I have a Rock River Arms AR-15 A4. I have a tactical detachable carrying handle, mamba sling, and a red/green dot sight. I'm looking to get something else for it, any suggestions?

How about a trained operator?

FIRE Institute

AMMO
AMMO
AMMO
oh then gets some magazines
AMMO
then Shoot that bitch till your broke

Just read all you can on this forum whole lotta good information These guys KNOW their SHIT NO questions  check out all the pics see what you LIKE buy what you NEED

I saw some tactical cup holders for the forward rail at Williams-Sonoma.
Only came in black and OD green though. No Desert Tan!!!!!

Bill

Ok guys dont flame him to hard

Quoted: How about a trained operator? FIRE Institute

Yup, an upgrade of the trigger nut is a good idea.

I really really need some classes.  

Ammo.

a good batch of mags, and enough ammo to test them all, and toss the failures.

a digital camera to post pics of your gun..




And I am surprised Forest did not pimp the Maryland ar15 shooter's site to his fellow Marylander.  www.MD-AR15.com.  It is one of the finest resources on the web for AR owners.  

Quoted: And I am surprised Forest did not pimp the Maryland ar15 shooter's site to his fellow Marylander.  www.MD-AR15.com.  It is one of the finest resources on the web for AR owners.

Thanks for your kind words about the site.  I try not to 'pimp it' unless it's to an answer or some data to answer a question.

Too many people look to hardware (gear) - and I'll admit I was one of them - when software (training) is what they really need.   As for hardware the only thing he is lacking is a light (say a $30 Surefire G2) - IF he plans on using the firearm for self defense, but again that is best covered in a course at FIRE.  Famed Gunsite Instructor Giles Stock usually does the 'light' lecture and demo for the basic carbine & handgun courses at FIRE.  You'll get a chance to see (and try) a variety of lighting solution and pick the one that is best for your needs & budget BEFORE dropping the big bucks.

Ditch the "tactical carrying handle", it's among the most useless things made.  What kind of dot sight?  Get an Aimpoint, EOTech or ACOG and you'll thank us later.  Also get a flash light.

Some words of advice.  

Spend your money wisely.

Must haves:
a gun safe to secure your rifle (doesn't have to be fancy),
a good carry case (hard case or soft, whichever you prefer),
a decent carry sling (cotton, leather or other but have a sling),
some quality cleaning gear (Midway, Brownells, Sinclair, Dewey, all have good stuff),
a good stash of mags (check the EE),
a few surplus .50 cal ammo cans (to carry mags, ammo, gear and brass),
a few assorted books and manuals related to the AR15/M16.
and a few thousand rounds of good quality ammo (Winchester, Lake City, Federal, ect).

After you have these things start saving again.

First
Take the dot sight off and put the carry handle back on.
Learn to shoot your iron sights before you make any more changes to the rifle.

Practice, practice, practice.

Standing, kneeling, prone.

Live fire at the range from position when you can.  Dry fire at home from position when you can.

Next
As time passes you will become more familiar and comfortable with the rifle, the iron sights and how it handles.  By then you will have answered many of your own questions from experience, reading and asking questions of others.

Figure out for yourself what you want the rifle to be able to do (CQB fast, long range accuracy, combination compromise of each, ect)

Finally
By then you will have some ideas about what you want the rifle to be able to do and what you are willing to give up to do it.  Once you start adding things, it will get heavier.  That might not matter or it might matter a lot.  Depends on what you want it to be able to do.  Light is fast.  Heavy is slow.

Once you feel comfortable with the iron sights take the carry handle off and practice with your dot optic until you have mastered it.

Build the rifle to do what you want it to be able to do and it will then look like what it does.  Don't just buy stuff to make it look cool and hope it can do what you want.  Think things thru.

Hope this helps.  Good luck and welcome to the boards.

Quoted: AMMO AMMO AMMO oh then gets some magazines AMMO then Shoot that bitch till your broke Just read all you can on this forum whole lotta good information These guys KNOW their SHIT NO questions  check out all the pics see what you LIKE buy what you NEED

Ammo is great, but you need Mags to put them in first.  So manybe it should be Mag, Mags, Mags, Ammo, Ammo AMmo.?

Quoted: Ammo is great, but you need Mags to put them in first.  So manybe it should be Mag, Mags, Mags, Ammo, Ammo AMmo.?

What good is mags w/o ammo?

Mag, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Mag, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo, Ammo.

Hardwarz

Guys Keep in mind not everyone is hiding in the closet with a loaded gun waiting for a SHTF setting to happen, He for now should only need 5 mags or so, and Lots of training and self dicipline. Its great that you chose to buy an AR but its the accesories that you buy(or in some cases DONT buy) that really matter. Dont ever buy anything to make your rifle look cool, if thats the way you justifed buying something you just wasted your money, however if you want something because its functional, like a vertical fore grip, or a first samco rubber grip by all means DO IT. In my humble opinion all a Ar owner needs is self control, an AR(obviously), a few mags, a good pocket knife, and good freinds to help along the way.

shoot safe and be safe.

What about ammo and stripper clips?

Thanks for the advice. I know how to use the weapon, especially with just the iron sights. I'm in the Marine Corps so 500 yards with the iron sights is no problem. To answer some of your questions, I'm not looking to buy stuff to make it look cool. Again, thanks for the input.

I spent some serious money on what I thought was the 'best' guns and gear for me. Than I started taking training. I'm slowly swapping out what I thought I wanted / needed for what I really want / need. One of the best parts of taking a few classes has been the chance to see and try out other folks setups. I really wish I'd picked up a plane jane carbine and waited on everythnig else until I had a couple of classes under my belt.

The stupid thing is that I did the exact same thing when I first got into scuba. Bought a whole lot of cool expensive gear before I had enough experience to know what I really wanted and needed.

Don't be an idiot like me. Take a class or two and play with other folks stuff before trying to decide on gear.

mags and ammo

If the red dot is an off brand, replace it with an aimpoint. Then get a surefire mounted on the AR.