Why an AR?

[Abraham]

I don't particularly want one.

I was issued one near the end of my military tenure and had grave misgivings...that were later proven credible. Yes, I know many of the bugs have been worked out, but for my taste they're just a rather fancy varmint rifle.

I prefer an M-14 and if they ever come available at a reasonable cost I'll buy one. They out shoot the AR in accuracy, power and with thousands of rounds down range I never had one fail me.

Plus, they're rather plain in appearance and I prefer that too.

[Purplehood]

I always regretted coming into the service and being too late to be issued the M-14 (April 76). I always thought that the M-14 was an attractive weapon, far from plain.

[Abraham]

For me, plain is attractive.

The fanciest M-14 I ever shot was set up with a bi-pod on full auto. NOT as much fun as you might guess...

Today's AR's dressed up with mocha latte machine attachments, satellite t.v. with internet connections and snooze alarms, etc., leave me cold.

[The Annoyed Man]

For me, plain is attractive.

And the M14 is a beautiful rifle. I would love to own one. But the basic AR15 platform is plain too - just a different kind of plain. No, it doesn't have a wood stock - but it is plainly utilitarian. And, unless you live in a 150,000 sq ft home, the .308/7.62 NATO round is most likely too much for use as inside the home defense; whereas the .223/5.56 round is not unreasonable, even in an average home.

[geoelectro]

For me, plain is attractive.

And the M14 is a beautiful rifle. I would love to own one. But the basic AR15 platform is plain too - just a different kind of plain. No, it doesn't have a wood stock - but it is plainly utilitarian.

So its a religious weapon?

[The Annoyed Man]

For me, plain is attractive.

And the M14 is a beautiful rifle. I would love to own one. But the basic AR15 platform is plain too - just a different kind of plain. No, it doesn't have a wood stock - but it is plainly utilitarian.

So its a religious weapon?

Did I say "Unitarian?"

[Count]

I think it's a good idea to know how to run an AR even if you don't own one. Same with an AK. If the balloon goes up, it's likely the BGs will be armed with one or the other and it's a good idea to be able to tap the enemy's logistics.

[Abraham]

Please elaborate on the Balloon and it's potential elevation.

(Are people now building Balloon shelters?)

[boomerang]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=balloon+goes+up" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[geoelectro]

For me, plain is attractive.

And the M14 is a beautiful rifle. I would love to own one. But the basic AR15 platform is plain too - just a different kind of plain. No, it doesn't have a wood stock - but it is plainly utilitarian.

So its a religious weapon?

Did I say "Unitarian?"

Uh oh, I may have made a rookie mistake... I may have annoyed the annoyed man.

[flintknapper]

For me, plain is attractive.

And the M14 is a beautiful rifle. I would love to own one. But the basic AR15 platform is plain too - just a different kind of plain. No, it doesn't have a wood stock - but it is plainly utilitarian.

So its a religious weapon?

Did I say "Unitarian?"

Uh oh, I may have made a rookie mistake... I may have annoyed the annoyed man.

I've never seen TAM "annoyed" except in a good way. Not to worry.

[ghostrider]

The AR is fun to shoot and fun to customize and so versatile, especially with the ability to swap out different uppers on one lower.

With the right after market parts it can be a hog hunting gun:
http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_xm15_BCWVMS20-45.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

a 50BMG rifle:
http://www.tactilite.com/index.php/shop ... gory_id=29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

a golf ball launcher:
http://www.bloomautomatic.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and now, even a crossbow:
http://www.pse-archery.com/prod.php?k=55444&u=01135" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GrayHawk]

I appreciate those who took the time to reply to the original post. Good or bad, nothing has been said that perks my attention either way. Guess I just saved some bucks, gonna direct my attention differently...and live without a black rifle for the time being......

[quoheleth]

To paraphrase Mike Rowe of Ford TV commercial fame, Why an AR? "Why not!"

Q

[RebelKangaroo]

For me, the AR is about options. For $1000 I can get a very good, very accurate rifle (with scope!) that shoots pretty inexpensive ammo so I can get a lot of practice in. Then for a small (under $500) fee I can transform it into a much higher power rifle that would work quite well on any game in the lower 48. If I really wanted to go cheap, I'd only need to change the barrel, bolt carrier group, and magazine to get that bigger caliber.

So for someone on a budget, I can get two great guns for a bit more than the price of one great gun. Sure, you I could get two cheaper guns for less, but nothing to match the ergonomics, customization, and ease of use of the AR.

For the record, I'm building a 5.56 and getting a 6.8 upper for hunting.