AR-15’s were made to be upgraded. Every part of your AR-15 is potentially modifiable, and there are many different options for every part. The reasons to modify your modifiable shooting platform are wide and varied, but they come down to two basic desired qualities: improved performance, and improved aesthetics. There may be further sub-categories, like convenience and personality, but unless you are getting the same part then every upgrade will give you an improvement in performance or aesthetics, or often both. Performance is an obvious one when thinking of upgrades. When you upgrade something it should work better right? Aesthetics are also very important. One of the best things about the AR-15 is how pretty it is, and by pretty I of course also mean pretty badass. Due to having so many options, which is not a bad problem to have, it may be confusing when deciding which upgrade you should go for. Here are some of the most popular general suggestions to either help you decide on which part to go for or further confuse you with even more choices you may not have been aware of.
Triggers are unofficially considered the most important upgrade you can make with your AR-15. This is primarily because a better trigger can improve your aim by a lot. It also makes firing your firearm more enjoyable. There are many options, such as single-stage or two-stage, weights ranging from less than a pound to over 10 pounds, and triggers of different shapes like flat instead of curved and with other stylized looks. Match grade is another option and is basically a way of saying high quality. Finding the perfect trigger for you, with the right shape, weight, amount of stages, and color or material might take a while to figure out. Making that decision might be the hardest part, installing that trigger may be the easiest since the majority of aftermarket triggers are drop-in.
- Approximate cost to upgrade your Trigger: $70 - $275
A Pistol Grip is the normal style of grip for the AR-15, and even the basic versions are still pretty good. However, if you have ever picked up an AR-15 with a grip that really grips, you likely won’t be completely satisfied with anything else. Just picking it up, it feels like it becomes a part of you or at least something that feels like you have good control of. If you’ve ever experienced this then you will likely upgrade your grip as soon as possible if you didn’t already make sure you had the right grip in the first place. There are grips that have individual welds formed for your individual fingers. There are even grip upgrades that change it from pistol grip to more of a traditional hunting rifle grip. Some grips will have a small storage area inside of them. If you are looking to save weight there are grips that are much lighter and still have a great…um, grip.
- Approximate cost to upgrade your Grip $10 - $100
Optics are a great way to improve your aim. Depending on the type of optic they either make it easier to acquire and accurately fire at the target (red dots), or magnify the target making distant targets easier to acquire and accurately fire at (scopes), or both. Though backup iron sights are good to have, we are talking about upgrades here, and almost any cheap red dot is an upgrade over iron sights as long as it is accurate. Obviously for long-range shooting, almost any long-range scope is an upgrade over fixed magnification red dots and of course iron sights. I say almost because if it doesn’t work…well that’s why you have your backup iron sights. The range of features and quality vary widely, so do the prices.
- Approximate cost to upgrade your Optics: $25 - $5000+
Slings are one of the lowest cost, most useful upgrades you can get. Just having a sling is an upgrade, no matter how cheap. That said there are many different kinds of slings and if you’re going to get one, you may as well get one that works in the way you’d like it to. Most slings are made of either leather or nylon, which are both good for different reasons. There are many different sling configurations. However, these all fall into 3 basic types: one, two, or three-point slings, and they each have their benefits. A three-point sling is not necessarily better than a one-point sling, it depends on what you want to do with it. For example, a one-point sling is easier to move out of the way when you are going for your second firearm. If you want to steady your aim or shoot from a particular position then a more complex sling can be the way to do it. So if you’re going to be moving with your AR-15 and want something to help with your aim to boot, try a sling.
- Approximate cost to upgrade your Sling: $10 - $70
Handguards are big in the improving aesthetics department yet also show up in the improving performance department. They automatically improve performance by providing a good handhold over the barrel so you don’t burn your hands and have a decent grip. You may choose to upgrade your handguard to the classic M16A1-A3. These are the military originals and part of the familiar profile of the traditional “army machine gun.” For further performance improvements we have the free-floating handguards. These are named such because they are attached to the rifle at one place only, where the barrel meets the upper receiver, so the handguard floats freely over the length of the barrel. Or maybe not the entire barrel, there is nothing saying that your handguard has to cover the entire barrel. This type of handguard improves accuracy by allowing barrel flex due to removing any restrictions on movement so that the barrel can move freely. This allows the bullet to exit the barrel as straight as possible. There are a lot of options when it comes to types of free-floating handguards. Most of them have a Picatinny rail on top. On the sides and bottom, there are accessory attachment systems like Keymod or M-LOK. These add to both the performance of the overall firearm and improve the aesthetics. If aesthetics are your top priority there are some great free-floating handguards that have turned the artwork up. You can even get involved in the artistry by painting them. You may not be able to attach a lot of accessories to them, but they do look great. When deciding which handguard works best for you, remember: It’s your rifle, there are no wrong answers, and upgrading something specifically for the look it gives, or the performance improvements it provides, or both, or neither, is perfectly fine.
- Approximate cost to upgrade your Handguard: $15 - $300
Muzzle Devices can be inexpensive and are easily changed, so it makes sense that a lot of people look here when they want to try something new with their AR. Every one of these upgrade categories has a lot of options, and this one seems to have even more. Almost every Muzzle Device falls into one of these categories: Sound Suppressors (reduces sound) Flash Suppressors (reduce muzzle flash) Muzzle Brakes (directs gases to the side reducing recoil) Linear Compensators (directs gases and noise forward reducing recoil) Compensators (directs gases upward reducing muzzle climb, recoil, and dust cloud) There are hybrids that combine two or three of these categories with varying degrees of success.
- Approximate cost to upgrade your Muzzle Device: $10 - $180
Ammunition is probably something you don’t really think of as an upgrade, but it can certainly upgrade your quality time with your AR-15. It allows you to take the rifle out and use it, which is obviously an upgrade over sitting at home and staring, even lovingly, at it. It can upgrade your aim and familiarity with using it. Like gas for your car, if you’re going to get the most out of your AR-15, you need ammo. So make the choice to upgrade your relationship with your AR-15 with quality time and ammo, take it out for some fun. Don’t hold back, it’s pretty difficult to have too much ammunition.
- Approximate cost of Ammunition:$10 - $10,000+