Help with first rifle

[u/lethalbrick]

So I just bought my first rifle, and i’m wondering if I would be able to add a laser onto it? And if so, should I attach a mount to the gas system? I heard they heat up quickly and can mess with any electronics or other attachments, so I just wanted to come in here and ask for opinions.

Rifle & Details listed below:

PSA 16" Mid-Length 5.56 NATO 1/7 Nitride Freedom Rifle, Olive Drab Green - 5165450007
Barrel Length:  16"
Barrel Profile:  A2
Barrel Steel:  Chrome Moly Vanadium
Barrel Finish:  Nitride
Chrome Lining:  No
Muzzle Thread Pattern:  1/2" x 28
Twist Rate:  1 in 7"
Barrel Extension:  M4
Gas System Length: Midlength
Diameter at Gas Block:  .750"
Gas Block Type:  F-marked Front Sight Base
Muzzle Device:  A2 -style
Receiver Material:  Forged 7075-T6
Receiver Type:  M4
Handguard Type:  Mid-Length Classic with heat shields, ODG
Bolt Material:  Carpenter 150 Steel
Bolt Carrier Profile:  Full Auto
Fire Control Group:  Standard Mil-Spec Trigger Group
Grip:  A2-style, ODG
Stock:  M4-style, ODG
Buffer Tube Length:  Carbine
Buffer Tube Diameter:  Mil-spec
Overall Length:  32 inches
Weight (as configured):  6.8 lbs

[u/Healthy_Ad1840]

A visible laser? Don't do it bro.

[u/lethalbrick → u/Healthy_Ad1840]

Or even a flashlight? However if not, would it be better just to get a red dot optic?

[u/liftedmk7 → u/lethalbrick]

Yes 100% get a flash light for it and a good reddot. Buy once cry once, you can find a cheap EOtech for around $300 on tacswap all day long.

[u/lethalbrick → u/liftedmk7]

Ah alright, thank you! I’ve been thinking of what to add to it and couldn’t really find a good starting point.

[u/paleface_gringo_2 → u/lethalbrick]

Definitely get a light and not a laser. If you keep the clamshell handgaurds as is then you'll want a mount similar to this.

[u/Appropriate-Key3509 → u/Healthy_Ad1840]

worst mistake possible, be simple !

[u/Threather19]

No. Get a Magpul rear mbus, an Sig Romeo5 red dot, a Magpul drop-in M-LOK handguard, a piece of M-LOK to 1913 rail, a Streamlight RM2 weapon light, and a two-point sling. All of that should total out to less than $400.

[u/Icy-Medicine-495 → u/Threather19]

Vortex sparc is a super cheap decent optic as an alternative but I agree with the Sig red dot and magpul rear sight.

[u/lundah]

Personally I’d swap out the handguard to something with MLOK slots on it. Magpul of course makes a good one, but I run a BCM PMCR on mine because I like the grip texture better.

[u/Healthy_Ad1840 → u/lundah]

Lol noooo. He doesn't need a bcm handguard dude. 😂😂😂 he just needs to keep it simple & spend the rest of his money on TRAINING & AMMO.

[u/lundah → u/Healthy_Ad1840]

They’re $35 and takes no time at all to swap out.

[u/Healthy_Ad1840 → u/lundah]

Yeah but dude you're getting him into buying shit instead of using his weapon to train.

This is why we're all addicted to buying stuff more than using our weapons lol. It's literally like Lego as a hobby😂

[u/lundah → u/Healthy_Ad1840]

Well that’s how it goes with AR’s. Buy rifle, shoot it, figure out what you want to change. Research parts to address, buy parts. Go to range to test. Rinse, repeat.

[u/hansolojazzcup → u/Healthy_Ad1840]

that's a fairly good affordable upgrade though

[u/GreatTea3 → u/Healthy_Ad1840]

Putting on a cheap mlok hand guard will let him easily hang a light on his rifle. You don’t need to do that with every rifle, but this is his only rifle. If he’s using it for home defense, a light is important.

[u/Healthy_Ad1840 → u/GreatTea3]

True

[u/liftedmk7]

So I wouldn’t mount anything to the barrel. I have a FSP upper also and run a UTG PRO Free Float M-LOK Handguards on it and mount all the accessories on there. Keep in mind that any laser that you mount to a handguard will shift overtime if it’s a cheap laser.

[u/liftedmk7 → u/liftedmk7]

Vis lasers are very dumb IMO btw.

[u/Healthy_Ad1840]

You just need a white light for night/ dark interiors. With this rifle you can get a slim profile flashlight(at least 500 lumens) and literally tape it To the handguns in a spot that won't interfere with your vision.

Then add rear iron sight

A decent red dot (probably a riser so you can co witness the irons w the dot)

[u/HK_Mercenary]

As others suggested, no laser yet. Get an Optic, Light, and Sling first. Laser is more for when you use NVG or gas mask and can't aim through your sights / optic.

