First Look: Magpul AFG

Well, I know this may not be as exciting for some of you as it is for me, but I acquired a Magpul AFG (Angled Fore Grip) from a friend over the holidays, and it has since been mounted on my AR15.  Previously, I had used a simple and inexpensive vertical fore grip, and honestly, it was useful, but I thought the AFG was a better fit for me, having held a rifle equipped with one previously.

Packaging was simple, the item was inside a clear plastic bag, which was neatly packaged in a clearly marked small cardboard box.  Nothing fancy, this is a very durable item, so unnecessary precautions weren't taken in preparing it for shipping.  It was clean and undamaged, and all of the parts were already in place.  Speaking of parts, the Magpul AFG has only three: The main component, which is essentially a piece of composite material, a nut, and a screw, which attach the grip to the rail.

Installation was simple.  Remove the screw, slide the grip onto the rail, position it where you want it, reinsert the screw, and tighten.  Installation shouldn't take more than a minute, even if you have other rail-mounted accessories that you need to remove first.

I can't really speak on increased accuracy or any other quantifiable improvements since installing the AFG on my rifle, although it felt much more comfortable.  That is purely a subjective analysis, however, and since this is largely a matter of preference, the best I can say is to give it a try.  I'm not going to spin a web of deception and tell you it'll make you a better marksman, or explain some completely fabricated theory about how this product will decrease back pain or increase the resale value of your home.  I can't endorse the product as a "Must Have" for everyone, because not everyone is going to like it.  There's not really much else to be said about it.

Check back soon, I'll be sharing some pictures of the AFG in the coming days.  If you have any questions about this, or any other articles featured on The Low Ready, give us a shout in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or in an email to thelowready@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by, and we look forward to reviewing more fun and exciting products throughout 2014!

2012 AR15 Budget Build (The $500 "FrankenRifle")

With the current state of the economy here in the U.S., nearly everyone is cutting back on spending.  Unfortunately, many of us are cutting back on "luxury items" like firearms, ammunition, range trips, accessories, and generally all aspects of recreational shooting.  Since our target audience is a widely varied group of enthusiasts across a wide range of economic groups, we wanted to take some time to help bring the epitome of sport shooting into the hands of those with limited financial means.

In recent times, prices have come down a bit on AR15's, most notably the Palmetto State Armory AR15 kits, which contain everything (short of a stripped lower) needed to build your own AR15, all for around $500.  Sure, there are other options out there, some cheaper, but the PSA kits have made quite an impact, and they are building quite a reputation.

That said, I'm going to attempt to build a functional, reliable AR15 rifle for less than the cost of this kit.  I will be compiling some parts lists, including price info, in the coming weeks.  This will obviously not be a "nail driver" or a match-grade rifle, but that's not what we're after.  Reliability is the end goal.  This rifle will feed ammo reliably, eject without mangling the brass, cycle properly, and not malfunction during normal use.

It must be noted, at the $500 price point, this isn't going to have high-quality optics mounted on it, it won't be loaded down with accessories, it's going to be a basic rifle.  We are even considering using one of the many polymer lower receivers on the market.  The parts used will be all new parts, nothing used or "leftover" from other builds, because honestly, this is my first AR15 "build", the others have been purchased assembled.  At a $500 price point, you are getting a functional AR15 chambered in 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington at the same price as the same in a dedicated .22LR setup.

In the interest of full disclosure, the cheapest parts I've found are as follows:

• Lower Receiver:  Palmetto State Armory Lower          $79
• Lower Parts Kit:  PSA Lower Incl. Trigger Group       $50
• Buttstock:  Mil-Spec 6-position buttstock/buffer tube   $49
• Complete Upper:  PSA forged upper 16"                     $309
• Bolt Carrier Group:  PSA BCG (complete)                  $80
• Charging Handle:  DPMS Charging Handle                $15
• GRAND TOTAL:                                                        $582

As you can see, this is a difficult task.  The reason for a complete upper rather than purchasing separate parts, is that a complete upper if assembled from parts would cost more than a fully assembled upper assembly, and I just can't come close to the same price point without cobbling the thing together with parts from different manufacturers.  Not to mention, assembling an upper requires tools (barrel wrench, barrel blocks, vice, etc.) that would add to the overall cost of manufacture, and the point is to keep the price as low as possible for the average enthusiast.  Assembling the parts isn't a bad option, and you could get the $499 kit from PSA and buy a $79 lower receiver, essentially building yourself a $578 AR15 from a well-known manufacturer, which may well be the better option.

