The 15 inch Troy rail allows me to reach out and get the shooting grip I want. The Magpul MOE grip also fills my hand much more comfortably than a standard M16 grip. I use an Aimpoint CompM4, which is similar to the optic I used in the military, giving me full confidence about my ability to engage a target within 300 meters. Mike's rifle on the right uses a lighter, shorter Magpul MOE hand guard system, which for most shooters is a great option. It allows him to mount a vertical fore grip to index his grip on the rifle, and a white light for positive target identification in low light. As you can see, both rifles have been given the good old rattle can treatment for aesthetics and camouflage.

The amount of aftermarket parts for the AR15 is almost infinite. Let the mission (and your budget) drive your selection, and try to avoid overloading the rifle with unnecessary "upgrades." The only things we insist belong on a fighting rifle is a quality combat sling, quality iron sights (or folding back up iron sights if you intend to use an optic) and white light. Optics are a huge plus, and should be purchased as the budget permits. Yes, people did shoot targets and fight with iron sights for a long time, but an optic or scope will increase your capabilities.

Smaller shooters have little to no issues with an AR15.

Light weight Weapon and Ammunition- One of the key points of design in the M16/AR15 family of rifles was the search for a lighter rifle. An out of the box AR15 (with standard plastic hand guards) weighs under 7 pounds unloaded. A loaded standard AR magazine weighs just around 1 pound. Obviously, when you start adding lights, optics, and rail systems, things get heavier, but a bit of self control can still leave you with a very nimble rifle. That cannot be over emphasized when it comes to an emergency bug out on foot (when the rifle would be needed) or when you are talking about smaller shooters. In the end, a light weight rifle and ammo gives you the room for more ammo or other supplies.

Combat Proven- The M16/M4 variants have been in use since the Vietnam War, and after initial fielding issues, continue to prove themselves in combat today in some of the worst conditions in the world. Obviously, most people won't be taking their AR15's into firefights in desert or mountainous conditions, but having the knowledge that your weapon system won't quit on you is important. It is also worth noting that the AR15 has become extremely popular in shooting sports, and performs well there. Law Enforcement departments all across the US have also become using them as patrol rifles, alongside or sometimes replacing the shotgun in the cruiser as the long gun of choice.  Buy a quality rifle, maintain it as needed, and it should serve you faithfully.


At Dragoon Solutions, we always tell you to find the equipment that fits your mission. With the adaptability of the AR15, and the way it can be setup to fit all types of shooters and environments, it is easy to see why the AR is such an extremely popular choice in the preparedness community. The AR15 may not be the complete solution to your firearm needs, but for us, it certainly fills a large niche.
 

Kyle
DSPS
18FEB2014

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