How To Turn Your AR-15 Into A Do-Anything Utility Gun

The AR-15 is one of the most versatile gun platforms on the market, which may explain its popularity. It can easily be configured for anything, from a close-quarters combat weapon for home defense to a rifle for hunting.

Changing the gun from one purpose to another merely requires changing the barrel and optics, leaving the functioning of the gun alone.

While few people actually repurpose their AR-15s by changing the barrel length, many customize their gun, making it fit the use that they have for it. While gunsmiths are regularly employed for these changes, there isn’t a single change on an AR-15 that can’t be done by the owner, assuming they are fairly proficient with tools and have the right ones.

There are a few specialty tools needed for some types of modifications, especially for changing out the barrel. However, these tools are readily available for a reasonable price. If you like working on your own guns, it’s well worth the expense of buying these tools.

Caliber

The standard caliber for the AR-15 is 5.56mm, which is essentially the same as .223 caliber. The two types of ammunition are close enough to each other that they can both be shot through the same rifle, without modification. You can also shoot .22 caliber ammunition through it, simply by changing the bolt and the magazine. The difference in barrel diameter is only three-thousands of an inch, not enough to prevent the bullet from passing through the barrel cleanly.

However, any other caliber requires changing the barrel, as well as possibly needing to change the bolt. Depending upon the caliber, the same magazines might still work, but there are a few calibers that require a special magazine.

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Some of the calibers that AR-15s have been chambered for include:

• 62x39mm – This is the original AK-47 cartridge. Slightly larger than the 5.56mm, it also has a higher muzzle velocity. Essentially, this is the same as the American .30-30 cartridge, which is also available.
• .30-06 – Probably the favorite big game hunting cartridge in use today. The .30-06 is easily obtainable and is an excellent mid-range hunting/sniper round.
• 8 SPC – An excellent hunting cartridge out to about 300 yards. This is essentially the same as the civilian .270 rifle cartridge.
• .450 Bushmaster – For long-range hunting of big game or use as a sniper rifle, switching over to a larger caliber is recommended. There are several large caliber rounds available for the AR-15, with the .450 Bushmaster being the most popular.

Upper Receiver

The original M-16 upper receiver had a built-in handle, with the rear sight built into it. This protected the rear sight well, making it an excellent combat choice. However, the optics on the gun could not be changed. When the M-4 was developed, the handle was replaced with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics.

Today, AR-15s are available with either type of upper receiver. Most buyers choose the receiver with the Picatinny rail, but if you are looking to save money, the handle ends up being cheaper.

Barrel Length

Legally, for a rifle to be considered a normal rifle, it has to have a minimum of an 18-inch barrel. In the case of the AR-15, that 18 inches includes the muzzle break or flash suppressor. However, to be included, they have to be pinned and welded, so that they become a permanent part of the rifle barrel. Anything shorter than that is defined by federal law as being a “short-barreled” rifle and requires special permitting to own.

A couple of companies have managed to manufacture and have approved an AR-15 “pistol” which has a shorter barrel. The first company to do this was Sig Sauer, which was smart enough to have a one-armed vet make the presentation to the DEA’s review board. He shot the “pistol” with one hand, proving that it was a pistol.

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Besides pistol barrel lengths, AR-15 barrels basically fall into three categories:

• Bull length – 16 to 18 inches, designed for close quarters combat.
• Standard rifle – 18 to 20 inches, for normal combat and mid-range hunting.
• Sniper or competition — 24 to 26 inches, which provides higher muzzle velocity for longer range shooting.

Besides the overall barrel length, the length between the chamber and the gas port varies, depending upon the barrel design. When selecting a barrel, you not only need to consider the overall barrel length, but this length as well.

• Pistol – 4.7 inches.
• Carbine – 7.8 inches.
• Mid-length – 9.8 inches.
• Rifle – 13.2 inches.

Impingement System

Originally, the M-16 used a gas tube to provide the impetus to drive the bolt carrier backwards for reloading. This is attached through the front sight mount to the gas port mentioned as part of the barrel selection. Most AR-15s are still built with this system, although there are some which are built with a piston. Using the piston requires changing the front sight mount as well, usually for a low profile one.

The piston helps keep the gun cleaner, as the gas from the burnt powder isn’t going back to drive the bolt carrier back to reload.

Stock

The standard stock for an AR-15 is adjustable, which was one of the improvements made to the original M-16 when it was upgraded to become the M-4. The adjustable stock makes the gun comfortable for a large variety of people to shoot.

The sniper version of the M-4 or AR-15 uses a different stock. The primary difference is a cheek pad on the stock. This makes it easier to place your eye steadily aligned with a scope for long-range shooting.

Forestock

Originally, the M-16 had a two-piece plastic forestock, which was lined with an aluminum heat deflector. This works out fairly well for a simple rifle, but does not allow for the attachment of any accessories to the gun. If you want to be able to mount a front handle, lights, lasers or some types of optics, you need a forestock with Picatinny rail on it.

There are a number of different manufacturers that produce forestocks for AR-15s. Most of these are “quad rail” systems, meaning that they have Picatinny rails on all four sides of the barrel. They can be either “free floating” where they are only attached at the barrel nut or attached at both ends, like the normal forestock.

Foregrip

Many people add a vertical or angled foregrip to their AR-15. This provides better control over the gun and less wrist fatigue if you are holding it for a long time, such as in combat situations. Foregrips can either be plain or can have tactical lights and laser sights built into them. There is also an angled foregrip available, which was originally developed by Magpul.

Optics

There is probably more variety in optics for the AR-15 than there is any other accessory. Originally, the M-16 had a post and ring sight, but this has largely been replaced in military use. Today’s military rifles mostly use a red dot sight, as they are faster and easier to work with. A variation of the red dot sight is the reflex sight. While they operate basically the same from a user’s viewpoint, the reflex doesn’t require batteries.

AR-15s can also be fitted with a variety of telescopic sights. There are even telescopic sights which will work in conjunction with a red dot. Like all scopes, this provides more accuracy at long range.

Finally, you can always mount iron sights to the AR-15, just as the original M-16 had. There is a version of iron sights which is designed to be flip-up, so that it can be folded down to the stock, except when needed. This protects the sights from damage.

If you have a red dot or scope mounted on the AR-15, you can still add the flip-up iron sights by attaching them to the rail via offset mounts. These hold the iron sights off to the side of the normal sighting line, keeping them out of the way of the other optics. When used, the rifle has to be rotated to a 45-degree angle to allow a good sight line.

What are other ways you’ve adjusted your AR-15? Share your tips in the section below:

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Source: http://www.offthegridnews.com/self-defense/how-to-turn-your-ar-15-into-a-do-anything-utility-gun/