I will be monitoring the stores and online retailers for lower prices on these parts, as well as examining additional options that haven't been considered yet.  My ultimate goal is to get this thing build for under $500 total, not including FFL Transfer fee (for the lower) and shipping costs, but the more I research this project, the more daunting the task seems.  Any suggestions will be well received, and I will be more than willing to answer any questions about the process throughout this project.

Updates will be posted periodically, as well as some new and exciting reviews that are in the works.  We are currently working on a lower receiver for the CMMG .300AAC Blackout upper that we tested at the range last weekend, and we should have a couple new pistols to review within the coming weeks.  Again, as I've mentioned before, due to budget constraints, the AR15 build that is the topic of this article will be a long-term project, completed as funds allow.  

To ask a question, just leave a comment below, or if you prefer, send an email to us at thelowready@gmail.com and your questions will be answered as quickly as possible.





3/2/2012 UPDATE:

After doing some further research, it appears that our options are quite limited if we want to even come close to the $500 limit.  Here is the updated parts list:

• Lower Receiver: New Frontier Polymer Lower           $79
• Complete Upper:  PSA forged upper 16"                     $309
• Bolt Carrier Group:  PSA BCG (complete)                  $80
• Charging Handle:  DPMS Charging Handle                $15
• GRAND TOTAL:                                                       $483

As you can see, this is MUCH more cost-effective, and will allow us to at least purchase a magazine or two to feed some ammo through the rifle.  The beauty of using a Polymer Lower is that the cost is substantially less than buying a Stripped Lower, Lower Parts Kit, and Buffer Tube/Buttstock separately, since the Polymer Lower includes all of this.  It is truly a "plug-and-play" complete lower, which, in addition to keeping costs low, also helps keep the weight down, and increases the ease of assembly. This will not, however, allow for any type of accuracy, since we are using a PSA flat-top Upper, which does NOT include any kind of rear sight.  Luckily for us, however, almost all of the Palmetto State Armory complete upper receivers come with a standard fixed front sight post, so we only need a rear sight to complete the package, which can usually be found relatively inexpensively.  Just for the sake of this project, I'll toss in 2 of the least expensive GI magazines I can find, and a simple rear aperture sight to finish things off.

• Magazines: 2x Magpul Pmags @ $15/each                 $30
• Sights: Mil-Spec Detachable Carry Handle                 $18
• New Grand Total:                                                       $531

$531 for a fully-functional AR15 rifle, complete with 2 magazines and iron sights, is no small feat.  We are going to try to knock the price down even more, I'd like to see the grand total WELL under $500, but I think we are already off to a great start.

Of course, there are some extra charges I'm not including here.  Shipping & Handling, FFL Transfer fee (for the lower receiver), taxes, etc., aren't being included here, because let's face it, everyone touting Palmetto State Armory's Complete AR15 "Kit" doesn't include those costs in the price either.  Not to mention, we will be combining shipping on everything we can.  Not to worry, though, as we will openly share all of the costs involved in this build when it is completed.  We will be looking for sales on parts we need, free shipping when available, and I'm even going to try to talk my local gun shop into completing the FFL Transfer for us at a discounted rate, in exchange for some free publicity on the Internet, mostly due to the sheer amount of money I spend in their establishment on a weekly basis.

More updates to come, including some pictures of the parts that will be ordered relatively soon.  We are hoping to have a complete rifle within a month, and we will be sure to share pictures, Range Reports, and even a few "torture tests" to show you how well our "Franken-Rifle" fares against some heavy use (and abuse) both on the range and off.  Stay tuned, this one is going to be fun!





3/13/2012 UPDATE:

Not much in the way of updates, but I did want to share a minor detail that is going to help cut the cost here.  Instead of the PSA upper receiver, we have found the Cold Hand Arms upper receiver, which is built using a Del-Ton upper and a Mossberg 16" barrel.  The total cost for the upper receiver is $299, which knocks another $10 off our most recent Grand Total.  We've also given it some thought, and while 2 PMAGs may be just what the Doctor ordered, we are cutting it too close to our goal, and one mag will suffice to get us started.  This is going to cut another $15 off of our Grand Total.  We are always looking for additional ways to drop our price even more, so if you know of any prices that are lower than what we've listed this far, please let us know!

• Complete Upper:  CHA 16" Upper         $299
• Magazine:  1x Magpul PMAG                $15
• Newest Grand Total:                               $506

This is a lot closer, but we still need to cut the cost a bit more to cover shipping charges, FFL Transfer Fee for the Lower Receiver, and any other unexpected costs that may pop up along the way.  Between shipping and FFL fees, I'm expecting our total cost will increase about $80, depending on whether we can combine shipping on some of these items or not.  Overall, if we can cut our total price down to $420-$440, I think we may be able to make this happen for under $500.

