What about the Bells and Whistles!?!

As a firearms instructor and Glock/M4 armorer, I am often asked, “Hey! Check out my new gun and everything I have installed on it and tell me what you think!”

My initial reaction is to cringe (and I usually do) when the weapon system looks like it should belong in the accessory catalog for an aftermarket gun parts manufacturer! Now, do not get me wrong, I have a few accessories on my personal weapons, but from trial and error, I have learned that less is sometimes better.

Let’s face it, there is bunch of cool looking stuff out there that was designed by some Special Forces guy that partnered with another vendor to help market their product. Paint it black, coyote brown, OD green or digital cammo and you can call it tactical. If it serves no real purpose and only looks cool, then it is an official CDI accessory! Oh! By the way, CDI stands for “Chicks Dig It”, hence the name of my blog site!

In this blog, I am going to give my personal opinion on some of the most common add-ons I have seen on weapon systems. A large majority of these involve rifle platforms, but there are a few on the pistols. Remember, this is just my personal opinion and I have no monetary or other relation to any of the manufacturers or vendors of products that I may list.

Lasers

About a decade or so ago (about the time picatinny rails started appearing on commercially available weapons), laser sights became all the rage. Initially, these systems were bulky and cumbersome, not to mention ate lots of batteries! As technology progressed, laser sights were found as modular grip systems, guide rods and integrated with weapon lights.

I own a laser/light combo that I found on a deal that was too good to pass up! Where is it? In my gun safe sitting by itself! Actually, it will find its way back on one of my rifles, but mainly for the light feature.

Lasers are cool, especially at night with fog, smoke or dust floating in the air as it gives it that made for the big screen Hollywood effect, but that is about all they are good for (visible lasers at least). In the last 15 years as a police officer, I have only seen two police officers carry laser sites on the guns and they only had them on for a short period.

So, what is wrong with a laser sight? Fundamentally, nothing, yet they seem to build over confidence in most shooters. As any firearm instructor will tell you, using your weapon’s stock sighting system (or an aftermarket variation thereof,) is the most accurate and preferred method. About the only advantage a laser has over the stock sights is that if you should have to engage a threat somewhere before you have time to get the weapon system up to utilize the normal sights, you have a definite point of aim. This is also commonly referred to as “point shooting”.

Where most shooter err with the use of laser sights is that they try to use it as their primary sighting system. Unless you practice several hundred rounds on a daily basis and have a very steady trigger pull, the chances of your bullets hitting exactly where the laser is fairly low. This is mainly due to the fact that a majority of shooters will pull the gun one direction or another as they pull the trigger, especially as they become fixated on the laser and forget about the mechanics of shooting.

Bottom line, here is my philosophy. If laser sights are as great as they were made out to be, then every police department in the U.S. would have them installed on all their weapons!

Night Sights

The radioactive tritium is a naturally occurring element that was first discovered in the mid-1930s. It is a byproduct of nuclear explosions and nuclear energy production. Tritium is also used for nuclear weapon detonation!

Okay, so what does radioactive tritium have to do with night sights! Well, for starters, it is what makes them glow (as well as virtually everything else manufactured to glow in the dark without an energy source!)

No, you won’t get radiation poisoning as it is considered a very low-level radioactive material, but before I go on, I will mention this. I spoke to an officer who had several CT scans conducted. He said doctors were concerned because they kept seeing three very small areas on his right side that looked like small tumors. It not only perplexed him, but his doctors as well. Ironically, the distance between the two dots were about the same distance apart as his night sights on his backup pistol that he carried in the waist band…well, come to find out, if you carry night sights close to your body, the absorption can be detected on certain medical tests. He confirmed it was harmless, but it is good to know none the less!

Okay, let me get back on track. If your weapon does not have night sights, I would recommend getting them almost immediately as this is the one “must have” accessory! If you have a very limited budget, at least get the front sight on first! I have found that night sights actually work best in low light (dusk or overcast) conditions.

There are numerous night sight manufacturers out there, all offer a slightly different product. Shop around, see what everyone else has and find the one that is a best fit for you.

Weapon Mounted Lights

Here is another accessory that I am a fan of, a good weapon mounted flashlight! Whether is for home defense or law enforcement, a weapon light can give you a good advantage. Be sure to choose one that has at least 200 lumens and I recommend a light that gives you an option of having a momentary beam.

Also, get a light for each separate weapon system. I would purchase one for my long-guns first (since they need to be operated with two hands) and then save up for my pistol. A good quality light will run you about $70-$100.

One other bit of advice! When mounting your weapon light on your rifle, I recommend setting it up where it mounts to the side of the fore end (where you can access it easily with your support hand thumb). Having a light mounted on the bottom of the fore end (which is quite common) often interferes with slings and if you need to shoot from a prone or support position.

