Rifle Upgrades for the AR Platform

I am purposely leaving out the make and model of this particular AR because I want the focus of this to not be on the gun itself, but rather the potential modifications you can make to it without breaking the bank. I think that nearly all of the readers here will agree that we are NOT made of money, and as someone who recently purchased a house, I am on a budget. The paint job was a combination of some rattle can Krylon and a mesh camo net, but Hawkeye just did an excellent piece on paint your weapon here.

Optics

I started off with a Primary Arms 1-6x with ACSS reticle. Having several of their other optics (the 3x Prism, the 2.5x Prism, and the 1x Cyclops), it was a no brainer for me. My original goal was a 1-8x with ACSS, but I found the 1-6x for literally half the cost and decided to forego the extra magnification. When spray painting the optic, I used painter’s tape to cover up the dials so that the numbers stayed legible and the knobs actually spin. I had covered up too much on the back end, so I just spray painted some duct tape and wrapped it around the optic. For the mount, I went with a Burris Optics P,E,P,R 30mm Scope Mount.

NOTE: If you can’t already tell, I don’t give a fuck about how it looks. My only concern is how it functions and how it will perform in the real world.

Even though the optic acts as a red dot on the 1x magnification level, I decided that I might want to add a canted red dot at some point. So, I purchased a Truglo Offset Picatinny Riser Mount and added it to the optic.

Bipod + Rail

I bought a cheap Harris style Chinesium bipod (the XAegis Carbon Fiber Rifle Bipod) for the front of the gun and attached it with a Magpul MLOK Bipod Mount attachment. I also attached a UTG Pro MLOK QD Sling Swivel Adapter and Braudel Sling Swivel Mount for the sling. Every weapon you own should absolutely have a sling on it. Normally I run a VTAC (like on my other AR with the 3x), but I went basic with a Kaylle 2-Point Sling (this will probably get replaced at some point).

I kept the stock hand guard, but I wanted to add some picatinny rail in front of the optic so I could potentially mount a J-Arm for a PVS-14 night vision monocular. I could only find one particular MLOK mount that would fit the uniqueness of this hand guard, the Viakey Offset Rail Mount (it has a sort of ridge down the middle on top with no MLOK slot), but most people with a standard MLOK hand guard could get away with these.

Stock

I kept the default stock on the gun, but wanted to add some height to the cheek weld. Unfortunately, I could not find a riser that would fit this stock, so I did it ghetto style. I bought a very cheap foam yoga mat, cut a piece, and duct taped it onto the stock. I have also heard of people using old foam sleeping pads for this as well. I added another quick detach swivel for the sling, which the stock had an attachment point for already.

Other Upgrades

The only other upgrade I did was change out the basic charging handle for a Strike Industries ARCH AR-15 Charging Handle Extended Latch. Running a few classes at NC Scout’s G Camp made me realize they were not a gimmick and absolutely essential.

Of course, don’t forget some Blue Loctite to secure all of your gear into place!

Hopefully this gives you a few ideas on how to upgrade your rifle without breaking the bank. Sound off in the comments what you would have done differently! Happy hunting.

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About the Author: Patriotman

Patriotman currently ekes out a survivalist lifestyle in a suburban northeastern state as best as he can. He has varied experience in political science, public policy, biological sciences, and higher education. Proudly Catholic and an Eagle Scout, he has no military experience and thus offers a relatable perspective for the average suburban prepper who is preparing for troubled times on the horizon with less than ideal teams and in less than ideal locations. Brushbeater Store Page: http://bit.ly/BrushbeaterStore

6 Comments

  1. Anonymous October 20, 2020 at 08:08

    5

  2. Matt Bracken October 20, 2020 at 08:45

    Just curious, what is the barrel length, and what is the total weight as described (scope, bipod etc) with a 30 round mag inserted?

  3. brunop October 20, 2020 at 14:54

    I’ve only got three comments:

    1. “Ghetto…”. Yup – and sometimes it’s the only way.

    2. “…cheap Chinesium bipod…”. I think “patriots” should spend as much money in the U.S. as possible. Amazon / Wally World is cheap, but that money is going to building the country and people who are planning your demise.

    3. Krylon FTW. I’ve got one gun with cerakote (and which I like the looks and utility of…), but the rest of them are Krylon and Aervoe rattle cans.

  4. Anonymous October 20, 2020 at 21:11

    4

  5. BePrepared October 21, 2020 at 09:29

    Pretty much every AR build I have has the BCM Gunfighter charging handle and the BADlever from Magpul and everyone of them has BUIS. I had to get canted BUIS on the AR-10 that attaches to the full length rail.

    • NC Scout October 21, 2020 at 10:10

      Nothing reinforces bad habits like the “bad lever”.

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