First Look: Magpul PMAG

Although I wouldn't consider myself a hard-core "Survivalist," I do tend to keep a little extra food in the house, stock up on water, and I have pre-determined "minimum levels" of ammunition that I keep stocked up.  This may be a great idea, but what is the point of an ammo stockpile if it's sitting in boxes in the bottom of the safe?  I only had a handful of magazines for my AR-15, which is my go-to weapon for just about any "bump in the night" scenario.  It was time to stock up.

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  Every once in a great while, I get some great gifts from friends and family, rather than just getting stuck holding the bill for everything.  Last year brought a great Christmas, and I became the owner of 10 new 30-round Magpul PMAGs.

Of course, the first thing I did was load an empty magazine into my AR.  The fit was great, dropping the mag was easy, it didn't jam itself into the magwell, and the bolt locked to the rear as it should when an empty magazine is loaded and the charging handle pulled rearward.

After the "newness" wore off, I decided it was time to get them ready.  The whole reason these were given to me was so I could have enough loaded magazines ready to go in an emergency situation.  Between two of us, we were able to load all 10 magazines to capacity quite quickly.  Each magazine loaded as smoothly as the last, and they all held exactly 30 rounds.  Unlike standard GI magazines, there is no fitting an extra round or two in the PMAGs.  This could be simply due to the fact that the GI mags I have are old, have been used and abused for years, and likely have some nicely broken-in follower springs.  It could be because Magpul has tighter tolerances, and the design of the anti-tilt follower doesn't allow for any extra rounds.  Either way, I digress.

After having owned these magazines for nearly two months, I have had the opportunity to run some rounds through them at the range.  Nothing out of the ordinary, and the Magpul name has not been soiled.  Magazines are really quite simple devices, it's much less common to have feeding problems with modern magazines than what you would have seen in decades past.  Although the mags have all been fully loaded for about 6 weeks, during the last couple of trips to the range, the magazines did not cause any malfunctions.  Loading the magazines into the rifle is smooth and easy, and from there, they are no different than the standard aluminum GI magazines many of you are used to.  The size and shape is the same, although the PMAG is a little wider at the base, and feels a bit larger.  They both weigh about the same.  The PMAG is different in appearance, which is not a bad thing.

After the magazine is empty, the bolt locks to the rear, exactly as it should.  Even after a couple hundred rounds through one magazine, on top of it having been kept loaded for over a month, the PMAG had no issues.  Dropping the magazine from the rifle is also not a surprise.  Nothing jams up, the mag drops, no issues whatsoever.

A feature that I have only ever noticed on the PMAG (and a couple of Magpuls competitors' products) is the included "dust cover."  While it's a nice feature if you are just keeping the magazines stored somewhere, I find them to be somewhat unnecessary, and nothing more than a distraction if you find yourself in the middle of an emergency situation where you need to reload as quickly as possible.  When we carried loaded magazines in the military, we didn't worry about dust getting into them.  We kept them loaded, top-down in a load bearing vest or pouches on our body armor.  No unnecessary steps, just  1) Remove magazine from pouch  2) Load magazine into rifle  3) Release bolt catch.  Too easy.  This isn't to say some shooters may not have a use for them, they do snap into place on the bottom side of the magazine when not in use.  I simply choose to leave them in the safe.  I may use them on unloaded magazines in the future, but I fail to see the necessity.

Overall, 6-8 weeks is not really enough time to put a product like this through it's paces and offer a solid review.  I will update this article as I spend more time and put more rounds through these magazines, but I will offer my opinions up to this point.

A magazine is a magazine.  It's hard to screw up a design that's been in use for upwards of 40 years (referring to the AR15 only at this point, although PMAGs are available for other rifles and calibers).  The folks at Magpul kept to the original design, with a few minor changes.  There have been a few variations in the design of the followers used, the most recent referred to as a "true anti-tilt follower."  The appearance is different than what you may be used to seeing.  The construction is polymer, and the magazines are easily taken down for cleaning, replacing springs/followers, or adding accessories (like ranger floorplates and the like).  Overall, I like the aesthetics, they match the color of most AR15s better than the grey GI mags, they go well with all the other polymer accessories you see on ARs these days, and if you decide to buy all Magpul furniture, they compliment each other nicely.

Stay tuned for updates and pictures, as we will be revisiting this post in the future to discuss such topics as long-term storage, excessive use, cycling magazines, and more.

