I’ve shot a lot of M4/AR-15 style rifles and if I’m being honest, I’m not that picky. So long as they function I can make any of them look pretty good.
That being said, I do have preferences and favorites. I have preferred setups, preferred optics and preferred accessories. In this article I’ll get into my favorite training rifle, how I like it set up and what accessories I keep on the rifle that I do the most training with.
If you’d prefer to watch a video, I did do a walk through of my training rifle where I discuss the whats and the whys.
So, let’s get into it!
The Rifle
I’ll start with the actual gun, it’s a Bravo Company Manufacturing AR with a 14.5″ barrel. It has their 13″ MCMR handguard. The lower, and the bolt carrier group is also BCM, as this is a BCM rifle with only a couple of alterations.
One of my favorite things about BCM rifles is that they are boringly good.
No drama, no unexpected failures, no running down malfunctions, just quality delivered in a way that might spoil you.
Why 14.5″ Though?
So, why 14.5, that’s a solid question. The current hotness is 11.5 and everyone seems to be preferring that right now. The shortest I like to go is 12.5 and I believe there is a great argument that 12.5 could be the best default barrel length for general purpose civilian use. I however am 6’5 with rather long arms and even 12.5 can feel a bit cramped as far as my natural technique and form. When I factor feel, comfort, and a bit more velocity I land at 14.5 inches. I think there is a solid argument for pretty much every barrel length depending on the specific purpose of the rifle. But 14.5 is a great all around length for most people (unless your heart is set on 12.5).
The Trigger & Controls
The trigger is their stock mil-spec trigger. I can get 0.17 second splits and hit C-zone steel at 100 yards standing unsupported. I will eventually upgrade the trigger, but for training I really prefer not to have really high end components, as those can eventually become crutches where your shooting will suffer when those are removed.
The selector & charging handle are both Radian. The selector is set up for a 90 degree throw with a full size on the driver side and a nub on the passenger. The charging handle is their larger one but it’s asymmetrical so the driver side is slightly shorter. This is appreciated as when you sling your rifle if the driver side charging handle protrudes too much, it can dig into your chest and cause discomfort (ask me how I know).
Muzzle Device
It’s a BCM device, but I’m not sure which one. It mostly favors the BCM Gunfighter Mod 1, but it doesn’t match any pictures I found online. Perhaps it’s a previous gen that has been discontinued. If you can identify it, LET ME KNOW!
The Furniture
I keep the furniture pretty simple. Starting at the back there is a Magpul CTR stock I often prefer this stock, it’s nice and quiet when locked into position and it feels good. When I’m buying a stock I often just choose this one. The grip is a BCM Mod 3. I like the grip angle as it’s mostly vertical without being too vertical, the length and girth is sufficient and I think it has a very general appeal.
I opted to not have a vertical or angled foregrip, and instead opted for textured M-LOK rail covers. I’m team “No Vert Grip” (on most setups). Vert grips aren’t a right or wrong thing, they’re just a training/mission thing. I prefer not to have them as my basic setup.
The Sling
The sling is a Temu-Rex sling (I’m on team Lucas). It’s actually a really good sling I’ve had it for a while but if I needed a new one, I’d probably get an Ed Sherman. I like my slings to have a little flair so this one is in Multicam. It does have quick adjust and I’ve never had a problem with it not holding or failing to adjust when I needed it to, outside of user error.
As far as sling mounting points I have 4 of them on the rifle. The forward most mount is driver side as far as it can go on the handguard. The closer front connecting point is driver side as rearward as we can go on the handguard. The first rear mounting point is on the end plate and the furthest rear connection is on the stock. I tend to connect to the outside of my stock as I like the way it stays out the way when I mount the rifle and I like the way it pulls the muzzle away from my body when it’s slung. My default set up is to connect at the 2 furthest points on the rifle as it gives me the most stability. If I need mobility for whatever reason, I may shift to the 2 most inner positions which requires a quick sling adjustment.
The Optic & Riser
I chose the Aimpoint T2 years ago as my preferred optic and I’ve been using it ever since. In an optic I value durability, reliability, weight & battery life. The T2 excels in all of these categories. However it is costly, and does have a small window.
It’s on a lower 1/3 riser, let’s call it a 1.57 I-beam riser. I do not recall the manufacturer. Overall I prefer this height, I know a lot of people are moving towards higher risers, I have one set up on a different gun but I do not prefer that one yet, maybe not ever. The 1.57 riser positions the dot in a way that I can get an excellent cheek weld to the stock that is durable, stable and easily repeatable. This cheek weld also stabilizes the gun through strings of fire and helps keep the gun in place.
Weapon Light
As I’m not currently doing any low light training, I don’t have a weapon light on this rifle. Obviously if I were to do some, I would add one. I’m not sold on any 1 weapon light system currently, I do plan to do some investigative research.
Shootability
So, the rifle shoots great and moves well for me. I’m 6’5 about 250 lbs so let that be a data point. With no light, laser, foregrip or anything on the front end the rifle is balanced at the magwell which makes it quick and easy to point and easy to be rather precise during transitions. For me and my technique the rifle’s impulse is straight up, and sometimes ever so slightly up & right when I get tense. When it’s slung the charging handle can still dig into my chest a bit but it only sucks if I have it slung for more than an hour or I’m doing an all day class. If I were doing an all day class I would switch over the BCM charging handle that is quite a bit smaller but still completely functional. Again, at my size the rifle is the appropriate size for general work and all laws removed I would still likely choose a 14.5″ as my preferred barrel length.
Is there anything I’d change? Right now I don’t feel the need to change a single thing, but if I had to pick one thing, I’d probably change out the trigger and I’d throw in a Geissele SSA-E X, and knowing me, I’d wait til Primary Arms did a Blemula special.
Conclusion
And that’s the setup. A boringly good training rifle that is dependable and was built to be used and abused. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my setup, and if you have any questions, comment or DM me over on IG/YouTube. Thank you!