I am not one of those guys who believe , as far as guns are concerned, that just because you can add an accessory to it, you should. Youre a sovereign individual and can do whatever you want, but for me all an AR needs is a sling, light, and good sights/scope. (Maybe a stock-mounted spare mag, but thats iffy.)
However, since I’m putting a sling on the gun I want to give myself a couple options. As of late I’ve been pleased with Magpuls two-point-to-one-point sling. Since it uses a QD attachment method, I needed a to replace the plate that goes between the castle nut and the receiver. Fortunately, Magpul makes pretty much everything I need and I put in one of their sling attachment points. Seems to work well.
I had a couple cheap castle nut wrenches for the AR laying around, but a few years back I bought a Hammerhead Rifle-Tool which is sort of an AR ‘multitool’. It was perfect for removing the castle nut and replacing it. Highly, highly recommend. Not cheap, and I’m sure someone will say “My $5.99 gun show Made In China wrench works just fine!”. May be. But I had he money, it’s made in Oregon, has lotsa useful features, and seemed pretty stout.
The point of this post, though, is that if you’re going to keep guns around, and you plan on holding onto them for a long time, it isn’t enough that you keep some spare parts around…you need the tools. And if you need tools to last you the rest of your life you don’t cheap out. I actually have a 40mm ammo can in storage full of AR parts, tools, technical manuals, cleaning gear, etc. I call it ‘support gear’. There are some ‘armorers’ packages available for the AR but too many of them are made in China or have a lot of unnecessary or useless tools in them at the expense of more useful/better tools. Much like no pre-packaged survival kit is a good one, you’re better off parting your own kit together. And, if you decide to do so (which you really should), I recommend that Hammerhead tool.
I use a one point sling for my AR, always have. Quick to bring up and always at the ready. Only issue is that it can slide off the shoulder easily in some cases. I solved that problem w a beaner clipping it to my LCE / LBE shoulder point.
Regards
Your point about tools and spares is a good one. Over the years I’ve managed to collect a bunch of tools for servicing my firearms and I thank the deities that I’ve got them every time I need to do some work.
As for the high cost of the Hammerhead Rifle-Tool, you get what you pay for. One of the handiest tools I have is a rifle/pistol front/rear sight pusher. It cost a lot but compared to the potential damage using a hammer to tap a sight can do, it’s well worth it.
It’s the same with spare parts, I have two groups of spare parts for each firearm, one set in a baggy in the stock and the second set in my workshop. There’s nothing like being in the middle of nowhere on a hunt when the firing pin goes south.
Professional-grade, purpose built sight pushers are an absolute must. Yeah, a hammer and punch will do the trick but not without a lot of trial and error (and risk of damage) that is obviated by using a proper tool.
“…for me all an AR needs is a sling, light, and good sights/scope. (Maybe a stock-mounted spare mag, but thats iffy.)”
How about a suppressor?
+1
I’d be concerned about that metal/plastic? piece in the strap. You can be sure that it will end up pinched between your hand and grip at the worst possible time. Murphy swears it will. For that matter, having the strap oriented directly above the grip, instead of to one side as it normal for the AR, will help to assure it. I like ambi- things as a left-hander, but this looks like potential trouble.