There’s a reason why the AR-15 has earned the moniker “America’s Rifle.” The modularity and flexibility of the AR-15 means you can alter it to perform any number of tasks, from close-range, home-defense drills to shots out to 1,000 yards and beyond. This “jack of all trades” capability makes the AR popular, but the second part of that “jack of all trades” phrase is “… and master of none.” This means that when it comes to AR-15s, a gun that is set up to work within 100 yards is going to struggle beyond 500 yards, and a gun that works well at a half-mile or more is going to be unwieldy when things get up close and personal.
We also have to consider the role that an AR-15 plays in the life of an armed citizen versus the role of a law enforcement officer or the military. I live in the suburbs, and I struggle to come up with a defensive scenario which might require me to take a shot a distance beyond 50 yards at the very most. This might change if I lived in a more rural area, but the simple fact is, my home defense AR-15 is optimized for distances under 50 yards.
Optimizing For The Middle Of The Road
That being said, I am a nerd for designated marksman rifles, which are service-pattern rifles that can reach out beyond what the standard issue infantry rifle can hit. As such, I enjoy shooting AR-15s at targets out to 1,200 yards and beyond. Is this a useful self-defense skill? Not really, but it sure is fun.
Astute readers may have noticed a donut hole in my skill set. Shooting an AR-15 at under 100 yards is an essential self-defense skill for me, and I consider shooting an AR-15 at 500 yards and beyond to be a lot of fun. What’s missing there is shooting at intermediate distances, between 100 and 500 yards. While those ranges might not be common for self-defense, they are quite common for small game and predator hunting and are commonly seen in competitions like 3-gun and America’s Rifle Challenge. A well-rounded rifleman, then, should be able to make the shot, no matter what the distance.
This is why I signed up for a course to help me get more comfortable at these distances, and set about sourcing an AR to work well at those ranges. I wound up going with the new Springfield Saint Victor in 5.56 NATO, and the optic I chose was a 1X electronic sight with a 3X magnifier, which, if I’m honest, turned out to be a poor choice. It’s not that the sight and magnifier were bad: Far from it, they were both top-shelf optics identical to those in use by our military around the world. Rather, it was the maximum magnification of this set up which let me down.
For example, one of the drills in the class was shooting clay pigeons at 300 yards. This translates into a target that is slightly over 1.4 MOA, something that is easily within the reach of my rifle and skill level. Where things fell apart, however, was acquiring that 4.33-inch target with only 3X magnification. Top magnification was good enough to see the general shape of the silhouette target the clays were attached to, but it was not enough to verify the actual target I was shooting.
Intermediate Range Optics
So what should I have gone with? Well, for years, my rule of thumb has been “1X for every 100 yards.” However, my experience in this class indicates that sort of magnification may work to hit the target, finding exactly where to hit on the target was a bit of a challenge.
Enter the modern low power variable optic, or LPVO. These typically start out a 1X or 1.5X and then go up to 4X, 6X, 8X or 10X. This power comes with some liabilities, however. The first is the “eye box,” or usable area behind the optic, shrinks as your optical magnification increases. This in turn means that your cheek weld game had better be strong or you’ll find yourself wasting time as you hunt for a clear view of your reticle. The other drawback compared to a 1X red dot and magnifier is weight. Because of all the glass inside, an LPVO typically runs a few ounces heavier than a dot and magnifier combo.
What you get in return for those drawbacks, however, is increased magnification, which helps greatly with accuracy and target identification. Other accessories which came in handy were a bipod (the new Magpul MOE QD is great for this), an adjustable stock for a consistent cheek weld and ammunition which delivers better-quality results (I went with 62-grain HPBT round from Federal Premium).
With a few adjustments to your existing AR-15 and some time at the range, you’ll soon find out that your 100 yard AR-15 is capable of first-round hits out to 300 yards and beyond, making an already adaptable firearm work at a wide range of distances.
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