Recently, I was cleaning out gear and found the AR lower we’d gotten for a project in 2009. From DoubleStar, it was used to ‘make’ an AR from parts. After the project, it languished in the safe except for use with a Tactical Solutions AR-rimfire upper on another pair of projects. While I was busy sorting that out, I decided I needed to ‘finish’ an AR pistol, factory made and provided, a Ruger AR556. As my centerfire rifle and shotgun shooting comes to a close due to various issues about which you have no interest, using the pistol as I would a ‘firearm’ or a shotgun – using Rob Haught’s “bow pull” technique – gives rifle ballistics in a pistol package with no buttstock against my shoulder.
With the AR in either rifle or pistol format, you need to figure out what you are trying to accomplish. Going to take a 500-1,000 round carbine course? Going afield in the desert or the summer-time mountains? Will there be a lot of time afoot, covering a lot of ground?
If it’s for area defense (home) or to have available when (carefully and legally) traveling, you may need something else. I often evaluate ammo, accessories, optics and gear; these were base guns to hang stuff on for trials and then returned to their as-supplied condition.
Regarding the unattached lower receiver, the first thing to sort out was the upper receiver. A “blem” 16” carbine-length 5.56x45 NATO upper receiver – with 1-8” rifled barrel and bolt carrier group/charging handle was ordered up from Palmetto State Armory.
The barrel, in the “M4” style, has the M203 cut, it is phosphate coated, and made of 4150V chrome moly steel. The barrel extension has M4 feed cuts. A standard handguard – which I’m not going to change – an “F”- marked front sight base and A2 muzzle device completes the barrel.
The upper is forged 7075-T6 aluminum, hard coat anodized. The bolt is standard Carpenter No. 158 steel. The gas key is hardened, fastened with Grade 8 screws and they appear to be properly staked.
To the upper I added a back-up iron sight, the LaRue Tactical QD LT103. It’s been fitted with the XS Sights AR-15 Adjustable “CSAT” Combat Rear Sight. This sight set has a squared ‘pistol-like’ .095" wide notch at the top of ‘precision’ (long range) aperture. Using the top notch for the rear sight puts point-of-aim at point of impact at around 20 feet or so. Instead of using the narrow aperture, look up through the square notch, center the front sight post and put it over your point of aim.
To zero, you can start at seven yards, using the pistol notch to get “on-paper.” Once you’ve centered up for windage and adjusting the front sight for proper elevation, you can set it out to 100 yards, use the precision aperture to clean up the zero there.
When you complete that task, try the pistol notch at seven yards to see if there’s any critical change; there likely won’t be any – and you’ll be good for anything from room-size distances to long range. The A2 style .200” peep works for the difference between room combat and longer distance – without changing the zero; it’s a ‘same plane’ aperture.
Slinging the carbine-length AR-15 without a fancy “load-bearing” hand guard is a little different if you want a favored two-point sling. If you don’t mind the non-cross slung rifle, the GI sling loops work fine for a carry strap. Using something more to hang across the body requires some thought.
I contacted the fine folks at Blue Force Gear, the home of the Vickers sling. They recommended the Universal Wire loop – 6.25” is about right for the carbine handguard. I used the slot in the Double Star-marked collapsible stock for mounting the sling to the rear of the piece. Light duty as this piece will be, I got a regular Vickers sling -- VCAS-125-OA-OD-- with plastic adjusters. It was short work to get the loop in place and install the sling. The videos from Blue Force Gear are very helpful.
Regarding the Ruger AR556 pistol, things were easy due to the M-LOK handguard. I added a Magpul angled foregrip to keep my hand off of the fore-end and away from the muzzle. The gun already had a linear compensator – a ‘blast diverter’ -- courtesy of Kaw Valley Precision. It also had Troy flip-up sights. From Blue Force Gear, I got an M-LOK QD socket and the Vickers push-button sling. The AR556 is fitted with the SBA3 brace and it has a QD socket.
Both of these firearms are now configured to get the iron sights to zero at the range. Then I can look to optics for one or both.
And then, like the boss says, “We’ll keep you posted.”
-- Rich Grassi