I had an engineer explain to me that the reason why the pin on the standard charging handle fails is because people tend to one finger the charging handle. it is clearly designed for two fingers. I know I prefer one finger. But by using one finger on the left side we overextend the designed travel of the latch, thus putting all our force into that one pin and not the handle housing. Modern designs make use of over extension protection.
Currently doing a 7.5" 300 blackout backpack build. On pretty much all of my AR pistols/rifles I use Aero m4e1 enhanced lowers, Radian ambi safety 45 degree, Magpul K2 grip, BCM vertical grip, Midwest Industries handguard or Aero Precision handguards, Ballistic Advantage barrels or HM Defense Monobloc barrels and for bcg I only run HM Defense HMB Bolt. If you haven't tried HM Defense monobloc barrels and the HMB Bolt, you're missing out. Great video/information as always!
Well the time you took to edit this video seemed well worth it because this video came out very good and felt very high quality. Your videos keep getting better and better and you can tell a big difference between the time you started to now. Enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next one.
For reliever slop there are also receivers that have screws right next to where the grip screw is that you can tighten to press against the rear takedown lug
I started shooting with a bare bones US Army M-16. Then moved onto a USMC colt M-16A1. I qualified as "Rifle Expert" in boot camp and kept my expert status year after year during my active duty. I eventually moved onto the M-16A2 (which I hate.) But, I learned and developed my marksmanship using a standard shake and wobble government issue rifle. I now have several makes and types of AR rifles and pistols that I personally have built. Some have fancy accessories, and some don't. But I shoot them all to the best of my ability and they all work perfect. Learn marksmanship. Don't expect your rifle to make up for your shortcomings.
@sigo2007 no this video is about buying a cheap rifle, then putting all the expensive parts in it that come standard in expensive rifles and essentially buying an expensive rifle one part at a time...
@@sigo2007no this is a advertisement video putting accessories on a rifle does nothing to make it better. He clearly says to make your cheap gun look high end and expensive. If you want a better rifle then you focus on trigger, springs, buffer spring, buffer weight, adjustable gas block. But you can spend a million dollars on rifle but if you’re a shitty shot then you’re still going to be a shitty shot. A marksman can pick up any gun and shoot accurately that’s why the military teaches basic rifle marksmanship and so may go through advance marksmanship. The person who holds 3 world records has the 1-3 spots confirmed kill from over 2mi. Dude only had a scope and prism on his rifle. How does a hand rail help your rifle shoot better, or a charging handle, a grip on a rifle, or butt stock? The collapsible butt stock was designed to shorten a rifle for cqb. Making it easier, faster and safer to clear houses instead of having to constantly manipulate a rifle to fit through door ways. Then to expand while in open traditional warfare. It also helps ppl who have a short arm spand to adjust the butt stock for a better grip
The way I found to eliminate slop between the upper and lower was to cut strips of electrical tape and put between the two parts. This takes up the slop with a rubberized buffer and stiffens it right up. A perk of electrical tape being black is that you generally cannot see it, even when the AR is taken apart, and it stays in place until you peel it off
this is the correct list. Based on 90% of the recommended parts in this video its clear why this Channel didn't list "Quality components with good QC" lol.
Radian safety - $60 Grip - $20 Decent mlok rail (bcm, midwest) $150- $200 Geissele trigger - $240 Raptor CH - $80 B5 sopmod - $60 A5 Buffer system/other buffer spring upgrades - $50 - $100 Muzzle brake - $80 - $150 Total upgrades about $750 - $1,000 My opinion, only thing left from the original gun is BCG, barrel and receiver....if you are going to do all this upgrading, just build from scratch with decent parts all around. Also, once you upgrade all these parts on your "cheap rifle", I argue you no longer have a "cheap rifle" bc you just added $1,000 in parts.
Exactly. Or just wait for a good $1500 price range gun goes on sale. Just saw the POF minuteman AR15 on sale for $1299. That is a gun that is good to go right out of the box.
Going from a Newb to a legit gun guy you have come miles in a short time, not forgetting your roots!! You are helping other new guys class up their 1st builds so they put the money in good places to give them a happy product at the end! Good job man!!!
@@nicg9599 poor newb. You sound like you live in arfcom general discussion. I see a lot of noobs go out and buy hundreds of dollars worth of tier 1 crap to put in their basic cheap ARs just to look cool like you. You know a lot of these top tier parts are made by bulk suppliers and passed off at much higher prices. These are facts.
Hey, so just a little trick. Instead of putting duct tape on your buffer tube, get some of those velcro dots at any craft store, they have both the hook and the fuzz side. Take a couple of the fuzz sides of the pairs and put them on the INSIDE of your butt stock. Usually one on each side. That does the same thing as wrapping duct tape on the buffer tube except since it's inside the stock you will never see it. You can even use super glue if you live in a hot climate to make sure the dots don't come loose if the adhesive gets too hot. Instead of spending big bucks on a new stock you can achieve the same thing with a couple bucks. Best part is, if the dots wear down over time with adjusting the stock you can always add a couple more since they're so small and you get a bunch of them in the pack.
Another thing to prevent slop is if you're about to build a rifle, budget or not, get an Aero Precision stripped lower. That have a screw that adds tension to the upper and eliminates play or slop.
One thing I noticed you forgot is a good buffer spring and buffer can help a cheaper gun a lot! The manufacturers usually cheap out on those two parts.
I definitely prefer the terms "expensive vs cheap" because I hear too many people use the terms a "nice ar vs a cheap ar". I truly think that any AR can be nice without being expensive. I've shot Daniel defense ARs and I've shot Smith and Wesson sports and I've had fun on both guns and honestly I've shot a sport with a few upgrades that I liked more than the DD rifles. I think it's truly important to customize your AR to you whether that costs you alot or not just depends on the requirements you come up with for your rifle.
For a GREAT budget trigger, I use ALG's ACT -- ALG is a Geissele sister company btw..... drop in a JP Enterprises 3.5lb trigger spring, and you have a smooth consistent pull ready for competition shooting. I also upgraded to the Geissele Super 42 rifle length buffer spring in my LR-308 build. Relatively inexpensive upgrade, but huge difference, especially paired with a tunable gas block!!! LOVE the Atlas handguards, very light weight & very comfortable even without covers & shooting without gloves!
You can do way better than the ALG for less by polishing the sear surfaces on a mil spec trigger, installing a pre-travel grip screw, and if you want to getting a safety predrilled for a over-travel set screw or doing it yourself. This is about $20 bucks and you can get a smooth trigger with a shorter travel and reset than the ALG.
Don't think i missed it in the video, but i didn't hear anything about upgraded buffers! They provide a huge upgrade in feel. Not including silent recoil buffers, I prefer H3 buffers and although most H3 weight is produced by tungsten weights, my favorite one is made by Spikes Tacfical. They have one made with tungsten powder. No buffer slap when cycling because the powder reacts differently under force when cycling. Check it out when you get a chance.
Regarding upper receiver/lower receiver slop, I’m reminded of my AR-15 Armorer Instructor absolutely condemning the use of AccuWedges or any other product that is pushing the upper receiver away from the lower receiver. Receivers are made of aluminum. Take down pins are made of steel. When you put a high round count through the weapon, the recoil combined with the steel pins pushing on the softer aluminum will slowly widen the holes. Thus, making the problem you were trying to correct even worse. Eugene Stoner knew what he was doing. The receivers were designed that way for a reason.
Very true! There's no long term solution to the slop, except hand fitting the upper to the lower. That is unless you want to cause more problems. A good trigger, a good buffer system, and proper lubrication help a bunch. Once it's broken in.... Shazam.
You showed the BCM as an example of the expensive gun. I own a couple of BCM's. The thing that drew me to them is their attention to quality control and customer service. The fact that the owner is a 2A guy is icing on the cake.
Not sure if this has been discussed yet, and if so, I apologize as I haven’t had time to read through the comments yet. When I modified my SBR for use during entry and room clearing, I replaced my pistol grip with a more vertical grip which when it is shouldered, it tends to make one’s arm come closer to one’s body rather than with the regular pistol grip which makes one’s elbow stick out farther from one’s body. I like having the minimum amount of me sticking out exposed to fire.
I agree with tons of this. PSA all day, with a Magpul K2+ grip, BCM charging handle, LaRue flat two stage trigger. Love the newer PSA hand guards. Super thin, top rail only front and back. Love it. Can't go wrong.
There is a definite quality difference, I own some PSAs and some other brands including ADM and PWS. I have no problem with pointing out a PSA to most budget people if it means getting a better optic or more ammo. Just with the warning to double check the milling, threads on parts and torque of any barrels installed. 2 out of 3 pre assembled PSA uppers I had needed to have the barrel dimpled for the gasblock and two of them (one of which didn't need the dimpling) did not have the barrel fully seated and torqued; easy fixes. Also the barrels are meh, there is a definite difference in MOA shift between the FN barreled ones (of which one of my 3 are) and the nitride ones. Ironically that FN is an A4 clone and after repeating and torquing the castle nut changed from a 3MOA to a 2.5MOA rifle on bags.
Also if you are going to get a PSA, spend the $60 for a spare bolt, none of the ones I received were MPI marked, and even if they were, milspec bolts are trash and have a short life span. If this comes off like trash talking, it's not. It's good enough for to protect my mother so I could spend the money on a weapon light and aimpoint optic for her aging eyes.
@asymsolutions I generally do my builds with FN or another branded upgraded barrel rather than a PSA barrel. Like you said, "meh." I seem to have good luck with the rest of the components, including their premium or toolcraft BCGs.
So sounds like by the time you add all these accessories, you’ve got an expensive AR. 100+ bucks for the butt stock. 75 bucks for pistol grip. 100+ bucks for the charging handle. 50 bucks for the safety. 100+ bucks for the handguard. 150+ 23:20 for a trigger group, Buffer springs and weights, muzzle break, , etc etc etc. Easily 500 bucks or more in additional accessories. May as well buy a higher end AR to begin with. I’d really love to see a breakdown of how much was spent on the PSA rifle to begin with and then how much was spent on each of these accessories, plus in total, to make your “cheap” gun “feel” expensive.
#1 all rifles---Pop up or iron sights. Anyone who has never dropped a rifle never left the range. Slings are another must but won't necessarily stop damage if you fall, tumble, or go flying and a broken optic=no optic. Unless you are really good with pointing and squeezing and hitting inside 50 or 75 m/yards then it doesn't matter if it's a $500 or $5000 + rifle if you are praying and spraying.
Spend the extra money on the scope so it doesn’t break from a fall, I won’t be spending any money on irons that I will never use. “But what if what if what if”, and what if a trigger spring fails you going to have one them in your pocket? If you drop a rifle from a height that breaks a scope then your irons are probably screwed to, personally I’ve never had a scope break from a fall. Not in any meaningful way anyway as one of my center points is missing a lens cover from a sling failure. Back up sights had a place when scopes were unreliable and fragile, that’s just not the case anymore. Besides at the cost of irons now you could put a cheap backup scope on your rifle
No I’m not telling others to not have irons if it makes them feel better, just pointing out that the realistic odds of them actually being needed in the field is about the same as winning the powerball.
Regarding the “O” ring fix, you can get #7 rings at Home Depot for stupid cheap. Like a bag of 100 for $2. So yeah they break, but they’re cost is stupid cheap. I’ve read on forums that the “accuwedge” over time starts braking up into small pieces and sometimes they can get into the trigger group.
The LaRue Tactical grip feels like you can drive the whole gun with one hand! It has a rear blade to rest on the lower knuckle of your wrist. You should really check that one out!
Daniel Defense’s vertical grip is awesome. Unfortunately I had to order the “tornado” color because they were out of black but it’s just a light black and looks good still. Super light weight with a rubberized grip. Goes perfect with my ERGO Grip. Btw, if you have $20 and want the best upgraded A2 grip, then check Ergo Grips. They are fantastic!
