Why the love affair with AR's?

[Hokkmike]

Of all my guns the only one that can really be calssified as a toy, or there for entertainment sake, is the AR. I like it because it is an exact copy of what I used in the USAF in the 70's.

But here are some negatives;

1. It is NOT legal for hunting in my state.

2. Being an AR it is finicky about lubing and ammo. (does jam too often)

3. It uses way lots of ammo at a faster rate than my other long guns. (nature of the semi with large magazines)

The thing is, AR's look cool but don't seem to be much practical. I am not one who believes we will ever need to hit the woods with survival gear in hand. It could happen but I doubt it.

I honestly believe that there are much better home defense weapons.

I will keep it. I am just not sure why. Just because of memories I guess. I suppose that is a good enough reason.

What do you think?

 

[taliv]

1. it's legal for hunting here (not that i care about hunting)
2. mine isn't. maybe you should have someone look at it
3. this is a bad thing?

it's the most ergonomic rifle ever built.

i think you're not thinking clearly.

 

[cracked butt]

1. it's legal for hunting here (not that i care about hunting)
2. mine isn't. maybe you should have someone look at it
3. this is a bad thing?

it's the most ergonomic rifle ever built.

i think you're not thinking clearly.

Agree on all counts.

The thing is, AR's look cool but don't seem to be much practical.

They seem to be very practical to me. I can use mine for hunting in the fall, coyotes in the winter, high power competition in the summer, and if I want something different than .223, I can easily buy one of a large number of uppers in other cartridges or configurations. Thee is no other firearm in the world that can do that- they only thing that comes close is a TC encore and those have even more limitations.

 

[TX1911fan]

I can, and do hunt with mine. I agree with many experts (Clint Smith and others) that a carbine makes a fantastic home defense weapon. It is great to shoot, relatively inexpensive, and with limited recoil can be shot all day with no adverse affects. 10 rounds of .300 WinMag have me aching. My wife and children can also shoot it. It easily accepts a suppressor if I want to make it even more user friendly. I can swap out the upper with a myriad of additional calibers, usually cheaper than buying a whole new rifle in the new caliber. And, it is much more durable than traditional rifles. When I have it in the field, I'm not constantly worried about dings, nicks and scratches.

In conclusion, for me anyway, my AR is quite possibly the perfect rifle.

 

[Organdonor]

I'll agree with the practicality of AR's in .223... only because I also have one in .308

I rarely use my .223 Bushie, but that will change once I get the conversion kit to .22LR.

I can hunt with my .308 Bushie, it's never jambed on me, and it's so FUN to break down to clean, I do after everytime I shoot it.

The only time I've had ANY issues with my AR-15 in 5.56 was due to crappy ammo.

 

[sacp81170a]

I've been shooting AR's (M-16's) since I was a 19 year old in the Security Police Academy at Lackland. The M-16 is so far the longest lived service rifle in the U.S. military at 40+ years, so several generations of service members are familiar with it, know how to keep it running and know how to shoot it well. I have a friend who was in the Army in the late 50's - early 60's and whose issued weapon was an M-14. He likes AR's but is a big M-14 fanatic. Same with the older guys and their Garands. (Yeah, I know, I'm just a puppy.)

I'm not sure what it is about the loving the rifle you carried in the service, as much as we hated them then. Must be a brainwashing sorta thing.

I was cleaning one of my AR's with a younger ex-Army friend at my house a few weeks ago. As I was re-assembling it, I put the charging handle in part way, grabbed the bolt carrier group and gave it a flick with my wrist without looking, slid it in and pushed the charging handle and BCG the rest of the way in. Gil cracked up and I asked him, "What?"

His reply, "You can sure tell someone who's been using an AR for a long time by the way they flick the bolt open." We're about 10 years apart in time as far as military service goes, but we still have a weapon in common.

 

[brighamr]

Why the love affair with AR's?

But here are some negatives;

1. It is NOT legal for hunting in my state. It is in mine. It's also great for coyotes and other varmints that frequent my area.

2. Being an AR it is finicky about lubing and ammo. (does jam too often) i've had AR's that were this way. fortunately, my M&P functions great with a cleaning every 1000 rounds (just like most rifles).

