Well part of my interest is early guns, SP1's from '63 to '80 say. I am looking for a place I can ask vagaries of s/n or production variances from year to year in that range. I know arfcom can do that, but jeez, being made to feel like a 2nd class troll there is hard to bear.
I up front ask no one suggest arfcom, but you did. So here's why:
I don't care about cheap and quick or "qz vs. aa" manufacturer tweaks or differences. Pics of guns with tactical toasters and quad-railed snack holders don't amuse me. But I appreciate that arfcom has knowledge despite this juvenile approach and fan base. But in the gap I've been there, unless you "buy in," you aren't allowed to search forums effectively (only one word searches, only recent posts, and only once in a while), you can't get notices of responses to posts, you can't subscribe to threads and get instant or even daily notices. I mean, these are basic functions of something that calls itself a "forum." Lest you argue otherwise, that word -"forum"- is not new, it is from classical antiquity, actually. it denotes a place of public congregation without bias. Given their efforts to discourage the public, they are a private club now, and masquerade as a forum. I used to use them regularly mid-decade, took a hiatus to really work on my S&W and Colt auto collections from 2007 to now. When I go back, it's like they don't want me. it's not a "forum." It's a private club. And I notice relative to five or six years ago, traffic is way down. Which is entirely counter to what a popular public forum should have done in the gun community in the last six years.
So I will check out M4carbine more; I have heard of them but was leery as while I do have a carbine, I mostly like AR rifles. So the name off the top sounded like it wasn't the place. And I have some questions I feel technical and didn't think were appropriate here, but I'll toss them out and try. Many of you are probably correct, the knowledge is there or here. You just have to let it in. (to badly paraphrase Robert Parker).
But it's just a shame there isn't an over-arching ar15 forum that is welcoming and open. Makes me cherish more and more what a gem 1911forum.com is despite the passage of years.