I just picked up an AR-15 from a pawnshop down the road for $660… did my research while I was standing there and after seeing comparing to all the rest I bought it instantly (they had JUST got it in that morning. I didn’t tell them anything of course) it has a few great aftermarket parts that actually puts the gun at a price around $1700 ($1400-1300 used). Other than the stock and the annoying safety, this set up is absolutely clean… I’ve never been a picky shooter, but a steal of a deal is always a great feeling
The great thing about cheap AR's, you can always upgrade them. Buy what you can afford and go from there. The best upgrades I did are Grip, Trigger, and Muzzle Device (3 prong Compensator), which all made my shooting experience more pleasant. Now if you upgrade everything talked in the video, you have spare parts so you can build a AR yourself if you haven't done so before.
I would have to agree. Buying a cheap AR isn’t really a big deal as long as the lower receiver is decent because that’s the only part you’re kinda stuck with. You can buy a complete upper and any of the parts to dress the lower and make a gun that was cheap into a very high quality gun.
@@JG54206 Yep I have to agree Based on my visual experience. It’s not very often, but every once in a while you get That certain breed of AR junkies at the range that Initiates that concept with Pure success. These kind of Shooters could either care less or have little to no knowledge about what kind of what kind of receiver sets they’re are rocking, nor do they care about many other things on that gun. As long as they have superior BCG’s, Triggers , barrel, optics, and as long as the magazine doesn’t fall out, then they are good to go. And these are the kind of people that take their guns to hell and back without failure.🚀✨🚀✨🚀
@@TacticalToolboxI honestly hate the flat cmc trigger I’m currently rebuilding my ar that I bought from dunhams currently parts I got are the magpul moe grip stock is the b5 system sopmod enhanced charging handle is the breach trigger is the cmc drop in trigger sling is a doul single point sling or 2 point sling can’t remember the brand handgaurd is tacfire 15 inch handgaurd and magpul vertical grip I’m currently looking for a new safety for ambi
We have Houge grips on all our ARs.. #1 Found the best model is the straight fingerless no grove version with the beavertail, It is also fits women or smaller finger/ handed person better since it's thinner to get around it/ more solid grip..#2 It's heavy softer rubber coated, That absorbs shock and recoil!. #3 You get a better grip especially wet but also dry over any of that hard plastic crap!..
For a budget charging handle that looks and feels good, I really like my trybe ambi charging handle. Personally, I hate ambi safeties. Milspec safety's do just fine for me and they operate smoothly if you put a little oil on the contact points. I have a magpul moe stock, and instead of putting tape on the buffer tube, heres a pro tip. Put it on the inside of the stock. You can't see it and it works like a dream.
i gotta say charging handles are way overpriced. there are shitty ones out there but a 20 dollar charging handle feels the same to be as a 100 dollar one.
I just use the mil spec cheap ones. I figure since the military does trials, they would know if the charging handle is good enough. You use it like 1 time when shooting, as long as it doesn't break it could be a bent wire for all I care.
@@Trumplican i still rep the trybe on one of my builds, but I picked up a pws that comes with a radian charging handle from the factory, and the fit and finish is much nicer. The difference is noticeable, so if you can pick up a blem for $50ish, Id say its worth itl
@@timd729 the only reason why i think ambi handles are infinitely better is that its much easier and much more intuitive for a right handed shooter to lock the bolt back whether that be for clearing a malfunction or whatever. On top of that, its just easier to grab onto if you ever shoot with gloves on.
@@timd729 I am with you. My first rifle had the fancy BCM charging handle with the fancy BCM comp. All the rest have mil spec charging handles with A2 birdcages and normal selector switches. The charging handles are lower profile and don't snag on stuff or dig into you. They are also easy to use with gloves. They pull the bolt back every time.
As far as grips go, the grip I like the most is the he ATI AR-15 / AR-10 X2 AR-15 Pistol Grip, from MSR arms. Everyone that's shot mine loves feel and placement. It actually feels a little bit strange at first, but after handling it for a while, they really grow on you. (And no, I'm not associated with this company) just sharing my experience.
Man I’m digging all of your videos! I’ve been building for about a 1 1/2 years now, some things you talk about, I have been doing, but it’s sooooo much I haven’t learned. Great info you’re sharing!
One of my AR’s an older Spikes Tactical. It has always had some wiggle between the upper and lower. I tried the o rings, but they broke so often. I then tried strips of aluminum tape and it worked well and lasted a lot longer. I’ve recent installed some JP Enterprises oversized pins. The upper/lower fit is now rock solid.
@@Metal1USMC Lol, yeah, Spikes is cringy. At the time, it was one of the affordable "milspec" options. The BCG is actually gtg. The quad rail they used is made by Seekins. It's fairly accurate and other than the looseness, it's been a good rifle. I have since put a JP Enterprises oversized front takedown pin and the receiver play is gone. The spider logos? Yeah, I could do without them.
To take out receiver slop go to home depot and hit the section with mailboxes and signs, get one of those "no smoking" decals that are metallic silver 2"x7" or so and cut a small u shape out of that'll fit around ur front lug. If u prep it right it doesn't come loose or deteriorate for a long time and you can cut new shims out of the same decal for years.
I put DD furniture on an AR build. It feels good, no wobble, and is lightweight. The trigger guard is integrated into the pistol grip which improves the comfort of the middle finger of the trigger hand.
I like ErgoGrips on my guns. Nice rubberized grips available in different colors, and they're rock solid. No storage, but no big deal; lots of stocks nowadays offer storage. There is a major issue with 45-60 degree safeties: if your thumb rides up in recoil, you can unintentionally engage the safety and leave yourself with a dead trigger. A 90 degree safety prevents this. Also, grip angle factors in whether a given ambi safety will impact your trigger finger, with a slightly shallower (and more modern) grip angle tending to position your trigger finger lower. For triggers, I like the KE Arms Enhanced Mil-Spec for budget upgrades ($35 gets you a very nice single stage that's great for target work). For more money, the JP Rifles JP Fire Control Kit.
Good video other than around 19:45 till about 20:20 with regards to Forged parts and slop. The forging process and resulting blank has absolutely *ZERO* to do with this since all contacting / mating surfaces between the upper and lower and all other mating parts still have to be machined (and are *_"CNC'd"_* at that 99% of the time). *ANY* and *All* slop is a result of machining tolerances held along with setup and machining order processes. To do it right and have a very tight fit with virtually zero slop, there is a substantial increase in the time from raw forging to finished and ready to assemble part and this reduces profit or necessitates a substantial increase in price so basically corners are essentially cut with regards to setup and tolerances are done to MIL spec (which is very loose) so parts still fit together. By starting from a billet blank (i.e., a rectangular chunk of raw material cut from a piece or bar stock), the manufacturer has full control over all datum surfaces since they are being machined in during the process so any and all subsequent setups are much less time consuming as fixturing is easier to get precise positioning and thus the part can be machined to tighter tolerances with greater ease. This also has to do with whether or not the manufacturer is also machining the uppers in house too. If they aren't, then they still tend to have to use looser tolerances because they are at the mercy of the tolerances held by the upper manufacturer. With using MIL Spec Tolerances, forged parts are both stronger and faster to produce (much faster to machine since there is significantly less material to be removed) but at the expense of slop All in all, a forged lower can be produced that is so tight, its almost impossible to fit together with the upper if one wanted to do so but it is very time consuming which is not profitable for a manufacturer.
Just started grabbing firearms due to fomo thanks to the current status and direction of gov and where it’s declining to. Anyways I’ve used so many of your videos as reference to narrow down the options on parts to my builds that has saved me so much money and so much time. Amd the time is worth more than the money
Years ago I got a Ruger MPR. Excellent trigger. Chromed CHF barrel. But the upper and lower wobbled like a rattle toy. Used a rubber o ring, and it feels so much better.
For the price of both the Oppressor + JComp a suitable alternative is waiting on a sale of the Witt Sound Mitigation Device. I got mine for around $130 during an Independence Day Sale
There are two ways to tighten lower to upper looseness that weren't mentioned. One is a "u" shaped brass shim which fits into the upper receiver, it must be sanded to fit, but it removes all looseness. The other only works on some lower receivers. These receivers have a drilled and tapped hole directly under the take down pin, when a nylon tipped set screw is threaded into this hole it will push the takedown pin boss in the upper receiver upwards eliminating looseness, the set screw is then locked into place with another setscrew behind it. The "U" shaped brass shim is called AR-15 AccuShim (under $20.00). The nylon tipped set screws are available on line. If your lower doesn't have the hole it can be drilled and tapped, although many do not have the skills necessary. To take pre travel out of the standard trigger, grip screws are available with a small tapped hole in the center which is used reduce trigger pre travel. Follow the instructions carefully, as over tightening could cause an unsafe condition.
Also use grease on the buffer spring instead of oil. Wheel bearing grease on the buffer spring fixes that twang and spring scrape noise in the buffer tube.
I highly recommend trying Daniel defense I own seven ARs two of them are Daniel defense and they are by far my favorite to shoot they are very tight, smooth well functioning, no slop.
Love the video. Well done. I use hot glue instead of an accuwedge. Put a good drop in the back of the lower receiver (under the rear lug) close the receiver push your rear pin in wait 30 secs. The piece that comes out is perfectly molded to your gun.
I’ve had slop problems with my Frankenstein builds. But from my experience, if the upper and lower are from the same company, (like my Spike’s Tactical). I’ve had no problems.
My ar15 build list: Radian lower receiver. Velocity drop in trigger. Jp industries silent captured buffer spring and tube. B5 systems stock and grip. Adm mod2 16 inch, 223 wylde, 1:8 twist complete upper receiver (comes with radian raptor charging handle). Magpul mbus pro iron sights. WPS sling.
21:00 I do body-fits on Indycars. That means I get rid of all of the gap between panels. If I want to remove the gap between the engine cover and the sidepods, I'll wax the sidepods where the engine cover fits against it. Then I'll sand & grind the part of the engine cover where it fits against the sidepods. Then I'll put Hysol glue on the edge of the engine cover where I ground it and I'll bolt the sode pods and engine cover to the tub of the car. Let the glue dry, then take it apart, sand the glue slag flush with the side pods and now there is no gap for air to get into when the car is going 200+ MPH. A guy could do the same to upper & lower receivers. Either use the glue that I use on racecars or use JB Weld.
Aero precision makes a lower that you can tighten from underneath the grip to completely tighten the slop. I have this lower mated to a psa upper and it was SUPER sloppy until I tighten it. Now have virtually no slop at all
@@TacticalToolbox the one I picked up a few years ago has one, so they've had them for a little while now. I believe all of their current AR15 lowers offer an upper tensions screw. Pretty handy.
Or use braces rubber bands on the upper lugs that mate to the lower. They eliminate any play and are rock solid. Best part is a box of them is cheap. I only have one I use them on and ironically it is the most expensive AR I have, POF Rogue. I love the rifle for hunting but expected better upper and lower fit from a mated upper and lower. The slop was not much but I hate having any between the upper and lower.
A cheapie linear compensator will work well as a mini blast can. Your not throwing anywhere near the amount of sound to the left and right but like you said, they definitely increase recoil quite dramatically. You’ll be able to see how much powder isn’t getting burned up in shorter length barrels especially, it’s impressive.
One of the best things I've found for making my AR's feel better is a tape that's not very common. It's a thin Teflon coated fiberglass tape used to reduce friction in manufacturing processes. I've put it inside my buffer tube, inside the adjustable stock, between the upper and lower, and even have a dozen or so little strips folded over themselves around the recoil spring. With the little tags sticking out all around the spring, there's no "slong" sound coming out of the buffer tube when the bolt closes.
I enjoy your content and presentation. I shared a couple of your videos with my son and will share this one with him as well. Your straight forward approach and delivery of great information is an excellent resource. Thank you for all you're doing.
