I own an AR... I dont really like it.

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axeman_g

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All,
I built a AR a few weeks ago, Bush A4 Flattop, 16 Stainless HB, basic setup. I have shot it a few times so far and I dont really like it. I cant tell why. I used to have a FAL rifle and it just made me grin. I shoot a 10/22 alot and have a good time with it, out to 100 yards very accurately. But this BR just doesnt do it for me.
I built the rifle because I thought I should have one, it made sense in a SHTF scenario, it was a good deal on parts, it was a great lesson in building one. I am not that accurate with it yet, minute of pie plate at 100 I like to say.


I was considering trading it for a Rem 700 SPS or Savage FP10, either in .308

Or..... Should I scope it, free float the barrel and turn it into a Urban Tactical Sniper unit.... something for hitting out to 600 yards, I can shoot out to that distance.
 
AR's are modular and highly customizable, particularly the flattops. My recommendation is to look at various options and setups and find something you like, something that you think will be comfortable for you, and then go for it. If you can't find any setups you like for the AR, by all means switch it for something else.
 
axeman_g said:
I own an AR... I dont really like it.
Click to expand...

axeman_g said:
I used to have a FAL rifle and it just made me grin.
Click to expand...

ARs are going for a premium right now, so just sell your AR and buy yourself a FAL. No sense in keeping it if you dont like it.
 
I'm sorry your AR experience was so disappointing.

It sounds like you were hoping your AR would be a more accurate long range rifle.

Not that they can't be (and you can certainly get more accuracy out of your AR with various modifications), but IMHO, the AR is a very close range to 300 or 400 yard rifle (I think they are supposed to be effective to something like 600 yards).

You can get an AR to poke paper at 1000 yards. How effective it would be against a person/animal at that range many people will debate. But a setup like that, from what I've seen, usually requires a very expensive and often modified AR with match grade or hand load ammo.

A pie plate size at 100 yards with an AR your first time out isn't bad at all. Practice close range (25-50 yards). Get the sighting down, get your practice down, then move out to farther yardage.

My first 5 shots at 50 yards with my RRA Entry Tactical were all high left but were all in a silver dollar sized grouping. So I started playing with the sights to get my grouping in the center of the target. My first target looked like I had no idea how to shoot; I had lines going from the top left to the mid-bottom right. My second target (after I got the sighting in all taken care of) was much better and I was very happy with my placement being the first time out with the rifle.


I'd say you should keep your AR, practice and tinker with it. There are certainly many many options to customize it to your liking and get more out of it.
And get the Savage 10FP LE1 in 308 with the 20" heavy barrel. Then you'll have a good long range rifle with excellent stopping power at greater distances than the AR. If the SHTF, you take your 10FP for the long distance sniping and the AR for the closer urban stuff, and a 45 pistol (or your caliber of choice) for the really close stuff.
 
AR's are amazingly modular. that said, i don't paralytically like mine either, other than they are fun to shoot, and i carried one in the army. If you don't like your AR sell it and get something you do. plus you can most likely make $$$ on it right now.
 
I have 3 ARs, and I have to agree with the OP that I don't quite
get the charge out of shooting them that I do from my FAL.
Having said that, I would be hard pressed to part with any of
them. They're just too versatile not to have in the stable.
 
Thanks all....

I think I will try scoping it and see if that helps me like it more. I like shooting long range am thinking I might like to get something heavier for that task. I am a shotgun guy mostly, so anything in close I am a going to a 12g.

I am going to work on it, versatitlity... I will look at it with that word on my mind.
 
with a 16 inch bbl, I would red dot it, green laser it, and put on co witnessed buis, and turn it into a zombie confrontation fragmentation device...
 
Is it the gun's feel etc or accuracy?

I only shoot because there is a small river near the city and can blast any container down there. Holes in paper don't motivate me to shoot. If this just might be the case with you, can you find somebody way outside a town in NJ or PA with a bit of open land, who will let you shoot into a small stream with a deep steep bank behind it? Some gun clubs allow small plastic jugs and other junk to remain on the handgun range and this is fun with rifles (who needs a "tight group gun" if it is fun?).

Maybe an SKS for very short distance shooting in a safe setting can cure you...but like most shooters you probably only want to display good paper target results to other guys. If I 'kicked the bucket' next week, no regrets about really enjoying my carbines.
 
