RedBeard’s Curious Life

Continuation of series. Previous post.

The .22 rifle is a nice gun, but I wanted something with more reach, more punch, and more reliability – something capable of taking large magazines and spending them at a relatively high rate of fire and with good accuracy. At the time, there was much rumor of the political powers reinstating an assault-weapons ban, and the rumor was strengthened by the attorney general outright proclaiming that goal. That rumor has since faded, but at the time I wanted to hedge that bet by buying something that could be banned, despite the price markup that dealers were enjoying. I simply had to get an AR-15 of reputable manufacture and features.

I researched various models and decided I couldn’t live without a quad-rail handguard and a flip-up rear iron sight. Smith & Wesson had a nice model in the M&P 15, but it was beyond my price expectations, which led me towards the Stag Arms Model 2T. This rifle features a 16″ chrome-lined barrel with 5.56mm chamber, a flat-top railed upper receiver, a carbine-length quad-rail handguard by Samson, a collapsible stock, a standard front sight post, and an ARMS 40L folding rear sight. All of those features met my desires, so I set about trying to find the best price. I scoured the internet and discovered the average going price was around $1300-1400, well above the $1125 MSRP. I searched every night on sites like gunbroker.com and gunsamerica.com, and it was relatively easy to filter because nobody else uses a model designation of “2T”. Eventually, I found one listed for under $1200 and decided I had waited long enough and that prices weren’t going down anytime soon; I ordered it and waited patiently for it to arrive.

Perhaps a little too late, I realized that 5.56mm and .223 ammunition costs roughly 10 times what .22 ammo does, so I’ve put considerably fewer rounds through my AR-15 than I have through my .22 rifle. That being said, it is a blast to shoot at the range, and I thoroughly enjoy whenever I take it out. I had to adjust the iron sights a bit to get the rifle zeroed at 100 yards (apparently it’s zeroed for 200 or 300 at the factory), and it took a little while to actually figure out what the different apertures and notches on the folding rear sight were for, since there were no included instructions for the sight.

I’ve never experienced a malfunction with this rifle, but I’ve also treated it pretty well, despite the arduous cleaning requirements. I’ve since purchased various cleaning equipment to try and improve my ability to clean out the bolt carrier, bolt, and firing pin, which get a bit caked up with carbon fouling. I’d hate to be in the army and told to get this thing spotless, because it’s very difficult to get the fouling out of all the nooks & crannies, even with fairly strong solvents. The AR-15 design is quite impressive, as it keeps cost, weight, and total number of moving parts low, but it spits hot gases from the cartridge powder directly onto the bolt carrier. A number of manufacturers have started offering gas-piston AR-15 models this year, and I would strongly consider getting one of those if I were to buy a new AR-15 today, as the gas-piston action keeps the bolt much cooler & cleaner.

I also wanted to put some type of optics on my AR-15. I couldn’t decide between a short-range optic which could be used for close-quarters engagements, or a magnified optic for better precision out to effective range of the rifle, which is 500 yards or so. I ended up deciding to get an ACOG, as I was less enthusiastic about battery-operated red-dot sights, and had heard nothing but praise for the ACOG. I found a good deal on a used copy from someone nearby, and snagged it for almost half off MSRP. I must say, this is an excellent optic, although I’ve only taken it out once to sight it in. My only complaint is that the eye relief is very short at about 1.5″, which requires me to mount it as far back on my flat-top upper as possible, just ahead of the folding BUIS, and still place my cheek quite far forward on the stock. Once I have a good picture, it’s quite easy to line up the sight and hit a target, although I haven’t yet tried using the two-eyes-open aiming technique that the ACOG was developed for.

I did replace the standard plastic pistol grip with a rubberized version with finger grooves, made by Hogue, which I feel made a significant improvement to comfort and control for only $15. I also got a few PMAG magazines, which are extremely tough and feature a window through which you can see the remaining number of rounds in the magazine. I have yet to actually use the quad-rail handguard for anything productive… I did buy a cheap vertical grip to put on it, but decided to leave it off because it was a bit large & flimsy. I considered buying a tactical flashlight and attachment, but ended up just buying a nice bright flashlight and not mounting it. I do appreciate the tacti-cool appearance of the quad-rail and the possibility to attach all sorts of accessories, but if I could go back and do it again, I’d probably save some money and get a standard handguard instead. My total costs for purchasing, outfitting, and operating this AR-15 are upwards of $2500, which makes it the most expensive firearm in my collection.

Here’s a picture of me firing my Stag Arms AR-15 at a nearby shooting pit. On my hip you can also see my Sig P226 SCT 9mm, which I will discuss in a future post.