Am I the only one that thinks these are ugly?

[Tirod]

"When things go bad, ugly guns come out to protect pretty gun people."

Professional grade tools aren't blinged out. Nobody goes diving with a diamond studded Audemars Piguet, or uses an engraved gold inlayed hammer framing up a Habitat for Humanity home.

Jewelry is for pretty, tools are to be used. Where's your focus?

 

[CraigC]

Actually I have to agree that the original configuration with the triangular forend IS ugly.

"When things go bad, ugly guns come out to protect pretty gun people."

I find this not only to be condescending and elitist but also completely untrue.

 

[Mike1234567]

Folks, there's such a thing as ugly and kewl at the same time. My old pug dog is such an animal. Remember that the AR was designed as a utilitarian device just as was the AK. Do I think AR's and AK's are ugly? Yes, to a large degree. Are they kewl as heck? Definitely!! I really like the modular design approach to most anything, BTW.

Here's a Car That's Ugly & Kewl

ETA: I didn't vote because there's no choice for "They're Ugly Gifts From the Gods".

 

[Cesiumsponge]

If they had reliable engineering polymers 100 years ago, Mausers and Garands and the lot would have plastic stocks. Food for thought.

 

[CoRoMo]

What is it that makes people love the ugly black rifle?

Form follows function. Performance is greater than aesthetics.

Exactly.

 

[Salmoneye]

All I know about AMC was that they made bad cars,

Might want to look up 'CJ'...

lol

 

[Geno]

I think they are very attractive rifles/carbines/pistols, but they are uncomfortable for me to fire.

Geno

 

[Rshooter]

I've seen many ugly rifles out there. But for the life of me, I can't see any beauty in the AR platform.

Enlighten me, please.

What can I say, I was introduced to this rifle at 18. I stayed away for twenty five years but then came back around to the usefulness of a very ugly rifle.

 

[GBExpat]

Oh, they look all right ...

In my case I suppose that it is a bit of nostalgia.

 

[56hawk]

Since everyone is doing car analogies, here is how I see it:

US service rifles before the AR-15/M16:


The AR-15/M16:

 

[Driftertank]

The lines of the AR may be lacking in grace. To someone raised on carved wood and finely polished blue, the square-cut forms, with handles, knobs, and other projections in odd places, and flat black finish are tough on the eyes. But the AR is a tool, made to do one job well. It handles well and balances well.

If a traditional rifle is like a logger's axe, carefully crafted into a functional thing of beauty, the AR is a chainsaw. It handles well and does it's job efficiently, but you're not going to see one hanging decoratively on the wall. It is ugly for a reason.

And this coming from a guy who really doesn't like AR's. I'm beginning to grudgingly respect them, but D.I. action and the charging handle location still leave a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak. The rest of the rifle is well designed and implemented, IMO.

 

[Longrifle2506]

That's not even a modern AR at the top. That looks like the A-1. Post a picture of a Rock River Arms Coyote Carbine, then some may not be so quick to say it's ugly. If not, no big deal. I had a Colt Model 6731 Flat Top Competiton HBAR 16" carbine. I placed in the money many times with it at the Knob Creek Assault Rifle Match; in fact; I earned enough prize money to pay for it plus the scope and rings. I sold that rifle, and at the time I did not want to; and I told myself I would replace it one day. These days there are models available without the front sight post, I don't like that front sight post. Last Summer I finally was able to order whatever AR I wanted(inside $1500). I bought the Rock River Arms Coyote Carbine, not the one with the ACE Skeleton stock(although that's a good looking stock). I bought mine when RRA just started selling them with the new stock that holds 4 AA batteries or 6 CR123 Lithiums. In my opinion, any flat-top with optics mounted will look better than an AR with a carrying handle. I like an AR, and it might pay off big if a bunch of zombies come(LoL). But my most favorite rifle of all is the bolt-action hunting rifle. I like beautiful wood and deep rich bluing and I also love the Sako Finnlight with it's synthetic stock and rubber panels. A good synthetic stock has axe-handle toughness. Anyway, I think the more modern AR rifles that are flat-tops without front sight posts are better looking than the early model at the top of the page. There are so many different AR's out there, and although they have the same-looking receivers, they can look very different from one another with all the different accessories.

