Heretic time. I don't own an AR am I the only one?

[Peter M. Eick]

Handloader just sent out the new issue and it is all about AR's. I flipped through it and then tossed it in the bin as I don't own and AR. Don't really have the desire to buy one and I don't load for any of the calibers listed including 223.

Am I the only one out there that does not own an AR?

I just don't like chasing my brass around. It is bad enough with my M1A's but the little 223 brass is small and goes a ways. Its not like I don't have autoloaders. I have have several M1A's and M1 Carbines but no AR's.

I understand they can be accurate, I understand you can change anything about them and I know folks seem to love them at the range. I have shot them and yes they are fine shooters but given the choice I would buy a good 30/30 Winchester over an AR or maybe another Ruger #1.

So to all of the other heretics out there who don't own AR's, come ye, come ye, congregate and tell us your reasons for not partaking with the holy AR bandwagon.

 

[Eldraque]

Ive been in the same boat as you for a few years, AR this AR that... was at my first gun show last weekend and ended up bringing home a stripped lower that same day, now i have the fever. But i currently only load for .40 s&w, and i dont have an M1A either...sooo..i wanted a rifle

 

[Tophernj]

I'm not a fan.

I get it, trust me. Easy to shoot with the low recoil and the whole "Lego-ness" of them is pretty cool. Not to mention all the doo-dads and such that you can hang on them. They're just not for me. I look at it this way, I had to carry one for an 18 mile walk once and that was enough for me. I'll take a nice little lever action or bolt gun as I find them more enjoyable to shoot.

C

 

[husbandofaromanian]

I've actually tried to make myself like ARs... I just don't... All my shooting is done with a suppressed Contender pistol... Single Shot suits me just fine...

 

[StrawHat]

What is an AR?

 

[fireside44]

Am I the only one out there that does not own an AR?

I am a sluggard when it comes to cleaning guns, no AR here. Don't dislike them at all, there are some really nice guns out there, but they aren't for me. The problem is if I built one I'd want all the best parts, and have a fortune into it, and I can't afford that. Or rather, shouldn't afford that.

Just gimme a good AK.

 

[Dave P]

Well Peter, I did a lot of competitive pistol shooting, and never wanted a 1911, because I had a SIG! But then one day out of the blue, I decided it was time - got a really nice Kimber, but I still love the SIGs.

And then I got into rifles and NRA Highpower matches. Shot a mess of lead with M-14 types. Then one day, I heard everyone say the AR is easier to shoot, and will increase my scores. So, picked up a nice Rock River, which I used to earn a Master classification. Then I put it away, and went back to the M-14.

The -14's have a soul - an AR will never have a soul!

 

[Mp7]

^- +1

i just do not like the LEGO look.

( i just googled "AR-15 wood furniture" ... and now i`m thinking)

 

[Bull Nutria]

Me too i don't have ar and do not want one. Even RC has them! I would. WANT ONE in combat!!

 

[beatledog7]

I had my fill of Ammo Re-circulators while in uniform.

After SH I actually considered buying one or two, but I talked myself out of it by working some Navy rifle qualification courses and thereby remembering how easy it is to go through lots of ammo really fast without hitting the target.

Great concept, but not for me.

 

[USSR]

I've actually tried to make myself like ARs... I just don't...

+1. I even went as far as buying a Bushmaster lower and a match upper, ordering the dies, brass, and bullets for it. But when I took a look at the itty, bitty bullets, I said "Nah" and sold it all. I'll stick to my Garands, thank you.

Don

 

[Woolecox]

Handloader just sent out the new issue and it is all about AR's. I flipped through it and then tossed it in the bin as I don't own and AR. Don't really have the desire to buy one and I don't load for any of the calibers listed including 223.

Am I the only one out there that does not own an AR?

I just don't like chasing my brass around. It is bad enough with my M1A's but the little 223 brass is small and goes a ways. Its not like I don't have autoloaders. I have have several M1A's and M1 Carbines but no AR's.