I bought the DD furniture kit to replace the budget set on my POF. I really like the DD furniture sing the rubberized coatings don’t bother me, however I have recently gone back to the MFT buttstock, for a little slicker cheekweld. I still prefer the DD furniture on my AR10 though. Also the DD buttstock is tight as she/it. Kind of a pain to remove/install, but you don’t really do that to often for most people
The VG6 EPSILON is fantastic. Buying matching upper and lowers has always done me well when it comes to slop. Adjustable gas, vg6, and fail safe or spikes Nib bolt carriers have always done me very well on all my builds. Do have to admit im an aero precision fan and recommend them constantly.
Chrome, DLC or NP3 is the way to go if you want a coating on your BCGs otherwise nitride is the way to go. The problem is that these coatings do add material to the carrier which in turn can actually make them out of spec. Personally I just ran into this with two Toolcraft DLC BCGs. Both of them wouldn’t run correctly in two brand new 14.5” builds. Toolcraft sent me a return label (lifetime warranty) and they replaced both of them stating that both of them were in fact out of spec. So just another thing to consider. BCM’s BCG offering in my opinion is one of the best on the market.
My primary concerns in a rifle: 1: Barrel 2: Bolt Carrier Group 3: everything else You can get by with a cheap rail. I have a $350 Bushmaster (bought in 2016 on sale) with a Wish keymod rail that holds consistent MOA groups with canted irons because I clamped the rail of the handguard to the rail of the upper with an Axeon red dot mounting base. (Two bolts run through two pieces of metal that basically clamp a pic rail to a pic rail -think clamping two AR15s together at the upper receivers) You couldn't twist the handguard to the point the irons were off if you wanted to... it doesn't look very sleek, but it's supremely effective... Increasing the mass of a buffer is another way to improve the feel of your AR. I have a 20" 5.56 build with an H2 buffer and adjustable gas block that feels like you're shooting a .22LR. I hadn't shot it in a month or two and took it out the other day.. it recoils so softly, I had to check to make sure it cycled. Buffer springs are also a decent way to improve recoil impulse. Upgrading trigger groups is something I've never been interested in. If I ever have to actually USE my ARs, I don't want a negligent discharge because of an adrenaline dump causing the shakes. I understand their benefit, but milspec trigger groups are super easy to polish with a Dremel and a buffing wheel. The three most important things you can invest in, though, are your barrel, bolt carrier group and your optics.
Thanks, Jon for taking the time to put this video together. I do editing for other purposes and folks have no idea how long it can take. However, it was well worth it. One of the best I've seen on your channel. Also appreciate the level of quality in your sound, video, and lighting. That stuff really makes a difference, especially when you go to talk about taking something to the next level. Great content on this one. BTW brother, impressive back story. Thanks for sharing!!
@1947froggy, I'm sure it looks different to everybody. I just watched part of it again and the blacks are black and the whites are white. The skin tone is right on, details on the closeups are excellent. Granted, there's a lot of black with the background, the vault, and Jon's shirt. However, I can see each clearly so there's good separation. Colors are crisp and bright. My opinion stands. Is your monitor lighting turned all the way up? Is your monitor capable of displaying 4K, which is what this appears to be? Do you have your glasses on? I need mine to see the details. Have you had cataract surgery? I lost a lot of my natural contrast when I had mine. Just some things to consider.
Hi Dan, I am just comparing to 100's of other videos I view a week. I also produce myself (not as good as him, haha) . So to me it was very dark. All those other possible reasons, no not really. :)@@danweeden9285
On all the rifles that i build, i shorten the detent spring on my safety and take down pins by cutting off 3 coils on the take downs and 2 on the safety spring. It let's the safety rotate nice and easy without so much side load force, but the detent still clicks in nice and secure. Takedown pins can be pushed and pulled very easy. Additionally, i sand a nice radius on the end of all 3 detent pins so they slide in and out very nicely.
The problem with the Hogue grips is that dust will get stuck in the porous rubber molding and no matter how much you clean it some remains. After it becomes this dirty it will inevitably become slippery when it gets wet, whether from sweat, or potentially other body fluids.
I have a few MFT minimalist stocks and have always loved them - never once had an issue. Speaking of minimalist style stocks - the Strike Industries Mod One is excellent for a CQB rifle but MAKE SURE to order the overmolded butt pad along with it. They should have included that with the stock but they didn't for some reason
Recently got the Aero precision enhanced buffer tube. Seems the bolt enters the tube more smoothly. One of the biggest improvements for feel/sound you can do is a silent or "captured" buffer spring, massive difference. The trinity force and armaspec are both great. The accuwedge is great, especially for the price. Those three things will be night and day difference. Can't reccomend the captured buffer spring enough.
12 gauge swab with light wipe of Outers Gunslick grease or a light coat of oil, both quiet down and slick up the operation. I prefer grease because it stays where its put.
@@nicg9599 thanks for the input. By the way an example of a gimmick would be a woman in a bikini selling coffee. The things I mention are definitely not a necessity, but they do serve a function and make a noticable difference.
@@Hath.0 Sprinco springs are well known to be at the top as far as springs go. Put some grease on the spring if you want less sound and buy a properly gassed barrel and proper buffer and buffer tube. If you want smoother, Go A5 buffer system. You mentioned a gimmick that’s not needed. People just see enhanced and take the bait
A note on accuracy. If you're using a laser mounted to the rifle, zero it resting or standing whichever you'll use it for. because of the flex i a free floated hand guard, it will change the zero slightly when you switch from being on a bipod/resting the gun verse when you're holding it in your hand. I noticed when zeroing my IR laser to a digital day night scope, that when I lifted the rifle the laser zero would change e slighgly
Battle Arms Development makes some of the best AR parts and accessories. Strike Industries make mostly good looking poop 💩. BCM makes my favorite stocks, grips and rails. For a charging handle I prefer the lwrc ambi, which has massive lever retention pins, and for the trigger the best bang for your buck is the Larue MBT. Almost as good as the Geisselle for less than $100. One last thing; muzzle breaks on 5.56 rifles are gay.
Spoken like someone who’s shooting experience is watching others shoot on TH-cam. A properly tuned break is always a benefit to any weapon regardless of the cartridge, unless speed and accuracy are not important to you.
14:51 instead of duct tape on the buffer tube to tighten a stock use a small piece of the soft fuzzy side of Velcro inside the stock at the 12 o clock position at the front. no more rattle and since its in the stock you will never see it. Its also the soft side of the Velcro so it wont scratch the buffer tube.
I’ve spent thousands customizing and experimenting with different AR mods and recently I’ve found I have a “standard” now. Raptor CH, Radian Ambi Safeties, Norgon Ambi Catch, Odin Extended Mag Release, POF bolt catch and Magpul Slim Line or MOE grips. Rails I typically rock Aero Precision… but the Strike Industries one looks really sweet. I might have to pick one up to play around with.
Swap the grips for the hogue, you'll never look at another. Also Odin works makes a nice rail, but I do support strike industries. I myself like their stocks and enhanced lower parts kits. Pof makes nice Charging handles as well as bolt catches.
@@ScentlessGhost I honestly would have no idea had I not bought a puritan. I kept having problems with my bolt catches getting jammed behind the follower on empty p mags in my spikes lower. I got thinking and realized I never had any problem with my rifle, so I measured them with a caliper. Between a spikes enhanced, cmmg, phase 5 gen 2 and 3 ebr, as well as another random one I had and they were all a good deal shorter (between .4410 and .4420) and far less stout than the pof which came out at .4470! The only other bolt catch I have found to not cause me grief was the geissele maritime catch which came out at .4460 so I ran with that on the pistol, but if I ever bought another non enhanced it would be a pof part.
@@ScentlessGhost hogue does make a nice grip. I accidentally bought a rubberized gray magpul and found out I really like it. I'm gonna run it till it wears out but I'll check out hogue for the next one
@@tokin420nchokin I just love the feel of the hogue. Yet to find another grip that grabs the hand like they do. But yes I swear by all of POF's parts. They make nice quality stuff. Currently using the enhanced strike industries catch on mine tho, but I have a POF ch on every rifle I own. No issues. Might have to check out POF's catch on the next build. Haven't used magpuls rubber grip yet. Didn't know they had one to be honest.
My PSA 16” had a lot of slop between the upper and lower. I found a video on TH-cam where a guy put hot glue in that spot where you put the earplug. You close the upper and lower together and the glue hardens. Take the hardened glue and apply small pieces of electrical tape until the slip is gone. Worked great!
Great tips, you can also get oversized pins to reduce slop I'm upper and lower if it's due to oversized pin holes. Would like to see how the thing u ordered works for doing that as well. Awesome video 👌
I can vouch for the radian charging handle. I've had to kick mine with my boot to force the action open mutiple time. Had a bad batch of reloads I did when I was still learning lol. That charging handle is a tank.
Only things I focus on with a in-expensive AR are premium barrel (on sale), Tubb's flat buffer spring $26, Hand grip $20, BCG $80, back-up sights $30, red dot/prism $200-$89, small forward hand grip $20. Accuracy is free.
Thanks for taking the time to share your insights, Jon. Real light, thin handguards, while amazing at reducing weight, do compromise durability and the ability to withstand unintended abuse. So, depending on application, this may or may not present a problem. The great thing about Geissele is that they use full strength springs. They're also battle proven. Reliability is key. The biggest problem with the Accu-Wedge is that they degrade (before you will notice) and debris gets into the upper receiver and will cause malfunctions. Minor play between the upper and lower does not have any adverse impact on reliable functioning or accuracy. Introducing something that will fail and cause problems/reliability issues, from my perspective, is not worth my life (or range time). Surefire makes a great 3-prong muzzle device, the Battle Comp. It also is compatible with a quick detach blast deflector. You've mentioned some really good products.
I gotta mention 2 parts that I love. 1 is a grip for AR pistol build, the Ergo Swift Grip. The angle is great for short pistols & it looks & feels great. The other is a charging handle, the Fortis Clutch. If ur someone who uses 1 side of the handle to charge ur AR, then u'll love these. They only have 1 handle on the side u charge with (they make left or right handed), are well made, use a C-clip rather than a roll pin, & come in a few different colors. Ambi charging handles are great, too. I have a Phase 5 on 1 of my rifles, which is also a great choice. But the Clutch is awesome & I rarely see it get any love.
Have the Radian safety, take it just slightly off of SAFE and press the tigger multiple times (no magazine and empty battery of course) and viola it'll flip to FIRE. Now when it's on 90 degrees, it's solid working 100% of the time. Now of course I have it in the Radian AX556 with a Geissele SSA-E trigger, in case it's the super slickness of both the lower receiver and trigger combo with the Radian talon safety are what cause that condition with 45 degrees.
Many great ideas to make a cheap rifle feel like a more expensive rifle. However this video really solidifies the concept of buy one cry once or build your own rifle to start with. Otherwise you buy a cheaper rifle, then spend money upgrading it and have parts left over, makes more sense to build the rifle you want 1st. But again if you bought a cheap rifle and just want to upgrade as you go, then the ideas expressed are right on. Keep up the great videos!
Being new to this segment, I got a bare bones Omni tac, replaced trigger springs(reduced pull by 3lbs at least) replaced the butt stock, put a full length mlok hand guard(slots at all positions including the 11 and 1) the milspec pistol grip with a rubberized moe by magpul. My next step would be a buffer spring, don’t know which way to go on that though. Either way, thanks for your content, helps us noobies out immensely!
Great video, thanks for those enlightened suggestions. DD is not the most amenable group of fire stick producers, however, they do have some pretty awesome stuff. For example: their barrels (not a great selection of calibers) are hammer forged, their mitigation devices are pretty awesome. They're pricey, but worth a look. New subscriber, looking forward to more of your videos.