AR15 Pistols

Okay, so let’s talk about one of the most fun, loud, and obnoxious things out there. I don’t care if your name is Paul, you wear your hat crooked, and you are the life of the party every Saturday night. You will still never be more fun, loud, or obnoxious than an AR-15 Pistol (aka MI Pistol or AR Pistol). For legal purposes, I will clarify that AR-15 Pistols are legal in the state of Michigan as long as they adhere to a few guidelines, the biggest being it cannot have a stock. So to say the least, we are reviewing a weapon that is legal in our state. Please review your state laws if you have interest in this type of weapon before making plans to build or purchase.

To start off, there are a great deal of benefits to having one of these little guys. One of them is the carry facet. I know it may sound ludicrous to carry one of these things, but since they are required to be registered as pistols in the state of MI they receive all of the same rights and privileges as a pistol. I, personally, every now and then carry my AR Pistol under my knee length trench coat with a BlackHawk single-point sling. With either my 7” or 7.5” barrel I can still carry this thing without it being noticed. With its legal versatility as a pistol you can also use it as a “truck gun” or in my case a “four-door sedan gun”. This also makes it easier to take it to the range since you can keep it loaded.

The next best thing about AR Pistols is shooting them. Getting the right sights for them is quite the pain, which we will discuss later, but target/scenario shooting is a blast, quite literally. If shooting one handed, which makes even the scroniest of a man feel like Gaston, you do have a liberal amount a muzzle lift, even with special muzzle brakes. Yet, the weight of the gun and AR-15 trigger pull does allow you enough time to fire somewhat rapidly and still be on target. You aren’t shooting a tournament 1911, but for one-handed shooting, with a weapon not originally designed for one-handed shooting, it does fairly decent. Now, two-handed shooting makes you feel a little like Tony Montana. I can’t tell you how many times I have introduced mine by saying, “Say hello to my little friend.” I know, I know, he used an A2 style M-16 with a M203, but I can’t help myself.

Recoil wise, they are basically like shooting a short AR-15, which ironically enough is what they are. Accuracy wise, I would say at twenty-five yards they are as accurate as any other handgun I have fired from a standing position. I do not know how these weapons perform at long distances. Mainly because I treat it as a pistol and I would not call upon my pistol to make one-hundred yard shots unless I was left without the option of using my rifle. One day I may see how it does with long range shots, but then again, what did I buy my LR-308 for? I my opinion, in a tactical scenario these things work best at providing short range suppressive fire, but one can’t forget about the long range capabilities of the 5.56.

With these weapons having all of their good sides, why don’t we take a stroll down to the bad and the ugly. First of all, price, price, and price. Without giving you the rundown of a parts list and prices, which don’t fret, I will waste your time with that later, I will just say that for a basic model using new parts you are going to spend about $850 to build an AR Pistol. For those of you who build AR-15s, myself included, that is clearly more than building a full size rifle. However, I must say that building an AR Pistol, like building an AR-15, will in most cases save you money, which leads me to my next point.

Getting the chance to build one of these is also a great experience, but frustrating at the same time. I have built ARs before, but AR Pistols have a little more complexity to them. The hand guard is somewhat of a concern for 7” barrels. The 10.5” barrel use carbine length gas tubes and hand guards so those are not a problem, but the shorter ones require slightly more expensive parts. On the AR Pistol upper I built I used a Yankee Hill Machine Pistol Length Quad Rail Free-float Handguard. This added enough weight to keep the pistol somewhat balanced and made my sight conundrum slightly easier to solve. The biggest issue with sights for an AR Pistol is that no manufacture has made AR sights that work as well as standard pistol sights. My choice, or rather choices, ended up being an EOTech EXPS3 on my Rock River Arms upper and MagPul flip sights for my Palmetto State Armory/DPMS upper. Both have worked out great so far as sights and serve their purpose for the pistol they are on.

Along with finding the right sights to fit your purposes, there are other issues to be addressed in the construction of an AR Pistol. These are functioning dilemmas. Now, that is not to say that AR Pistols are inherently problematic, so don’t get it twisted. However, there are problems that should be addressed. First and foremost is the buffer tube. If you take your collapsible AR stock, pull down on the adjustment lever, and remove it you will have a well functioning AR pistol buffer tube (although one must consider the possible legal pitfall of having a buffer tube that could so readily accept a stock). Ace makes a full length buffer tube that has worked flawlessly with my AR pistol. The problem comes with the shorter tubes that some manufactures have created. These look better and make the AR Pistol much shorter, but have been reported to have many feeding issues due to the short amount of travel that the bolt carrier has in between shots. The easiest way to put it is that the more your buffer tube meets the standard length, the more reliable it will be.

