It's been almost three years since I last put together an AR carbine, and I've been getting the itch to try a lot of stuff I've seen and learned over that time period. So, when a gun with most of the features I was looking for came up at a good buddy discount recently, I jumped on it and began setting it up to experiment with the new ideas...
First off, 2016 is going to be the year I stick my toe in the water with a low-power variable optic, or "LPV".
LPVs are all over 3 Gun competition and seem to be more common on working guns too, these days. They help with
target discrimination, and at close ranges an illuminated reticle model like the
Burris MTAC 1-4 x 24
above can be used as a jackleg red dot.
I know, I know...If one has a decent optic in a good mount, iron sights these days are pretty much woobies; just there to make one feel good by their presence. Pat Rogers, on seeing my
2013 carbine wearing its
Daniel Defense fixed BUIS when I showed up for class last spring, pointed out to me that they'd seen zero Aimpoint failures on their school guns over the years. John Mosby at Mountain Guerilla is well known for dishing out horrible abuse to his MTAC-equipped carbines to
prove a point.
Still, I want my woobie.
This is what attracted me to the gun in the first place. The long, slim, keymod forearm is my first step back away from the full-on rail farms since 2006 or so.
I haven't settled on a stock yet, and the
InForce WMLX
light is only a temporary expedient on the gun. I bought it for a different carbine, and I'll be switching my Surefire Scout light over to this one. Also trying the newer style of more upright pistol grips, with the
Magpul K2+
.
Looking forward to getting it to a class, and maybe shooting some 3 Gun this year, just for kicks.
