It can be confusing to find a new AR-15 accessory retailer site as a new AR owner — or even as an experienced one just now diving into accessorizing your firearm — and not know which component will work the best for your wants or needs.

This is a common conundrum for many AR-15 rifle owners.

The overwhelming abundance of new accessories for AR-15 upgrades can easily keep the buyer at a standstill — mainly due to not knowing which material or style of a given component will suit their needs best. You’re not alone in this if that is what you’ve been experiencing. In this post, we’ll be sharing five questions to ask before purchasing any type of AR-15 accessories or components for your rifle.

At RailScales, we offer premium machined products like hand stops, forward grips, sights, rail panels, and more. When it comes to upgrading your rifle, you want the best new AR accessories to fit your needs. Continue reading to explore the five questions for some tips and tricks on whether this component or that will be best for you and your needs!

Five AR-15 Accessory Questions

Accessories for rifles are becoming increasingly popular due to the growing demand for improved tactical performance. RailScales new AR accessories can also improve the look of the rifle, making it more aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, AR parts provide additional protection, such as recoil guards and flashlights, which help protect the shooter from the powerful force of the rifle’s recoil. Newer AR-15 accessories also include flash hiders and compensators, which help reduce muzzle rise and flash.  All these factors make AR components an essential addition to any rifle.  Learn more about the top questions when purchasing new AR15 accessories.

Question #1 - What’s the purpose of this rifle component?

Typically, you go in search of new AR 15 accessories when your current components are not working for you, or you have yet to invest in accessories after acquiring your first firearm. As you become a better shooter and more experienced gun owner, or your intent for your rifle changes, you will want to upgrade it appropriately.

Consider what you’re trying to achieve with each new component you intend to buy. For example, if you want to improve the performance of your rifle so you can shoot more often, this can help you decide what parts you may want to look into upgrading or customizing. You may want to improve accuracy, which could result in upgrading your trigger, handguard, or adding a hand stop.

Question #2 - What is the component’s intended use in a given environment?

Type and quality of material is a huge factor to consider once you answer this question. How hard will you use your new component? Where will it be used? How often will you need to maintain it? Environmental or artificial factors could also affect how you use or which components you add to your rifle. For instance, purchasing a piece susceptible to rust if not carefully maintained may not be a great idea if you live somewhere wet and humid, and want a gun you can mostly just leave in the safe unless there’s an emergency.

Another concern is the actual relevance of the piece to your rifle. If you want to add a light to your rifle, but you have a plastic handguard, you may find it difficult to mount said light. You have a few options: You can upgrade your handguards or mount the light to your front-sight post. Depending on your purpose for the light, you may need a low-profile rifle, which means a Keymod or MLOK handguard may be your best bet.

Question #3 - What are some new issues introduced with the new component?

A new component can cause more problems than it solves. This is not uncommon to see when upgrading your AR-15 with aftermarket accessories.

The best solution to this is to find a buddy who has a similar setup to what you’re attempting to achieve and examine how they built their rifle. To continue with the same example from question number two, say you mount your new light to the front-sight post. Does this interfere with your line of sight? How will you engage or disengage the light? Do you need to adjust your grip to utilize the new light? There are plenty more questions, but it’s important to ask these before dropping some cash on a component that you won’t use or will just cause problems with your shooting.

Question #4 - What are the benefits of adding this New AR 15 accessory?

This question primarily focuses on how you can get the most benefit from accessory upgrades with the least amount of improved components. Does this sound counterintuitive? Think about it this way: Which single component can you upgrade to most improve as a shooter?

You probably want your rifle to be unique, customized, and personalized. However, weight is an issue when you add too many components to your rifle, and needs to be seriously considered before each and every upgrade. Also, compatibility between various components can vary based on manufacturers, placement, and intended use. It’s important to find the best new AR-15 accessory combination to gain the most benefit with your upgrades.

Question #5 - What do the reviews on this component say?

It’s important to not only look at the rating for the accessory but to also dig into the context of why a given AR accessory received its rating. This means once you narrow your accessory upgrades down to a few options, read through some recent reviews.

You’ll most likely find raving fans of the component and those who purchased the component but did not like it all intermingled. If it’s a popular component that got mostly good reviews, dig into why those who aren’t on board with it didn’t enjoy it. It may be an issue with the accessibility of the piece, or it might not be suited to left-handed shooters, or bring up some problem with the piece itself that will be good to keep in mind. If it’s an unpopular component but it looks intriguing to you, check the reviews to see if it’s a niche product or your initial first impressions were off and it’s just a bad one.

The AR-15 rifle community is great, because most people are specific with the details in their comments and reviews, and they’re willing to share what they’ve learned through experience. Rifle accessory reviews are a gold mine of information to consume before you purchase your next component.

Shop Our New AR Accessories Now

We understand if you’re not sure which component will work the best for your AR-15. This rifle is highly customizable; it offers more options and features than most car dealerships do on their top-tier vehicles. Nonetheless, the best AR-15 accessories are the ones that serve your needs. At RailScales, we offer a product line full of premium machined AR-15 components. RailScales has a variety of products that can fit almost any build, whether keeping a low-profile shooter or getting your rifle decked out with every component imaginable. Everything from vertical grips to magazine release buttons, our products are highly reviewed and highly sought after for their premium machining and materials used. Visit www.railscales.us for the LDAG, Anchor, RSBM-P and our G10 RailScales!