When we are talking about building anything especially something as personal as a firearm it is easy to get distracted with things like the latest flashy gizmo or the cool looking stock that just came on to the market, but the reality is these aren’t the things that we really need to be looking at for what we really want.
So, what do we really want? The perfect rifle…..right?? The perfect rifle is different for everyone, but a general set of guidelines are that it should be; one that is light enough to be handy, accurate enough to hit what you are aiming at and reliable enough that you can actually count on it when it matters. So how do we get to that point? The answer is with what I call B.B.O.A.T.
BCG, Barrel, Optic, Ammo, Trigger:
What do I mean by that? Well, it is actually pretty simple. These are the areas that you should be spending the most money to get the best returns on your investment.
B: The Bolt Carrier Group (BCG) is the beating heart of your rifle this is what gives you the reliability that will; save you hundreds of dollars in chasing parts that claim to make your firearm shoot better, and what will allow you to put rounds down range when the time comes.
B: The barrel is what gives the majority of your accuracy matching the barrel length, profile and rate of twist to do what you need for a given application. Plus, the legalities of certain areas may have to be taken into consideration.
O: Optic: Here it is pretty simple but can get pretty complicated very quickly. Basically, it breaks down into three categories Iron sights, Red dots, and magnified sights. Simply put the faster you can pick up the sights and put them on target the faster you can get effective hits on that target.
A: Ammo: This sounds simple, but nothing could be further from the truth. Matching bullet weight and design to a given application is something that takes considerable consideration. I’ve seen a lot of shooters get frustrated with “inaccurate builds” and when I ask what kind of ammo they are shooting, it was always the same answers. Read the upcoming section on ammo for more details.
T: Trigger: The trigger is the first thing everyone touches on a firearm (even though it is a violation of the safety rule the majority of the time, but I digress). The trigger is the last moving part of a firearm that you will touch before the shot breaks. A smooth crisp break to critically important here, if you are running a “Mil-Spec” trigger you are losing protentional accuracy that firearm can be hiding just under the surface. A good trigger will have an immediate and dramatic effect on your group size.
In the coming days and weeks, I will be posting a thorough write up on each of these subjects. Subscribe to our email list to follow along as new articles release, and feel free to add in your own experiences in the comment section below!