I understand they can be accurate, I understand you can change anything about them and I know folks seem to love them at the range. I have shot them and yes they are fine shooters but given the choice I would buy a good 30/30 Winchester over an AR or maybe another Ruger #1.

So to all of the other heretics out there who don't own AR's, come ye, come ye, congregate and tell us your reasons for not partaking with the holy AR bandwagon.

I have owned a Colt AR of some kind for 3 decades now. I currently have the LE6940. It is a great home defense weapon. I have put a two stage Jewel trigger in mine and an Eotech weapons sight.

The Tipton gun vise makes cleaning a breeze. Get your self a good bore guide from Sinclair and good rods (Dewey or Boretech), a chamber brush and mop will come with the rifle.

Brass catchers are cheap and work well. Take all your brass back home and reload it. Its a very easy round to load for. I now have me eye on a 300 Blackout Upper from Brownell's. They have the original AAC.

Les Baer Custom, Wilson Combat and several others make precision AR's that guarantee .5 MOA. If you can't hit with it, then it is not the fault of the rifle. Like most things, you get what you pay for.

Man everyone needs an AR!

Cheers,
Wooly

 

[Sam1911]

The AR may be "the best" (or the best commonly available, so far) for several things (service rifle competition, defensive uses, mid-range varmints, 3-gun, etc.) but the nice things is that we have SO MANY choices you can always find a more traditional rifle that will do at least one of those tasks just as well, or well enough to please you, anyway.

 

[jim243]

Am I the only one out there that does not own an AR?

No, but pretty close. I've own one since 1969, but have a ton of non-AR's that I shoot and own. In over 40 years I never thought I would own a lever action until my best friend talked me into buying a Marlin 336C that I now cherish.

It's just cheaper to shoot an AR than any other rifle. It makes a great target rifle and has more range than the other 22 caliber (22 LR).

If you get out to shoot a lot then it only makes sense to own one. Or you could buy one of the Commie guns (I own one of those also, an SKS.)

Just be careful, once you try one it becomes habit forming.
Jim

 

[dagger dog]

IMO shooting an AR , is like driving a Yugo.

They are reliable, accurate, and probably the most accessorized rifle on the planet.

I'll take a well cared for vintage Winchester or Marlin lever gun over any AR variant.

My thought's on AK's aren't as kind!

 

[stubbicatt]

Nope. You aren't the only one. Neither do I own one, nor do I hope to own one, I just don't like them. AR15 is like licorice: not everybody likes licorice. But those who do like licorice, REALLY like licorice.

I like a nice walnut or hardwood stock and a more conventional grip rather than a separate pistol grip and a plastic fantastic... well you get the picture.

 

[henschman]

Call me a "recent convert"... I've only really been into them for the past year and a half. I had a crappy DPMS for a brief while several years back, but got rid of it pretty quickly.

For me, the main reason to own a gun has always been to protect liberty from those who threaten it. I require reliability and ease of maintenance for rifles that I keep for that purpose. For some time I've been of the mind that AKs and .30 cal battle rifles best meet those criteria. However, it has become less and less deniable to me that a high quality AR-15 does as well, and carries with it some advantages over other options that can't be ignored.

Ease of assembly, availability of parts, ease of mounting optics, accuracy, modularity, and light weight are nice features.

Yes, 5.56 is a small cartridge. This has its plusses and minuses. It is highly effective at shorter distances due to fragmentation, and marginal after that. The main advantage in my mind is that the ammo and magazines are very light weight compared to those of a high powered rifle. A full 30 round AR mag weighs about half what a 20 round 7.62x51 mag weighs... more ammo for less weight. Aother way to look at it is that it is just about the smallest and lightest cartridge that is still capable of putting down bad guys at the distances you are likely to need it at. Even an iron sighted AR carbine is capable of keeping rounds on a man-sized target out to 500 yards or more if the shooter knows what he's doing. It may not have tons of energy at that distance, but if somebody catches one, odds are he isn't going to keep fighting. There is no denying that the 5.56 just plain sucks at penetrating hard barriers. Once again, pluses and minuses. There are some situations in which you don't want every one of your shots to be punching through the surrounding structures.