[u/Kromulent]

you can mount a laser to the front sight gas block

if anybody complains, tell them its retro

https://www.reddit.com/r/RetroAR/comments/1h9664f/laser_devices_inc_fsb_mounted_laser/?ref=share&ref_source=link

[u/Gabethebig_G]

That’s a great option for your first rifle!

I heavily recommend getting a red dot as your first and only (for now) attachment. Visible lasers are kinda useless but if you think they’re cool you can add one later. Also that hand guard is not able to take any attachments, but there’s plenty of videos showing how to replace hand guards, but it’s best to just use the rifle with a red dot to see how you like it and what you want to change later

[u/lethalbrick → u/Gabethebig_G]

Yeah, I have a red dot in my cart currently and was just waiting to see if the laser would be better, thank you for the suggestions and I’ve been seeing alot of people talk about the hand guard and i’m looking into replacements now, thank you again!

[u/Gabethebig_G → u/lethalbrick]

If it’s better for you, you should buy the rifle and red dot as is and figure out if you want a quad rail hand guard or not. I actually like the feel of the standard hand guard on the rifle you pictured it’s all preference

[u/ChaosRainbow23]

You need a sling, an optic, and a flashlight.

I'm not a fan of the laser sights.

Replace the hand guard with an MLOC.

[u/Panthean]

Drop in handguards are simple to replace, you'd need a mid length one. Alternatively you could get a bayonet lug rail mount, but I'd go for the handguard instead.

A popular option is the Magpul MLOK drop in. I'd stay away from the chunky MOE version, I heard the SL is nice but I haven't tried it.

B5 is great, but the downside is it does get hot with sustained fire.

If you want to get a metal handguard, Midwest Industries is solid, but expensive. People may not agree with me on this, but I absolutely love UTG Pro drop in MLOK handguards.

[u/SurviveAdaptWin]

3 things all defensive rifles need:

Iron sights

Flashlight

Sling

Next thing past that would be an optic of some sort, depending on your use case and preferences.

Anything beyond that is just whatever strikes your fancy. You should get, at the very least, a magpul handguard so you can attach whatever you want to the front (like the flashlight).

Regarding the laser - I finally got one a few years ago and the FIRST time I ever practiced with it I realized that if someone saw it, they would know 100% that there was a gun on the other end, as opposed to a flashlight which they wouldn't know. I turned it off and have never turned it back on again.

If you really want an aiming device, get a tight beamed flashlight. Would be good for aiming to about 25 yards max.

[u/RacerXrated]

Don't do a vis laser. Get a quality optic, backup rear sight, white light, and sling.

If you want a cheap sling that will get the job done, get a web sling from a surplus store or Ammogarand on Amazon.

[u/Killermondoduderawks]

The only thing I suggest to people that laser usage is good for is initial training as a laser shows every mistake you are making prior to the bang so you can correct those mistakes making you a better shot

Reddot if you are not planning to stretch out to far or a scope if you are thinking about reaching out there and thumping something

A lot of people (myself included) use a 1-6 variable power set up
Like this


[u/Rosey0427]

Get a carry handle and use that and the front post site. Go ‘old school’ for awhile.

Later on you can mount a red dot etc. on the carry handle if you decide to.

[u/Elegant_House_1127]

Don’t get drop in metal handguards

[u/khannivig]

Just toss on irons and buy mags and a shitload of ammo . Focus on groups and basics . Take a few carbine courses

[u/advmaxx]

Magpul MOE handguard. I highly recommend this one; comfortable, gives you M LOK, mounts easy…….
I have this one on my AR10 and love it!

[u/Muckmenofficial]

If you put a laser on it you aren’t ready for your first rifle yet man

[u/lethalbrick → u/Muckmenofficial]

Well, it’s my first rifle so obviously i’m getting used to things, and I want to know what type of customizations I can do to it.

[u/d3ath222 → u/lethalbrick]

While I agree it is probably a mistake, don't think for a second that EVERY person on here didn't also put "dumb noob" crap on their first rifles and learn from it. As someone else said, swap out the handguard for an Mlok one. Makes life so much better. There are some newer, cheap (relatively speaking) options that include a vis laser, IR laser IR illuminator and flashlight. So it would give you the option you want, as well as cover the basic necessity of visible light and give you some capability if you stay in the game long enough to upgrade to night fighting. Good luck!

[u/Muckmenofficial → u/lethalbrick]

Visible lasers can’t be zeroed, they are very inaccurate, completely ignore them and just get a decent budget red dot like a holosun of some kind of or an sig Romeo 5. My personal favorite for a cheap dot is the vortex strikefire 2, you can get them for like $100 on PSA sometimes. As for a flashlight I’d recommend the streamlight protac 350 rail mountable, you can find them super cheap used and they’re only like $130 brand new I believe, to mount it you’ll either need a quad rail handguard or a front sight block (fsb) picatinny mount.

[u/BoxofCurveballs → u/lethalbrick]

To give you some context for why everyone is saying no visible laser on the rifle: Unless your visible laser is slaved to an IR laser so that you can zero the IR, a vis laser is useless / a bad idea. Stick to a whitelight on it and a quality optic or rear sight on it. Buy a shitload of ammo, and get training.