# Since AR15 threads are "in" around here



## Revolver (Aug 26, 2006)

Here's my Bushmaster "M4A3" carbine.

Upgrades? Can't really think of any. Maybe furniture. None of the optics really interest me and I actually like the A2 sights.

Gonna get more magazines soon and no military-style rifle is complete without a bayonet. Maybe one of those cheap M7's.


----------



## scooter (May 9, 2006)

Revolver said:


> Here's my Bushmaster "M4A3" carbine.
> 
> Upgrades? Can't really think of any. Maybe furniture. None of the optics really interest me and I actually like the A2 sights.
> 
> Gonna get more magazines soon and no military-style rifle is complete without a bayonet. Maybe one of those cheap M7's.


Check out the magpul grip kit,it allows full customization/adj.for hand size.
Mine cost 43.00$ but was well worth it


----------



## js (Jun 29, 2006)

Revolver said:


> Here's my Bushmaster "M4A3" carbine.
> 
> Gonna get more magazines soon and no military-style rifle is complete without a bayonet. Maybe one of those cheap M7's.


 Looks good... :smt023


----------



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Nice carbine. I find optical sights practically indispensible, whether an Aimpoint, EOTech, or ACOG. Iron sights are slower and often less precise. No one in my unit here at Fort Bragg would even consider going back to iron sights after using the issue Aimpoints and ACOGs. Irons are strictly for back-up if the optic goes down in a fight. For plinking and casual range shooting, it doesn't matter, but if you anticipate ever using the carbine for defense, an optic of some type is the way to go.

A good sling is also a must. I personally don't much care for three-point slings, preferring a single-point or a simple two-point carrying strap on an M4. 

A more comfortable pistol grip is nice if you shoot bare-handed. I have Nomex gloves on all the time here, so the stock grip is fine for me. I don't much care for vertical foregrips anymore, even though my issue rifle is overloaded with Army gadgets. For close-fast shooting, I just use the front of the mag well as a grip. For longer shots, I use the handguard in a conventional rifle fashion. 

Get lots of mags with green followers. Just about every M4 malfunction I have seen here at Bragg has been directly related to using old M16 mags in the faster-cycling M4. That and crappy extractor springs.

Have no use for a bayonet. Would rather carry extra ammo.


----------



## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Good looking M4 you got there Revolver. I am looking around myself for maybe a 9mm fun gun. I can shoot them at the indoor range I go to. Good luck with yours.


----------



## Revolver (Aug 26, 2006)

Mike Barham at Galco said:


> For plinking and casual range shooting, it doesn't matter, but if you anticipate ever using the carbine for defense, an optic of some type is the way to go.
> 
> A good sling is also a must. I personally don't much care for three-point slings, preferring a single-point or a simple two-point carrying strap on an M4.
> 
> ...


It's mostly a training tool(I'm in the Army Reserves and want to stay proficient). I got this to replace my former 20" HBAR as it was way too front heavy and I'm only familiar with the M16A2 and M16A1 rifles so I thought maybe a little familiarization with the now more common M4 wouldn't be a bad idea. Also, I'm too cheap to buy an Aimpoint or EOTech right now. Which make and model of optics is the most common now? Is the standard issue generally the same from unit to unit?

I agree with you on the simple two-point sling. It's my preferred type of sling.

I'd obviously never have a use for a bayonet but like my milsurps, I like to have a bayonet to match it. Just a collector's thing.

Thanks for the information, especially since you've been/are in one of the countries bordering Iran and I haven't been deployed yet. So you're more "in the know" about the newer equipment being fielded now.


----------



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Almost all M4 users in my unit were issued the M68 Close Combat Optic, the military equivalent of the Aimpoint M2 with the 4MOA dot. The squad Designated Marksmen got the ACOG. The M68 is the most common optic, though some units (82 and 101 ABN, I think) seem to prefer the EOTech.

Iron sights are strictly for back-up nowadays. You'll see how fast the red dot is when you get on a reflexive fire range.

We also got Knight's Armament rail systems and vertical foregrips, Matech BUIS, Spec-Ops brands three-point slings, PEQ-2A laser aiming units, and Surefire combat lights. Put it all on, and your nice 7-pound carbine suddenly weighs more than a Garand! I wasn't even issued a bayonet.

I had the same idea about training with an M4gery. I had two different ones over a couple of years, even though I have no love for the design. What I learned was that, without all the gadgets and an IBA, any training done at home doesn't really translate directly to the military context. Still, any trigger time is good trigger time, so enjoy your M4gery!

BTW, I'm not actually in The 'Stan yet. We'll get there toward the end of the month, though.



Revolver said:


> It's mostly a training tool(I'm in the Army Reserves and want to stay proficient). I got this to replace my former 20" HBAR as it was way too front heavy and I'm only familiar with the M16A2 and M16A1 rifles so I thought maybe a little familiarization with the now more common M4 wouldn't be a bad idea. Also, I'm too cheap to buy an Aimpoint or EOTech right now. Which make and model of optics is the most common now? Is the standard issue generally the same from unit to unit?
> 
> I agree with you on the simple two-point sling. It's my preferred type of sling.
> 
> ...


----------



## Revolver (Aug 26, 2006)

In the future I may upgrade to one of those optics and see what I'm missing out on but it isn't priority right now(got a move coming up).

Thanks for the info and good luck with the training and deployment.


----------



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Revolver said:


> In the future I may upgrade to one of those optics and see what I'm missing out on but it isn't priority right now(got a move coming up).
> 
> Thanks for the info and good luck with the training and deployment.


If it's strictly for training purposes, I'd just get a less expensive one (Tasco or Bushnell or something) if I was short on money. The single red dot simulates an Aimpoint pretty well, though not the complex reticle on the EOTech or ACOG. But like I said, training without an IBA and 5 pounds of gadgets hanging on the rifle isn't all that realistic, anyway.


----------

