Who doesn’t own/like AR’s?

[Necessary_Nutrient]

I love AR’s AND bolt guns. When most people say they get sub MOA from their 500 dollar, commodity grade AR’s I believe them... They once shot 3 shots in the size of a quarter with that rifle (or a 2.5” 5-shot group with a “called flier”). I also know what to expect from a 5 or 10 shot group from them if given the opportunity.

I’ve had better results with bolt guns, with a couple exceptions. My most accurate AR, a 20” RRA Varmint A4 with the bull barrel is significantly behind my Remington 700 VSF in 308 and a savage Model 25 Walking Varminter in 223- a 550 dollar rifle.

That said, they say gas guns take a certain skill set and perhaps part of it is me

 

[BigSteve57]

I love 'em. I should say we.
My wife and I own 7 (I think, maybe more ) AR "style" rifles.
We use them for hunting, service rifle and other competitions, general marksmanship training, shooting for fun and for self defense.*

The rifles are incredibly durable, reliable, accurate and accommodating: lengthen the stock and I shoot it, shorten it and she shoots it.
We simply vary the ammo to suit the occasion.

One of our favorite rifles is a SIG-516 - a 5.56 cal piston gun so not technically an "AR", rather an AR style rifle as I mentioned.
Put Barnes hunting ammunition in it and you have a rifle that is totally capable up to White Tail deer.
My wife took an incredible RAM with it, for example.
Change magazines with different ammo. and you have one or our favorite self-defense rifle.

Hard to beat, IMHO.

I love my Browning bolt action rifles and I'll continue to hunt and practice with them.
But compared to the modern AR style platforms with their machining and ability to adapt to different situations they're dated relics, IMHO.

*I have heard that they are absolutely no good for shoveling snow.

EDIT: one could imagine a custom shovel attachment that would go on the front picatinny rail to actually make it suitable for snow shoveling. Should have thought of this sooner.

 

[Jonah77]

Horses for courses…


‘Nuff said…

 

[DustyGmt]

AR's are pretty capable rifles in hunting, homesteading and for defense. They are extremely versatile weapons and can be set up for a number of different tasks.

My problem with em is they look mean and dangerous and have no soul but they are really good tools........

 

[mcb]

AR's are pretty capable rifles in hunting, homesteading and for defense. They are extremely versatile weapons and can be set up for a number of different tasks.

My problem with em is they look mean and dangerous and have no soul but they are really good tools........

Why do AR's have no soul? The guns in my collection with the most "soul" are the ones I have used the most and have had the most adventures with. To me the "soul" of a gun has nothing to do with what the gun is but what I have done with the gun. This also means they are often the uglier guns in my collection. Nothing's better than a tool that is ugly from honest wear, it stands tribute to the trials and tribulations its user(s) have overcome.

 

[Styx]

Why do AR's have no soul? The gun's in my collection with the most "soul" are the ones I have used the most and have had the most adventures with. To me the "soul" of a gun has nothing to do with what the gun is but what I have done with the gun. This also means they are often the uglier guns in my collection. Nothing's better than a tool that is ugly from honest wear, it stands tribute to the trials and tribulations its user(s) have overcome.

I guess just like polymer semiautos, they do not garner any collector's value or heirloom emotions. They are a dime a dozen, everyone has one, they're cheap, and they do not have a classic or nostalgia look. I feel like Glocks and the like have no soul so to speak.

 

[Jonah77]

Ahhh…

But having “no soul” is what makes them so valuable.

They won’t be “collected”, pampered, displayed…fondled or ogled.

They’ll be used-hard. Put away wet sometimes and get back into the game without a moments hesitation or hiccup. No emotional attachment thank you.

I have many guns with “soul”. Heirlooms, relics and collectors. But they are not the ones that get used the most, if at all.

No…it’s those soulless, nameless “Black Rifles” that get the call when it’s time for the hard work.

 

[mcb]

I guess just like polymer semiautos, they do not garner any collector's value or heirloom emotions. They are a dime a dozen, everyone has one, they're cheap, and they do not have a classic or nostalgia look. I feel like Glocks and the like have no soul so to speak.