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The AR is usually a pretty accurate rifle. The sights on it are battle type sights. They are pretty darn good sights but they are not the same as target type peep sights.

Now I can tell you from experience that your average AR wont shoot anywhere near a Savage 10FP. I traded someone on here, sorry I cant remember your name right now, my old Savage 10FP with Leupold MKIV 3x9 for his AR.

My Savage would print sub inch groups all day long and broke under the half inch mark @ 100 yards when I was having a good day. I shoot my AR with standard A2 irons into probably 3-4 inch groups. But I know thats just me and the rifle is a bit more accurate than that. Now that I moved 40 miles from my range, I dont get out shooting very often.
 
Keep it, and practice! If your target shooting, a better trigger will help, you didn't say if you had a two stage. The grungy single stage, suck. The ammo you shoot matters, too. I can hold moa with my AR at 100yrds, with a bipod and a scope, no bags. But it wont hold a candle to my 10FP:D
 
well no crap, you used to have a FAL. a semi-auto 223 has NOTHING on that rifle, so yeah i can see why it would be a bit of a letdown. take it for what it is, a smaller round with light recoil that can work around 600-800 yards in a consistent manner

and who doesnt have fun with a 10/22? you can shoot all day and it doesnt cost crap. if 22LR was 50-75 cents per round like most other ammo then the 10/22 wouldnt be popular at all.
 
I just sold my last two ARs, because I came to the conclusion that they really weren't doing much for me. With the money I got from two ARs I was able to finance the purchase of five rifles and shotguns that are a much better fit for me. I couldn't be happier!
 
I got out of ARs recently, and don't miss them one bit.
I have found shotgunning and single-shot rifle shooting to be much more enjoyable. Don't worry about it.
 
I got out of ARs recently, and don't miss them one bit.
I have found shotgunning and single-shot rifle shooting to be much more enjoyable. Don't worry about it.
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Same here.

AR's are over-rated. If I ever buy another weapon like that it is going to be an AK.
 
I would say to try out one of two options before getting rid of your AR. Try the long-range setup--it shouldn't be hard to tweak the rifle to your liking. Second option? Maybe get a dedicated .22 upper, or a conversion unit, to putz around with for cheap while you tinker with your AR to get it where you want it.

And, if all else fails--hey, it's VERY doable for a rifle to not have a soul to an individual--sell it to someone on THR, I'm sure they'll be happy to take it off your hands for a reasonable price. Maybe you'll even get a good trade in on an FAL, who knows.
 
Get rid of that AR and buy something you like! There are just too many great guns available to have wads of cash tied up in something you dislike, for whatever reason. I have, on many occasions, become enamored with the idea of a particular gun, only to learn that in practice I really didn't like that gun much at all. It could be poor ergonomics, disappointing accuracy, recoil, mechanical issues, or a number of other things, some of which can't even be articulated very well because it boils down to something just not feeling right with the gun. These let-downs can the especially frustrating when the gun in question is very popular, such as your AR. When that happens, it almost feels like something is wrong with me, since almost everyone else seems to love whatever gun it is that I'm not liking. This has happened to me with Glocks, DA revolvers, lever-action rifles, and a few other popular platforms. But, I've learned to get over it and embrace my own preferences, however quirky they may be. After all, it's all about what the shooter/purchaser likes, not what everyone else thinks is the best firearm to have.
 
To each his own, if buy all mean you do not like the AR there is nothing wrong with selling it.

No need to have guns in the safe that you do not like or shoot.

If that money can be utlized in a better place buy all means go for it.

Many people love the platform, but the choice is yours.
 
Different weapons for different situations

Depends on your objective. I think Boba Fetts' got it right. I have a Remmington SPS Varmiter in .308 with a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40mm Long Range scope for reaching out there, a StagArms M4 with an EOTech holographic sight for mid-range use and a Kimber Pro Carry in .45 for the up close and personal touch. Couldn't be happier with the choices.
 
The AR doesn't do much for me either. If I sold my personal guns, I'd probably sell mine. If I grab for something like that out of the safe, it is going to be an AK. For me, the AR's accumulate more safe time than guns in the never fired category because I at least wipe them down.
 
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