Area Man Swollows Pride

Shin-Tao · June 27, 2002, 08:03 AM

AREA MAN SWOLLOWS PRIDE

Established critic of Gene Stoner's AR action, Shin-Tao purchased a Bushmaster this week, a popular AR-15 clone. Sources say Shin-Tao purchased the rifle with little fanfare or celebration, contrasting with his behavior durring other firearms purchases.

Long a supporter of the Ruger Mini-14, it was a shock to those who know him when he suddenly sold the Mini and it's accessories. Many of his friends attempted to purchase his stocks of .223 ammunition, but Shin-Tao would not sell. When he was spotted weeks later with AR-15 magazines, many grew concerned, but no one imagined there would be such a dramatic reversal.

When questioned about this Clintonian flip-flop, Shin-Tao had this to say in his defense:
"Look. This doesn't mean I like the AR. But I was tired of playing the Mini's magazine game. Will this mag work? What kind of mag is that? Why won't this mag seat properly? So I sold it. As much as I dislike the direct gas system of the AR, I really like it's ergonomics and magazine well. If the butt-faces at Ruger would've put out factory 10-rounders, I might have held onto the Mini, but even then, I don't know. Magazine changers with a '16 or AR are simply faster for me."
Shin-Tao plans on test-firing the new carbine this weekend.

KSFreeman · June 27, 2002, 08:05 AM

No honest man needs a Ruger!

BigG · June 27, 2002, 09:23 AM

Good luck wit yer new toy!

RikWriter · June 27, 2002, 09:45 AM

Welcome to the darkside, son...once you go black, you never go back.

buzz_knox · June 27, 2002, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Welcome to the darkside, Son...once you go black, you never go back.

Groan. But, it had to be said.

Maybe next time he'll get wood . . . such as an M1A.

Beowulf_93 · June 27, 2002, 10:44 AM

I am having a similar problem w/ my Mini. I have looked for Thermold, USGI, & others, but the only hi-cap mags I have seen are USA, which are POS magazines. This problem is really going to hurt Ruger.

BusGunner007 · June 27, 2002, 10:50 AM

Beowulf_93:

There's only one thing to do...

AREA MAN SEEN WITH COMPANION AT RANGE THIS WEEKEND.

Cal4D4 · June 27, 2002, 10:55 AM

Special watch will be garrisoned along the California border to assure the people that only the Mini will cross with its guaranteed failure prone magazines. Mr Shin-Tao's mug will be posted and he will be subject to special (!!) searches if he attempts to enter the state illegally. He may have all the fun he wants, just not here.

Beowulf_93 · June 27, 2002, 11:30 AM

If I had my "druthers", I would like a new Armalite M-15 or an AR-180b, but I hear that they are on backorder for both. Does the AR-180b use the M16 mags?

ronin308 · June 27, 2002, 11:51 AM

Beowulf_93- The AR-180B uses standard M16/AR15 magazines.

Shin Tao- I had some problems with AR rifles in the past. My fiancee bought me a 16" carbine last Christmas and I fell in love with it. Just try to put your prejudices aside and see how the rifle works for you. The AR that I own now has been very reliable and accurate.

hksigwalther · June 27, 2002, 12:27 PM

I had reservations about the direct gas also. But having shot an AR at a CMP clinic, the gun was too easy to shoot not to have and bought one (then more). The direct gas, I had found, really does not get the action and receiver as dirty as I thought it would get. A little more than an FAL and the AK actions but nowhere near as dirty as the CETME/HK-9X guns.

nascarnhlnra · June 27, 2002, 01:51 PM

Congrats on the new Bushy I own a mini and plan to purchase a Bushy or an AR180B but I also plan to keep my mini, I have several perfectly functioning P.M.I.'s as well as a 20 round factory Ruger mag that all work great, they were pricey critters though but to me the gun is useless without the right mags.

BigG · June 27, 2002, 02:21 PM

Do you really think the US gomit would arm its boys with a weapon that was not the best?

Wait a minute - don't answer that!

(this is a yolk)

Shin-Tao · June 27, 2002, 08:39 PM

You fellas know where I can get those really long pipe cleaners for cleaning out the AR gas tube?

