I was recently able to take my pieced together AR-15 chambered in .223 on a long trip, shooting piles of rounds, truly testing durability, accuracy, accuracy over time, which parts I loved, and which parts needed to be tweaked. If you want to get to know one of your favorite guns, spend 3 days with it in the heat of summer near South Dakota’s Badlands shooting at little prairie dogs at ranges from 70-700 yards… I came out of the trip with a much better understanding of my weapon, and all of its moving parts and accessories. I made some adjustments, and a couple of them seemed small, but made a big impact.
My AR
Everyone has a favorite gun, favorite caliber, etc… I have a lot of favorites. One for each activity in fact. When it comes to AR platform guns, my first is and may very well be my favorite. Everything was hand-picked and the color combo was exactly what I envisioned in my head when I first decided that I wanted an AR-15. I’m heavy into predator hunting, so despite my love for the gun, it’s a relatively inexpensive build. The parts I need for killing coyotes aren’t nearly as intricate as the parts one needs for long-range precision shooting or competitive shooting. Parts were purchased over time when they came on sale, and it has seen several tweaks over the course of its lifetime. Like all ARs, they’re made to be tinkered with and changed. 2 major changes came for me a few weeks ago while in the vast prairie.
Silent Captured Buffer Spring
I didn’t really notice it at first, but over time, and after shooting many ARs, I finally had a bit of an annoyance with that tell-tale “thunk” or twangy sound when one was charged or fired. That almost clunky twang could be heard and felt. There was also a point while shooting my wife’s lightweight AR where I was frustrated with the time it took to get back on target after each shot. I realized that lack of weight was a hindrance, but I felt it should’ve or could’ve been better. Well, now it is. And, that tell-tale “thunk” or twang is gone on all of our ARs.
Halfway through the first day of shooting prairie dogs, I changed out my buffer spring for one of JP Enterprises’ new Gen 2 Silent Captured Springs. The change was simple and was completed in the field. The difference was immediately noticeable. The smoothness and instant ability to get back on target was an incredible leap over the previous setup. I also noticed that the gun became much quieter overall. The twang was gone, the gun was smoother, and I was in heaven. My favorite gun became better thanks to a small purchase and 3 minutes of work.
Learn more about the Silent Captured Springs at https://www.jprifles.com/1.4.7.2_os.php .
Competition EZ Trigger
JP Rifles offers several trigger adjustment options, from their standard Fire Control Kits to individual parts and pieces. The Fire Control Kits come in trigger pull weights ranging from 2.75lbs. to what’s considered a competition ready trigger pull of 4.5lbs. The differences can be seen in the colors of their springs, and many AR fanatics can spot a JP spring by color alone.
Another upgrade made to my already beloved AR-15 was a trigger pull adjustment. I already had a buddy do a pretty decent trigger job on it, bringing the pull down from breaking at roughly 7lbs. to just over 5lbs. My new JP Competition EZ Trigger brought it down to just about 3lbs. The break was crisp from the prior trigger job, and was even more crisp after the EZ Trigger with the yellow spring was installed.
A lighter trigger pull isn’t the only advantage to having an upgraded trigger. Factory or mil-spec triggers are notorious for a few things… none of them are advantageous to your accuracy. They tend to be rough, have high pull weights, lots of creep, tons of take up, and some travel prior to ignition. No trigger is perfect; no trigger will eliminate every one of these issues completely. However, something like the EZ Trigger from JP can cut down all of those issues, and get you close to eliminating a couple.
Learn more and get your Fire Control Kit at https://www.jprifles.com/1.4.8.1_ezt.php .
Upgrade Today
After speaking with the boys at JP Rifles when I returned from my trip to South Dakota, thanking them for making products that improved my shooting, they offered a small discount to me and my friends. We’re all friends today, and if you visit https://www.jprifles.com and enter the code JPDogs you’ll get 10% off your entire order. If you haven’t done so, I highly suggest upgrading that mil-spec trigger. It may very well be the most important thing you do to your AR-15.
By Matthew J. Breuer
