Firearms for Preppers, M16/AR15 series Rifle

The last couple of years, my nephew "Forest" has been working for these United States' ...., and one of his responsibilities is to carry a rifle and pistol for work.

Ha, you thought I was going to tell you? ; - )

His Rifle

Forest's Patrol Rifle

The M16/AR-15 series rifle has a flat-top upper receiver, Magpul ACS stock, ACOG sight, a Tango Down pistol grip, and a Magpul handguard with a broomstick vertical foregrip and a flashlight mounted.

The ACOG TA31F sight has an illuminated ranging reticule. Forest also has Magpul MBUS (Magpul Back Up Sights) as backup sights just in case the ACOG fails for some reason.

The flashlight is a (I forgot) with the pressure tape (turns the flashlight on/off) mounted to the broomstick vertical foregrip.

Now, I'm an old school soldier (I had a XM-177E1 style-rifle when I was younger) so I had a few questions about his reasoning behind his rifle.

The Collapsable Stock
Forest likes the Magpul ACS collapsible stock for many reasons. First, the stock locks in two places this keeps it from unexpectedly collapsing. Second, the stock allow him to adjust it to what he is wearing. Body armour - make it shorter; Summer uniform - make it longer; Winter uniform with bulky coat - make it shorter. Plus, a collapsible stock allows for a 'quicker' draw from his vehicle.

I like the ACS stock because it's a lot more comfortable then the old school XM-177E1 collapsible stock.

Handguard
Forest and I grew up with standard handguards that you would find on the M-16A2 rifle. Since he has become a ..., he has had a chance to use handguards with rails.

Forest likes them because he can mount a flashlight and the broomstick vertical foregrip on his rifle. For his line of work, the vertical foregrip allows him better control of his rifle, and the light ... well, it illuminates the dark.

He also like these handguard because they are more "grippy" then others that he has tried.

I tried the foregrip. As a former Infantryman, I think it would be a pain in the *ss shooting from the prone, but shooting standing, kneeling, or squatting. The broomstick vertical foregrip is kind'a comfortable.

Lastly, he cautioned me about selecting handguards made of aluminum or some other metal. He said they can get hot, if you fire a bunch of rounds.

The Scope and Backup Sights
At about $1.000, the ACOG sight with an illuminated ranging reticule is probably out of range for most preppers, but Forest sees the scope as a necessary cost for work.

So, I am not going to dwell on this too much, but I am going to tell you some of his thoughts.

* The lower priced ACOG scopes are OK.

* A red reticule is better at night, and a green reticule most folks will concentrate on

and,

* When choosing what reticule to purchase, go with what you know. Forest likes crosshairs because he grew up using crosshairs.

Lastly, you have to practice with your scope. Shooting at the ranges; your scope can handle.

Magazines
We were talking about magazines. He really likes the H&K 416 magazines. They are steel and very rugged, but at $40+ a piece, they are too expensive. He has tried and really likes Magpul Pmags, especially at $15 or less a magazine.

The Pmag is what he carries for work.

We also talked about US military M16 magazines. We decided they are the best for most preppers, inexpensive and plentiful.

M-4 with a C-MAG 100-round magazine
by
 Staff Sgt. Leopold Medina, Jr. 

Lastly, we got to talking about Beta Mag's 100 round magazines. Forest has used them. Forest said, if sand gets in the Beta Mag, it's finished. He also said, you have to use the special graphite lube that comes with the magazine, or it's finished.

Almost lastly, at $150 to $300 a piece, you and your family could buy 15 to 30 USGI 30-round magazine this would give you 450 to 900 rounds loaded, ready to shoot, compared to 100 rounds in the Beta Mag.

Lastly, he also said if the Beta Mag 100-round magazine jambs after the first three or four rounds, you are going to dump (through a magazine change) over 90 rounds of ammo. Ouch

Lastly,
Forest made a couple of good points while we were talking and one of those points stuck with me.

"You need to be great with your basic rifle before you add all these accessories to your rifle. Because all this stuff are just cheaters, they won't make you a better shooter."

Link:
Military.com: Kit-Up - AFG, Vertical Grip or No Grip
http://kitup.military.com/2011/11/afg-vertical-grip-or-no-grip.html