kwelz
Member
Obviously there are always a lot of threads on ARs on this board.
They tend to break down into the following catagoties.
Sadly they often deteriorate into arguments about Why something sucks or doesn't suck. It is usually many of the same players, myself included, and usually never solves anything.
So I am starting this thread so we can have a solid non argumentative discussion about ARs. I invite everyone to participate and only ask that we keep the conversation to an adult and High Road level. With that being said lets begin.
There are a few different thoughts on ARs.
The first mindset is the Safe queen attitude. I am going to buy this gun because it is shiny and I want it to look purdy in a safe.
Second we have what I have often referred to as the Dirt shooters. People who buy something cheap and then use it to put a couple hundred rounds downrange over a weekend and then put it away till next summer.
Third we have the Tacticool crowd. They always want the newest and greatest gadget.
Fourth we have Semi Serious shooters. People who shoot and want to hit the target but aren't really concerned if the gun functions 100%. A malfunctions an annoyance but nothing more.
Fifth we have your precision shooters. They will fire slowly and methodically trying to make one raged hole at 100, 200, 400, whatever yards.
Sixth we have the people who want it for Home defense or personal defense of some sort.
Finally we have the serious minded shooter. People who train because they are LE or .Mil. Or just because they are civilians who want to further their knowledge in that direction.
It is important to start off by saying that all of these are valid reasons to own an AR. And the needs of each group vary.
A safe queen could be a Hesse and serve it's purpose. A tactical training Rifle won't be a long range platform and a Dirt shooter probably won't hold up in a Training environment.
We often see people make comments on the board about "Well my gun has been flawless". But what we don't see is the qualifier. What situation has is been flawless in. Has it fired 5000 rounds of slow fire over 10 years or has it fired 2000 rounds of sustained fire over the course of 2 days in a Class? These factors do make a difference. In addition this ignores the sample size. Small sample sizes prove nothing. I know people out there with flawless Hipoint pistols, but that doesn't mean I would carry one to protect my life.
For instance a DPMS rifle can run forever and a Colt can fail in the first magazine. I have seen both happen. But the question is what is the failure and success rate over the sample of 10,000 guns.
Lets look at the needs of each group I mentioned above.
It warrants stating again that one group is not necessarily better than the other. But the requirements and mindset of each group is different.
I personally fall into the Serious/training group. I take classes monthly. I accept nothing less than perfection from my gear, and don’t believe in “good enough”. This doesn’t mean I am a better shooter or better person that someone who goes out and destroys cans on a Saturday afternoon. It just means my needs are different.
And more importantly, when a question is asked of my I can only answer from my experience base.
As you can see I have really talked very little about ARs in this post even though it is a post about ARs. That is because the ARs vary so much. I purposely avoided really listing Brand A,D,X, and Y are perfect for this group, and brand D, R, and Z are good for that group. Because I don’t’ want this to turn into an argument about what brands work for who. I think the more important point is that
This obviously isn’t going to end the AR arguments. But I hope if gives people some things to think about and a better point of reference.
They tend to break down into the following catagoties.
- What should I buy?
- What should I build?
- Did I do good buying or building X?
- Is brand X superior to brand Z and why?
Sadly they often deteriorate into arguments about Why something sucks or doesn't suck. It is usually many of the same players, myself included, and usually never solves anything.
So I am starting this thread so we can have a solid non argumentative discussion about ARs. I invite everyone to participate and only ask that we keep the conversation to an adult and High Road level. With that being said lets begin.
There are a few different thoughts on ARs.
The first mindset is the Safe queen attitude. I am going to buy this gun because it is shiny and I want it to look purdy in a safe.
Second we have what I have often referred to as the Dirt shooters. People who buy something cheap and then use it to put a couple hundred rounds downrange over a weekend and then put it away till next summer.
Third we have the Tacticool crowd. They always want the newest and greatest gadget.
Fourth we have Semi Serious shooters. People who shoot and want to hit the target but aren't really concerned if the gun functions 100%. A malfunctions an annoyance but nothing more.
