Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters The popularity of the AR-15 Platform?

This will be just a small mini-rant. Black rifles seem to be everywhere. I'm guessing all the returning vets and their experiences in the Armed Forces with that platform has much to do with it.

Also I can see the appeal of mixing and matching for various configurations and calibers, and they can be fun to shoot. With that said there has to be at least the smallest consideration for visual appeal.

I'll be blunt and (I'm strictly talking about a rifle to hunt with; not to use on the battlefield). The AR-15 and all it's configurations are a repugnant and deformed version of a classic blued and walnut hunting rifle.

Mini-rant over.

Turnbolt rifle popularity started with the military also.

Just a different era.

I don't think you are required to own one. Form follows function.

mike r

I'm sure those a century before us thought the same thing about bolt actions gaining popularity after WWI.

I'd venture to say more "black rifles" are bought by keyboard commandos and wanna be GI Joes than veterans.

That said, the growth in the shooting sports and hence growth in supporters of the 2nd amendment is an upside I'll take over the tinker toy aesthetics.

A lot of folks bought AR 15s simply because Obama and company did not want us to have them. I think they make a fine platform. Mine is only about 4 years old, so I am late to the fold.

I carried and M-16 of one sort or another for 20 years in the service. In all the years I have been retired I have never bought an AR-15. I think about it a lot, but prefer wood and blued steel either in bolt or lever configuration. Sometimes single shot. I do have one bolt action that is stainless with a synthetic stock because of its benefits in harsh conditions.

Saying all that I would not ever condemn a person who decides to carry an AR-15/10 platform for hunting. That would put me in the crowd that has tried to ban every action that ever started out in the military. It would also mean I should condemn those who use synthetic stocks and stainless steel. But, then I have one of those. After all there is nothing different between a Browning BAR or Remington 7400 then the AR-15 but the looks. They are coming in plastic and stainless now too. Oh My!

This reminds me of what happened to Jim Zumbo when he put down those who like the AR patform. We don't hear much from him anymore.

No doubt.

Time for my rant. Why would a hunter need a rifle like the bolt action that could be shot or reloaded so fast? And what's the point of creating a self contained cartridge? As if using a powder horn and a ramrod isn't good enough!

It's the damn Communists and university students! They're to blame. Jumpin' Gee-hosiphat!

Why did they have to change things? And while I'm at it, why jacketed bullets and smokeless powder? And what's wrong with using iron sights? Scopes will upset the natural balance of hunter and game. Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity. What on earth were they thinking?

Progress is evil. Damned repeaters! Damned AR15 platforms!

Everyone knows that rifles went to hell when they made moveable breeches. The Pennsylvania/Kentucky rifle is the only rifle that does not look like a deformed, stepped on, dog [bleep]. Why do people have to like the same dam thing???

Destined to be THE iconic battle rifle.

It isn't going away any time soon. If ever.




Travis

Coyote doubles with my AR > singles with my bolt-gun.

Ah tradition.

Actually, he is required to own one. He's required to have at least one for everyone in the house, plus a spare.

Seen the news? Looks like the "Religion of Peace" is at it again in Paris

😡

Get thee hence to a black rifle shop.

I'm more interested in the good and the bad than the ugly.

The good: They can be very accurate due to not really having, or needing, "bedding." Ammo is cheap and plentiful. They are very easy to maintain, disassemble, modify, and accessorize. Many "add-ons" are available. For rapid fire target shooting (NRA or CMP high power), they are easy to shoot well because recoil is light, not knocking you out of position. their chamberings (.223 and .308) will give you long barrel life.

The bad: They are awkward and clunky to carry--you can't carry them at the balance point with one hand because the magazine sticks out. They don't come in the kinds of cartridges I like for hunting--all are low powered. In their original configuration they are too small, relative to an M1 or M1A, for large people (like me) to hold with a good position. Also the iron sights are too close together. And the light recoil means that 15-year old girls can beat us!

The ugly? That's in the eye of the beholder.

This is how you meld old with new. This is a tactical 22 Hornet. It is a single shot (old) with a black synthetic stock (new). It is chambered in 22 Hornet (old) with a 4-12x40 scope (new). It features a leather cheek piece (old) with a bipod (new). It was purpose built for unhurried tactical situations involving predators - not unlike the kind that prowl the earth on two legs.

To quote some of the younger shooters that have seen it, "Wow, that's wicked cool!"

To which I say, "Naturally, I'm just an incredibly cool guy that lives in two very dangerous but separate worlds at the same time."



"In a different reality, I could have called you friend."
Original Star Trek series, 1966 - Balance of Terror.

I just wish someone could make a decent trigger for them.

Your gunsmith should be able to clean it up.

I'm mostly a traditionalist myself and never felt a need for any type of semi auto for hunting. MOF I'm just as comfortable with a single shot rifle.

However, I did take a few critters with my AR. Still maybe not my favorite platform, but hey I'm not complaining either.

That said, I bought a second AR, and will be toting it Sunday morning for deer.

It is a 450 Bushmaster and it is a LOT of fun........

I've never seen a trigger on an AR that I liked. I don't know the mechanics of the AR well but it's my understanding that the design doesn't lend itself to a good single stage trigger. I don't like two stage triggers.