Ah, the magpul buttstock issue - a buddy of mine did this recently with a beginner build. Turns out magpul makes both commercial and milspec sized variants for the buffer tube mount on those stocks. You get the wrong combo - like a commercial stock on a milspec buffer like he did and you get a ton of slop like you have there. We swapped to milspec tube and stock combo, works just fine now.
20:18 check this out , my DD upper and lower have slop and you can tell they don’t mate . I recently bought a 10.5” psa upper with fsb and plastic hand gaurd ,I slapped that upper onto my DD lower and they are a perfect fit . It have ZERO wiggle (slop) . Just so folks know . I bought this DDM4A1 in 2017.
I had a hogue grip on my rifle then I bought a Magpul Moe + grip for my other rifle.. I now run all Magpul Moe + grips. They have one for AR pistols also. I personally like them better than hogue. I agree with you about not having a rail the length of the handguard. I also like the minimalist buttstock depending on application and the UTG pro S1. As far as receiver slop goes if you buy your upper and lower receiver from the same company they will have tighter tolerances than if you use a lower from one company and an upper from a different company. Some lowers come with tension screws and on the cheap the wedge works great. Awesome all-around video. 👍
Cutting a strip of plastic (about 1" wide by 4-5" long) from a milk jug and laying it on top of the buffer tube as you slip the stock on can take the slop out of pretty much any stock. Easily un-doable and it makes it rock solid. Trim the end of it to fit within the footprint of the end of the buffer tube and fold that part down 90 degrees and this will hold the piece of plastic to the rear of the buffer tube as you slide the stock on.
I have to admit didn't know about the flash compensator upgrades. This video is the best video you have ever done . You went over all the mods that most people would just forget to make & settle with mil spec. It's definitely the difference between custom feel without the high price. I've done all these mods except the flash. They are hard to find & most just settle because of that. Respectfully, Thank you.......
Being a left handed person. I buy 2 safeties to get 2 stubbies. I set the right sided stubby 180* out. So can work with my left thumb. Ambi mag releases are awesome. Ambi gas blocking charge handles are nice. I dont mind missing some paint if it blocks gases. I dont like egro geips. Rather have extra trigger finger reach. I like my cheap stock design trigger. I put electric tape on tube to stop rattle. The rattle cans gave my rifle the wow factor. Zero F's given paint job.
I like to strategically put some black RTV sealant along the edges of the lower receiver at the front and back. It doesn't come off and it's easy to remove. It's slightly squishy so it gives and doesn't make it excessively hard to close the upper/lower. You might need to take a razor and make it thinner if you put too much. It's cheap and easy to do though.
Love my DD handgrips have them on both my ARs. One with the trigger gaurd and one without on my .50 Beowulf build. Also really happy with my Velocity trigger on my .223 Wylde build.
I have the Aero Precision M4E1 lower and it has a set screw (with nylon tip) you access through the handle that presses against the upper and are able to purchase for $2. It does require an extra long hex key and can be tricky to access, but is a great option.
S&J Nano Linear Compensator is amazing for reducing recoil also it looks cool. BCM KMR Alpha Free Float Handguards are very slick and sexy. I got the 17" and my compensator is covered where it is flush with the end of the handguard. I also liked the MFT Buttstock. Also modified my gas block and traded it out for a BCM Low Profile Gas Block, it made a world of difference with my AR-15. Next is upgrading the trigger...so thank you for the suggestions.
Finally seeing someone give the Hogue grip the love it deserves. I have 4 rifles with these grips on them and I wouldn't have anything else on any gun that I use often. They are a must have IMO.
Blackout Defense makes an amazing trigger and charging handle. This is coming from a guy who has multiple Geissele SD3G triggers and multiple Radian Raptor charging handles. They are definitely worth checking out. I will add that adding a JP silent captured buffer spring will not only reduce recoil but will also eliminate that ping sound you hear. Don't ask me how they work the magic they do, they just work.
I just found your channel, and I have to give you high marks. You explain everything so that even an ol ground pounder like me can understand. You also cover topics for those of us who don't have $$ to burn, help make our rigs just as high quality as those 3k numbers. So thank you sir and keep on keeping on👍
I have a couple Fab Defense butt stocks, and they are great. My POF in 308 has a small shock absorber in it, which helps with recoil. The POF also has a dovetail for the foregrip to receiver.
I put Magpul MOEs on my 16" and 20" "A2", because the A2 grip feels like trying to hold a pencil, but a much more vertical grip on my pistol. I worked in a gun shop in recieving for a while and got to handle a lot of guns while I put them into the inventory. I quickly figured out the grip angle on a pistol needed to not be like the MOE grips. lol. I did put a rubber sleeve grip over the pistol grip since it felt a bit slick so that helped and made it easier to hold and manuver. I tried a Hogue on one rifle but it's still really small like the A2. I like the Hogue on my AK though. The 20" had a bit of slop in it and I put an O-ring and an accu-wedge in that. It locks it up so well that it feels like the reciver is one piece. You just have to use a round to push the take down pin instead of just with a finger is all.
In my opinion, the slop between uppers and lowers has everything to do with machining tolerances and nothing to do with forged vs billet. All the features that control the amount of play are machined regardless if the parts are forged or machined from billet.
You mentioned that you liked handguards with rail section at the end and at the front, near the upper receiver, in case your optic mount needed to mount to it......You never mount any part of the optic on the handguard. It will never hold zero, especially a precision optic. You mount it as far forward as you can on the upper receiver only, you never leave the upper receiver. (Eye relief taken into consideration). If you think yours holds zero because its a good quality handguard.....drop it a few times, muzzle strike someone with it, break a car window with it and then run 10 yards at a full sprint (while holding it) and dive behind cover, like you are being shot at. You'll find that you will be transitioning to those iron sights real quick. Another way to prevent movement between the lower receiver and upper receiver is to use an adjustable grip screw. They are easy to find, cheap and made by multiple companies, make sure you get one that comes with the super long Allen key. You install or replace the pistol grip screw and adjust the small Allen head screw in the center, it pushes against the rear takedown pin lug and creates tension.
How buttons, doors, and seats feel are why people often love German cars. Everything has a nice solid click. I had a 2002 VW Jetta, which is one of the lest expensive German cars. Even it felt nicer than many cars that cost more. Funny thing about many VW Jettas is that even though they feel rock solid, they tend to be less reliable and more expensive to repair than many other cars. Better to drive a less precise feeling Toyota Corolla. I do use Presma hand guards because they cost much less than many others, but they definitely don't fit as precisely as the much more expensive ones. However, they still look good on my custom builds, so I don't complain. Not all basic charging handles are exactly the same. My dad's AR-15 came with a cheap basic one that didn't last. He replaced it with something similar in price, and it also didn't last. Finally, he bought a more expensive basic charging handle and never had a problem. Since I went full custom on my AR builds, I waited for a mega sale and bought premium units. The AR-15 I built got a Radian Raptor for nearly half price and it's great. For my Ar-10 build, the Fortis Hammer was on sale, and the complete build is coming soon. Some companies like Presma offer low price smbi charging handles, but they feel cheap and gritty. I use a LaRue 2 stage trigger. They are similar in price. I use a flat face, but curved is an option. Ever use a FAB defense stock? They come with a set of spacers to help make it fit tighter to the buffer tube. There is less cheek weld that a B5, but more than a MOE. When I did my custom builds, I used an Aero M4E1 and Aero M5. They fit tightly with no extras. They cost more and look a little different than milspec, but I like the look. In addition, you don't have to drive roll pins into the trigger guard. I use an Armaspec SMB buffer. The neat thing about it is that it removes the nose that a milspec spring and buffer make. Maybe it makes a rifle feel more expensive, maybe it doesn't. Still, it is a neat invention and costs about $50. Some similar devices have progressive springs to lower recoil, but they cost more. It might be a good idea if you need to reduce recoil, but don't want a muzzle device that will annoy the nearby shooters.
I used the Troy Claymore blast director. It works purely to make life hell for anyone down range and does nothing to compensate. I just couldn’t resist the “This direction towards enemy“ engraving!
A little JB weld inside the Magpul MOE at the buffer tube interface surface tightens it right up and is an invisible fix. Doesn't take much. Let it set and file to fit.
Back in the early 90s there was a company called Accu-Wedge that sold a rubber bushing for the upper and lower receivers. FWIW its has everything to do with feel, it has zero outcome on performance, function and accuracy. You can also drill and tap a lower with 10-32 threads install a 10-32 set screw. Adjust the depth of the set screw until it meets the upper receiver take down pin lug. Fine tune it until the "slop" is gone. Aero Precision includes this screw on most newer lowers.
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I had an engineer explain to me that the reason why the pin on the standard charging handle fails is because people tend to one finger the charging handle.
it is clearly designed for two fingers. I know I prefer one finger.
But by using one finger on the left side we overextend the designed travel of the latch, thus putting all our force into that one pin and not the handle housing. Modern designs make use of over extension protection.
Magpul SL-S is super nice because I run a 512 EOTECH. It’s nice being able to store 4 extra batteries in the storage compartment.
Currently doing a 7.5" 300 blackout backpack build. On pretty much all of my AR pistols/rifles I use Aero m4e1 enhanced lowers, Radian ambi safety 45 degree, Magpul K2 grip, BCM vertical grip, Midwest Industries handguard or Aero Precision handguards, Ballistic Advantage barrels or HM Defense Monobloc barrels and for bcg I only run HM Defense HMB Bolt. If you haven't tried HM Defense monobloc barrels and the HMB Bolt, you're missing out. Great video/information as always!
Well the time you took to edit this video seemed well worth it because this video came out very good and felt very high quality. Your videos keep getting better and better and you can tell a big difference between the time you started to now. Enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next one.
For reliever slop there are also receivers that have screws right next to where the grip screw is that you can tighten to press against the rear takedown lug
I started shooting with a bare bones US Army M-16. Then moved onto a USMC colt M-16A1. I qualified as "Rifle Expert" in boot camp and kept my expert status year after year during my active duty. I eventually moved onto the M-16A2 (which I hate.) But, I learned and developed my marksmanship using a standard shake and wobble government issue rifle. I now have several makes and types of AR rifles and pistols that I personally have built. Some have fancy accessories, and some don't. But I shoot them all to the best of my ability and they all work perfect. Learn marksmanship. Don't expect your rifle to make up for your shortcomings.
Ok boomer, but this video is about inexpensive accessories you can add to make your rifle feel better.
@sigo2007 no this video is about buying a cheap rifle, then putting all the expensive parts in it that come standard in expensive rifles and essentially buying an expensive rifle one part at a time...
@@sigo2007no this is a advertisement video putting accessories on a rifle does nothing to make it better. He clearly says to make your cheap gun look high end and expensive. If you want a better rifle then you focus on trigger, springs, buffer spring, buffer weight, adjustable gas block. But you can spend a million dollars on rifle but if you’re a shitty shot then you’re still going to be a shitty shot. A marksman can pick up any gun and shoot accurately that’s why the military teaches basic rifle marksmanship and so may go through advance marksmanship. The person who holds 3 world records has the 1-3 spots confirmed kill from over 2mi. Dude only had a scope and prism on his rifle. How does a hand rail help your rifle shoot better, or a charging handle, a grip on a rifle, or butt stock? The collapsible butt stock was designed to shorten a rifle for cqb. Making it easier, faster and safer to clear houses instead of having to constantly manipulate a rifle to fit through door ways. Then to expand while in open traditional warfare. It also helps ppl who have a short arm spand to adjust the butt stock for a better grip
@@sigo2007 You never watched the video kiddo
Exactly. The best way to master any rifle, even cheap one's, is to shoot it.....a lot. Not buy a bunch of crap to hang on it to make it look cool.
The way I found to eliminate slop between the upper and lower was to cut strips of electrical tape and put between the two parts. This takes up the slop with a rubberized buffer and stiffens it right up. A perk of electrical tape being black is that you generally cannot see it, even when the AR is taken apart, and it stays in place until you peel it off
Cut a piece of rubber fuel line to length and use it in place of an accuwedge. Fool proof.
gorilla tape. Been doing it for years, that stuff is tough.