Last thing, after mounting your lighting system, go out and find adequate low-light training. There are many different techniques you can learn with your light (such as using the light to temporary disorient your threat), but is all about proper training.

So here is my shameless plug. If you want good civilian or law enforcement training, contact FAST training at http://www.fast762.com/#!advanced-rifle-/-pistol

I have attended training here in the past, and Kenan is an excellent instructor. Again, he does not pay me, give me discounts or anything else, he is just dedicated to training those who seek it and is very good at it!

Slings

I will make this simple. One-point or two-point slings! Stay away from the three point slings!

Two-point quick adjust slings are my personal favorite for law enforcement use. They allow you to quickly snug the weapon up to your body, sling it to the back and bring it quickly back around for target acquisition. Remember, your sling is your essentially your long-gun’s holster. If you have to go hands-on with someone, you don’t want a loose rifle in your hands!

Vertical Rifle Grips

I do not put these on my rifles. Commonly referred to as “broom handles” I have found they get in the way and don’t provide adequate support. By the way, the “correct” way to hold a rifle is to place your support hand at the very end of the fore end grip (closest to the barrel/sight). For and AR/AK, holding the magazine or magazine well is not the best option (yes, there are a few exceptions to this rule!)

While playing around with different accessories, I did find the Magpul Angled Fore end grip (and their new Handstop Grip) offer very good grip support and ergonomics. If you have to have a grip on your fore end, I would recommend one of these (hop on a search engine and type in Magpul AFG and you can find it).

Holographic Sights

Also known as “Red Dot” sights, they have gained popularity in not only the L.E./Military arena, but civilian folks as well.

I have mixed emotions on these sights. They do provide a quick target acquisition but many of them are battery powered and I have seen more fail out in the field that anything else. There are several models that are not completely reliant on battery  power (they use fiber optic ambient lighting) and I would highly recommend these if you want to go that route. One thing though, you get what you pay for! If you want a rugged dependable sight, expect to pay more than what your rifle is probably worth.

The only time I use optics is for long range precision shots (it’s called a “real” scope) other than that, I have found my iron sites on my issued Colt M4 can get just as fast of a sight picture than an $800 red dot sight.

Trigger Jobs/Kits

There are weapons out there that come from the factory with decent triggers, and then there are those that feel like 20 grit sandpaper trying to drag a 50lb weight. Getting a smoother lighter consistent trigger pull helps the shooter stay on target. Depending on the gun (ahem...S&W Sigma and SD series pistols) some just come out of the factory with a crappy trigger in which you are unable to shoot a group less than 3 inches. In cases like this upgrading the trigger can make a mediocre gun into a favorite shooter!

Let me talk about “trigger jobs” first. When I hear someone talk about polishing a trigger, connector or any other internal part of a pistol, I have a tendency to cringe. Every armorer class I have taken have all stated that it is a big “No-No” to start polishing and grinding things in your weapon. Other than voiding the warrant and risk premature wear, many parts have special coatings or tolerances that you dramatically wear down or remove with you try to gunsmith your own trigger.

If you want to improve your trigger pull, there are many reputable replacement trigger manufacturers out there. DO NOT replace your trigger springs or anything else with anything that talks about being a “reduced weight spring” or even an “extra powerful” spring.

Companies such as APEX make drop in trigger kits that have been engineered specifically for that specific gun model. Most of these simply take up slack or travel in the trigger system making an improved feel. There are some kits out there that will actually reduce the trigger pull.

Quick disclaimer though…ANY modifications to a weapon will void your weapon’s factory warranty. It is universally recommended that you do not get a trigger pull that is under 5 lbs (most are around 5.5 lbs). Unless you are a professional/competitive shooter, anything under 4 lbs in a double action only, and you are asking for an unintentional discharge!

Extended Mag Release, Extended Bolt Catch/Slide Release and all the other stuff!

As I mentioned before, weapon accessory manufacturers will try to sell you just about anything from their catalog. Most will advertise that it is the “Latest Tactical Innovation”. When it comes to any item that extends any of the buttons or latches on a weapon, you are just asking for that button or latch to become bumped accidently!

Extended slide locks for pistols are about the only thing that I would add-on to my pistol. Notice I said SLIDE LOCK not SLIDE RELEASE, generally speaking, pistols are not designed to go into battery by releasing the lock…but more on that later down the line!

Is it Practical or Tactical

My goal here is not to discourage you from “tricking out” your pistol or rifle, but to save you a bunch of money that you could use to buy another gun for your collection. How do I know this? Well, let me just say there is a reason why I wrote this blog. If someone had done the same over the last decade, I would have saved a bunch of money over that time!

When buying accessories for you weapon system, ask yourself, “Is this item really practical, or is it a tactical/CDI piece?”