 

[memphisjim]

Don't forget the grand wagoneer. Or amx

 

[WVRJ]

They do their job good enough that ugly ain't even a concern.Personally,I think they look badass.No,they aren't stocked in French walnut,cold rust blued and checkered in a 32 LPI Fluer di Lis pattern,but they aren't ugly in my eyes.They look like they mean business.

 

[nastynatesfish]

for a long time i didnt like ar rifles either. i didnt like the look or feel of the grip. i shot one and messed with a few and now i have 3; a 223/556, 204 and a 6.8. am i gonna get rid of my remmy 700 for it? no. would i buy a ar in 7mm wsm? i sure would. you cannt use the whole cant hit a barn with them, the rifles now arent the colts from the 60s, if its not for you or your never shot, handled one i dont think you should judge it. itll do everything a bolt action will only witha 5,10,20,30,40 or 100 round drum.

 

[kfgk14]

They're ugly, all right...

But ugly kills bad people very efficiently, more efficiently than pretty. Ugly scares the crap out of looters and rioters, so ugly is my go-to gun if and when the defecation hits the oscillation, be that at home, work or on the road, ugly is under the bed, in the truck, sitting in a corner of my office, and in the safe.

So, ugly isn't all bad.

Also, ugly does all this lighter, faster, and more reliably than any of my "pretty" guns.

 

[tdstout]

Ugly as sin, but they sure can shoot.

 

[gunsandreligion]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[NG VI]

"Is it one of those "I never grew up" rifles people get?"

That line right there stopped me from voting in this poll. What's the point? Your mind is made up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris-bob
Is it one of those "I never grew up" rifles people get?

I don't know exactly what you mean by that comment, but I'm sure that there are many people who grew up really fast while shouldering an AR-15/M-16 type rifle.

You seem to have a pretty patronizing view of the platform as a whole, while simultaneously posting that you can ring the 500 yard gong all day with it. You seem like someone who is unable to give the respect it's due even after using it yourself.

Believe it or not, there are lots of reasons to own a rifle, and all of them are good ones. If someone wants to compete in 3-gun matches or highpower shoots, which are both dominated to my knowledge by the AR platform, is that less 'grown up' than hunting? Is there something wrong with someone who acutally enjoys shooting, and buys more than a single box of ammunition every year for hunting season?

 

[JustinJ]

Am i the only one who considers how pretty a rifle is, or any gun for that matter, at the bottom of my list of important features? Looking mean is cool though.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Beauty and function are sometimes one and the same, yet, sometimes beauty and function are NOT the same, it makes the object no less good at what it does just because it does not have beauty!

My brass casings do their job, they are not shiny, gold-plated cases, they are simply cleaned brass cases which function to allow for a controlled explosion inches from my face, propelling a spin-stabilized projectile at extremely high RPM's coupled with extremely high velocity. The AR allows me to safely shoot that cartridge (inches from my face) and offers an extremely-rapid follow-up shot if it is needed, or another one, and yet another one, yet, even more (times thirty, times however many full-magazines I may have on my person).

My AR is not pretty, there is no walnut wood with figured-grain on it and polished with 23 coats of polish. However, its beauty is in how simple it is and how functionally simple it is to shoot, and how reliable it is at shooting it many times!

If I wanted pretty, I would buy something made in England, like a $35,000 double barrelled shotgun. However, if I had that kind of money, having a pretty gun like that would not interest me in the least. If an AR is UGLY, I will take UGLY every time.

 

[CharlesT]

AR-15 to me. ^Kinda mean looking

 

[sig220mw]

I mostly agree with Madcratebuilder. I like them in short versions better. They are classified as service rifles and not battle rifles in that they "usually" are not chambered in a major caliber. Yes I know they are now chambered in 308 also but I took this thread to be about the m16/ar15 in 223 since that is it's usual chambering. I see them as short to medium range weapons only but not because of the platform. As far as looks goes, that is in the eyes of the beholder. I used to think the sks and k31 were both ugly and I now have them and think they look pretty good.

 

[sixgunner455]

High performance machine. Ergonomics are high priority. Appearance is a minor issue.

As a kid, I shot muzzleloaders. I hunted with them. Walnut and blue or brown steel.

As an adult, I got an M16 handed to me. I learned to like it quite well, and when I got out, I bought an AR15. It sits by my bed at night, just like my M16 used to, back when I was thinner and could run really fast.

 

[BigN]

that particular one is ugly but I have seen some that were fixed up all purty