Fifth we have your precision shooters. They will fire slowly and methodically trying to make one raged hole at 100, 200, 400, whatever yards.
Sixth we have the people who want it for Home defense or personal defense of some sort.
Finally we have the serious minded shooter. People who train because they are LE or .Mil. Or just because they are civilians who want to further their knowledge in that direction.
It is important to start off by saying that all of these are valid reasons to own an AR. And the needs of each group vary.
A safe queen could be a Hesse and serve it's purpose. A tactical training Rifle won't be a long range platform and a Dirt shooter probably won't hold up in a Training environment.
We often see people make comments on the board about "Well my gun has been flawless". But what we don't see is the qualifier. What situation has is been flawless in. Has it fired 5000 rounds of slow fire over 10 years or has it fired 2000 rounds of sustained fire over the course of 2 days in a Class? These factors do make a difference. In addition this ignores the sample size. Small sample sizes prove nothing. I know people out there with flawless Hipoint pistols, but that doesn't mean I would carry one to protect my life.
For instance a DPMS rifle can run forever and a Colt can fail in the first magazine. I have seen both happen. But the question is what is the failure and success rate over the sample of 10,000 guns.
Lets look at the needs of each group I mentioned above.
- Safe Queens. It matters not. The gun could have a 1/20 barrel twist. No Firing pin and a crack down the bolt. It is to look at. These guns can be of any quality level or price point. Lets be honest, almost none of us fall into this category.
- Your Average Dirt shooter. They need a gun that usually goes bang when they pull the trigger. A broken Bolt, pin or other issue really isn't a problem; it is more of an annoyance. Most shooters I feel fall into this category although maybe not most on this board.
- The Tacticool crowd. These are my own personal annoyance. But this group wants every new gadget from Magpul and whoever else. The rifles can be of just about any type. But you usually can’t tell what they are because of the additional 7 or 8 pounds of gear hung on the gun that either serves no purpose or they don’t know how to use. The guns are rarely shot and usually never hit anything. Once again the quality of the weapon doesn’t’ matter much here.
- Semi Serious shooters. This is when gear starts to matter a bit more. This group will not doing room clears or learning to engage multiple badguys however they do expect their gear to run even if it is only on the flat range. This is probably the most prevalent group represented on this board. They want a higher quality gun but don’t necessarily need something in the Noveske range.
- Precision shooters are a lot like the above crowd. They need quality gear but the exact requirements will be a bit different. They still need reliability but accuracy is a bit more important. These guns are usually custom built or at least have a better barrel.
- The Home/personal Defense crowd is a bit harder to quantify. I almost didn’t make it it’s own group and rolled it into the next group. However I feel it should be its own group. This level requires a bit better gear. They want something reliable that will not fail if they ever need it. The gun may only give 2MOA accuracy but it will go bag every time you pull the trigger. There are a number of brands trusted and liked that can be used by this group
- Serious Minded shooters. This group is sadly often confused with the Tacticool crowd. But they are nothing alike. This group is probably the smallest. They tend to ask a lot more of their weapon and require not only unquestionable reliability but also accuracy. There are only a few brands that are trusted enough for them. Weapons tend to be highly personalized but not excessive.
It warrants stating again that one group is not necessarily better than the other. But the requirements and mindset of each group is different.
I personally fall into the Serious/training group. I take classes monthly. I accept nothing less than perfection from my gear, and don’t believe in “good enough”. This doesn’t mean I am a better shooter or better person that someone who goes out and destroys cans on a Saturday afternoon. It just means my needs are different.
And more importantly, when a question is asked of my I can only answer from my experience base.
As you can see I have really talked very little about ARs in this post even though it is a post about ARs. That is because the ARs vary so much. I purposely avoided really listing Brand A,D,X, and Y are perfect for this group, and brand D, R, and Z are good for that group. Because I don’t’ want this to turn into an argument about what brands work for who. I think the more important point is that
This obviously isn’t going to end the AR arguments. But I hope if gives people some things to think about and a better point of reference.
