tactical or practical?

[bannockburn]

If by pratical you mean pretty much stock, no frills added to the basic gun, then yes I would be more into practical.

 

[kwguy]

So is an AR with nothing on it 'practical', or 'tactical'? Or what about a lever gun with a scope? What's that?

I'm just so confused now...

 

[Schwing]

I know people like what they like and everyone's taste is a little different. Having said that, there are a few things I don't personally understand.

A red dot sight on a lever action rifle or a scope on a revolver are two of those things I don't understand, even for hunting purposes.

 

[LeonCarr]

IMO/IME Tactical is a state of mind, so I am both Practical and Tactical.

Not a fan of hanging a bunch of useless junk on an AR or AK. I think a minimalist, practical approach to firearms is the best way to go.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[highpower]

I am basically a wood and steel kind of guy. The only guns I have with plastic on them is my AR's and they are all retro except for one that has a red dot on it.

I am not an armchair commando, nor do I aspire to be one. I have no use for a bunch of useless lights, lasers, forward grips etc.

 

[Tirod]

If anything, wood and steel aren't practical much at all. Can you take them into an 8 hour drizzle and then wipe them down that night for another day's hunting? I'm going to suggest that if you do, you will get the results we see in the back rack at gun stores, the ones with rusting finishes and cracked wood.

You'd be much better off with a late War 98K with laminate stock and parkerized finish. Now, would you call it "tactical" by today's definition? Not so much. Would it be a practical rifle for home defense compared to a Saddle Ring carbine? Not so much.

Would an AR pistol be more practical yet working thru closely constructed interior partitions? The answer is yes, that is what the military issues for shipboarding - they just add a stock. Minimal increase in accuracy, tho, the practical application is a 2MOA gun being used on 18MOA targets at ranges from up close and personal to the end of the hall or across the room.

A lot of us can do far more with a finish proven to resist harsh environments with little maintenance, furniture that only needs a wipe down, and design elements that allow us to field strip the gun in seconds with no tools. As compared to the Saddle Ring carbine I own which likely has never had the bolt out of it since it was assembled at the factory. And the amount of lube congealed in the action is still an issue.

Tactical is application for self defense - and the 1911 does just fine in that. Not a plastic fantastic gun at all. Practical has to do with not having to jump thru hoops using, operating, or maintaining it, and there are plenty of guns out there made for the civilian market that obfuscate that to extremes. If it takes tiny screw drivers to disassemble to clean and a place mat to keep all the parts in order then I suggest it's not practical at all.

What the OP may have meant is modern military vs traditional, and in that regard the MSR is far more practical as a hunting rifle and for maintenance than a glossy presentation gun sold with planned obsolescence as it's basic design element.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

The question might as well be "Patrol boots or Wingtips?"

Both are questions that can't be properly answered without first asking, "Where are we going"?

 

[highlander 5]

Practical. I have seen so many rifles with lights,lasers,handgrips and who knows whatever else you can't tell if its a rifle or a portable flea market. Plus with all that paraphernalia you gotta be Arnold Schwarzenegger to carry it.

 

[LRShooting]

Here is the problem with your question...what is tactical and what is hunting? That is like saying what is the difference between billet and cast parts...the product is the same and functions probably similar but they look different and one might be slightly stronger. "Tactical" i see as a marketing term. Ive never heard military personal to describe their weapons as tactical and tactical is a term to refer to how operations are carried out, as in using tactics.

Ive really come to understand this with the gun I just built, as I had no intention of making it look what most people call tactical. I picked out good components, picatinny rails (weaver seems harder to find), a A5 because I loved the way it felt, and a local dealer sold me a vortex pst 4-16x50 ffp that I have now changed to 6-24x50 ffp. Once I finally got it inletted, bedded, and finally installed everything together, I have what people call a "tactical rifle." I call it my style of precision hunting rifle.

 

[Sunray]

"...a few bolt guns that are also "tactical"..." All rifles, bolt action or not, are tactical. The issue is that, currently, the word 'tactical' is purely a marketing term. Most of what is marketed as 'tactical' is not in the least bit 'practical'.
"...situational and dependent on..." That'd be the definition of tactics. So is "fighting for your life in close quarters has the same conditions and requirements at the individual level..."

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I like slings, ability to mount a dedicate light, and a sighting system suitable for intended distances. The light is more so for self defense uses. You can call this anything you want.

 

[eldon519]

Frankly tactical often out-practicals practical these days. You can take a nicely blued rifle with a walnut stuck hunting and fret everytime something gets on it or you can take a parked/anodized, synthetic and chrome-lined rifle and not sweat it when it starts to rain.

 

[Choctaw]

I'm a law enforcement officer and carry black plastic guns at work, and really have zero interest in tactical weapons when I'm not working. I sold my last Colt AR-15 in 1988 and never missed it. However, just recently I purchased a new AR for hog eradication purposes. It has irons, a scope and sling, but that's it. It is a hunting rifle.

 

[johnnydollar]

Wood and steel may not be practical, as Tirod noted, but our ancestors carried muzzle-loading long guns through all types of weather in search of food for the table. Maybe they weren't practical, but they did what they were designed to do.

 

[browningguy]

Yes!!!

 

[shafter]

Tactical is practical depending on use. A "practical" bolt action hunting rifle would be out of place in most combat situations just like an AR15 would be out of place for some hunting situations.

Pick the right tool for the job you have.

 

[Jackal]

It cant be "tactical" unless its used in a "tactical" way/environment. Whenever people tell me about their "tactical" rifle, I always ask them "When was the last time you engaged in any combat tactics with this rifle?"

Same thing with "assault weapons". Its not an "assault weapon" unless it has assaulted someone.

That said, I have many combat type rifles, I'd not consider any of them tactical, because I dont engage in any tactical activities with them.

 

[benEzra]

If anything I think the better posed comparison is tactical vs. traditional.

Yep. My AR is the most practical long gun I own.

Walnut and blued steel is pretty, but it's certainly less "practical" than Zytel and matte phosphate.

 

[Swing]

Eh, I don't know that they are mutually exclusive. However, if by "tactical", you mean "black rifle with a bunch of overpriced crap hanging from it", then I'm going with the "practical" option.