RikWriter · June 27, 2002, 08:57 PM

I haven't yet cleaned a gas tube on any of the ARs I've owned. I don't think it is necessary and it hasn't caused any problems for me.

Shin-Tao · June 27, 2002, 09:21 PM

It's quite possible such isn't needed. But I'm a neat freak when(and only when) it comes to my weapons.

So. You have any?

uglygun · June 27, 2002, 09:24 PM

Gastube? leave it alone.

Only time I've ever heard of anyone suggesting it be cleaned is after firing a LOT of 22lr. through their AR15 with one of the 22lr. conversion kits, their thinking was that it was remotely possible to get a little lead into the gas ports if you shot a whole mess of 22lr. But how did they suggest that the gas tube be cleaned out? By pumping some high pressure 223Rem through there after cleaning the bore with a brush, a couple hundred PSI should remove just about anything from the gastube.

Welcome to the club Shin-Tao.

Before you know it there will be a spare upper sitting in your safe, varmint configuration possibly. It will be as if it spontaneously appeared out of thin air. Then, next thing you know you'll be looking real closely at those accesories at all the gunshows like Ergo Grips and "gappers", maybe even tritium front posts and red dot sights.

Wish you luck with the rifle. My two bushmasters have been very good to me.

Quartus · June 27, 2002, 09:32 PM

Shin, the problems of the AR-15 are greatly exagerated. Lemme tell you a story. (Stolen from the M-16 Horror Story thread because I'm too lazy to retype it.)

While back I had a job that entailed wearing green a lot.

At Ft. Lewis one sunny afternoon I ran about 30 mags (20 rounders) through a service rifle with nary a hiccup.

Didn't clean it or lube it AT ALL during that session. Not too many troops on a battlefield have access to that many mags full of ammo. And, knowing who that rifle was issued to, I doubt it was clean when we started firing that day - we'd been in the field shooting blanks for a week. Those are notoriously dirty. Then we shot a standard qualification. Then we burned ammo rather than turning it back in. Somebody had ordered WAAAY too much! Oh, the sheer joy of dumping a full 20 rounder into the 25 meter target. From the hip. One long burst!

I'm sure glad I didn't have to clean that weapon! Seems mine was secured in a rack while we burned the ammo.

So, is it a perfect rifle? No, but I think you'll find it a lot more reliable than the Mini. The Mini just wasn't built to handle any considerable volume of fire.

Here are some interesting comments from someone much better qualified than I:

http://www.defense-training.com/quips/26Apr02.html

Safe shooting!

RikWriter · June 27, 2002, 09:34 PM

Shin, a good place to get pipecleaners is...unsurprisingly, a tobacco shop.

That's where I bought mine when I was in the Army.

Duke of Lawnchair · June 27, 2002, 09:35 PM

My post count isn't high, but I've been a lurker for quite some time now and am very familiar with Shin Tao's opinions concerning the ar15 rifles. All I have to say is this:

WOW

Jim

uglygun · June 27, 2002, 09:52 PM

Heh, Duke, if I ever transfer to CalPoly, I'll have to bring a few ARs with me. Lookin to be ready for a transfer in about 6 months, atleast that's when I'll be applying, hopefully spring quarter and if not then I'll shoot for summer.

Navy joe · June 27, 2002, 10:38 PM

Gas tube responds to carb cleaner for me, have on occasion plugged the chamber and gas tube and poured the bore full of copper solvent and left overnight, not much out of the gas tube. Mine has 8,000 rounds, no problemo.

Foxy · June 27, 2002, 11:14 PM

With my deepest apologies to Penny Arcade.

Shin-Tao · June 28, 2002, 12:00 AM

Yes, Duke. It is amazing. But logically, when calculating magazine availiabilty, politics of the various gunmakers, accessories, parts replacement, etc...I had no choice. But compaired to the 16A2 I had back in the day, this Bushy is a damn HK PSG-1. Smooth as glass.

Still waiting for George Hill to roll in here and behead me.

RikWriter · June 28, 2002, 01:06 AM

Just don't let George reassemble your buffer tube for you Shin...

