[farmboy]

With all the hoopla lately about AR's, I started to explore the possibilities of owning one myself a few months ago. I had a collectible S&W sitting in the safe that I'd probably never fire again. It was worth about what a quality AR was worth before the panic, so I sold it to wait for the noise to quiet down.

When I went to my guy to ship it after the sale, he was curious about what I was going to buy with the money. I told him, and he said had one rifle left from a batch he'd built throughout last fall before the tragedy. He had built some Pin Guns that were national champ winners. He does good work, at least on 1911's, so he knows his stuff.

It was a 16" stainless, fluted, free floated, bull barreled rifle with an upscale trigger and some other fancy stuff, so I took it.

I didn't really like AR's. I had a Bushmaster AR "Shorty" some years ago, and it was miserable to shoot. The muzzle blast alone was enough to turn me away. This new rifle is a dream. It shoots easy. Trigger is crisp. ACCURATE to the nth degree. Charging handle pulls very smooth.

So, to you guys new to AR's- take it from me, another AR newbie, there IS a difference. Be patient, and find the rifle you want for a price you can afford. Now add $100-200. Just like me, you will be delighted. Patience pays off.