Alexander N. from United States, WA Public Profile

Few products truly change much about the AR platform. This buffer system, while very pricey, is one of those parts that is a real advancement to the platform. When advising upgrades to an AR, my first suggestion is to get a good muzzle device (can be had for $40+). Second would be a good trigger ($100+). After those two I would honestly say this is the third most important upgrade to my rifles. Eliminates the scraping of the buffer spring, smooths operation and recoil impulse, basically all-around improves the feel of the rifle's action. Easy to install, no buffer detent necessary. Modular, high quality, and simple. Personally I think this product should be more like $50 considering a buffer and spring is like $15, but since it's the only option on the market JP is smart and makes us cough up the gouda for real performance. If it were cheaper it'd be an easy 5-star, but I believe all AR-15s should have had this design in the first place so I have to wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who can afford it. Considering a cheap AK has a captured recoil spring, the AR should have its design upgraded to include a captured recoil spring. I think this product does a lot to help with people feeling like the AR feels too much like a toy. I personally never get that feeling but I have friends who prefer AK's and the like who really criticize the feeling of the buffer tube/spring scraping. Go figure.

Does the average shooter need an Aimpoint? No. Does the average driver need a sports car? No. If you're looking for the best in class red dot, you'd be hard pressed to select something else. Expect to pay the premium for a sight that's become iconic--these days that premium is about $200. But at the same time, look at other $500 sights like EoTechs falling from grace after covering up massive thermal drift issues. The reason you pay the full $750 for an Aimpoint is because you know it's bombproof. It's easy to Google all the insane stories of what this thing survives. Add to that the 50k hour battery life and you have something I'd consider more rugged than an iron sight. That's what an Aimpoint micro is, the red dot that can supplant the very role of iron sights and function better than any red dot. Even dropping your rifle on a set of aluminum irons will very likely damage them and/or affect zero. Not the case with an Aimpoint. Few red dots can claim to be as rugged. EoTechs certainly are not, but there are still great options for the average shooter. The holographic sight picture of the EoTech is hard to beat, and for a lighter duty rifle you've got a huge field of view with a crisp holographic reticle. A Vortex is almost a quarter of the cost of an Aimpoint, but still has a very long battery life. But on an Aimpoint T2, you can leave the sight on for 10 years. It's that next level of performance that makes the T1 and T2 command such a premium.

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