On average a good bolt gun is more accurate and can handle more powerful cartridges. I have grown more interested over the last 7 years or so when I discovered I could hunt deer with them with much less recoil from the 223, reasonable accuracy and a quick second shot if needed.

When it comes to firearms my first love is a well tuned bolt action; remington of course, with some good optics for long distance varminting. I really enjoy that and so do my hillbilly friends I run with.

I had always turned up my nose at the little plastic bb guns. I was not in combat arms so I never fooled with them in the military so I had no affection forced on me via a senior enlisted. I always viewed them as over priced and over engineered and less than robust.

The two things that seduced my mind was the accuracy and light weight, and of course no recoil. After a while it just kind of grew on me in my mind. I kinda got the disease. After I figured out that keeping them well lubed cured them of many ills I changed my way of thinking.

I would never have bought one at all except for a very good friend of mine who was a ranger in Vietnam, he had a great deal of faith in them and he liked being able to run like lightning with such a light weight weapon.

I still have not been converted to an AR-fanatic-addict and I still like having a cheap clunky romanian sar around.

Most are accurate enough and can be more accurate than the average bolt gun. With a few simple tools, anyone who can follow directions can change almost anything on their AR at home. They are reliable, safe, and extremely versatile. What's not to like about the AR platform?

When I was about 18, I traded a 222 bolt gun for a mini 14. Next thing I knew there was 3 of them in my family and we spent the next several years dumping thousands of rounds through them, laughing at the AR guys. We also quietly traded into several mini's trying to find one that was accurate, it never happened.

I finally tried a Colt at the reccomendation of a buddy (at the time there was Colt, Bushmaster and Armalite) and fell in love with it. My buddy taught me how they worked and how to work on them. Being able to set one up to fit me, being as accurate as a bolt gun (my first Colt shot 1/2" groups out of the box) and being 100% reliable sealed the deal. A second or thirtieth follow up shot was nice too.

Today I favor light bolt guns like the Kimber Montana but still have a few AR's and always will. When you need an AR, nothing else will do.

Rugged, reliable, accurate, simple, easily self smithed, differing calibers, shape shifting/customizable, modular, and quick follow up shots are among several characteristics that come to mind. Also they don't require babying and can be painted at will in any number of redneck camo patterns. They do get a demerit because they are a bit clunky and tall thru the mid section.

I never warmed up to the AR style for many years. Last Spring the local gun store had DPMS Oracles on sale for $598 with a $50 factory rebate. I always said IF I got an AR it would be a flat top and there they were at a good price. I mounted a EoTech sight on it and replaced the trigger with a single stage. For me it's plenty accurate (10 rounds total/5 rounds each of two different loads with different powders and same bullet into 3" @ 100 yards) with anything load I've shot so far.

Just because you can't shoot 3Gun without one. If it weren't for that I might not ever own one again.

Somewhat the same. I like military guns and their history though.

We shot the AR so many years in competition, some 20K rounds a year off and on from 1989 through about 2003, that the AR became like an extension. When bullets were good enough it was a no brainer... beware the man with one gun scenario.... They felt good, fit fine etc...( that was not the case on day 1 with the AR...)

ANd I became amazed how accurate they could be and amazed how small of gropus i could shoot out to 1000 at times with irons.

I will never get rid of mine though..... and while I don't actually hunt that often with them, bowing back to my bolt guns mostly at times, its not that I dont', I just like mixing it up. And lets face it I face some longer shots at times, other side of 200 all the time, often past 300 in a few areas, and I am not naive enough to say the 223 is the ticket at longer distance to take any shot that presents itself.... that falls to my 308 or larger.

Now meat hunting is totally different. Pig also. Without the AR I"d have had not nearly as large a number of dead ones at times... If I could ever find a sounder in an open field during daylight wiht at least a full 20 rounder and maybe a spare one... I'd really like to try that or helo's....Still waiting for my buddy to by a Robinson instead of renting....

Because I thought they was gonna tell me I couldn't have one.....

i like them cause they are modular and easy to tinker with...anyone with a few braincells can work on them and come up with decent results....

this I think is why a lot of people have them.

The 300 yard intermediate cartridge/rifle concept wass revolutionary all things considered. And now with new loads and or chamberings you can cross over from the intermediate concept to an almost full blown battle rifle; but in a feather weight little toy "plastic" carbine. An honest 500 yard killer. It is a concept hard to ignore, since all small arms are a compromise between this and that, I hate to admit it cuz I used to hate AR's but all things considered a proper AR seems to hit the sweet spot. Kinda like anything chambered in 6.5! LOL

I have several, but mostly use mine for Varmit hunting & Praire Dog shoots. The good ones are reliable and very accurate.

