Thursday, September 26, 2013

AR-15s In The News

Loved the last paragraph from Herschel Smith, even if I don't necessarily agree with it: AK-47s are also in the news and you can read about it if you wish (I have shot the AK-47 before and I think it’s an imprecise, rattling clanker), but around here we speak the name of Eugene Stoner with hushed, reverential awe and respect. If you say anything bad about Eugene Stoner or AR-15s you will be banned for life and imprecatory prayers will be spoken about you and your children’s children.

8 comments:

Rhodes said...

Saw enough of the Stoner rifle working for Uncle back in the 70s.
Will never use another if any choice remains opens.
I imagine neither will those that survived the Battle of Wanat.

Anonymous said...

Yes well...Having had my comment deleted by the authors on their web sight for not building an alter to their god the "Great And Powerful AR" I agree with you Rhodes..And for the same reasons. AR rifle's SUCK. They cannot be made to Not Suck. People have tried for 55 years to make ARs Not-suck. They have all failed.--Ray

Rhodes said...

The stoner is a decent design, only decent not a rifle meca. My x39 Russian AKs all shoot under 4 MOA the 308 variant under 3 MOA. Brass mil-surp used in both. Yeah I can find 6 MOA AKs out there and I can find jam-o-matic ARs. Which would one wish in their hands when it counted?

Last time I looked under 4 MOA was the standard for the M1 Grande and no one says much bad about that rifle.

Anonymous said...

Yes I understand the logistics of citizen owned ARs, and like any other mechanical device, one must insure that all of its internal ducks must me lined up in a row so as to maximize its reliable function. After years of giving rifle instruction to many shooting students in fundamentals+, and most recently watching 2 different ARs brought by the same individual, one right after the other, malfunctioning, and required being pulled off the line for, ah, maintenance. This triggered a thought in my mind and I will forever refer to them as the Almost Rifle. Yeah this is just for my mind being a .30 kind of guy who sees the needs and benefits of 500-600+ capability. Please do pardon my pontification because YMMV.

Liberty Clause

Charles N. Steele said...

Everyone who thinks ARs and Kalashnikovs are no good is absolutely right, they're useless junk. So send yours to me, I'll be happy to get them off your hands.

Paul X said...

"He says he is not proud of what he was forced to do, but added sometimes “you’ve got to.”"

I can never understand apologizing for successfully defending yourself or your family. Way too much bootlicking for my taste.

Happy D said...

Where I work I tell potential customers how to maintain the AR system based on the advice of the only two Vietnam Vets I know who do not hate the rifle. Both were of course very self motivated individuals who did not have to be made to clean and care for their rifles.

1. Keep your AR clean. In a combat zone you will have to field strip it and clean it every morning and every night minimum. More if you are using it.
2. Keep it properly lubricated.
The problem is properly lubricated is defined by the environment more in AR series rifles than any other gun I know of.
For example if you use heavy amounts of lubricant here in the Rockies. As is the current AR-aholic method of greasing the inherent design short comings of the AR. Dust can be blown to the lubricant jamming the rifle or a cold snap can freeze the lubricant and thus rifle shut. An event that can and does happen simultaneously here in the mountains west of the continental divide.
My vet friends recommend a light coat of lubricant on all internal parts.
3. You will have to protect it from damage. My vet friends would cradle their M-16 rifles while they slept to protect them from the environment. This also kept the rifle close in an emergency.
The AR platform is fragile compared to most other combat rifle designs.

At this point in my professional gunsmithing career I have repaired more AR pattern guns than most AR-philes have handled in their lives.

Customers who follow this advice I rarely see for major service.
The others pay a minimum of $50 to fix their problems.

Happy D said...

Sorry, I forgot to mention this last time I was here and this should be mentioned every time anyone adopts or advocates .233 firearms.

The FBI has apparently forgotten the lessons learned from the 1986 FBI Miami shootout. For those not familiar with this event I shall sum it up.

While trying to apprehend two suspected bank robbers the FBI stakeout team was almost wiped out by the bank robbers.
Despite outnumbering them 4 to 1 the FBI team lost two members and three were seriously injured.
Only one of the agents was uninjured.
The only reason the FBI stakeout team got off so lightly was that the bank robbers rifle a mini 14 a more reliable yet less accurate .223 caliber firearm’s bullets disintegrated or deflected off the glass of the cars involved in the event.

One ballistics expert has claimed that had the lowlifes had used an M1 carbine firing it’s less than impressive round instead most of the FBI team would have been killed.

While todays .223 bullets are much better than the rounds available in 1986 the basic instability of the .223 bullet and its inability to “Buck Brush” let alone an amorphous solid like glass remains.

If the FBI has forgotten the lessons of 1986 the rest of us should not.

It could give the bad guys the advantage next time.