Half of the reason that “America’s Rifle” is so popular is that it takes modularity to hitherto unprecedented levels.
You can pop out the BCG and gas system of an AR, swap in parts from another variant, drop and replace the trigger group, and the rifle will keep on shooting.
In fact, it might even handle and shoot better, especially if some of the parts you replaced or added were as follows.
Muzzle Brakes
Does your AR have a flash hider? Do you hate recoil?
We have some good news, then. Swap out that flash hider and screw on a muzzle brake.
Muzzle brakes change how the gases are ported at the muzzle, either dispersing them in an even configuration or porting them upwards, which redirects the force of recoil down, helping to control muzzle flip.
Muzzle brakes can substantially cut felt recoil, depending on the weight of the platform and the cartridge paired with it, by as much as 50% - and they don’t affect shot power.
This makes them great for recoil-sensitive shooters; they can also enable faster, more accurate follow-up shots since they help cut back on muzzle jump.
Just be warned: shooting your AR with a muzzle brake will significantly increase muzzle blast and volume, so be ready with hearing protection and don’t shoot them next to range mates without warning them first.
Brass Catchers
If you hate chasing brass around the range after a range therapy session, then a good (if unexciting) shooting accessory for you is a brass catcher.
High-quality brass catchers are among the most useful, affordable shooting accessories out there and most can easily be mounted and removed as desired with no modifications to the rifle.
Brass catchers are also useful shooting accessories for shooters who reload, as it’s generally beneficial to keep your brass off the ground. A brass catcher will help keep them cleaner.
Heavier Buffer Weights
If your rifle is kicking a bit too much, it might be overgassed. Most rifles are, from the factory. This, at the very least, ensures feeding and cycling as well as proper reset of the action.
To rectify this, you can make adjustments to the gas system, which, when done improperly can screw up cycling…or you can just install heavier buffer weights.
Installing heavier buffer tube weights not only preserves the ability of an overgassed rifle to cycle, but it will take some of the bite out of recoil by increasing the reciprocating mass of the rifle.
It’s the layman’s way of fighting recoil and smoothing out the action cycle, without making any adjustments to the gas system.
It’s also an awesome upgrade to make in tandem with a muzzle brake, as, with both of these upgrades made, sharp recoil will effectively be all but a thing of the past.
Heavier Recoil Springs
Just like heavier buffer tube weights, heavier recoil springs can be beneficial in helping to absorb some of the recoil from your rifle.
The heavier the spring, the quicker the action time should be, and also, the stronger the spring, the more cycles it should be able to go through before fatiguing and needing to be replaced.
Pistol Braces
This one’s a bit specific, as the purpose of an AR pistol brace also known as pistol stabilizing braces) is specifically to aid in the one-handed shooting of AR pistol platforms which are a bit hard to control.
Actually, pistol braces were originally developed to assist shooters with disabilities in controlling their AR pistols when firing with one hand.
However, their utility extends far beyond this, and shooters of all sizes and experience levels can benefit from pistol braces, which enable easier one-handed shooting, can control recoil and muzzle-flip, and which can also help improve accuracy, even at extended ranges.
1-Point Slings
If it doesn’t have a 1-point sling, is it even really an AR-15?
A good question, but here’s some supplementary information about 1-point slings and rifle shooting.
They’re not about weight distribution, or about comfortably carrying your rifle to or from any given location. They’re all about retention, so if you’re looking for a comfortable sling, look elsewhere.
However, if retention is a concern, such as if you need to drop your rifle and unholster your handgun or use both hands for something, quickly, without losing possession of your rifle, then a 1-point sling is a must.
This makes them very useful if you keep your rifle for home defense or participate in competitions such as 3-gun.
An Ambi AR-15 Charging Handle
Some AR-15 charging handles discriminate against left-handed shooters, but beyond that, they can be small and difficult to manipulate in the dark, or in the cold, if you have heavy gloves on.
This makes AR-15 charging handle upgrades among the most practical changes you can make to your rifle to improve handling and performance.
Some charging handles also help prevent gases from being ported near the shooter’s face, which upgrade can be a bonus, too.
We covered this topic at a much greater length previously. For more information on when and why you should replace your AR-15’s charging handle, see our previous blog, Upgrading Your AR-15’s Charging Handle: When and Why You Should Do It.
Get These and Other AR Accessories Here
In addition to these AR parts and accessories, we also carry optics, gun parts, and a ton of other shooting accessories. If you’re looking for AR-15 parts or accessories, look here first.
We also carry assembled uppers, AR-15 lower parts kits, and AR-15 build kits. If you’re working on a home build, check out our collections via the previous links
If you have any questions about our AR-15 parts or accessories, get in touch with us at Sales@MCSGearup.com or at 239-848-6757.