3. It uses way lots of ammo at a faster rate than my other long guns. (nature of the semi with large magazines). This isn't a negative to me Any hi-cap gun will go through ammo faster, but it's up to the shooter to control their rate of fire.

The thing is, AR's look cool but don't seem to be much practical. I am not one who believes we will ever need to hit the woods with survival gear in hand. It could happen but I doubt it. ARs are practical for my purposes (plinking, hunting, 3 gun, teaching new shooters, etc)

I honestly believe that there are much better home defense weapons. There are, and there aren't. Any gun is a good home defense weapon, depending on the shooter.


I think ARs have their place. I was an AK-only guy for quite a while, but after shooting some newer ARs and using one in 3 gun, I am hooked! I'll admit, ammo is expensive, but if you reload it isn't that bad. Also, name one other gun that is as light weight, accurate, and fun to shoot as an AR... i can't think of any. As for cleaning/lube, I swear by cleaning all of my guns at 1000 rounds. I've yet to have any FTE, FTF in any gun I own (3 saigas, 1 AR, 1 XD, 1 sks, etc). A little routine maintenance goes a long way.

 

[Robusto]

I want one

I’m a fairly new rifle shooter, so take this for what it’s worth, but here is why I want one. The only other rifle that I have shot were a Marlin lever action .22 and my Winchester 30-30 and after only a few rounds I was getting almost 100% hits at 100 yards and over 90% hits at 200. And that was with open sights. The AR is so easy and comfortable to use that it almost feels natural. Also, I can reach all of the controls without moving my hand from the grip.

Another thing is that you can change out the uppers. When I was shooting my friends there was another guy there that was shooting his (.223) then he pulled out a different upper and magazine and was firing a different caliber (6.8) from the same “gun”. I think that is pretty cool, especially being a student with a tight budget.

 

[jmr40]

AR's aren't for everyone but they have a lot of good qualities.

1. You can set one up to do a lot of different things. They come in different barrel lengths and weights as well as different twists to set up for self defense or long range accuracy.

2. Set up right they are amazingly accurate. One of mine has a flat top with scope and a heavy barrel that will shoot dime sized groups at 200 yards. Better than many bolt rifles costing much more.

3. While legal to hunt with in most places I would probably never use mine to hunt anything larger than a coyote. With the right loads, however I have no doubt they will take most whitetails.

4. Ammo is much cheaper than most centerfires

5. Admittedly, I've never used mine in a hostlie environment, but I've never had a malfunction of any kind from my AR's

6. As a self defense gun I cannot imagine anything better than my 16" lightweight AR with telescoping stock. Mine weighs slightly over 6 lbs, is much more accurate than any handgun and with much less recoil than any shotgun. With expanding ammo over penetration is less of a concern than buckshot or most handgun rounds.

 

[BAT1]

They are different, easy to break down, accurate and fire multiple times without reloading. The auto loading takes away the recoil . My Bushy gets great groups, has never jammed, and makes a great plinker and inner perimeter defense tool. I would use the handgun to get to the shotgun, and then pick up the AR, which is beside the .308 for past the fence line.

 

[waterhouse]

I think they are just plain fun to shoot, and the lack of recoil makes them a nice step up for beginners when they want to move up past a .22LR. Plus all of the stuff taliv mentioned.

As for ammo usage, you say that it is the nature of all semis with large capacity magazines. I would say it is the potential of semis with large capacity magazines. You can load 1 round at a time, or 30, and pull the trigger at a rate you determine, be it quickly or slowly.

Just out of curiosity, how is the statute worded for it being illegal as a hunting rifle?

Do they name the AR specifically, or do they name all semis, or semis capable of holding a certain number of rounds, or what?

 

[Hokkmike]

Just out of curiosity, how is the statute worded for it being illegal as a hunting rifle?

In Pennsylvania you may not hunt with a semi automatic firearm of any kind except, I believe, small game with a semi auto shotgun.

 

[ArmedBear]

it's the most ergonomic rifle ever built.

ROTFLMAO

I mean, I like it well enough, but...

 

[Neo-Luddite]

The nice clean lines of a traditionally stocked and configured AR-15 or 15a1
has a certain quality--especially when compared side-by-side with a stubby M-4 that bristles with things (yes, quite handy things) that are railed in place. The older model is longer, smoother, more solid in feel--yet more lithe; it's sexy and timeless--it's Raquel Welch.

