The AR platform....the fans...I don't get it. (all brand fans I guess)

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boom boom wrote:
Maybe he lives in California or New York.
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I did consider that. But he said "harder and harder in the U.S." and as much as they might like to ignore the rest of us in "flyover country", California and New York do not comprise "the U.S.".
 
Somehow, I don't think AR or Glock sales will change anytime soon. If you don't like them, that's ok. You are in the minority
on that one. It all what trips your trigger, and to each their own.

Russellc
 
I've decided that I don't get what the OP is trying to say in his thread-starting post ...

Seems to me that once again, a member of the firearms-owning and shooting community is being overly critical of (or feigning being mystified by) a very large segment of the firearms-owning/shooting community.

I admit I get a little annoyed at work (I work for a government agency) about being directed to "celebrate diversity," but here, as a card-carrying member of our country's gun culture, I get even more annoyed when I note the continued attempts of many other members of our community to create division by being such vocal critics (and often haters) of the chosen platforms of other members of our community. Seriously, can we all just accept that we don't all have the same tastes or the same passions?
 
Old Dog said:
I've decided that I don't get what the OP is trying to say in his thread-starting post ...

Seems to me that once again, a member of the firearms-owning and shooting community is being overly critical of (or feigning being mystified by) a very large segment of the firearms-owning/shooting community.

I admit I get a little annoyed at work (I work for a government agency) about being directed to "celebrate diversity," but here, as a card-carrying member of our country's gun culture, I get even more annoyed when I note the continued attempts of many other members of our community to create division by being such vocal critics (and often haters) of the chosen platforms of other members of our community. Seriously, can we all just accept that we don't all have the same tastes or the same passions?
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I think it was more a reaction to the fanaticism of a small but extremely loud and hence un-ignorable segment of AR owners. For example, in almost every thread ever about the Ruger mini series, there are more than a few posters who will go on and on about how superior the AR is to the mini, all while failing to acknowledge that in spite of their flaws, some people might just like the mini and just might not care for the look or feel of the AR.

It would be sort of like if I posted a thread on how to make a better pizza and someone posted 1000 words on why pizza is garbage and what I really need is a burger.
 
Ed4032 said:
Sacrilegous heresy!! Burn the witch.

Just kidding. I think that is has become the erector set we had as kids. The cool part is that this erector set shoots bullets.
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Exactly. Excellent, situationally-universal weapon. Erector set / Legos for adults.
 
fpgt72 said:
I don't get why a product would be discounted if it did not have an AR magazine.
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Compatibility. Same reason NATO countries don't accept rifles without a STANAG mag.

Why buy a rifle with a proprietary magazine when the rifle design would easily allow for the most or second most common rifle mag in existence?
 
hdwhit said:
I did consider that. But he said "harder and harder in the U.S." and as much as they might like to ignore the rest of us in "flyover country", California and New York do not comprise "the U.S.".
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Just trying to give the poster the benefit of the doubt. Often the reality that we see is what we project exists everywhere.
 
fpgt72 said:
That is taking it to the absurd....and this is just what I was talking about.
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You've missed the point.

What is different about a bolt action enthusiast spending time and money improving or modifying his bolt rifle with the various parts and services available on the market?

The platform maybe different but the intent is the same.
 
Jason_W said:
I think it was more a reaction to the fanaticism of a small but extremely loud and hence un-ignorable segment of AR owners. For example, in almost every thread ever about the Ruger mini series, there are more than a few posters who will go on and on about how superior the AR is to the mini, all while failing to acknowledge that in spite of their flaws, some people might just like the mini and just might not care for the look or feel of the AR.

It would be sort of like if I posted a thread on how to make a better pizza and someone posted 1000 words on why pizza is garbage and what I really need is a burger.
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Tis a fact in human nature. I believe it is given from the desire to help people and being passionate. Thus, most fanboi's want to help people not make wrong choices, proselytize the right choices, and that can blind them from accepting someone else's mindset. I've seen in in internet comments in news, computer forums, etc.
 
I think having a strong preference for a particular platform is fine. If people like the AR and enjoy tinkering with it and modding it, that's not a big deal. Lots of people like having fun projects to work on, and I see it as pretty normal.

