For my first AR, I went with the IWI Zion 15. Sig sauer Romeo 5 to be installed (have a buddy that is loaning me his old one). For the group, what accessories (other than extra mags) would be mandatory to get at first? Which ones go on the “when you can” category? Any suggestions appreciated. Brands that have worked for you welcome as well.
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Backup sights, sling and more magazines. If you intend to use as a home defense gun get a good light. Training and training!
BTW nice choice for a first AR!
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There are iron sights that pop up on it that I bought in adddition to a sling. Any light recommendations. And thanks for the compliment.
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extra mags, surefire light,and a burris 5x is what I did to mine.
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I’m sure @Bart7 would appreciate any links to any suggested bling. 
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Here’s a link. Black Friday sale. Magpul PMAG for AR.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/magpul-pmag-30-5-56x45-magazine-mag571-blk.html
When I added a light, I just used one I had on hand. I have a previous version of this light.
My light rides on a rail like this that attaches to the front sight. A friend of mine had an extra and gave it to me.
The light attaches to the rail with something like this.
Not really a suggestion since there are better ways to do this. But this is what worked out for me.
Links because I like to be helpful and I like most of what @BRUCE26 suggests. 
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Oooh. Oooh. I like the flashlight mount. 
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Surefireis the gold standard. Streamlight is a quality product, I’ve got three TLR-1, TLR-3 and TRL-6. Others are available, get what you’re able to afford .
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I’ve never looked through an Sig Romeo….
But this is the view through my Eotech…
True two eyes open holographic sight.
And with the magnifier up.
Center dot is 100-200 yards based on standard 5.56 ballistic.
Lower dot is 400 yards based on 5.56 ballistic drop.
The ring is 60moa or 5 foot at 100 yards, giving you basic range finding if you have an idea of the size of your target.
edit according to the manual I got with mine, it’s a 60 MOA ring. The newer models apparently have a 68 MOA ring
Same basic principle, if a 5’8” man is pointing a gun at you, and he’s exactly the same visual size as that ring, he’s 100 yards out, half the ring, 200 yards, twice the size of the ring 50 yards…. Like I said, “basic” range finding….
For close quarters, the bottom of the ring is your POI inside 10-20 yards.
So, one sight, three aim points from 10 to 400 yards, and a full sight picture.
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I found my Christmas present!
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If you are putting a red dot on it, in my opinion, change the iron sights to 45° offset ones. You can then, if desired, run the weapon with the iron sights in ready without interfering with your red dot sight picture. If red dot fails, or close quarters, you simply tilt the weapon to use the irons. My opinion. Your milage may vary. 
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@Will_B great looking optic. That’s actually more than the firearm but goes in my “when I have the money” bag lol. Any recommendations on a more entry level option. I will have a Romeo 5 on it from a buddy, but was more curious about a potential pairing with a Juliet magnifier or some type of combination that is a bit more cost friendly.
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Have you considered a LPVO with an iron sight offset to 1 o’clock (right-handed) or 11 o’clock (left-handed)?
I’ve tried a couple of red (and green) dots on both rifles and my EDC 9mm; I don’t care for any of them.
Specifically for rifles, I’ve found the setup above (LPVO w/ offset iron sight) works best for me.
Here’s an example of an LPVO that is budget-friendly, can be illuminated in red or green, and if no illumination is required works while not turned on)
Just something to think about
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Do you have one of these? It seems a little too good to be true for the price.
Is it Chinese?
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Absolutely! . I’m definitely a fan of spending the money only once though. And optics are absolutely not a spot where you want to go cheap.
All the firepower in the world doesn’t mean 
if you can’t put rounds where it counts!
But it also comes to your application. My Eotec rig is on my zombie popper IWI Tavor.
I got the gun for the fact that I live in an urban area, if the feces hits the air mover I may have to go from point blank engagement, to several hundred yards out almost instantly. A bull pup can do that.
I wanted the sight system to match the rifle’s capabilities.
I also have a Tavor 7 7.62 NATO, but because I envision it being used for longer range or heavier hitting activities, I went with a Vortex Razor III 1-10
1x it serves almost as a red dot
At 10x there’s a full illuminated reticle with windage and holdover.
Again, not cheap though!!!
I initially put a Burris 4x prismatic sight on it, but that was basically just a waste of $500 and it’s now sitting on a shelf and may get mounted on an airsoft gun.
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Yes^2
I bought it as an open box since the price couldn’t be beat. I’ve bought several varying setups so that I could find what works best me. For the testing, I opted for basic, entry-level and, when possible, discounted components so as to not flush to many dollary-doos down the toilet.
In the meantime, I’ve been building a 2nd AR using the learnings from the 1st. This new one should be finished within a week or so, all going well. Once it’s done, I’ll go back to the first to make upgrades including, but not limited to, the LPVO above. (the new one has an LPVO that is functionally very similar, but a considerable upgrade to this one).
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Hmmm. The logic of testing with low cost parts makes sense, then moving up to nicer stuff to avoid expensive mistakes. I’ve looked at quite a few different LPVOs and unfortunately so many are Chinese. Even Vortex makes many of their scopes in China now.
I just can’t bring myself to knowingly spend money with China, and it somehow feels even more gross to mount a Chinese part on my rifle. I once picked up a cheap kydek holster on Amazon that was Chinese made. It actually worked great, and fit the gun well, but I could never get past the fact that I was carrying something from China exercising my distinctly American 2A right, carrying an American Smith and Wesson.
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I understand, and I agree.
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure where it was manufactured until you asked, had to check the box.
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Yeah, thanks for checking. I’ll take an optic from Japan, S Korea or some of our other allies who know how to manufacture quality hardware. The Chinese scopes are tempting, because they have good prices, reviews and features. All my life I’ve shot rifles with iron sights, but my eyes are not what they used to be. I find for 100 yards or so, a basic 4X scope completely changes my shooting these days. I’m able to hold sub 4" groups at 30 yards with irons, but can do better than that at 100 yards with a 4x. At 100 yards with irons I can still hit a standard silhouette target in the center mass area, but used to be able to hold decent groups at that range.
It sucks getting old, but it beats the alternative.
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