The AR Platform Has Won

Well, McDonalds sells far more hamburgers than anyone else too. Must mean that the Big Mac is the greatest ever..........

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Jerry Miculek shoots an AR.
So does Matt Burkett.
And Daniel Horner.
And Julia Watson.
And the top competitors in every sport where the AR is allowed.

For your Big Mac comparison to be valid, you'd have to source evidence that Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, Alton Brown, and Bobby Flay considered the Big Mac to be the pinnacle of burgerdom.

ar15's sell because they are the most versatile intermediate cartridge semiauto rifle design to date that is available to the common buyer.

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I'd say the most versatile civilian-legal rifle available. Remember, you can get manual-action AR-15's too, and you can get it in any caliber (almost any caliber).

You'd have to shot me that my "chef hero", Marco Pierre White approved of Big Macs, and then, I'd still prefer Fatburger....Seriously, AR's are fine, I learned on an A2 in the Corps, just not my cup of tea. I'd much rather have a lever action or a Mauser bolt.....I like watching the AR guys next to me jump when I send a hot 45/70 down range!

I like AR's in 7.62x39, as do some servicemen who've fought in the recent/current Middle East conflicts.

I'd say the most versatile civilian-legal rifle available. Remember, you can get manual-action AR-15's too, and you can get it in any caliber (almost any caliber).

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good point. many precision bolt guns based on the general design.

Which gun that won isn't the real point. WE won. WE get exactly what we've wanted in a AR. It can be carry handle, flattop, fixed stock, adjustable, tactical, target, short, medium, and long range, small game, medium game, even dangerous game.

WE get to choose budget, milspec, custom, or high end. WE choose caliber, over 4 dozen. WE even choose what color, or a camo, or what look, CQB, issue, hunter, sniper, precision.

The AR hasn't won, we win getting to have what WE want. Not what some fat cat approves marketing to sell to the Bubbas.

Tirod said:

Which gun that won isn't the real point. WE won. WE get exactly what we've wanted in a AR. It can be carry handle, flattop, fixed stock, adjustable, tactical, target, short, medium, and long range, small game, medium game, even dangerous game.

WE get to choose budget, milspec, custom, or high end. WE choose caliber, over 4 dozen. WE even choose what color, or a camo, or what look, CQB, issue, hunter, sniper, precision.

The AR hasn't won, we win getting to have what WE want. Not what some fat cat approves marketing to sell to the Bubbas.

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Well said, well said.

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Now if only your state department would let you export them in a reasonable fashion so we could buy them in Europe for less than 2500USD...

Now if only your state department would let you export them in a reasonable fashion so we could buy them in Europe for less than 2500USD...

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Just kinda how it works, unfortunately. You know what Audis and Land Rovers cost here? A lot more than they're worth, to say the least.

That, and it seems like there's a premium on everything in Western Europe.

Jonny V said:

Well, McDonalds sells far more hamburgers than anyone else too. Must mean that the Big Mac is the greatest ever..........

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An apt comparison, I think, though perhaps not as you intended.
Look instead at the AR as a HAMBURGER, not as just the Big Mac.
One of the most popular foods in the world (or at least America).
Hamburgers can be had (or easily made) with ingredients (components) of any quality level that you're willing to spend the money for. From $.99 McDonald's cheeseburger up to god knows what for free-range grass-fed beef with gourmet cheese, vegetables and bun. Even
And anybody with a pile of ground beef, some cheese, bread and something to cook it on can make one.
If the AR is a cheeseburger, than perhaps the AK is canned spam: even easier to prepare and gets the job done, but lacking a certain... refinement. Or something.
We could compare other military rifles to other foods, (M14 = ?) but really I think I'm already pushing it a bit with this analogy.

You get the point.

OtG said:

We could compare other military rifles to other foods, (M14 = ?) but really I think I'm already pushing it a bit with this analogy.

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Why military rifles? This thread wasn't about military rifles. It was an AR-15 in shooting sports and recreation in America.

How come Model70 shooters, and the like, don't get offended when these type of studies are discussed? This study basically says the AR15 type rifle is more popular than their Model70. However, I guess they have the trigger time, experience, or downright maturity to , "Huh, would'ja look at that." and still feel adequate enough in their rifle to live a happy life.

I'm still trying to figure out what the AR's won? Won what?

Justin said:

For your Big Mac comparison to be valid, you'd have to source evidence that Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, Alton Brown, and Bobby Flay considered the Big Mac to be the pinnacle of burgerdom.

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Not exactly a panel of experts for a good burger IMHO.

Why military rifles? This thread wasn't about military rifles. It was an AR-15 in shooting sports and recreation in America.

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Whoops, good point. Anyhow, the point stands if you just take out the "military". If anything, it emphasizes the versatility of the AR even more, because you can use one for a wider variety of shooting than a relatively specialized rifle like the Model 70.

There are lots of AR's out there because they're relatively inexpensive, they have the right "look" for the younger shooters (predominately), and it doesn't take much to be an OK shot with one. There's even a few young hot chicks at my local range with AR's.

Mastering a bolt rifle, or a single shot, or blackpowder, or a lever gun (looked at a gorgeous original 1886 Winnie take-down in 45/70 yesterday) requires a lot more money, time and patience.

And by the way, anyone who smokes as much pot as Anthony Bourdrain sure as is going to make one killer burger!

Lastly, I think that lots of young people are buying them because of SHTF reasons. Everyone is buying prepper stuff these days. Have you seen the stacks of emergency gear they have at Costco? Even my wife (no real prepper herself) had a years worth of freeze dried delivered from Costco. The nation is going to go bankrupt in the very near future, lots of people are worried about that. No one believes that elections are going to solve the problem any more. That's a good reason to have 2 or 3 AR's right there....

Woodyard said:

Nothing against ARs but I don't have much use for the .223 cartridge. Too big for small game and two small for big game. I guess it's OK for predators but I prefer a bolt .22-250.

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Many of us shoot for recreation, not just to hunt. I have a 223 Kimber bolt rifle that gets at least 100 rounds through it on every range trip. In my mind, it is tied for first for favorite plinking round with the 22 lr.

Just kinda how scumbags in D.C. have made it, we want some of your guns too, trust me I'd love to own a TAR-21, unfortunately. You know what Audis and Land Rovers cost here? A lot more than they're worth, to say the least.

That, and it seems like there's a premium on everything in Western Europe.

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This is about accurate, once I added a small edit.

Mastering a bolt rifle, or a single shot, or blackpowder, or a lever gun (looked at a gorgeous original 1886 Winnie take-down in 45/70 yesterday) requires a lot more money, time and patience.

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I guess it's more expensive in ammo, but optics are comparable in price and to get an AR-15 that will be 1 MOA accurate you're looking at $1500 at least, well over double the price of a comparably accurate Remington 700 (in my experience anyway).

I'd contend that learning to bench shoot an AR-15 is easy enough, but truly mastering the platform (being a squared-away shot, including malfunction drills and maintenance, as well as reloads, different shooting positions, etc.) are equally difficult regardless of platform.

Also, I think the easy of use and ergonomics (=accuracy) are positives for the AR-15 platform, not marks against it. If you want a challenge, learn to shoot MOA with a muzzle loader. If you want something effective for defense, combat, etc. that you can pick up and use in an instant, buy an AR-15.