Same. High-end rifles fit glove-in-hand, but stuff like PSA has too much slop. A little electrical tape made all the difference!
@@andrewpopovici7132oddly enough my 2 PSA’s had the best fit. 🤷♂️
So you placed the tape lining the edge where both the upper and lower meet? Just asking because I want to try that
1. Quality components with good QC
2. Proper gas
3. Proper mass
4. A strong rail
Lol beat me too it!
this is the correct list. Based on 90% of the recommended parts in this video its clear why this Channel didn't list "Quality components with good QC" lol.
Mmm yes mass
Gas mass or brass, no one rides for free 😎
Yep
Radian safety - $60
Grip - $20
Decent mlok rail (bcm, midwest) $150- $200
Geissele trigger - $240
Raptor CH - $80
B5 sopmod - $60
A5 Buffer system/other buffer spring upgrades - $50 - $100
Muzzle brake - $80 - $150
Total upgrades about $750 - $1,000
My opinion, only thing left from the original gun is BCG, barrel and receiver....if you are going to do all this upgrading, just build from scratch with decent parts all around.
Also, once you upgrade all these parts on your "cheap rifle", I argue you no longer have a "cheap rifle" bc you just added $1,000 in parts.
Exactly. Or just wait for a good $1500 price range gun goes on sale. Just saw the POF minuteman AR15 on sale for $1299. That is a gun that is good to go right out of the box.
that is the reason my "inexpensive" AR is still inexpensive
I don't think I'll ever be so retarded as to spend 80 dollars on a charging handle
Going from a Newb to a legit gun guy you have come miles in a short time, not forgetting your roots!! You are helping other new guys class up their 1st builds so they put the money in good places to give them a happy product at the end! Good job man!!!
Not really. Anyone that buys stroke industries parts is a poor newb
@@nicg9599 poor newb. You sound like you live in arfcom general discussion.
I see a lot of noobs go out and buy hundreds of dollars worth of tier 1 crap to put in their basic cheap ARs just to look cool like you.
You know a lot of these top tier parts are made by bulk suppliers and passed off at much higher prices. These are facts.
@@nicg9599 Gun shoot boom boom is gun yes?
@@nicg9599they’re not bad for a budget build IMO
Hey, so just a little trick. Instead of putting duct tape on your buffer tube, get some of those velcro dots at any craft store, they have both the hook and the fuzz side. Take a couple of the fuzz sides of the pairs and put them on the INSIDE of your butt stock. Usually one on each side. That does the same thing as wrapping duct tape on the buffer tube except since it's inside the stock you will never see it. You can even use super glue if you live in a hot climate to make sure the dots don't come loose if the adhesive gets too hot. Instead of spending big bucks on a new stock you can achieve the same thing with a couple bucks. Best part is, if the dots wear down over time with adjusting the stock you can always add a couple more since they're so small and you get a bunch of them in the pack.
Cloth tape works really well, too.
Arts & Crafts FOR MEN
Another thing to prevent slop is if you're about to build a rifle, budget or not, get an Aero Precision stripped lower. That have a screw that adds tension to the upper and eliminates play or slop.
My Aero Texas upper and lower were perfectly mated.
@@babayaga4225 what are you going on about?
You can also just drill and tap a a hole under the rear pin and install a nylon tipped set screw.
@@justindunlap1235 I believe thats exactly what Aero did, lol
Anderson Elite has the screw also.
One thing I noticed you forgot is a good buffer spring and buffer can help a cheaper gun a lot! The manufacturers usually cheap out on those two parts.
Magbuffer is amazing for that. Drop in and completely nullifies snappy feeling that ARs can have.
@@saccaed sprinco my guy
They make the best buffer springs
bcm
@@tjcochran4641 I second that.
Tubbs percision flat wire
I definitely prefer the terms "expensive vs cheap" because I hear too many people use the terms a "nice ar vs a cheap ar". I truly think that any AR can be nice without being expensive. I've shot Daniel defense ARs and I've shot Smith and Wesson sports and I've had fun on both guns and honestly I've shot a sport with a few upgrades that I liked more than the DD rifles. I think it's truly important to customize your AR to you whether that costs you alot or not just depends on the requirements you come up with for your rifle.
Your comment doesn't make sense. Reread it
@@bench175 he was intending "INexpensive" i think.
For a GREAT budget trigger, I use ALG's ACT -- ALG is a Geissele sister company btw..... drop in a JP Enterprises 3.5lb trigger spring, and you have a smooth consistent pull ready for competition shooting.
I also upgraded to the Geissele Super 42 rifle length buffer spring in my LR-308 build. Relatively inexpensive upgrade, but huge difference, especially paired with a tunable gas block!!!
LOVE the Atlas handguards, very light weight & very comfortable even without covers & shooting without gloves!
This is de way. ALG’s are just as good as Geissle’s IMO but for a fraction of the price.
You can do way better than the ALG for less by polishing the sear surfaces on a mil spec trigger, installing a pre-travel grip screw, and if you want to getting a safety predrilled for a over-travel set screw or doing it yourself. This is about $20 bucks and you can get a smooth trigger with a shorter travel and reset than the ALG.
Don't think i missed it in the video, but i didn't hear anything about upgraded buffers! They provide a huge upgrade in feel. Not including silent recoil buffers, I prefer H3 buffers and although most H3 weight is produced by tungsten weights, my favorite one is made by Spikes Tacfical. They have one made with tungsten powder. No buffer slap when cycling because the powder reacts differently under force when cycling. Check it out when you get a chance.
Agreed. H2 in about all mine.
If you have o use a H3 to tame recoil then the barrel is over-gassed...buy a better barrel.
Regarding upper receiver/lower receiver slop, I’m reminded of my AR-15 Armorer Instructor absolutely condemning the use of AccuWedges or any other product that is pushing the upper receiver away from the lower receiver. Receivers are made of aluminum. Take down pins are made of steel. When you put a high round count through the weapon, the recoil combined with the steel pins pushing on the softer aluminum will slowly widen the holes. Thus, making the problem you were trying to correct even worse.
Eugene Stoner knew what he was doing. The receivers were designed that way for a reason.
Very true! There's no long term solution to the slop, except hand fitting the upper to the lower. That is unless you want to cause more problems. A good trigger, a good buffer system, and proper lubrication help a bunch. Once it's broken in.... Shazam.
I think you're overestimating the amount of tension a tiny rubber wedge provides.
I think you’re underestimating the force is going on in the rifle
You showed the BCM as an example of the expensive gun. I own a couple of BCM's. The thing that drew me to them is their attention to quality control and customer service. The fact that the owner is a 2A guy is icing on the cake.
they're also relatively cheap compared to daniel defense, ka, lmt etc
@@hurpaderppbang for buck, BCM is the best. 👍🏼
@@crushbent 100%. aero lowers bcm uppers all day. i also like to pretend it stands for big c*m monster
Not sure if this has been discussed yet, and if so, I apologize as I haven’t had time to read through the comments yet.
When I modified my SBR for use during entry and room clearing, I replaced my pistol grip with a more vertical grip which when it is shouldered, it tends to make one’s arm come closer to one’s body rather than with the regular pistol grip which makes one’s elbow stick out farther from one’s body. I like having the minimum amount of me sticking out exposed to fire.
I agree with tons of this. PSA all day, with a Magpul K2+ grip, BCM charging handle, LaRue flat two stage trigger. Love the newer PSA hand guards. Super thin, top rail only front and back. Love it. Can't go wrong.
There is a definite quality difference, I own some PSAs and some other brands including ADM and PWS.
I have no problem with pointing out a PSA to most budget people if it means getting a better optic or more ammo. Just with the warning to double check the milling, threads on parts and torque of any barrels installed.
2 out of 3 pre assembled PSA uppers I had needed to have the barrel dimpled for the gasblock and two of them (one of which didn't need the dimpling) did not have the barrel fully seated and torqued; easy fixes.
Also the barrels are meh, there is a definite difference in MOA shift between the FN barreled ones (of which one of my 3 are) and the nitride ones.
Ironically that FN is an A4 clone and after repeating and torquing the castle nut changed from a 3MOA to a 2.5MOA rifle on bags.
Also if you are going to get a PSA, spend the $60 for a spare bolt, none of the ones I received were MPI marked, and even if they were, milspec bolts are trash and have a short life span.
If this comes off like trash talking, it's not. It's good enough for to protect my mother so I could spend the money on a weapon light and aimpoint optic for her aging eyes.
All but one of my PSA bolts are mpi marked. The unmarked one is 10 years old.
@asymsolutions I generally do my builds with FN or another branded upgraded barrel rather than a PSA barrel. Like you said, "meh." I seem to have good luck with the rest of the components, including their premium or toolcraft BCGs.
@@asymsolutions I've had great results with their premium mil spec BCGs
So sounds like by the time you add all these accessories, you’ve got an expensive AR. 100+ bucks for the butt stock. 75 bucks for pistol grip. 100+ bucks for the charging handle. 50 bucks for the safety. 100+ bucks for the handguard. 150+ 23:20 for a trigger group, Buffer springs and weights, muzzle break, , etc etc etc. Easily 500 bucks or more in additional accessories. May as well buy a higher end AR to begin with.
I’d really love to see a breakdown of how much was spent on the PSA rifle to begin with and then how much was spent on each of these accessories, plus in total, to make your “cheap” gun “feel” expensive.
#1 all rifles---Pop up or iron sights. Anyone who has never dropped a rifle never left the range. Slings are another must but won't necessarily stop damage if you fall, tumble, or go flying and a broken optic=no optic. Unless you are really good with pointing and squeezing and hitting inside 50 or 75 m/yards then it doesn't matter if it's a $500 or $5000 + rifle if you are praying and spraying.
Spend the extra money on the scope so it doesn’t break from a fall, I won’t be spending any money on irons that I will never use. “But what if what if what if”, and what if a trigger spring fails you going to have one them in your pocket? If you drop a rifle from a height that breaks a scope then your irons are probably screwed to, personally I’ve never had a scope break from a fall. Not in any meaningful way anyway as one of my center points is missing a lens cover from a sling failure. Back up sights had a place when scopes were unreliable and fragile, that’s just not the case anymore. Besides at the cost of irons now you could put a cheap backup scope on your rifle
No I’m not telling others to not have irons if it makes them feel better, just pointing out that the realistic odds of them actually being needed in the field is about the same as winning the powerball.
@@jaydunbar7538 But they look cool, so theres that...
Regarding the “O” ring fix, you can get #7 rings at Home Depot for stupid cheap. Like a bag of 100 for $2. So yeah they break, but they’re cost is stupid cheap. I’ve read on forums that the “accuwedge” over time starts braking up into small pieces and sometimes they can get into the trigger group.
or, 3d printing method with high quality filaments
Automotive O-rings for heat applications are also cheap, but durable.
I cut a piece of rubber fuel line and use as accuwedge. Ive had some for ten years. Good rubber thats heat and solvent proof.
The LaRue Tactical grip feels like you can drive the whole gun with one hand! It has a rear blade to rest on the lower knuckle of your wrist. You should really check that one out!
Get a B5 systems grip and call it a day. Btw, roger wang was co-owner of Battle Arms Development, he then left and started Forward Controls Design.
Daniel Defense’s vertical grip is awesome. Unfortunately I had to order the “tornado” color because they were out of black but it’s just a light black and looks good still. Super light weight with a rubberized grip. Goes perfect with my ERGO Grip. Btw, if you have $20 and want the best upgraded A2 grip, then check Ergo Grips. They are fantastic!
