I recently finished reading Lone Survivor, which chronicles Marcus Luttrell’s experience in the Navy Seals while on deployment to Afghanistan.  It was a fascinating look at the heroism of the Navy Seals who are fighting the war on terror.

By the way here is a picture of the Mark 12 sniper rifle described in the book.  This photo is from one of the guys at Sniper’s Hide Forums who gives a good explanation of the specs.

I’m often asked, “Is it worth it to modify my Glock frame?”  This question normally revolves around stippling the frame or texturing the frame to give it a unique and better grip.  I think this is a great modification on several levels.

1. It gives a better grip than is currently available.  I’ve tried A-Grip, Hogue grip sleeves and they don’t seem to cut it for me.  Stippling or texturing the frame will increase your grip on the gun and it won’t add any bulk to the gun.  This is especially good for those of us with smaller hands.  Another thing we can address is getting a higher grip angle by relieving the trigger guard.

2. We can do as much or as little as you like.  My personal gun has a lighter treatment.  I like stippling for memory of grip.  Both sides of the frame are stippled for my thumbs forward grip. Others like the full treatment.  Some simply want the natural checkering removed and improved.  From $20-$200 its up to you.

3. It definitely gives you a unique gun.  For those of you looking to customize that Glock one more way this is a great way to do it in an attractive way.

Check out the AR-15 pistol grips.  A definite improvement.

There is a lot of information floating around the internet on building your own AR from parts.  There are kits available like the one below from DPMS.  DVD’s will show you how, and there are a plethora of books out there on the AR.  Before you do check out this article at Guns.com to look at some of the considerations before you start.

I recently had a custom job to do for on of our AR’s at Mossy Creek Arms.  The customer was looking to use the gun primarily for coyote hunting this year.  We decided to leave the front sight on the gun and use a back up rear sight from Magpul.

This would give him a good backup in case of battery failure or lens breakage.

To get the scope height correct to clear the front sight and be able to cowitness with the rear we needed a riser bar.  I ended up going with one from ProMag.

ProMag makes a lot cool aftermarket stuff that is very reasonably priced.  The ProMag Riser cost about $30 and can be installed without tools.  When we were done we had a very good sight picture and hadn’t broken the bank.  Always remember that more money doesn’t mean better quality.  Check out what you need and make a wise choice based on functionality first.

If you are wanting to get a little more accuracy out of your AR  you should check out the Magpul Precision Rifle Stock or PRS.  This is a stock that I have had the chance to put on a few guns, and I am really impressed with it.

Everything in the AR market has been geared for the tactical/blaster type gun in the last few years.  This is the most popular segment of the market for AR’s, but it overlooks the accuracy that is capable from these rifles.  Many people are now discovering that their AR is a great varmint, hunting, or target rifle.

The Magpul’s PRS stock can adjust for length of pull and comb giving you a consistent platform for accurate shooting.  The full adaptability allows you to adjust the stock to your body instead of always trying to contort your body to the right shooting position.

The PRS is available for AR-15 and AR-10 platforms.  Cost is around $250.

If you are running an AR rifle, you should be aware of the lacquered ammo issues that are out there.  Many steel cased rounds have a thin coat of lacquer on them.  This lacquer will eventually build up during the firing cycle potentially causing jams.

The cost savings is what drives most people to shoot the lacquered ammo, but is it worth it?  I say yes.  As long as you clean your rifle thoroughly after each use, it will probably not be a big issue.  Most of you have an AR use it for recreational purposes, and not for your job, ie. your life.  The cost savings can be worth the extra hassle if it keeps you shooting.

Obviously in a perfect world we would all be given all the free ammo we need.  I unfortunately don’t live in that world so the steel ammo is still an option.

We have completed our intial tests for the Mossy Creek Arms AR-15 Model 1542.  By the way, anyone know what the 1542 means?  We have done our intial function testing to see if it will feed all types of ammo with different mags.  Our AR will have the Magpul Mags, which we think are the best, but the gun needs to run anything.  we also have some of the nasiest ammo, that still ran.  This is exactly what we want.  We are trying to build the best custom AR on the market. 

Make no mistake about it, we aren’t trying to keep up with the cheapo market.  We have spent a lot of time and money trying to get you an AR that is different.  Our company is differnt as well.  We aren’t trying to reach the world with our rifle, we are trying to reach you.  We want you to check it out.  Pay attention to the MCA site to see about getting a chance to shoot our rifle before you buy.  You won’t be dissapointed.

I recently had the opportunity to check out a friend’s Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22.  The 15-22 is a dedicated 22lr AR look a like.  They sell for around $450 and come with one mag.

As far as looks go, this is a great reproduction.  The lower is actually one piece with the buffer tube that is made from a polymer like substance.  It has a 6 position stock front and rear sights.

He told me that at the range he only had one failure to fire and attributed it to the cheap bulk pack of ammo he was using.  That was surprising to me, because most of the time these types of weapons can be a little picky until they are broken in good.

His only complaint was that the gun’s front sight was not adjustable.  All elevation had to be corrected at the rear sight.  I think if an adjustable front sight was added and another mag thrown in, this would be perfect.

Obviously you can get a conversion kit for your AR for less than half, but then again you don’t have a dedicated shooter.  Stay tuned for more on the conversion kits.  We are working one up right now that is pretty sweet.

One of the newest adventures I have had recently has been to work on starting a company that will go hand in hand with MCC.  Mossy Creek Arms has been developed to offer something a little different in the AR-15 market.  Saturday we were able to put the first gun together, and it is awesome.  I want to remind you these are not your standard run of the mill guns.  These guns are come from our shop in Nashville with loads of features you won’t see standard anywhere else.

For instance we are only using the Magpul line of stocks and pistol grips on our guns.  Magpul magazines come factory standard.  Our guns come standard with Backup sights.

Want it to be different than factory, all you have to do is call.  We are in the business of making the gun fit the shooter, not the other way around.

By the way for those of you who want to “Do it Yourself, Not By Yourself,” why not come and build your own rifle from one in our shop.  This allows you to customize before it ever leaves the shop and gives you complete control over design.

Be looking for the Model 1542 to debut at a cookout soon.  Those who come to the cookout will be able to run one of the guns and receive a discount at the time of purchase.

One of the questions that is floating around is how to sight in the AR-15.  The AR is an unbelievable platform that works well for Law Enforcement, Military, and Civilian competition.  The AR is accurate, low recoiling, and completely customizable making it the best choice for many shooters.

D.R. Middlebrooks of Tactical Shooting Academy is famous for saying the AR is good for anything from 3 yards to 300 yards.  Considering your options for setting up your gun, one must determine the correct point of impact.

A few years ago Richard Fairburn wrote a great article on the difference sighting in at 25 yards and 1.2″ below aim at 25 yards.  It doesn’t seem like much, but it makes a 9″ difference at 200 yards.  I realize that most of you don’t get out to 200 yards that often, but sighting at 25 yards makes you shoot 9″ high at 200 yards, while sighting in 1.2″ below at 25 yards will lead to a drop of only .7″ at 200 yards.  Seems to make sense doesn’t it.

Check out the Fairburn’s entire article here.