What I don't get is the guys who will try to talk someone out of buying some other rifle in favor of their beloved AR. And use magazines or parts or whatever else as a reason. The AR is considered by many to be a very solid platform, is accurate and super popular. But it's not necessarily the best semi-auto .223/5.56 rifle design on the market, and I personally think it has some significant weaknesses, which make me not want one.

Everyone can enjoy the guns they like without having to push their personal preferences on to other people. Right?
 
I'm fairly new to guns. When I got my first AR I was excited. I thought it looked cool, was fun to shoot and was just a neat thing to have. Proudly I showed it to a friend who was into guns and the reaction was the opposite. Gee that's boring, ugly, doesn't have wood, etc.

I knew right then and there our gun interests were very different.

Since that first AR, I put one together from a PSA upper and lower. And I'm now putting one together from parts. The bottom line is they're fun. And the term Adult Legos seems to fit. I'm sure I could spend a massive pile of money putting ARs together. In fact, I'm sure I could put each one together differently and they'd all still be cool to me.

The bottom line is some of us enjoy shooting them, tinkering with them, and putting them together. S but I'm not a fanboi, I like them but I'm not obsessed. If you don't so be it. Enjoy your AK, bolt gun, mini14, SKS or even your Glock.

As for Glocks, I'll pass. Give me an M&P and I'm happy. Just feels better to me. It doesn't mean that Glocks suck or Glock fanbois are evil, it just means I prefer the M&P

As for cars. Done the SB Chevy, have a SB Foxbody Mustang with lots of mods. Have an F150. Enjoy my Harley. So what. Someone is always faster, just ask the King or John Force One day you're the Champ, the next day, there's an Intemidator, Jimmie Johnson, or Matt Hagen etc.

What matters to me is we all work to defend our rights. If I want an AR I'll get one, just like if I want to go fast in my Mustang I can. Like hell will I let some Prius driving ANTIFA coward tell me what I can or can't do. And if you don't like my ARs then that's fine as long as you don't insult me. If you do, do it to my face so I can stand up for myself and others. Otherwise to pharaphease Rodney King, let's all just get along.
 
I read the opening post as a gripe about the degree of emotionalism shown by fanboys. Shifting emphasis away from the AR, I see the same emotionalism in the handgun arena.

To me, the real issue is the goal of one's use of a rifle. For one shooter, it may well be that the AR suits his needs. For another shooter, different needs might well not be met by an AR. So what?

But I guarantee you that no matter how strongly you admire your AR, that admiration will not enhance your manly prowess in horizontal recreation.
 
Ed4032 said:
Just kidding. I think that is has become the erector set we had as kids. The cool part is that this erector set shoots bullets.
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You could be right. As for myself, I have an AR, but I'm not really all that fascinated with building one of my own, or modifying the one I have. My replacement for the erector set I had as a kid just might be my handloading for every gun that I own, with the obvious exception of my rimfires. Heck, I'll readily admit to buying a few guns just because I thought it would be fascinating to build ammunition for them.:)
 
fpgt72 said:
I just don't get it. Yes I own one....just one, and I have owned it for over 30 years. Colt HBAR. It shoots fine, works fine....but I just don't get the rabid....and many are rabid fans.

The magazine thread brought this up....I don't get why a product would be discounted if it did not have an AR magazine. The same goes to Glock fans....I don't get it. We have them (glocks) at work and it is just a claw hammer....nothing special....no more reliable then any other pistol (of the same quality).

But the AR guys seem to go well past all that, they decide that a hot rod 22 is not enough, so they start changing things to make them bigger....not accurate enough different "upper" again...not good for that, change this....visit the barbie catalog and start to hang all manner of garbage on the side of a gun.

If this is your hobby...fine, I get that....at one time I raced cars....I have the almost 6 figures in my race car....money down the drain and spent in a really stupid manner to some...ok I get that...but again the AR guys go past this.

If it is not an AR we move past it....if it does not take an AR magazine.....just read the comments in the ar thread....just makes me go wow...you really are a rabid fanboi.

It reminds me of a saying.

I don't mind Religion....it is the fan club members that get too worked up.
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I'm not a "fan boy", but here's how I came to love the AR-15 after once feeling completely ambivalent to them...