I just picked up an AR-15 from a pawnshop down the road for $660… did my research while I was standing there and after seeing comparing to all the rest I bought it instantly (they had JUST got it in that morning. I didn’t tell them anything of course) it has a few great aftermarket parts that actually puts the gun at a price around $1700 ($1400-1300 used). Other than the stock and the annoying safety, this set up is absolutely clean… I’ve never been a picky shooter, but a steal of a deal is always a great feeling
The great thing about cheap AR's, you can always upgrade them. Buy what you can afford and go from there. The best upgrades I did are Grip, Trigger, and Muzzle Device (3 prong Compensator), which all made my shooting experience more pleasant. Now if you upgrade everything talked in the video, you have spare parts so you can build a AR yourself if you haven't done so before.
Exactly
I would have to agree. Buying a cheap AR isn’t really a big deal as long as the lower receiver is decent because that’s the only part you’re kinda stuck with. You can buy a complete upper and any of the parts to dress the lower and make a gun that was cheap into a very high quality gun.
@@JG54206 Yep I have to agree Based on my visual experience. It’s not very often, but every once in a while you get That certain breed of AR junkies at the range that Initiates that concept with Pure success. These kind of Shooters could either care less or have little to no knowledge about what kind of what kind of receiver sets they’re are rocking, nor do they care about many other things on that gun. As long as they have superior BCG’s, Triggers , barrel, optics, and as long as the magazine doesn’t fall out, then they are good to go. And these are the kind of people that take their guns to hell and back without failure.🚀✨🚀✨🚀
@@TacticalToolboxI honestly hate the flat cmc trigger I’m currently rebuilding my ar that I bought from dunhams currently parts I got are the magpul moe grip stock is the b5 system sopmod enhanced charging handle is the breach trigger is the cmc drop in trigger sling is a doul single point sling or 2 point sling can’t remember the brand handgaurd is tacfire 15 inch handgaurd and magpul vertical grip I’m currently looking for a new safety for ambi
We have Houge grips on all our ARs.. #1 Found the best model is the straight fingerless no grove version with the beavertail, It is also fits women or smaller finger/ handed person better since it's thinner to get around it/ more solid grip..#2 It's heavy softer rubber coated, That absorbs shock and recoil!. #3 You get a better grip especially wet but also dry over any of that hard plastic crap!..
For a budget charging handle that looks and feels good, I really like my trybe ambi charging handle. Personally, I hate ambi safeties. Milspec safety's do just fine for me and they operate smoothly if you put a little oil on the contact points.
I have a magpul moe stock, and instead of putting tape on the buffer tube, heres a pro tip. Put it on the inside of the stock. You can't see it and it works like a dream.
i gotta say charging handles are way overpriced. there are shitty ones out there but a 20 dollar charging handle feels the same to be as a 100 dollar one.
I just use the mil spec cheap ones. I figure since the military does trials, they would know if the charging handle is good enough. You use it like 1 time when shooting, as long as it doesn't break it could be a bent wire for all I care.
@@Trumplican i still rep the trybe on one of my builds, but I picked up a pws that comes with a radian charging handle from the factory, and the fit and finish is much nicer. The difference is noticeable, so if you can pick up a blem for $50ish, Id say its worth itl
@@timd729 the only reason why i think ambi handles are infinitely better is that its much easier and much more intuitive for a right handed shooter to lock the bolt back whether that be for clearing a malfunction or whatever. On top of that, its just easier to grab onto if you ever shoot with gloves on.
@@timd729 I am with you. My first rifle had the fancy BCM charging handle with the fancy BCM comp. All the rest have mil spec charging handles with A2 birdcages and normal selector switches. The charging handles are lower profile and don't snag on stuff or dig into you. They are also easy to use with gloves. They pull the bolt back every time.
As far as grips go, the grip I like the most is the he ATI AR-15 / AR-10 X2 AR-15 Pistol Grip, from MSR arms.
Everyone that's shot mine loves feel and placement.
It actually feels a little bit strange at first, but after handling it for a while, they really grow on you.
(And no, I'm not associated with this company) just sharing my experience.
Man I’m digging all of your videos! I’ve been building for about a 1 1/2 years now, some things you talk about, I have been doing, but it’s sooooo much I haven’t learned. Great info you’re sharing!
One of my AR’s an older Spikes Tactical. It has always had some wiggle between the upper and lower. I tried the o rings, but they broke so often. I then tried strips of aluminum tape and it worked well and lasted a lot longer. I’ve recent installed some JP Enterprises oversized pins. The upper/lower fit is now rock solid.
1st mistake was you bought a Spikes.
@@Metal1USMC Lol, yeah, Spikes is cringy. At the time, it was one of the affordable "milspec" options. The BCG is actually gtg. The quad rail they used is made by Seekins. It's fairly accurate and other than the looseness, it's been a good rifle. I have since put a JP Enterprises oversized front takedown pin and the receiver play is gone.
The spider logos? Yeah, I could do without them.
To take out receiver slop go to home depot and hit the section with mailboxes and signs, get one of those "no smoking" decals that are metallic silver 2"x7" or so and cut a small u shape out of that'll fit around ur front lug. If u prep it right it doesn't come loose or deteriorate for a long time and you can cut new shims out of the same decal for years.
Genius!
You can get a pack of Accuwedge for like $5 and it stays in your lower when you take the upper off and they last forever.
@@koriwest Sure but accuwedge can make it more difficult to separate the receivers. Tape or another slim adhesive attachment works well too.
@@koriwest or use ear plugs, does same as accuwedge
I put DD furniture on an AR build. It feels good, no wobble, and is lightweight. The trigger guard is integrated into the pistol grip which improves the comfort of the middle finger of the trigger hand.
I like ErgoGrips on my guns. Nice rubberized grips available in different colors, and they're rock solid. No storage, but no big deal; lots of stocks nowadays offer storage. There is a major issue with 45-60 degree safeties: if your thumb rides up in recoil, you can unintentionally engage the safety and leave yourself with a dead trigger. A 90 degree safety prevents this. Also, grip angle factors in whether a given ambi safety will impact your trigger finger, with a slightly shallower (and more modern) grip angle tending to position your trigger finger lower.
For triggers, I like the KE Arms Enhanced Mil-Spec for budget upgrades ($35 gets you a very nice single stage that's great for target work). For more money, the JP Rifles JP Fire Control Kit.
Good video other than around 19:45 till about 20:20 with regards to Forged parts and slop.
The forging process and resulting blank has absolutely *ZERO* to do with this since all contacting / mating surfaces between the upper and lower and all other mating parts still have to be machined (and are *_"CNC'd"_* at that 99% of the time).
*ANY* and *All* slop is a result of machining tolerances held along with setup and machining order processes. To do it right and have a very tight fit with virtually zero slop, there is a substantial increase in the time from raw forging to finished and ready to assemble part and this reduces profit or necessitates a substantial increase in price so basically corners are essentially cut with regards to setup and tolerances are done to MIL spec (which is very loose) so parts still fit together.
By starting from a billet blank (i.e., a rectangular chunk of raw material cut from a piece or bar stock), the manufacturer has full control over all datum surfaces since they are being machined in during the process so any and all subsequent setups are much less time consuming as fixturing is easier to get precise positioning and thus the part can be machined to tighter tolerances with greater ease. This also has to do with whether or not the manufacturer is also machining the uppers in house too. If they aren't, then they still tend to have to use looser tolerances because they are at the mercy of the tolerances held by the upper manufacturer.
With using MIL Spec Tolerances, forged parts are both stronger and faster to produce (much faster to machine since there is significantly less material to be removed) but at the expense of slop
All in all, a forged lower can be produced that is so tight, its almost impossible to fit together with the upper if one wanted to do so but it is very time consuming which is not profitable for a manufacturer.
Just started grabbing firearms due to fomo thanks to the current status and direction of gov and where it’s declining to. Anyways I’ve used so many of your videos as reference to narrow down the options on parts to my builds that has saved me so much money and so much time. Amd the time is worth more than the money
Years ago I got a Ruger MPR. Excellent trigger. Chromed CHF barrel. But the upper and lower wobbled like a rattle toy. Used a rubber o ring, and it feels so much better.
For the price of both the Oppressor + JComp a suitable alternative is waiting on a sale of the Witt Sound Mitigation Device. I got mine for around $130 during an Independence Day Sale
There are two ways to tighten lower to upper looseness that weren't mentioned. One is a "u" shaped brass shim which fits into the upper receiver, it must be sanded to fit, but it removes all looseness. The other only works on some lower receivers. These receivers have a drilled and tapped hole directly under the take down pin, when a nylon tipped set screw is threaded into this hole it will push the takedown pin boss in the upper receiver upwards eliminating looseness, the set screw is then locked into place with another setscrew behind it. The "U" shaped brass shim is called AR-15 AccuShim (under $20.00). The nylon tipped set screws are available on line. If your lower doesn't have the hole it can be drilled and tapped, although many do not have the skills necessary. To take pre travel out of the standard trigger, grip screws are available with a small tapped hole in the center which is used reduce trigger pre travel. Follow the instructions carefully, as over tightening could cause an unsafe condition.
Also use grease on the buffer spring instead of oil. Wheel bearing grease on the buffer spring fixes that twang and spring scrape noise in the buffer tube.
Been using red and tacky on all my stuff especially on my aks
I highly recommend trying Daniel defense I own seven ARs two of them are Daniel defense and they are by far my favorite to shoot they are very tight, smooth well functioning, no slop.
Love the video. Well done. I use hot glue instead of an accuwedge. Put a good drop in the back of the lower receiver (under the rear lug) close the receiver push your rear pin in wait 30 secs. The piece that comes out is perfectly molded to your gun.
I may have to give that a try!!
I’ve had slop problems with my Frankenstein builds. But from my experience, if the upper and lower are from the same company, (like my Spike’s Tactical). I’ve had no problems.
My ar15 build list:
Radian lower receiver.
Velocity drop in trigger.
Jp industries silent captured buffer spring and tube.
B5 systems stock and grip.
Adm mod2 16 inch, 223 wylde, 1:8 twist complete upper receiver (comes with radian raptor charging handle).
Magpul mbus pro iron sights.
WPS sling.
21:00 I do body-fits on Indycars. That means I get rid of all of the gap between panels. If I want to remove the gap between the engine cover and the sidepods, I'll wax the sidepods where the engine cover fits against it. Then I'll sand & grind the part of the engine cover where it fits against the sidepods. Then I'll put Hysol glue on the edge of the engine cover where I ground it and I'll bolt the sode pods and engine cover to the tub of the car. Let the glue dry, then take it apart, sand the glue slag flush with the side pods and now there is no gap for air to get into when the car is going 200+ MPH. A guy could do the same to upper & lower receivers. Either use the glue that I use on racecars or use JB Weld.
Aero precision makes a lower that you can tighten from underneath the grip to completely tighten the slop. I have this lower mated to a psa upper and it was SUPER sloppy until I tighten it. Now have virtually no slop at all
That's awesome! When did those come out?
@@TacticalToolbox the one I picked up a few years ago has one, so they've had them for a little while now. I believe all of their current AR15 lowers offer an upper tensions screw. Pretty handy.
Makes sense I haven't picked one up since 2016
Or use braces rubber bands on the upper lugs that mate to the lower. They eliminate any play and are rock solid. Best part is a box of them is cheap. I only have one I use them on and ironically it is the most expensive AR I have, POF Rogue. I love the rifle for hunting but expected better upper and lower fit from a mated upper and lower. The slop was not much but I hate having any between the upper and lower.
Yup the new m4e1 lowers
winner - with Velocity Trigger.!! Have 'em on all my AR's both 5.56 & 308
A cheapie linear compensator will work well as a mini blast can. Your not throwing anywhere near the amount of sound to the left and right but like you said, they definitely increase recoil quite dramatically. You’ll be able to see how much powder isn’t getting burned up in shorter length barrels especially, it’s impressive.
Why would you want to increase recoil?