I believe the high powered battle rifle still has its place... but I like the advantages of the Stoner pattern so much that I replaced my previous main .30 cal battle rifle with a .308 AR I built. I dont even own any more AKs. Yep, I guess you could say I'm a full-fledged convert.

 

[spottedpony]

Dont have one, Dont want one. Same for an M1A. I spent most of 2 tours in an asian country in the early 70's carrying something similar and among other things, i dont care to be reminded of that.
AK's belonged to the "enemy".
Aside from all that I just dont see the need for anyone to own such a firearm. They have no practical purpose regarding private party ownership.

 

[tomrkba]

My AR-15 is for fighting with infrequent forays into 3 Gun. It does things the AK style rifles will not. An M1A and bolt gun combo covered 100% of my needs. I used to be all about 7.62x51mm/308 Winchester, but could not afford to shoot them with the frequency necessary for proficiency after the surplus ammo dried up. I would switch to an M1A Scout in a heartbeat if I could afford to run it. Part of the problem with the M1A platform is mounting a variable optic on it. This is expensive to do. I would go for the optics ready SCAR 17, but it takes proprietary mags and is overpriced. 300 Blackout on the standard AR platform would be a reasonable compromise if the ammo were not priced as high as 7.62x51mm.

 

[HexHead]

Don't own any ARs. Never have. Not likely I will, but never say never.

Had a Sig 556, AK-47 and AK-74. See a pattern here? Still have the 74. The Commie surplus 5.45x39 is a much nastier round than 5.56.

 

[baz]

I own 9 rifles (a modest number, I'm sure, compared to many on THR), and none of them is an AR. I do have something that fills that niche, though: a Tromix Saiga in .223. I am sure the AR is a fine platform, deserving of its popularity. But it is not a "must have" as far as I'm concerned.

 

[baz]

Aside from all that I just dont see the need for anyone to own such a firearm. They have no practical purpose regarding private party ownership.

You'll not find many sympathetic with you here on THR. Plenty will beg to disagree. I will argue that having a "practical purpose regarding private property ownership" is irrelevant. No needs to justify to you their reasons for owning any weapon. "Just because" is reason enough.

 

[henschman]

Aside from all that I just dont see the need for anyone to own such a firearm. They have no practical purpose regarding private party ownership.

I take it you don't consider what the guys who wrote the Second Amendment had in mind as a practical purpose?

 

[Woolecox]

My Colt M4 (semi auto) resides in the front of my safe with several 20/30 round mags. The weapon has a FAB Defense weapons light mounted on the bayonet lug and a "both eyes open" Eotech sight.

When the dogs bark and things go bump in the night, I grab the M4 and go investigate. I don't grab my 7mm Rem Mag with high powered scope, etc. If they get past me, they will meet my wife wielding a Benelli M2 12 gauge.

On the other side of that coin, when I head to the Rockies for an Elk hunt.... well I bet you get the picture. Most people do understand to use the right tool for the job.

And oh did I mention, if you compete in 3 gun or other disciplines, you will have an AR.

 

[Sam1911]

Aside from all that I just dont see the need for anyone to own such a firearm. They have no practical purpose regarding private party ownership.

You'll not find many sympathetic with you here on THR. Plenty will beg to disagree. I will argue that having a "practical purpose regarding private property ownership" is irrelevant. No needs to justify to you their reasons for owning any weapon. "Just because" is reason enough.

Indeed! A careful reading of the Bill of Rights and related writings of the period would indicate that perhaps the AR-15 and guns like it are the ones MOST protected by the 2nd Amendment.

Target guns, hunting guns, collector's guns, and such are great, but they'd more appropriately be covered by the concept of the "pursuit of happiness." Wonderful to have, but not vitally important to the security of a free state (and the freedom of its peoples) and as such the founders had no compelling reason to enumerate a right to hunt, collect guns, or shoot targets.

Arms suitable for military use and the carrying out of righteous violence are those EXPRESSLY protected by our Constitution.

So, yeah, they have a "practical purpose."