1) They are so incredibly modular... I like tinkering around with my guns. While I'm not among the "Tacticool" crowd that likes to strap a whole bunch of stupid aesthetic crap to my gun, I still like being able to easily try a new barrel, a new trigger, a lighter and sleeker hand guard, different stocks, different grips, etc. There is probably no gun platform in the world right now that lends itself to this kind of stuff better than the AR-15. You can literally take a base model AR-15 and turn it into a .22LR, or a .50 BMG (and a whole bunch of stuff in between those two extremes). You can make the gun into a light and fast gun, or you can make it into a very decent precision rifle.

2) Most of what I like in a gun involves function over form. Pretty only matters to the point that it gets the job done. AR-15s are durable, weather resistant, and reliable. It checks those boxes.

3) Along the same lines as the modularity, replacement parts are easy to find, and easy to install in a home shop.

4) The platform is so well understood that you can effectively and easily build one from a parts kit, and never have to involve an FFL in the process. For those who oppose government oversight of gun ownership, this is a neat platform for that.

I shot an AR-15 for the first time in the late 1980's, when I was still a kid. I didn't become interested in owning one until I finally bought one in maybe 1997 or so, and even then it was just to own one for the sake of having one. It wasn't until the platform really matured and took off (much of it after the expiration of the stupid AWB) that this platform really started interesting me. It was at that point that parts became so plentiful and versatile for this gun. Less than 25% of my total collection is AR-15s, but the AR platform has still found a place in my heart in the past decade.
 
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The AR has a lot to offer to shooters. It can be set up light, heavy, and anywhere in between. It can be set up for run and gun, precision, blasting in the gravel pit, and with all the aftermarket support, just about anything you can imagine. It can be had in multiple calibers, and a great many if you put a little more effort/money into it. The sky is the limit.

And they are just plain fun. After all, a great many gun owners shoot strictly for fun.
 
There are a series of factors in play. Here's a few: 1- Popularity with those who are familiar with it through military or LE service, as well as the desire of everyone else to have what those professionals use.2. Cost- at the moment, you can buy a decent name brand AR for less than an AK or mini 14, and about the same as an SKS (never thought I would see those days). 3. Options- in guns, features, and accessories. This is due to the popularity explained in 1, as well as the fact that our great Nation has been at war for 16 years, 4 days, almost exclusively using these platforms in various models- which stimulates the industry to develop improvements for these fine rifles. With such capabilities though the use of modular accessories (you called them garbage) in many ways the AR has become sort of like legos for adults. The idea of adding these modular accessories came largely from our Special Operations professionals. i was thankful when this "garbage" was developed, standardized (for the most part) and adopted, especially once I was trained in the use thereof. It greatly improved our abilities to engage under virtually all conditions. The optical abilities are exploited with high levels of proficiency in sports like 3 gun. This is evident by the fact that the AR in some form dominates in most matches. There are numerous other factors in play, but the good news is that there are choices, and you can pick whatever you think is best for you. To each his own.
 
Without this there would be no modernization. Some might think of it ain't broke don't fix it. Some might call it improvement. It's all relative
 
I started off despising the AR platform after firing an M-16A1 in 1984 and hating that SPROINNNG in my ear every time I fired. So for 33 years I used everything BUT an AR. Then I finally fired an AR civilian rifle with collapsing stock and other upgrades I can't begin to list...and I enjoyed it to the point that the dirt cheap prices have me very interested in picking up a PSA blem lower complete and starting my own AR thing. I doubt it will become the craze for me that it is for others - I have CZ for that. ;) But, I now have a yen for one, and even at state slave wages I might be able to afford one.
 
I came to the AR ownership thing late in life, 56 years old. I'm 59 now. My gun life consisted of guns I couldn't work much on myself. Revolvers, a few semi-auto pistols, wood grained shotguns and hunting rifles and lever actions. I bought my S&W m&p15 a couple of years ago, specifically for a farm coyote gun, (we've got more now than a TV western). But after shooting it with cheap but accurate ammo, and having fun, I started watching Youtube "how to" videos, and built another one on my kitchen table. Specifically for varmint hunting with the barrel and things I liked on expensive varmint rifles from major companies. I did it all (on Anderson lower from my LGS) through the mail, patiently waiting for sales through different sites. Assembling my own rifle, to my wants and needs, was one of the most satisfying things I've done in a long time, and I truly enjoy taking it hunting.

So the AR is just a platform that I could assemble myself, with little expertise and special tools, and have pride in ownership. And the added bonus is it cost me far less than an assembled rifle from a dealer.
 
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