@Blazer085 Pretty much so you don't piss off range neighbors with a sonic blast when you're shooting an AR pistol
One of the best things I've found for making my AR's feel better is a tape that's not very common. It's a thin Teflon coated fiberglass tape used to reduce friction in manufacturing processes. I've put it inside my buffer tube, inside the adjustable stock, between the upper and lower, and even have a dozen or so little strips folded over themselves around the recoil spring. With the little tags sticking out all around the spring, there's no "slong" sound coming out of the buffer tube when the bolt closes.
Can you tell me the actual name of the tape like a brand or something so I can order it? I'm super intrigued and highly interested!
@michaelparks7563 there is no special brand or anything. We're 25 years into this already. Just Google "teflon coated fiberglass tape"?
How do you manage to get the tape inside of the buffer tube?
I enjoy your content and presentation. I shared a couple of your videos with my son and will share this one with him as well.
Your straight forward approach and delivery of great information is an excellent resource.
Thank you for all you're doing.
Poor kid. Gonna have a poor mentality
I bought the DD furniture kit to replace the budget set on my POF. I really like the DD furniture sing the rubberized coatings don’t bother me, however I have recently gone back to the MFT buttstock, for a little slicker cheekweld. I still prefer the DD furniture on my AR10 though. Also the DD buttstock is tight as she/it. Kind of a pain to remove/install, but you don’t really do that to often for most people
The VG6 EPSILON is fantastic. Buying matching upper and lowers has always done me well when it comes to slop. Adjustable gas, vg6, and fail safe or spikes Nib bolt carriers have always done me very well on all my builds. Do have to admit im an aero precision fan and recommend them constantly.
Chrome, DLC or NP3 is the way to go if you want a coating on your BCGs otherwise nitride is the way to go. The problem is that these coatings do add material to the carrier which in turn can actually make them out of spec. Personally I just ran into this with two Toolcraft DLC BCGs. Both of them wouldn’t run correctly in two brand new 14.5” builds. Toolcraft sent me a return label (lifetime warranty) and they replaced both of them stating that both of them were in fact out of spec. So just another thing to consider. BCM’s BCG offering in my opinion is one of the best on the market.
My primary concerns in a rifle:
1: Barrel
2: Bolt Carrier Group
3: everything else
You can get by with a cheap rail. I have a $350 Bushmaster (bought in 2016 on sale) with a Wish keymod rail that holds consistent MOA groups with canted irons because I clamped the rail of the handguard to the rail of the upper with an Axeon red dot mounting base. (Two bolts run through two pieces of metal that basically clamp a pic rail to a pic rail -think clamping two AR15s together at the upper receivers) You couldn't twist the handguard to the point the irons were off if you wanted to... it doesn't look very sleek, but it's supremely effective...
Increasing the mass of a buffer is another way to improve the feel of your AR. I have a 20" 5.56 build with an H2 buffer and adjustable gas block that feels like you're shooting a .22LR. I hadn't shot it in a month or two and took it out the other day.. it recoils so softly, I had to check to make sure it cycled. Buffer springs are also a decent way to improve recoil impulse.
Upgrading trigger groups is something I've never been interested in. If I ever have to actually USE my ARs, I don't want a negligent discharge because of an adrenaline dump causing the shakes. I understand their benefit, but milspec trigger groups are super easy to polish with a Dremel and a buffing wheel.
The three most important things you can invest in, though, are your barrel, bolt carrier group and your optics.
Thanks, Jon for taking the time to put this video together. I do editing for other purposes and folks have no idea how long it can take. However, it was well worth it. One of the best I've seen on your channel. Also appreciate the level of quality in your sound, video, and lighting. That stuff really makes a difference, especially when you go to talk about taking something to the next level. Great content on this one. BTW brother, impressive back story. Thanks for sharing!!
Lighting seemed dark to me?
@1947froggy, I'm sure it looks different to everybody. I just watched part of it again and the blacks are black and the whites are white. The skin tone is right on, details on the closeups are excellent. Granted, there's a lot of black with the background, the vault, and Jon's shirt. However, I can see each clearly so there's good separation. Colors are crisp and bright. My opinion stands. Is your monitor lighting turned all the way up? Is your monitor capable of displaying 4K, which is what this appears to be? Do you have your glasses on? I need mine to see the details. Have you had cataract surgery? I lost a lot of my natural contrast when I had mine. Just some things to consider.
Hi Dan, I am just comparing to 100's of other videos I view a week. I also produce myself (not as good as him, haha) . So to me it was very dark. All those other possible reasons, no not really. :)@@danweeden9285
On all the rifles that i build, i shorten the detent spring on my safety and take down pins by cutting off 3 coils on the take downs and 2 on the safety spring.
It let's the safety rotate nice and easy without so much side load force, but the detent still clicks in nice and secure.
Takedown pins can be pushed and pulled very easy.
Additionally, i sand a nice radius on the end of all 3 detent pins so they slide in and out very nicely.
Palmetto is a great store, spend your hard earn money there.
The problem with the Hogue grips is that dust will get stuck in the porous rubber molding and no matter how much you clean it some remains. After it becomes this dirty it will inevitably become slippery when it gets wet, whether from sweat, or potentially other body fluids.
Sounds dumb but pop it off and throw it in the dishwasher. Comes out like brand new.
I have a few MFT minimalist stocks and have always loved them - never once had an issue. Speaking of minimalist style stocks - the Strike Industries Mod One is excellent for a CQB rifle but MAKE SURE to order the overmolded butt pad along with it. They should have included that with the stock but they didn't for some reason
So essentially:
Buy a cheap rifle and put several hundred dollars in parts on it. Now the rifle feels more expensive
Recently got the Aero precision enhanced buffer tube. Seems the bolt enters the tube more smoothly. One of the biggest improvements for feel/sound you can do is a silent or "captured" buffer spring, massive difference. The trinity force and armaspec are both great.
The accuwedge is great, especially for the price. Those three things will be night and day difference. Can't reccomend the captured buffer spring enough.
12 gauge swab with light wipe of Outers Gunslick grease or a light coat of oil, both quiet down and slick up the operation. I prefer grease because it stays where its put.
Gimmicky
@@nicg9599 thanks for the input. By the way an example of a gimmick would be a woman in a bikini selling coffee. The things I mention are definitely not a necessity, but they do serve a function and make a noticable difference.
@@Hath.0 Sprinco springs are well known to be at the top as far as springs go. Put some grease on the spring if you want less sound and buy a properly gassed barrel and proper buffer and buffer tube. If you want smoother, Go A5 buffer system. You mentioned a gimmick that’s not needed. People just see enhanced and take the bait
@@Hath.0 Also, people that use the accuwedge also lick windows.
A note on accuracy. If you're using a laser mounted to the rifle, zero it resting or standing whichever you'll use it for. because of the flex i a free floated hand guard, it will change the zero slightly when you switch from being on a bipod/resting the gun verse when you're holding it in your hand. I noticed when zeroing my IR laser to a digital day night scope, that when I lifted the rifle the laser zero would change e slighgly
Battle Arms Development makes some of the best AR parts and accessories. Strike Industries make mostly good looking poop 💩. BCM makes my favorite stocks, grips and rails. For a charging handle I prefer the lwrc ambi, which has massive lever retention pins, and for the trigger the best bang for your buck is the Larue MBT. Almost as good as the Geisselle for less than $100. One last thing; muzzle breaks on 5.56 rifles are gay.
Sacrificial baffles are pretty tight though🤷🏻♂️
@@ErrlWorx556 Only if you have a suppressor. If you don’t have a suppressor than muzzle brakes on 5.56 are indeed ghey.
@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 Agreed.
The LaRue MBT2 triggers are a fantastic value!!!
Spoken like someone who’s shooting experience is watching others shoot on TH-cam. A properly tuned break is always a benefit to any weapon regardless of the cartridge, unless speed and accuracy are not important to you.
14:51 instead of duct tape on the buffer tube to tighten a stock use a small piece of the soft fuzzy side of Velcro inside the stock at the 12 o clock position at the front. no more rattle and since its in the stock you will never see it. Its also the soft side of the Velcro so it wont scratch the buffer tube.
I’ve spent thousands customizing and experimenting with different AR mods and recently I’ve found I have a “standard” now. Raptor CH, Radian Ambi Safeties, Norgon Ambi Catch, Odin Extended Mag Release, POF bolt catch and Magpul Slim Line or MOE grips. Rails I typically rock Aero Precision… but the Strike Industries one looks really sweet. I might have to pick one up to play around with.
Yes the pof bolt catch. It's longer than most and works great with all mags. Never binds up behind the magazine follower
Swap the grips for the hogue, you'll never look at another. Also Odin works makes a nice rail, but I do support strike industries. I myself like their stocks and enhanced lower parts kits. Pof makes nice Charging handles as well as bolt catches.
@@ScentlessGhost I honestly would have no idea had I not bought a puritan. I kept having problems with my bolt catches getting jammed behind the follower on empty p mags in my spikes lower. I got thinking and realized I never had any problem with my rifle, so I measured them with a caliper. Between a spikes enhanced, cmmg, phase 5 gen 2 and 3 ebr, as well as another random one I had and they were all a good deal shorter (between .4410 and .4420) and far less stout than the pof which came out at .4470! The only other bolt catch I have found to not cause me grief was the geissele maritime catch which came out at .4460 so I ran with that on the pistol, but if I ever bought another non enhanced it would be a pof part.
@@ScentlessGhost hogue does make a nice grip. I accidentally bought a rubberized gray magpul and found out I really like it. I'm gonna run it till it wears out but I'll check out hogue for the next one
@@tokin420nchokin I just love the feel of the hogue. Yet to find another grip that grabs the hand like they do. But yes I swear by all of POF's parts. They make nice quality stuff. Currently using the enhanced strike industries catch on mine tho, but I have a POF ch on every rifle I own. No issues. Might have to check out POF's catch on the next build. Haven't used magpuls rubber grip yet. Didn't know they had one to be honest.
My PSA 16” had a lot of slop between the upper and lower. I found a video on TH-cam where a guy put hot glue in that spot where you put the earplug. You close the upper and lower together and the glue hardens. Take the hardened glue and apply small pieces of electrical tape until the slip is gone. Worked great!
Great tips, you can also get oversized pins to reduce slop I'm upper and lower if it's due to oversized pin holes. Would like to see how the thing u ordered works for doing that as well. Awesome video 👌
I totally forgot to mention those... Dang
Magpul K2 plus, Geissele ultra duty lower parts kit , SSP trigger, super 42 spring with H2 buffer. Makes a world of difference.
I can vouch for the radian charging handle. I've had to kick mine with my boot to force the action open mutiple time. Had a bad batch of reloads I did when I was still learning lol. That charging handle is a tank.
That's crazy man! I'm a good kinda way
Only things I focus on with a in-expensive AR are premium barrel (on sale), Tubb's flat buffer spring $26, Hand grip $20, BCG $80, back-up sights $30, red dot/prism $200-$89, small forward hand grip $20. Accuracy is free.
Thanks for taking the time to share your insights, Jon.
Real light, thin handguards, while amazing at reducing weight, do compromise durability and the ability to withstand unintended abuse. So, depending on application, this may or may not present a problem.
The great thing about Geissele is that they use full strength springs. They're also battle proven. Reliability is key.
The biggest problem with the Accu-Wedge is that they degrade (before you will notice) and debris gets into the upper receiver and will cause malfunctions. Minor play between the upper and lower does not have any adverse impact on reliable functioning or accuracy. Introducing something that will fail and cause problems/reliability issues, from my perspective, is not worth my life (or range time).
Surefire makes a great 3-prong muzzle device, the Battle Comp. It also is compatible with a quick detach blast deflector.
You've mentioned some really good products.
