The AR-15 is America’s favorite rifle. It’s lightweight, handy, reliable, and comes in nearly every caliber and format you could imagine. AR-15s are excellent rifles for various tasks, from hunting and competition to home defense. Home defense is one of the roles the AR-15 excels in. Most AR-15s are functionally well built out of the box but are not quite home defense-ready. Let’s dig into the best home defense AR accessories on the market, but first, let’s cover why the AR is such an awesome defensive weapon.
Why the AR-15 is An Excellent Home Defense Option
The weapon’s properties alone make it an excellent choice. An AR-15 in 5.56 is super lightweight compared to most other rifles. Most have adjustable stocks that allow you to fit the weapon to your size. They are very easy to shoot with minimal recoil, and the most common model has a 16-inch barrel. This makes the rifle fairly compact and well-suited inside the home.
The 5.56 is a small, fast-moving projectile, and it also tends to lose lots of energy when passing through walls. For that reason alone, it tends to be a good weapon inside the home. It’s more likely to break apart or rapidly lose energy when hitting drywall. It will still go through drywall but will go through less and have less energy than handgun rounds or buckshot.
Finally, it’s also effortless to accessorize. The modern AR-15 is a Barbie doll in terms of accessorizing. You can do anything to do it, including pairing it with Ryan Gosling. The AR-15 series rifles excel at home defense, but it does need a few accessories to make it a bit more suited for the role. Much like Barbie, you have to dress for the event.
Accessorizing Tiers
You can go overboard with an excessively long handguard. There is a lot of room to attach things, but they aren’t always necessary. I’ve broken this list down into several different tiers. The first are must-haves. These are accessories you’ll need to succeed. The second are nice to have and probably should have, but you’ll manage without it. The final tier are not necessities but can be quite handy.
Must Haves
Quality Magazine
A magazine can be a real weak point to a capable firearm. Magazines have a different level of reliability than the firearm itself, and a good gun can be rendered useless by a bad magazine. Luckily, good, high-quality magazines are not expensive. There are plenty to suggest, but my go-to would be the Magpul Gen 3 PMAG. These are the latest generation of the famed PMAG and the most widely used polymer magazine in the world. They are incredibly reliable and durable and will cost you less than a good lunch.
My suggestion is, regardless of which high-quality magazine you choose, you should buy two of them. One to train and shoot with and one to leave loaded and ready for home defense. It’s always smart to have a spare magazine. I’d have six, but that’s just me.
A White Light
A white light is another must-have. A white light allows you to identify your targets in dark or low light conditions. There have been too many incidents of innocent people getting shot in the dark because a resident hears a bump in the dark and shoots at the noise. That’s beyond irresponsible, and a simple white light can solve the problem.
There are tons of white lights out there that easily attach to rifles at a wide variety of price points. It can be confusing. I would stick to reputable companies like Surefire, Streamlight, Nightstick, Modlite, and Cloud Defensive. These lights are all well-made, bright, and made for rifles. There are plenty of budget-friendly options from Streamlight and Nightstick if price is a concern.
A Red Dot Optic
Some may disagree that this is a must-have and may argue irons work fine. Sure, go ahead, but most people will greatly benefit from a red dot on their rifle. Home defense is all close-quarters work, and a red dot is a natural option. It’s easy to see the dot, regardless of light conditions and you can use a target focus to watch the threat or to check corners, etc., without ever breaking your firing grip.
There are a lot of red dots out there. If you want to save a little money, then go with a Holosun. If you don’t mind spending extra, Aimpoint or EoTech are other great options. Heck, the SIG Romeo5 is the most common budget-busting option.
Nice To Haves
Sling
A good quality tactical two-point can be an outstanding piece of gear for a home defense AR-15. It offers two benefits. The first is retention. If someone tries to take the gun, it’s strapped to your body. This ensures it stays your gun and can’t be turned around and used against you.
The second benefit is the support it offers. If it is properly tightened down, you can wield the gun with a single hand as you open doors, aid family members, or call 911. I suggest a modern two-point like the Vickers, the Magpul MS series, or the Arbor Arms Dual Adjust Weapon Sling.
Extended Magazine
Thirty rounds are likely going to be enough for home defense, but sometimes extra ammo is nice to have. You won’t be defending your home with a chest rig on, so a reload likely won’t be at hand. With that said, there are lots of not-so-great extended magazines. I tend to stay away from casket mags because they can be fairly fragile.
Magpul comes to the rescue with their 40-rounder. These have proven to be very capable and reliable magazines. They offer ten more rounds, and while that’s not a ton, it’s just a little extra insurance.
Appropriate Muzzle Device
Most ARs come with a standard A2-style flash hider, and that’s great. It’s solid for home defense and is a multiuse muzzle device that’s affordable and adequate. For home defense, the flash hider is the way to go. This will help contain the flash of your round in dark environments and make it more comfortable for you to shoot.
If you are rocking a shorter carbine or AR pistol, then you might want to consider a flash can. A flash can pushes the flash and concussion forward and help you maintain situational awareness. It also takes some of the sting out of the unburned powder shooting down your barrel. The Surefire Warden is the best, but it is pricey and requires a Surefire muzzle device. Midwest Industries has a much cheaper option that works quite well.
Not Necessary, but Handy
Suppressor
Suppressors are excellent for home defense. Guns are loud, and in confined spaces, they are capable of rattling your brain. It’s painfully loud indoors, and a suppressor can take the sting out of that blast. It won’t make your rifle “movie quiet”, but it can make your weapon tamer at the cost of a longer rifle.
Laser Aiming Device
A long gun laser can be quite handy indoors. If you point your weapon at a bad guy and he surrenders, then you’ll still need to keep that weapon pointed at him. Rifles get heavy, and you’ll be on the phone with the police. A laser allows you to maintain an aim on the threat without having to maintain a firing position.
Magpul D60
If 40 rounds aren’t enough, then you can always step it up to the D60. The D60 is a Magpul polymer drum. It holds 60 rounds of 5.56 and can stay loaded. It’s expensive but very reliable. The D60 might be a bit overkill, but if you want the most ammo possible on your gun, this is the way to go.
The Accessorized AR
What determines how an AR is used is really its accessories. You can turn it into a hunting rifle, a competition gun, or a home defense option by just swapping a few things here or there, and that’s part of the magic behind the platform. If you’re decking out a home defense AR, you have a good idea of how to start, but if you have questions, ask below.
