AR-15's

[mtmuley]

Great with E-bikes. mtmuley

 

[Bigjay73]

Great with E-bikes. mtmuley

Asshat

 

[AggieOutlaw]

What’s not to like? Cheap. Fun. Light carbine.

Fits my kids. I even have a 22 conversion kit for the 223.

I think they are popular because
1) they are the subject of such controversy
2) they are essentially man LEGOs
3) even adult boys like to play GI Joe

 

[FLS]

If they are jamming constantly you’ve got a POS or you’re incompetent in its, maintenance and operation.
Blaming a weapon for the operators bad behavior is like blaming a pencil for bad spelling.
Just like any other rifle that can be extremely accurate. You need a good barrel, a good trigger and good ammo.
I’ve killed several deer and wild hogs with them. They work as well as any other style of rifle for that task. Not my favorite tool though.
I carried one from 1987-2000. I still enjoy shooting them today. So do a lot of my fellow citizens that use them for things like NRA High Power and Service Rifle competition, 3 Gun Matches, Long Range / PRS Matches, hunting and recreational shooting.
Some of y’all need to climb out from under your rock and educate yourselves before engaging your mouth.

 

[1976]

Going back to the 90s when I was a young kid enjoying the shooting sports, specifically the service rifle high power discipline. My weapon of choice was the M1A, everyone had one, It was a very accurate weapon, 200 yd slow fire off hand, 200yd rapid fire sitting or kneeling with mag change, 300yd rapid fire prone with mag change and 600yd slow fire. About 1994 the mouse gun aka AR 15 was starting to make some noise. It was amazing what a good trigger and barrel along with match iron sights could do, the AR was starting to win, many were civilians that built there own guns, they still had to meet a stock standard, minimum trigger pulls and max rifle weight to compete. By the late 90s the AMU and about half the All Guard and All Reserves were shooting AR rifles and winning, not only individual but also team matches. The Marines were the last to switch reluctantly it seamed but the AMU was winning so it needed to be done. I believe this was the kick off to their rise to fame, now there are shooting sports such as 3 gun that are specifically set for AR rifles, not only can they out shoot most bolt guns but they are fun and like AggieOutlaw said they are man Legos. What many need to remember is these guns are not the Colts of the 70s and 80s, they are accurate and dependable now a days.

 

[GlockZ]

Besides being fun to shoot, for many, the AR is the first rifle that was ever handled and shot. I grew up shooting a 22LR rifle, when I got to boot camp, the M-16 was the first high powered rifle I ever shot, and you learned it well, you slept with it, ate with it, you did pretty much everything with it! So yeah I can see the affinity many have with the AR.

 

[choc dogs]

Almost every military rifle in US history has gained favor in the civilian market. The stoner design was adopted in 1964. That gives it a lot of time for people to fall in love.
99% of the weapons malfunctions I have seen on the platform have been due to crappy magazines, which many weapons have fallen prey to.
They're easily built and infinitely customizable. You can change calibers with minimal to no tooling.
As far as the wasting ammo argument, ammunition is taxed under the Pittman-Robertson act, which goes toward conservation. So I say let em shoot as much as they want.
There is always the arguement that if the government doesnt want you to have something, you should probably have that something.
I'm starting to ramble now so I'll leave it at that.

My dad was a gun tinkerer. As a child of the depression he always looked for ways to save money, and like many of his generation, he sporterized the firearm he was familiar with, the inexpensive, surplus bolt action 30-06. My siblings and I all shot them, until a friend of my dad yelled at him about inducing a flinch in us kids. Then we progressed to a cut down M70 308, but that's another story. The point is , that as americans, we fell in love with machinery of war, that we were used to working on, and firearms are no different. My dad's generation sporterized the bolt action rifles. The later generation carried, and came home and modified the AR15, because it's available, and what they've been exposed to. I had one in the safe, because like someone said, if the government doesn't want me to have it, I probably should. I've also set up an upper for short armed recoil sensitive people to shoot. It's adjustable, and like you said, change calibers without fuss. Mine is never the first rifle I grab for an afternoon at the range, but it has its place.

 

[brockel]

I’ve tried to like them but the few I’ve tried just weren’t comfortable on a calling stand to me compared to a bolt action

 

[sbhooper]

I guess the answer is, "because they can". I, personally, have no use for them, as I prefer a bolt rifle. I have carried the AR-style rifles in the military, law enforcement and a civilian trip to Iraq. They are pretty good for what they are designed for, easy to build (if you are into that sort of thing), easy to break down and clean, and can be very accurate.

Any rifle that gets that much attention, is helping the gun/shooting industry, so I really don't care who does, or does not shoot it. At least they are shooting!

 

[noharleyyet]

I’ve tried to like them but the few I’ve tried just weren’t comfortable on a calling stand to me compared to a bolt action

Pretty much where I am on hunting with them. The ergonomics of a smooth stock and bolt work better for me on hair and hide. My son used mine once for yotes but went straight back to his familiar bolt. I picked up beaucoup 5.56 and .223 rounds after the last hoarders' boom subsided.....good trigger control practice and fun on paper.

I don't care what others safely and legally use.

 

[JLS]

@sbhooper brought up a really good point. AR15s have been a boon to Pittman Robertson funding.

 

[SAJ-99]

Why does anyone buy anything...marketing.

 

[mtmuley]

Found one in .300 SAUM. mtmuley

 

[noharleyyet]

SIL has a DPMS with a Lupe Hubble way up there magnification LR etched reticle in 6.5 Neuter. Sumbisch will dot an eye...and you never lose sight of the whatever.

Damn thing weighs about 16 plus.

 

[BearFoot]

Everything has a purpose. I think they are kind of fun to shoot

 

[Redside]

@sbhooper brought up a really good point. AR15s have been a boon to Pittman Robertson funding.

Was thinking the same thing, next time you're annoyed at the dude ripping away as fast as he can, instead think, thanks for the funding man!

 

[Straight Arrow]

Was thinking the same thing, next time you're annoyed at the dude ripping away as fast as he can, instead think, thanks for the funding man!

At the range with my hearing protection on, I would. But in the otherwise quiet woods while hunting ... the dude's bad behavior and annoyance makes me wanna go postal!

 

[Millsworks]

I personally find it much easier and cheaper to find a bolt action that will shoot under an inch at a hundred yards.
The term accurate, apparently means different things to different people. Not that a good AR can't shoot as good as anything else out there. But it takes a well made and fairly expensive model to do it. Even then they are still not always shooting in the same league as many $500. Bolt guns.
AR platforms are fun at the range.
But I can't seem to want one in my tool box.

 

[LCH]

I built a .450 BM for hog hunting. For jumping sounders out of brush at close range, it's hard to beat a big bore semi-auto IMO.

 

[Brandon270]

They've never intrigued me much but they don't bother me either. I've always enjoyed accurate bolt actions myself. At my local outdoor range I see guys all the time all decked out in knee pads and gloves and all shooting their ARs on the 25-50yd range...it always gives me a chuckle how seriously they take it. More room for me on the 100 and 300 yard ranges.

I think guys like them for the customizable factor. Kind of the Jeep of the gun world.