Building the Ultimate KISS when SHTF AR-15

\”Are YOU Ready?\”

Some of you may remember my first post on SHTFblog.com way back in March, “KISS When SHTF”. In it, I basically run through a couple ideas on what I suppose will be practical for firearms once SHTF. The “KISS” (Keep It Simple, Stupid”) theme is something I believe should run through all preparations for your SHTF planning, not just firearms. (by the way, in this article, I directly linked to all the items I’ve listed…just click on the names highlighted to see exactly what I’m talking about.)

But I was putting together a couple ideas for friends and family for guns to have when everything goes downhill, and thought I’d share them with you. These particular people wanted firearms built on an AR-15 platform, which does make a lot of sense. (I can hear the groans now from some of you). The AR-15 has a lot going for it: It’s the nation’s most popular rifle these days, and it’s our military’s Main Battle Rifle (MBR). Our police forces utilize them by the boatload, and one can usually be found in almost every squad car in America. The aftermarket support is ridiculous. More and more firearms companies are turning out AR-15 platforms, even traditionally sporting rifle manufacturers such as Ruger, Remington, and Smith & Wesson  are jumping on the AR-15 bandwagon. The rifle’s debut in the Vietnam era was less than spectacular, but it has since risen from those jam-encumbered models to become a brutally reliable, incredibly accurate, and extremely efficient piece of gear. the standard caliber, 5.56x45mm or .223 Remington, is powerful enough to do the job at hand (as long as you’re not shooting at tanks or bears or Apache helicopters), and can be used to take down most critters, both of the four- and two-legged variety, out to a fair distance….you just have to be careful about shot placement with that .224″ bullet.

Weak points of the AR-15 are there, when considering it for your own SHTF rifle. The big one is that the rifle is magazine-fed. For the rifle to do what it does best, it needs a magazine. Most traditional training doesn’t teach us magazine retention: we’re taught to dump the magazine, get it out of the gun, reload, and get back to it. However, contrary to what Hollywood teaches us, magazines and ammo are finite. You get rid of enough magazines, eventually, you run out. Bummer. To counteract this, we need to teach ourselves to retain our magazines for later use. Stuff them down your shirt, your pants pocket, back in the mag pouch if you have to. Just hang onto those little bastards. Also, get MORE of them. Have them at your Bug-in location. How many you need is up to you: just remember in a catastrophic event, there may eventually be no more made. Luckily, there are literally MILLIONS of them out there, and they’re almost all pretty good and pretty inexpensive. Get them while you can. I prefer the Magpul P-Mag - it’s hardy, it’s polymer and won’t corrode or break/dent if dropped on a rock or stepped on. They’re cheap, too: $12.99 will net you one at Brownell’s, and they also sell 10-packs. The standard aluminum GI mags are pretty good too, but beware if you get them used: they’re probably used. Hard. Spend a few bucks, get new followers and springs in them, or at least have them on hand.

Also, the direct gas impingement system of the AR-15 is prone to fouling, especially with cheap ammo. Luckily, the AR is a breeze to field-strip and keep clean. Many new lubrication systems, such as FrogLube, Militec, and Extreme Weapons Lube actually help dispel carbon and still work very well at high operating temperatures, so keep your rifle going when it’s dirty. A good, modern lube/cleaning system is a must-have for an AR owner. I keep one of these Otis AR-15 kits MOLLE strapped right onto my AR drag-bag, and it works great. A good Carbon Scraper tool is a good thing to have too.

So, onto the gun! People ask me, “Hey, what upper do you like? What lower reciever should I get? Who makes the best parts kits?”, etc. There are hundreds of good manufacturers out there; just stay away from junk. If you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it is. Spend the extra bucks, get decent parts. If I’m doing a build from stripped uppers and lowers, I use Palmetto State Armory for Parts Kits, as they have good parts at good prices, and they are great to work with. I like barrels with a 1:9 rifling twist, as it will work with the biggest range of bullet weights. The current fad is for 1:7 to shoot 69-75 grain bullets, but my 1:7 Colt doesn’t play nice with 55-62 grain bullets. The 1:9 twist will work pretty well with either. Also, gimme iron sights. Scopes, lasers, red dots, optics break. They use batteries. They can lose zero. Iron sights negate all this. Make sure they are good ones. Yankee Hill Machining  and Troy Industries makes some awesome ones. Yes, they are pricey, but worth EVERY penny once your optics go down. Magpul MBUS sights are excellent too, if you have to go on the cheap. I have them on my rifle and they have performed very well.

However, I will invariably tell people just to go out and buy a whole new gun that is pre-assembled. That way, you know how many rounds have been put through it, you know if it’s been beat on, how the springs are. As an added bonus, new guns have warantees that you can take advantage of if it breaks or gets damaged. I personally prefer Windham Weaponry (W-W) guns, as they are made right here in Maine in the old Bushmaster plant. They took me on a tour of their plant when I took my AR-15/M4/M16 armorer’s certification there, and I can tell you that their quality control is absolutely top-notch. I can’t recommend them enough! I have a SRC HB (Sight-Ready Carbine, Heavy Barrel) upper on my AR, and it functions flawlessly, and produces wonderful accuracy. If you are looking for the whole gun and don’t wanna bother with bolting on parts, their CDI Rifle is excellent and will serve you well. It has flip-down sights for optics mounting, a collapsible rear stock, and a railed foreend. Good to go. The S&W M&P15X is a good one too.

If you wanna make a more customized AR, let’s go with the W-W MPC rifle or the S&W M&P15 . It’s a basic M4 carbine with no frills. Use it as-is and know you have a great gun, or throw some cool parts at it. Take off the rear sight mount/carrying handle (they’re detachable) and mount a Yankee Hill Quick Deploying Iron Sight. This will fold down out of the way to mount optics. If ya gotta run optics, get something that has an insane battery life like the Aimpoint CompML3…this will run almost continuously for 5 years on one set of batteries…or so they say. The Leupold Mark 4 CQ/T doesn’t use batteries, just sayin’… and it’s insanely rugged and of the highest quality, as is all Leupold stuff.

Some people mount a light, some don’t. Up to you and what you like. The KISS theory says not to, so I’ll defer that one to you and your needs.

I like storage on my gun, so I run Magpul gear. It’s great because they make awesome gear that bolts on easily, and just plain WORKS. The Magpul MOE+ grip has a storage compartment in the handle, and you can get modules that snap in to hold a spare bolt head, batteries, whatever you’d like. It comes in snazzy colors too. I keep a DPMS spring kit in mine. The rear stock can be upgraded too, and Magpul makes a doozy: I LOVE the Magpul ACS stock. It has in-line storage compartments that hold CR123 batteries as well as providing a great cheek-rest. It also has a storage compartment built into the side, that can hold anything you can stuff in there – I know a guy who keeps his stuffed with chewing tobacco! The Magpul MOE handguard is slim, lightweight, snaps in without tools, and offers several rail-mounting positions that can be placed wherever the operator wants.

Beyond just those few added things, I don’t mess with an AR. It’s pretty damned good from the get-go. A couple accessories help it along, sure, but it’s one of those “if it ain’t broke…” kind of things. Plus, the less shit you bolt onto it, the less will break.

Anything you’d rather have put on your SHTF gun?

Stay safe!

-TRW