A naked AR-15 is still a beautiful, functional piece of equipment, but like all beautiful, functional pieces of equipment they’re more of a joy to use once upgraded and personalized. If you’re looking for creative ways to trick out your sporter, tack on some of these AR-15 accessories for a more enjoyable shooting experience.
● A red dot sight
Red dot sights can be more effective than both iron sights and scopes for accuracy at short ranges, enabling quick, accurate, effective reflex shooting and encouraging fast follow up shots. They keep your sight picture clear, don’t require you to line up sight or a reticle, and drastically reduce time to acquire the target.
● (If you are a long-distance shooter) A scope
If and only if you practice shooting at long range, or if you hunt with your AR, then you might do better with a scope than with a reflex sight. A scope will help you shrink your groups at ranges with which a red dot sight wouldn’t be able to effectively contend.
● A tactical, quad-rail mounted light
For those of you that have converted your sporters into miracles of home defense, a tactical light that mounts to the side of your quad rail can offer you a lot of value. In the dark, a light can both provide you with visibility and offer you the disarming element of surprise.
● A lightweight, folding bipod.
A bipod is also another must-have AR-15 accessory for those that bring their sporting rifles into the field, especially for those that hunt. When you have no stable shooting rest, sometimes you need to make your own, and a bipod can furnish you with a fix in a bind. Game won’t wait for you.
● A QD sling
A sling can get in your way, if you let it. It can also be an invaluable shooting accessory that will shift the strain off your arms, giving you the ability to cover more ground throughout the day with less fatigue. Some slings can even enhance the stability of your shooting stance – get a QD sling for your AR.
● A muzzle brake
Why get a muzzle brake? Because it significantly reduces felt recoil and can also help keep muzzle jump to a minimum, keeping your sights on target. Just, for the love of mercy, make sure you always wear hearing protection.
● A more ergonomic charging handle
Most of the time your stock charging handle won’t produce any annoyance, but if you’re ever out in seriously cold temperatures, shooting with thick, heavy gloves, you’ll find that they can impair muscle memory and “feeling” the charging handle. You can easily swap out your stock bolt handle with a larger, more comfortable model.
● A brass catcher
Given the current ammo crisis, there’s no good reason why any conscientious shooter would want to waste brass. Invest in a quality brass catcher and hang onto that stuff. You may not reload currently, but someday you may be glad you kept your brass. Also, it’s a courtesy to your neighbors.
● A new handguard
Not a fan of the Pic-rail handguard? Swap it out – it’s as easy as that. Try out a KeyMod or an M-LOK handguard instead.
● A better trigger
A better trigger, that is not only crisp but adjustable, can significantly improve your shooting experience and your confidence behind the stock. Triggers that break reliably can reduce flinching and help you shrink your groups. So it’s not technically an accessory but a part. It still makes a difference.
You can pick up all of these AR-15 accessories and plenty more online at Sarco, Inc,, although if you’re looking for a more involved experience you can also go visit them in-store at their location in Easton, Pennsylvania. Visit their website today and call them at 610-250-3960 if you need any assistance.