Also have just a standard M-4 version that stays strapped to the 4-wheeler at the Ranch. It has taken a lot of hogs and coyotes, and it's rugged & ugly, so I don't worry about it getting banged up.

I don't shoot 3G although they run them around here (Tarheel and some stuff at PSR37 called Friday Night Fights, Infidel League, etc) but I do shoot them in DMR matches. I guess you could say I shoot precision 2-gun. I shot them for years in the Army without wanting my own but when I started shooting PRS matches there were just not enough of them and DMR filled the void. Aside from that I don't actually love the AR.

this is why I bought my first one.....now buying parts and building different rifles is one of my new sports....I love 'em cause they
are FUN!

Because I suck at woodwork and like building things...

That sounds like a lot of fun.

I guess y'all do more intermediate range shooting, 100-500 yards?

I like it because it's an accurate and reliable rifle chambered in the .223.



Travis

Outshot everybody in my Basic Flight at Lackland the summer of '77 w wore out M16A1 and actual 5.56mm ball.

Carry itty bitty one every day at work.

Have several personal ones in various configurations.

Don't mind taking them out in bad weather.

Set em nose down on floor boards with no worries about crown damage.

Suppressor ready.

Just wish Daniel Defense would make a pencil 18-in. rifle-length tube w .223AI chamber...let the bodies hit the floor!

accurate, reliable, rugged, versatile, and American.

Same here. Now working on a third. Cheap to reload for too. More than accurate enough for my needs and very consistent in it's accuracy.

I just like the way they feel in the hand , the way they look and especially the way they group.

Grew up seeing our guys in Vietnam use them and then realized I could own the civilian version...if I had enough money, which was only about $375 at the time. Qualified Expert with the service version, just like Dad did with the Garand. Bought my first in 1982 and have had one almost continuously since then. They are light, accurate, fast-shooting and hold a lot of rounds. I have never owned one that jammed consistently. I see no reason not to like them.

I thought about buying one before the gun ban scare caused them to increase in price. Since then they have come way down in price and it seems that there is a lot more to chose from partswise.

I can't wait to finish my build and take it to the range. I told the wife she is going to love shooting my AR and I am sure there will be one in the not too distant future for her.

They are a nice distraction from my bolt guns.

This explanation fits best for me. I'd had a few mini-14's and liked their simplicity, but not their accuracy. The AR I picked up is a S&W M+P 15 and is one of the most consistently accurate rifles I've ever owned. I'd like to get another 1 or 2 AR's - 1 set up with a moderately heavy barrel of around 20", good trigger and decent scope. The other would be pretty much stock. A carbon copy of my current M+P 15 would suit me fine.

I like them because a popped primer can get under the trigger and make it inoperable.

That's how I got started. Then I found out my scores were much higher with one. Now I have four.

They are simply fun to shoot. I've never taken a shooter to the range and allowed them to play with mine and not have them eventually buy one.

because dummies like me can put one together that will shoot sub half moa groups and with multiple hits if needed rapidly.

enough different calibers these days to suit most peoples needs

my 16" 6.8 is very short for storage purposes and light enough for a small kid or female with low enough recoil for grandma to use. Dad can use the same package to take Mr deer to 350 with confidence

where else can you find a 31" package that can do so much accurately?

whats not to like? looks? yep they are ugly to some but function wins over beauty every time..

because being AR poor is more practical than being golf club poor.

Same here, I prefer accurate bolt guns but I won't sell the AR's anytime soon.

When I finally moved after '08, I managed to get a flat top shipped to the gunshop and out the door for 625.00, it shot 3/4" easily with 52's.

Number two is a WOA fluted 7 twist 20", Aero Precision matched upper/lower, RRA 2-stage, Midwest Industries SS tube, Magpul stock and DPMS Linea comp....it's fun!

I like it because I can work on them. They also have tons of options. They don't need things like glass bedding. Changing out parts is very simple. I also find I can shoot one better than a bolt gun in field posistions because of the vertical grip. The weakness they have is limited ability to accept longer cases than 223. Also the design of the gun was never around optics. Yes optics can be put on the gun but you need cantilever mounts and people want different mount heights with options being somewhat limited