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I will go over five common AR-15 owner mistakes I see happening all the time, and I've made some of these mistakes myself in the past. So don’t feel bad about it if you're doing any of these things right now. Hopefully, this video helps show you that you're hurting your own experience when it comes to using the AR-15 platform. I'm sure you might have a friend or a family member doing some of these things as well. And now you can help them use these rifles more efficiently.
I’m using an amalgamation of a lower receiver by Aero Precision and an upper by Wilson Combat, and I’ll change the configuration a couple of times so you can see what these mistakes look like compared to how they should look.
Improper Sight Installation
The first mistake is installing your rear backup iron sight backward so that it folds down forward towards the muzzle and flips up towards you, the user. There are a couple of issues with this. One, your adjustment dial for your windage is now reversed. The other issue is that the apertures on the rear sights have a different geometry imprinted onto the aperture itself. This helps focus your eye and eliminate glare, providing a better sight picture. Some of them even have a funneling effect, and now you're pointing that funneling effect towards yourself rather than towards the intended target. Plus, the light-gathering aspects of the aperture design are no longer functional. You need your rear sight to be in the correct orientation, though the front sight can be either way. This can be facing forward in case you need additional rail space on your rifle for a laser, or it can be facing the way it's supposed to. It works just the same either way. The rear sight on your backup sights is the only one that matters regarding orientation, but it does matter quite a bit, and you should not have your rear sight facing the wrong way.
Optic Too Low
Another mistake I see quite often is having the optic mounted too low. New AR-15 owners tend to do this, and it’s often because of their experience with a hunting rifle where you want to get your scope as low to the bore axis as possible. However, with the AR-15, you need your optic to be a certain height for it to be comfortable and for you to be easily able to get behind the optic when you're shouldering the rifle. In a low-ring mount, you really can't get the cheek weld required to have a comfortable shooting experience. With this configuration, you must get low on the stock to get a sight picture, making it uncomfortable and awkward. I've seen AR-15s in classified ads where they have the optic mounted in a low setup, and they're selling it most likely because they just don't like how it shoots. If they’d used a scope mount designed specifically for AR-15s, they might have enjoyed shooting it more. If you're going to put an optic on an AR-15, make sure it's at a reasonable height. Extra high is generally what I would recommend for actual rings, or just get a one-piece mount that puts your optic at the right height without you having to think too hard about it.
Using the Optic Mount to Bridge AR Sections
I’ve seen configurations where the optic mount is attached to both the receiver rail and the handguard rail, “bridging” the two sections. One might assume it's not much of a big deal, and depending on the type of handguard you're using, it might not be. However, it's still not suggested or advised. Your handguard is a separate entity from your receiver. Your receiver is the only sturdy, unmovable aspect of the firearm. If you bridge an optic between the receiver and the handguard, there's a chance something can go very bad. If the handguard were to take an impact that wanted it to twist but was no longer allowing it to twist, the optic mount could absorb that and become damaged. If you're doing this because your handguard isn't very sturdy or isn't aligned with your receiver, that's a handguard issue and your optic mount is not supposed to fix that. You don’t want to compromise what you’re using to acquire your target.
Bad Sling Position
This is a much more personal preference-related situation; however, even with personal preference in mind, there are ways you can set up a sling that make it more secure and comfortable than others. I have multiple QD (quick detach) attachment points on my rifle. Currently, I have one in the front near the muzzle, and I have one very far back on the handguard using a Magpul RSA adapter. I also have one on the opposite side of the receiver with the folding stock adapter made by Sylvan Arms. There are two more on the stock itself. That gives me a lot to work with, and there are two configurations that I think will serve most people best.
For rifles with shorter barrels, attach the front part of the sling to the non-dominant side of the rifle at the back of the handguard (the side of your non-dominant hand). Attach the rear end of the sling to the dominant side of the rifle right at the end of the receiver. This setup allows the rifle to be very maneuverable and tight to your body, and it allows you to do reloads and everything else without having to get out of the sling. You can use what I am using, or you can also use a different type of end plate to accomplish this. TROY makes them, BCM makes them, and there are others. What I like about the RSA adapter is that it positions the sling swivel up out of the way of my hands while I'm using the rifle.
The other configuration I think works well is to attach the rear of the sling to the back of the stock, still on the dominant side, with the front sling swivel positioned at the front end of the handguard near the muzzle on the non-dominant side. This allows for a very sturdy sling setup and a very stable sling setup. Spreading the sling out from the rear of the stock all the way to the front of the muzzle distributes the weight well and allows you to carry it on your back without it flopping around. Most people suggest using a sling in this configuration. I just prefer the tighter configuration for shorter rifles because it creates more maneuverability.
A setup I see a lot of people doing that is less efficient is to have both the front and rear attachments on the non-dominant side. This isn't necessarily wrong, and if this is what you like and it works for you, then that's fine because that's what matters at the end of the day. However, this gives you less stability when carrying the rifle because it doesn't get pulled into your body as it would if the front and back attachments were on opposing sides. Instead, the rifle is trying to pull away from your body the entire time you're carrying it.
Another example of what I think doesn't work very well is if you attach the rear end of the sling to the end of the receiver on the side or back of the buffer tube, then attach the front end of the sling to the front end of the muzzle. This creates a small issue where you're losing the benefits of maneuverability that you have with the tighter sling configuration where the front end of the sling is closer to the receiver. Also, the rifle wants to pull away from your body and may even flip over if you’re leaning forward. Often, you'll find the magazine is what's pushing against your body to prevent that from happening. This sling setup can still work, though it's not ideal. I've run slings like this in the past because of the need for additional space on my rail and not being able to run a QD attachment far enough back on my handguard to accommodate it. If you're using an older style AR and you're using your standard sling attachments on the bottom of the stock as well as up near the front sight post, that's another configuration where the sling experience won't be ideal.
Chicken Winging
Something I'm guilty of myself (and still very embarrassed about because you can find videos of me doing it all over the internet) is a technique issue with ergonomics and recoil management called “chicken winging.” It's because of the way people shoot traditional rifles and shotguns that they chicken wing when they're using an AR-15 because they're not used to having a pistol grip. Unfortunately, it hurts your ability to shoot efficiently. It's when you go to shoulder your rifle, and you have your elbow out to the side, perpendicular to the earth. It's not comfortable and hurts your ability to manage recoil. It also gives you a slight tactical disadvantage as it’s a part of your body spread further out providing more of a target. The way you're supposed to shoulder an AR-15 with a pistol grip is by having your elbow tucked down to the side. You get a much more stable platform for your buttstock, you can absorb and manage recoil much more easily, and it's a lot more comfortable for your wrist.
I hope these recommendations help you avoid some discomfort, frustration, and embarrassment when shooting your AR-15 at the range!
--Magic Prepper