The next issue is that of business end of the barrel: the muzzle brake. Many people will swear that the 7” barrels have feeding issues due to the lack of backpressure created from the short length of the barrel. Although I have used a standard “birdcage” A2 style flash hider with no feeding issues, I had looked into a flash hider that would work to solve three problems: low backpressure, high decibels, and muzzle flash. The device I used was the DPMS Levang Compensator. I won’t give this item the same be-all end-all rating that others have because every now and then you do get some muzzle flash and it didn’t seem to “send the sound downrange” to the high extent that others have reported, but with it I haven’t had any feeding problems and the muzzle flash is not as extreme as with other flash hiders. For $30, I won’t down-talk the item as it performed adequately. So far, nothing short of a silencer will tame the excessive roar of these weapons, but with hearing protection, from my perspective as the shooter, it didn’t sound any louder than your standard AR-15 while wearing proper hearing protection.

In short, considering the good, the bad, and the ugly, AR Pistols are in my opinion great additions to any gun collection. With their legal flexibility they make great vehicle weapons as well as intimidating carry pieces whether you decide to CC or OC. Keep in mind, some states have odd laws about these weapons, MI’s is odd, but benefiting to gun owners like me, but if one’s state does not frown on them they will make their owner quite happy. They have always been of interest to other shooters at the gun range and have made a few of my buddies quite jealous. Below you will find the list of parts that went into build each AR Pistol and feel free to email us with any question you may have about your AR Pistol build. We may not know everything, but if you are just starting out with your build we can most likely get your questions answered and get you to the range.

• Ace Pistol Buffer Tube
• DPMS Bolt Carrier Assembly
• DPMS Crush Washer
• DPMS Levang Compensator
• DPMS Pistol Length Gas Tube
•  DPMS Railed Gas Block
• DPMS Trigger Kit
• DPMS 7” Barrel
• Palmetto State Armory Assembled Upper Receiver and Charging handle
• Rock River Arms Stripped Lower Receiver
• Rock River Arms Upper Receiver Assembly (2^nd AR Pistol upper)
• Yankee Hill Machine Pistol Length Quad Rail Free-float Handguard

First Look: DPMS LR-308

My first hunting rifle was a Savage Arms 30-06. I enjoyed the .30 caliber round so much I began to search for a semiautomatic rifle that fired a .30 caliber projectile. While on my search I became very knowledgeable about the .308 caliber and experimented with several rifles chambered for the caliber. I would like to mention that this includes the 7.62x51. I understand that they are different in their own ways, but to save both time and space I will say now when I say .308 I mean both .308 and 7.62x51 and vice versa.

Anyway, while looking for the perfect rifle to fit my preferences I went through the French MAS and the CETME until I saved the money to pick up an AR-10 style rifle. This particular rifle was a DPMS LR-308, although the barrel said it was chambered for 7.62x51, and it had a 16” barrel with an A2 butt stock. The upper receiver was a flat top with a dust cover and forward assist. It was also equipped with a detachable carry handle. The barrel was equipped with a Yankee Hill Machine flip-down sight and a UTG quad-rail fore grip.

The rifle was a personal build from the floor up, as I learned it is much cheaper to go that route with an AR-10 style rifle. What I would like to brag about in regard to this rifle is its felt recoil. Anyone who has fired an AR-15 can attest to the lack of recoil in these firearms and the LR-308 is no exception to this trait of AR style rifles. Going “Rambo” with this rifle was nowhere near unpleasant and the weapon never went off target while firing. There is one negative thing to shooting the .308 from these rifles and that is the slightly loud bang that emerges from the barrel. Its slightly louder than shooting 5.56/.223, but the added noise, to me, is music to my ears.

The firearm had zero problems while firing, no FTFs or FTE’s. It shot from a Polymer Magazine and a C-Products Magazine, both 20 rounds, with both functioning flawlessly through every shot. This firearm, obviously, functioned just like an AR-15 with the only noticeable difference being the sound it makes and the size of the hole it puts in the target. The spent cases looked just as they should after being shot: perfect. There were no dent or nicks left in the casings that other semi-automatic .308s leave on the spent casings.

The difference in price for the rifle is also noticeable, but having a reliable semi-automatic rifle that shoots the .308 round is just about worth the price you pay. This was my second AR build, the first being a 6.8, and it is still amazing to me how simple they are a build and maintain. When looking into the .308 market in the future I will most likely start with the LR-308 design first.