One of my handguns with "soul" is a cheap polymer framed XD-40. After I did bunch of customization work and 40,000+ rounds through it it has alot of soul to me. It may not have any collector's value but the gun has soul. Alot more than my Ruger Blackhawk that sits in the back of the gun cabinet in near NIB condition.


ETA I guess I might not know what it means for a gun to have soul?

 

[ExtremeSquared]

Post-military I find them uninteresting.
Got an AR-180 clone instead.
Why would I want an uninteresting firearm?
The boredom I feel from carrying a glock is nearly unbearable.

 

[Styx]

One of my handguns with "soul" is a cheap polymer framed XD-40. After I did bunch of customization work and 40,000+ rounds through it it has alot of soul to me. It may not have any collector's value but the gun has soul. Alot more than my Ruger Blackhawk that sits in the back of the gun cabinet in near NIB condition.


ETA I guess I might not know what it means for a gun to have soul?

You are conflating personal sentimental value that came along AFTER you purchased a firearm with the figure of speech of a firearm "having a soul." M1 Garands, stainless and blue steel revolvers, Colt and the like 1911s, CZ 75 and Beretta 92 offerings, Browning Hi Power, imported ComBloc AK47s, etc.... Dime a dozen, easily replaceable, most pastic, tactical, and the like guns and rifles that everyone has don't typically fit the bill. Maybe someone else can explain it better.

 

[someguy2800]

My kids and hopefully grandkids can determine if my AR's and my motley collection of junk has collector value after I'm dead. What would I care?

 

[cfullgraf]

You know, many bolt action rifle designs have different sized actions for large or small cartridges.

So, the AR-15 is designed for small cartridges or works with large caliber cartridges with limited effective ramges. A 300 BO AR-15 would be a great substitute to a 30 Carbine M1. Limited effective range to prevent collateral damage but not wear and tear to make a USGI carbine subject to the rigors of SD service.

Then there is the AR-10, the same basic design as the AR-15 but larger so that it can handle larger, more powerful cartridges.

As far as the walnut furniture group. I agree, it looks great, feels great. But I have a 22 BR rifle built on a Savage competition bolt action with an Elisio aluminum chassis. So, bolt rifles do not necessarily have walnut furniture any more.

It is good we have choices and options that satisfy our desires. Different strokes for different folks but respect the choice and decisions of others.

 

[hawg]

I own one but it's something I never really wanted. I just got it because the left didn't want me to have one. It's ok to play with but it serves no real purpose. I haven't fired it in well over a year.

 

[MikeInOr]

I am not an AR fan. About a year ago when it looked like my state was going to successfully ban them I finally gave in and bought an AR(ish) rifle.

I bought a SIG MCX Spear LT which fixed some of my complaints about the platform but the awful rear charging handle is still integral to the rifle. Evidently SIG was even able to fix this glaring ergonomic atrocity in the 6.8 x 51 Spear by including a side charging handle like God meant self feeding rifles to have.

I do like that I have a real folding stock that isn't hampered by the buffer tube. I also like the right hand side bolt release lever. Being able to swap barrels in a few minutes is kind of icing on the cake. I will be purchasing a 6.75" or 9" 300blk barrel soon and then get a suppressor. I already have a SBR Form 1 for the Spear.

I figured if I was going to own an AR(ish) rifle I was going to own a good one not a gumball machine piece of junk like the ones I have shot previously.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Tune them right and they drop it right behind you at 4 o’clock. That said nothing throws brass like a mini 14. I’ll admit that after a target session with my ARs I leave with the same amount of brass I came with, but it’s not all mine.

My Mini put the brass in low-Earth orbit!

 

[OS/N]

I own one but it's something I never really wanted. I just got it because the left didn't want me to have one. It's ok to play with but it serves no real purpose. I haven't fired it in well over a year.

Same here.

I have a deer rifle, a target rifle, and varmint rifle and all are traditional manual actions. Since none of those activities involve hords of things running and shooting at me I don't get much use out of fast shooting large cap firearms.

I do have a PCC with a big mag for ringing gongs but its not powerful or accurate enough for much else - my wife keeps it by her bed stand for things that go bump in the night. I prefer a handgun and shotgun for home defense and not a c/f rifle.

 

[Robert]

10 pages of love/hate/use it for everything/can't find a use for it, seems like more than enough.