When it comes to an AR-15 that I plan to use
exclusively for defensive reasons, there are really only two items I like to
add to the gun: some sort of white light and a sighting device other than iron
sights. I don’t have anything against iron sights, but in low light situations,
they can come up short. There are a many other extras that can be added to a
tactical rifle, and special operators may even need others for a particular
mission, but the simple AR with these two necessities is not only all a guy
needs, but may prove to be tactically superior to a rifle with a bunch of
additional items strapped on.
Choosing Your Sight
As far as a sight is concerned, I like the red-dot
types. For my high mileage eyes something like an EOTech, AimPoint or one of
the mini-red dots really improves my speed in lining up on target—particularly
in low-light situations. Another great option for the defensive rifle is one of
the 1.5×5 scopes that can be like a red dot on low power, but also offers some
magnification for longer distance shots. Leupold’s MRT is a great choice in
this department.
Depending on your intended use, this might even be a
better choice, but for most home defensive and close-quarter situations, a
red-dot or iron sight will be a better choice. Remember, it’s not outside the
scope of operation to make long shots with a red-dot or iron sights,
particularly with good eyes and practice so don’t discount these options just
because you expect to shoot farther than 50 or 100 yards now and then. My
patrol rifle is topped with an unmagnified EOTech and it’s capable of accurate
300-yard connections.
I had an opportunity to try out a medium-sized red dot
from Meopta recently—the M-RAD, which proved to be a rugged little unit that
can be used on a Picatinny-railed AR without a lot of added weight. It has a
heavy hood to protect the optic and the on/off button is on the forward side of
the sight for easy manipulation when shouldering the rifle. The same button can
be manipulated when the sight is turned on at the shoulder to get the
brightness appropriate for conditions.
Light Selection
With sights decided upon, it’s now time to be prepared
to precisely evaluate any threat while maintaining the ultimate level of
readiness. You cannot evaluate a threat properly if you cannot see it. One of
the best advancements that I have seen over the years pointing guns at people
in the dark is lighting.
One of the first “modern” lights I owned was a
Streamlight rechargeable flashlight. It was big and heavy, but much brighter
than its predecessors. Now, almost 30 years later, I still look to Streamlight
for my lighting needs. The lights are smaller, brighter and have functions like
strobe, which in law enforcement, we were always taught to do manually.
Streamlight’s TLR-1 HL, which I assume stands for high
lumens, busts out a whopping 630 lumens of light with a pistol-sized gun light.
For close quarters defensive use this light is adequate on the carbine as well
as the pistol. On the rifle it doesn’t add much weight or size and will light
up, or blind, anyone in the room or area you are searching. It has an easily
manipulated on /off switch, which allows the user to set it to momentary,
all-on or strobe illumination.
The Streamlight TLR-2 HL boasts the same 630 lumens
with a built in laser, which could be an alternate sighting device on your
carbine or pistol should the condition dictate. Normally I’m not a fan of
lasers, but for no extra weight or convenience, a laser can be waiting for duty
should you need to make a shot without a sight picture. I mounted this light
with Streamlight’s quick mount on the bottom rail of my AR. It was amazing how
well it lit up any room in the house or outside around the house. I could
evaluate a person’s hands at 25 yards easily.
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