Thanks for taking the time to share this! Amazing amount of good info
Here's my HD AR. I've run it in classes and matches and am now to the point where I know it works perfectly under any condition I've called on it for and am going to relegate it to safe/HD use only and then build a clone of it for training/beating.
Base Rifle: Daniel Defense MK18 SBR, 10.3" barrel with 9.5" railed handguard. Short, light, and easy to maneuver inside, 10.3" barrel shortest possible to still allow use of carbine gas and suppressor.
Sights: Aimpoint T-1 primary. Left turned on always, even when in the safe. I ran the battery to failure, which happened at 3.5 years. Henceforth, I will change it every New Year's day. Knights Armament folding front and Matech folding rear backup iron sights. Even with the battery life and durability of the Aimpoint, anything can fail, so the irons are there.
Light: Surefire X300 Ultra mounted at 12 o'clock. Weapons grade light with high lumen output, compact package. 12 o'clock position allows for ambidextrous activation of the light.
Sling: Arguable necessity on a purely HD rifle, but if you need your hands free for grabbing children, doorknobs, phone, etc. it would be a good idea not to have to put down your rifle. I've used a few different slings over my 12 years training with the AR and found the VCAS by Blue Force Gear to be the best. Bottom line, an adjustable 2-point sling is preferable over a single point or three point for controlling the weapon while slung and preventing snagging on anything and everything.
Suppressor: ARs are LOUD! They're even louder when they have a short barrel. I'd prefer not to deafen myself so I can still communicate with my family and/or hear other threats I might not see. Situational awareness. I'm using an AAC M4-2000. I feel it's the best balance of weight, length, performance, and price currently on the market for a 5.56 can.
You may not choose to use any NFA components (SBR, suppressor) on your HD rifle and that's also understandable. I would advise you, though, to stay away from things like muzzle brakes that make an already loud rifle even louder. The noise and concussion from such devices in an enclosed space can be not only deafening, but disorienting as well. Wanna see? Go to an indoor range and stand next to a guy firing a Braked AR or AK.
Hope this is helpful.