 

[cracked butt]

Quote:
it's the most ergonomic rifle ever built.

ROTFLMAO

I mean, I like it well enough, but...

There can be a few improvements certainly-
ambidextrous safety
The bolt release is on the wrong side sometimes (like when you are single feeding the rifle on your belly with your left arm firmly stuck in a sling)
The charging handle is awkward at times too.

 

[woof]

My problem with them is that I see them as replicas. I don't like replicas. But I guess I'm just a walnut and blue Fudd (and proud of it).

 

[ArmedBear]

I was thinking about a few other things, like the angle of your neck with a good cheek weld, the angle of your trigger hand's wrist and elbow, and how it points at moving targets.

Sure, it's functional, and there are aftermarket fixes for a lot. Furthermore, it is pretty well designed for a multi-role weapon.

And I really like the gas system: it's elegantly simple. It's hard to think of any other centerfire semiauto that's as easy to clean and maintain as a boltie.

Ergonomics with a rifle are about more than a few controls, though.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

They scare the pants off of anti-gun politicians and make them think (even more) irrationally because they look EEEEVIL

 

[benEzra]

My problem with them is that I see them as replicas. I don't like replicas. But I guess I'm just a walnut and blue Fudd (and proud of it).

Your walnut-and-blue bolt guns are "replicas" in exactly the same sense, i.e. civilian derivatives of military fighting rifles like the Mauser. And I'm sure that early civilian adopters of military-style bolt-actions in the early 20th century probably faced raised eyebrows from traditionalists on aesthetic and functional grounds.

FWIW, interesting trivia about the Mauser-derived bolt guns--they are still in military service today.



That's an accurized Remington M700, for those who don't recognize it.

IMO, the AR-15 is the most popular centerfire target rifle and defensive carbine in America because of its merits as a rifle, not because it resembles an M16. (In fact, one could argue that the civilian AR-15 market is now driving military M16/M4 development and accessories, not the other way around.)

 

[krs]

What's not to like??

 

[Rugerlvr]

KRS, we have the same carpet. Here's my 1/2 a rifle. I'm waiting until the budget allows before I buy an upper assembly.

 

[TexasRifleman]

One at a time I guess....



1. It is NOT legal for hunting in my state.

Why? Is it the mag capacity? There are plenty of people selling 3 and 5 round mags for the many states that have capacity rules and there are many uppers besides .223. But to your argument you make that a failing of the AR. Seems to me to be a failing of your state government instead.


2. Being an AR it is finicky about lubing and ammo. (does jam too often)

None of the 8 or 10 I've owned over the years ever did that at all. In fact the only ARs I've ever seen that had these issues were "homemade" sort made of various parts. This one sounds more like Internet rumor being repeated as fact.

3. It uses way lots of ammo at a faster rate than my other long guns. (nature of the semi with large magazines)

And this one is the silliest of all. It's the guy with his booger hook on the bang button that uses the ammo. If you're not smart enough to control how much you fire that's hardly a failing of the rifle is it?

You could have had a decent argument about some failings of the AR but the 3 you chose don't really seem to even exist.

Interesting.....

 

[ArmedBear]

the AR-15 is the most popular centerfire target rifle and defensive carbine in America because of its merits as a rifle

I think the .223 round has something to do with that, too.

 

[electronrider]

It sounds like you are only looking at it from the .223 perspective. There are over 20 calibers you can set up on your AR platform, numerous of which can be used on deer, if your state allows rifles to be used in the taking of such game.

While not as grime resistant as an AK, I certainly like my AR's much more than my com-block weapons. There is a beauty to them that is truly unique.

DPMS has a team that is absolutely kicking all forms of buttocks in competions right now, using their semi auto, and really making a lot of high accuracy bolt gun people cranky, because of the accuracy in these guns now.

If you have a little control, you can shoot just as slow as the guy with the remmy 700, that is just a matter of practice. Sneak over to camp Perry this summer for the nationals, you will see what the modern AR platform can really do in the right hands.

 

[jerkface11]

You can make it legal to hunt in PA by simply buying one of these. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=124&t=357193 It's a muzzle loading upper!!