I gotta mention 2 parts that I love. 1 is a grip for AR pistol build, the Ergo Swift Grip. The angle is great for short pistols & it looks & feels great. The other is a charging handle, the Fortis Clutch. If ur someone who uses 1 side of the handle to charge ur AR, then u'll love these. They only have 1 handle on the side u charge with (they make left or right handed), are well made, use a C-clip rather than a roll pin, & come in a few different colors. Ambi charging handles are great, too. I have a Phase 5 on 1 of my rifles, which is also a great choice. But the Clutch is awesome & I rarely see it get any love.
LOVE the review format! Agree on hogue grips being comfy. Radian safety is 🔥🔥🔥.
Well done man!
Ergo grips are also nice.
I run Houge, or Ergos on all my ARs.
Yeah, Hogue grips are always comfortable on just about any gun they make them for.
Have the Radian safety, take it just slightly off of SAFE and press the tigger multiple times (no magazine and empty battery of course) and viola it'll flip to FIRE. Now when it's on 90 degrees, it's solid working 100% of the time. Now of course I have it in the Radian AX556 with a Geissele SSA-E trigger, in case it's the super slickness of both the lower receiver and trigger combo with the Radian talon safety are what cause that condition with 45 degrees.
1. Hand grip
2. Safety selector
3. Hand guard
4. Charging handle
5. Trigger
6. Stock/Brace
7. Hand stop/ forward grip
8. Accu-wedge
9. Muzzle break
10. Bolt carrier group
Many great ideas to make a cheap rifle feel like a more expensive rifle. However this video really solidifies the concept of buy one cry once or build your own rifle to start with. Otherwise you buy a cheaper rifle, then spend money upgrading it and have parts left over, makes more sense to build the rifle you want 1st. But again if you bought a cheap rifle and just want to upgrade as you go, then the ideas expressed are right on. Keep up the great videos!
Couldn't agree more
I am a big fan of the JoeBobOutfitter grip screw trigger adjuster. I have one in every one of my ARs. Removes the over travel and feels great.
Eyyyyyy the ol "joebob trigger job" good choice
Love all of the suggestions! I must say that I really enjoy the Daniel Defense grip and stock. They feel very high quality, and comfortable, to me.
Yep, I don't think about it anymore when I purchase furniture. I just reorder from DD and I'm done!
Being new to this segment, I got a bare bones Omni tac, replaced trigger springs(reduced pull by 3lbs at least) replaced the butt stock, put a full length mlok hand guard(slots at all positions including the 11 and 1) the milspec pistol grip with a rubberized moe by magpul. My next step would be a buffer spring, don’t know which way to go on that though.
Either way, thanks for your content, helps us noobies out immensely!
Great video, thanks for those enlightened suggestions.
DD is not the most amenable group of fire stick producers, however, they do have some pretty awesome stuff. For example: their barrels (not a great selection of calibers) are hammer forged, their mitigation devices are pretty awesome. They're pricey, but worth a look.
New subscriber, looking forward to more of your videos.
13:38 13:39 13:39
Missouri Tactical butt stock pad and an Amazon cheek pad will upgrade your stock stock to Guicci.
Ah, the magpul buttstock issue - a buddy of mine did this recently with a beginner build. Turns out magpul makes both commercial and milspec sized variants for the buffer tube mount on those stocks. You get the wrong combo - like a commercial stock on a milspec buffer like he did and you get a ton of slop like you have there. We swapped to milspec tube and stock combo, works just fine now.
20:18 check this out , my DD upper and lower have slop and you can tell they don’t mate . I recently bought a 10.5” psa upper with fsb and plastic hand gaurd ,I slapped that upper onto my DD lower and they are a perfect fit . It have ZERO wiggle (slop) . Just so folks know . I bought this DDM4A1 in 2017.
I had a hogue grip on my rifle then I bought a Magpul Moe + grip for my other rifle.. I now run all Magpul Moe + grips. They have one for AR pistols also. I personally like them better than hogue. I agree with you about not having a rail the length of the handguard. I also like the minimalist buttstock depending on application and the UTG pro S1. As far as receiver slop goes if you buy your upper and lower receiver from the same company they will have tighter tolerances than if you use a lower from one company and an upper from a different company. Some lowers come with tension screws and on the cheap the wedge works great. Awesome all-around video. 👍
I did the same on mine for the grip except for my bull barrel it has the PSG1
Cutting a strip of plastic (about 1" wide by 4-5" long) from a milk jug and laying it on top of the buffer tube as you slip the stock on can take the slop out of pretty much any stock. Easily un-doable and it makes it rock solid. Trim the end of it to fit within the footprint of the end of the buffer tube and fold that part down 90 degrees and this will hold the piece of plastic to the rear of the buffer tube as you slide the stock on.
I have to admit didn't know about the flash compensator upgrades. This video is the best video you have ever done . You went over all the mods that most people would just forget to make & settle with mil spec. It's definitely the difference between custom feel without the high price. I've done all these mods except the flash. They are hard to find & most just settle because of that. Respectfully, Thank you.......
Being a left handed person. I buy 2 safeties to get 2 stubbies. I set the right sided stubby 180* out. So can work with my left thumb. Ambi mag releases are awesome. Ambi gas blocking charge handles are nice. I dont mind missing some paint if it blocks gases. I dont like egro geips. Rather have extra trigger finger reach. I like my cheap stock design trigger. I put electric tape on tube to stop rattle. The rattle cans gave my rifle the wow factor. Zero F's given paint job.
I like to strategically put some black RTV sealant along the edges of the lower receiver at the front and back. It doesn't come off and it's easy to remove. It's slightly squishy so it gives and doesn't make it excessively hard to close the upper/lower. You might need to take a razor and make it thinner if you put too much. It's cheap and easy to do though.
Love my DD handgrips have them on both my ARs. One with the trigger gaurd and one without on my .50 Beowulf build. Also really happy with my Velocity trigger on my .223 Wylde build.
I have the Aero Precision M4E1 lower and it has a set screw (with nylon tip) you access through the handle that presses against the upper and are able to purchase for $2. It does require an extra long hex key and can be tricky to access, but is a great option.
Yeah that's awesome! my Aero lowers are older, so they don't have it
dude, AR-15 forgings are also milled, if the dimensions are off that is not the forging that caused it but the milling.
S&J Nano Linear Compensator is amazing for reducing recoil also it looks cool. BCM KMR Alpha Free Float Handguards are very slick and sexy. I got the 17" and my compensator is covered where it is flush with the end of the handguard. I also liked the MFT Buttstock. Also modified my gas block and traded it out for a BCM Low Profile Gas Block, it made a world of difference with my AR-15. Next is upgrading the trigger...so thank you for the suggestions.
I highly recommend the Hogue buttstock, it gives the gun that higher end tight feel too.
Finally seeing someone give the Hogue grip the love it deserves. I have 4 rifles with these grips on them and I wouldn't have anything else on any gun that I use often. They are a must have IMO.
Blackout Defense makes an amazing trigger and charging handle.
This is coming from a guy who has multiple Geissele SD3G triggers and multiple Radian Raptor charging handles.
They are definitely worth checking out.
I will add that adding a JP silent captured buffer spring will not only reduce recoil but will also eliminate that ping sound you hear. Don't ask me how they work the magic they do, they just work.
I just found your channel, and I have to give you high marks. You explain everything so that even an ol ground pounder like me can understand. You also cover topics for those of us who don't have $$ to burn, help make our rigs just as high quality as those 3k numbers. So thank you sir and keep on keeping on👍
I have a couple Fab Defense butt stocks, and they are great. My POF in 308 has a small shock absorber in it, which helps with recoil. The POF also has a dovetail for the foregrip to receiver.
FAB makes some really quality products. The GL-Core stock is fantastic.
I put Magpul MOEs on my 16" and 20" "A2", because the A2 grip feels like trying to hold a pencil, but a much more vertical grip on my pistol. I worked in a gun shop in recieving for a while and got to handle a lot of guns while I put them into the inventory. I quickly figured out the grip angle on a pistol needed to not be like the MOE grips. lol. I did put a rubber sleeve grip over the pistol grip since it felt a bit slick so that helped and made it easier to hold and manuver. I tried a Hogue on one rifle but it's still really small like the A2. I like the Hogue on my AK though. The 20" had a bit of slop in it and I put an O-ring and an accu-wedge in that. It locks it up so well that it feels like the reciver is one piece. You just have to use a round to push the take down pin instead of just with a finger is all.
In my opinion, the slop between uppers and lowers has everything to do with machining tolerances and nothing to do with forged vs billet. All the features that control the amount of play are machined regardless if the parts are forged or machined from billet.
You mentioned that you liked handguards with rail section at the end and at the front, near the upper receiver, in case your optic mount needed to mount to it......You never mount any part of the optic on the handguard. It will never hold zero, especially a precision optic. You mount it as far forward as you can on the upper receiver only, you never leave the upper receiver. (Eye relief taken into consideration). If you think yours holds zero because its a good quality handguard.....drop it a few times, muzzle strike someone with it, break a car window with it and then run 10 yards at a full sprint (while holding it) and dive behind cover, like you are being shot at. You'll find that you will be transitioning to those iron sights real quick. Another way to prevent movement between the lower receiver and upper receiver is to use an adjustable grip screw. They are easy to find, cheap and made by multiple companies, make sure you get one that comes with the super long Allen key. You install or replace the pistol grip screw and adjust the small Allen head screw in the center, it pushes against the rear takedown pin lug and creates tension.
How buttons, doors, and seats feel are why people often love German cars. Everything has a nice solid click. I had a 2002 VW Jetta, which is one of the lest expensive German cars. Even it felt nicer than many cars that cost more. Funny thing about many VW Jettas is that even though they feel rock solid, they tend to be less reliable and more expensive to repair than many other cars. Better to drive a less precise feeling Toyota Corolla.
I do use Presma hand guards because they cost much less than many others, but they definitely don't fit as precisely as the much more expensive ones. However, they still look good on my custom builds, so I don't complain.
Not all basic charging handles are exactly the same. My dad's AR-15 came with a cheap basic one that didn't last. He replaced it with something similar in price, and it also didn't last. Finally, he bought a more expensive basic charging handle and never had a problem. Since I went full custom on my AR builds, I waited for a mega sale and bought premium units. The AR-15 I built got a Radian Raptor for nearly half price and it's great. For my Ar-10 build, the Fortis Hammer was on sale, and the complete build is coming soon. Some companies like Presma offer low price smbi charging handles, but they feel cheap and gritty.
I use a LaRue 2 stage trigger. They are similar in price. I use a flat face, but curved is an option.
Ever use a FAB defense stock? They come with a set of spacers to help make it fit tighter to the buffer tube. There is less cheek weld that a B5, but more than a MOE.
When I did my custom builds, I used an Aero M4E1 and Aero M5. They fit tightly with no extras. They cost more and look a little different than milspec, but I like the look. In addition, you don't have to drive roll pins into the trigger guard.
I use an Armaspec SMB buffer. The neat thing about it is that it removes the nose that a milspec spring and buffer make. Maybe it makes a rifle feel more expensive, maybe it doesn't. Still, it is a neat invention and costs about $50. Some similar devices have progressive springs to lower recoil, but they cost more. It might be a good idea if you need to reduce recoil, but don't want a muzzle device that will annoy the nearby shooters.
I used the Troy Claymore blast director. It works purely to make life hell for anyone down range and does nothing to compensate. I just couldn’t resist the “This direction towards enemy“ engraving!
A little JB weld inside the Magpul MOE at the buffer tube interface surface tightens it right up and is an invisible fix. Doesn't take much. Let it set and file to fit.
Back in the early 90s there was a company called Accu-Wedge that sold a rubber bushing for the upper and lower receivers. FWIW its has everything to do with feel, it has zero outcome on performance, function and accuracy. You can also drill and tap a lower with 10-32 threads install a 10-32 set screw. Adjust the depth of the set screw until it meets the upper receiver take down pin lug. Fine tune it until the "slop" is gone. Aero Precision includes this screw on most newer lowers.