One reason I never really liked the AR15 for CQB, is because of one aspect of its manual of arms, the safety/selector. I had first learned the thumb safety of the 1911 pistol, in late 1982 or early 1983. One may think that, well, the AR15 safety/selector is operated in the same way as the 1911’s thumb safety, but I disagree, and assert that they are fundamentally different, because the 1911 safety is indicating the weapon is ready to fire, when the safety is aligned with the target/opponent, whereas the AR15’s selector isa pointed DOWNWARD, when the weapon is ready to fire semi-auto at a target/opponent.
In the Nineties, I learned to use several semi-auto pistols, with slide-mounted safety levers. The weapon is ready to fire when the safety lever is oriented in-line with the target/opponent. When such pistols are on-safe, the lever is pointed downward. True, the lever is not pointed straight downward, but the general orientation is pointed at the earth. Some of us may be old enough to remember the mantra, “Don’t get caught with your Dingus down,” meaning that one must remember to flip the slide-mounted safety lever upward, into the horizontal position, before firing.
In 2002, my employer, a big-city PD, re-started a patrol rifle program, which had been discontinued in 1983. Some consideration may have been given to Remington pump-action rifles, which I had mentioned to a committee member, but the approved rifles were the AR15 and Mini-14. The officer had to attend a 40-hour certification course, with each course being specific for the individual rifle. Well, there being no classes scheduled for the Mini-14, I reckoned that I would be using an AR15. Well, wouldn’t ya know; the AR15 is ready to fire when its Dingus is DOWN.
So, target-shooting with an AR15 was not a problem, but in a tense, close-range situation, I found myself manipulating the selector, with the ten thousand other things to think about, and sometimes getting hit with the cognitive dissonance caused when that selector is pointed DOWN, In readiness to shoot, when I am fighting two decades of consciously aligning safety/selector levers toward the intended target. (I was using 1911 pistols, for patrol, at this time.)
One solution, of course, would be to ignore the AR15’s selector, and let my trigger finger “be the safety.” This is especially tempting, as I was/am a lefty with long guns. In actuality, this cognitive dissonance only reared its head a very few times, on the street, as policy kept our patrol rifles cased, in the trunk, chamber empty, except for very specific and special circumstances. We could keep our shotguns up-front, with us, and get out of the patrol car with them at our discretion, so, the shotgun remained my usual long gun, in plenty of situations. I let my patrol rifle certification lapse within three years, and sold my Colt AR15A2 Govt Carbine to a colleague, who had younger eyes.
I later bought a BCM Lightweight Middy, so we do have a household AR15 carbine, for maintaining familiarity, and just “because I can.“ A couple of years ago, I added a Daniel Defense DDM4V7P, 300 AAC/BLK, with the “P” meaning “pistol.” It has a LAW folder, and a brace. I had thought is might make a nice “travel” weapon, but, thus far, I still like 4” to 6” .357 revolvers for road trips.
The shotgun remains my HD/CQB long gun, of choice. I am not trying to convince or convert anyone; it is simply my choice.
In the Nineties, I learned to use several semi-auto pistols, with slide-mounted safety levers. The weapon is ready to fire when the safety lever is oriented in-line with the target/opponent. When such pistols are on-safe, the lever is pointed downward. True, the lever is not pointed straight downward, but the general orientation is pointed at the earth. Some of us may be old enough to remember the mantra, “Don’t get caught with your Dingus down,” meaning that one must remember to flip the slide-mounted safety lever upward, into the horizontal position, before firing.
In 2002, my employer, a big-city PD, re-started a patrol rifle program, which had been discontinued in 1983. Some consideration may have been given to Remington pump-action rifles, which I had mentioned to a committee member, but the approved rifles were the AR15 and Mini-14. The officer had to attend a 40-hour certification course, with each course being specific for the individual rifle. Well, there being no classes scheduled for the Mini-14, I reckoned that I would be using an AR15. Well, wouldn’t ya know; the AR15 is ready to fire when its Dingus is DOWN.
So, target-shooting with an AR15 was not a problem, but in a tense, close-range situation, I found myself manipulating the selector, with the ten thousand other things to think about, and sometimes getting hit with the cognitive dissonance caused when that selector is pointed DOWN, In readiness to shoot, when I am fighting two decades of consciously aligning safety/selector levers toward the intended target. (I was using 1911 pistols, for patrol, at this time.)
One solution, of course, would be to ignore the AR15’s selector, and let my trigger finger “be the safety.” This is especially tempting, as I was/am a lefty with long guns. In actuality, this cognitive dissonance only reared its head a very few times, on the street, as policy kept our patrol rifles cased, in the trunk, chamber empty, except for very specific and special circumstances. We could keep our shotguns up-front, with us, and get out of the patrol car with them at our discretion, so, the shotgun remained my usual long gun, in plenty of situations. I let my patrol rifle certification lapse within three years, and sold my Colt AR15A2 Govt Carbine to a colleague, who had younger eyes.
I later bought a BCM Lightweight Middy, so we do have a household AR15 carbine, for maintaining familiarity, and just “because I can.“ A couple of years ago, I added a Daniel Defense DDM4V7P, 300 AAC/BLK, with the “P” meaning “pistol.” It has a LAW folder, and a brace. I had thought is might make a nice “travel” weapon, but, thus far, I still like 4” to 6” .357 revolvers for road trips.
The shotgun remains my HD/CQB long gun, of choice. I am not trying to convince or convert anyone; it is simply my choice.
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I will only attempt to answer this question for me personally with no expectation that it will apply to anyone else. I think a carbine is a bit more versatile a weapon than the shotgun, at least in a sense. A 12ga with the correct ammo is ideal for everything from rabbits and doves up to big bears, so obviously it's plenty for humans. Since it can do almost anything it's obviously versatile on many levels, but its range is pretty much contact distance to maybe 50-75 yards (maybe a bit more with a slug barrel, natch). For defensive use a carbine is good from contact distance out to a few hundred meters.