June 27, 2002, 08:03 AM	#1
Shin-Tao Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Posts: 1,528	Area Man Swollows Pride AREA MAN SWOLLOWS PRIDE Established critic of Gene Stoner's AR action, Shin-Tao purchased a Bushmaster this week, a popular AR-15 clone. Sources say Shin-Tao purchased the rifle with little fanfare or celebration, contrasting with his behavior durring other firearms purchases. Long a supporter of the Ruger Mini-14, it was a shock to those who know him when he suddenly sold the Mini and it's accessories. Many of his friends attempted to purchase his stocks of .223 ammunition, but Shin-Tao would not sell. When he was spotted weeks later with AR-15 magazines, many grew concerned, but no one imagined there would be such a dramatic reversal. When questioned about this Clintonian flip-flop, Shin-Tao had this to say in his defense: "Look. This doesn't mean I like the AR. But I was tired of playing the Mini's magazine game. Will this mag work? What kind of mag is that? Why won't this mag seat properly? So I sold it. As much as I dislike the direct gas system of the AR, I really like it's ergonomics and magazine well. If the butt-faces at Ruger would've put out factory 10-rounders, I might have held onto the Mini, but even then, I don't know. Magazine changers with a '16 or AR are simply faster for me." Shin-Tao plans on test-firing the new carbine this weekend.

June 27, 2002, 09:45 AM	#4
RikWriter Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 1999 Posts: 2,104	Welcome to the darkside, son...once you go black, you never go back. Last edited by RikWriter; June 27, 2002 at 12:25 PM.

June 27, 2002, 02:21 PM	#13
BigG Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 1999 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 4,334	Tired of Hearing Bout AR15 Cons... Do you really think the US gomit would arm its boys with a weapon that was not the best? Wait a minute - don't answer that! (this is a yolk)

June 27, 2002, 09:35 PM	#20
Duke of Lawnchair Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 1999 Location: Kern County, CA Posts: 215	... My post count isn't high, but I've been a lurker for quite some time now and am very familiar with Shin Tao's opinions concerning the ar15 rifles. All I have to say is this: WOW Jim

June 27, 2002, 08:05 AM	#2
KSFreeman Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2001 Location: Lafayette, Indiana--American-occupied America Posts: 5,418	No honest man needs a Ruger!

June 27, 2002, 09:23 AM	#3
BigG Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 1999 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 4,334	Good luck wit yer new toy!

June 27, 2002, 10:44 AM	#6
Beowulf_93 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2002 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 221	I am having a similar problem w/ my Mini. I have looked for Thermold, USGI, & others, but the only hi-cap mags I have seen are USA, which are POS magazines. This problem is really going to hurt Ruger.

June 27, 2002, 10:50 AM	#7
BusGunner007 Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2001 Location: Upper Left Coast Posts: 2,116	Beowulf_93: There's only one thing to do... AREA MAN SEEN WITH COMPANION AT RANGE THIS WEEKEND.

June 27, 2002, 10:55 AM	#8
Cal4D4 Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2001 Location: southern california Posts: 679	Special watch will be garrisoned along the California border to assure the people that only the Mini will cross with its guaranteed failure prone magazines. Mr Shin-Tao's mug will be posted and he will be subject to special (!!) searches if he attempts to enter the state illegally. He may have all the fun he wants, just not here.

June 27, 2002, 11:30 AM	#9
Beowulf_93 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2002 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 221	If I had my "druthers", I would like a new Armalite M-15 or an AR-180b, but I hear that they are on backorder for both. Does the AR-180b use the M16 mags?

June 27, 2002, 11:51 AM	#10
ronin308 Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 2001 Posts: 1,977	Beowulf_93- The AR-180B uses standard M16/AR15 magazines. Shin Tao- I had some problems with AR rifles in the past. My fiancee bought me a 16" carbine last Christmas and I fell in love with it. Just try to put your prejudices aside and see how the rifle works for you. The AR that I own now has been very reliable and accurate.

June 27, 2002, 12:27 PM	#11
hksigwalther Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 1998 Location: NE OH, USA Posts: 3,198	I had reservations about the direct gas also. But having shot an AR at a CMP clinic, the gun was too easy to shoot not to have and bought one (then more). The direct gas, I had found, really does not get the action and receiver as dirty as I thought it would get. A little more than an FAL and the AK actions but nowhere near as dirty as the CETME/HK-9X guns.

June 27, 2002, 01:51 PM	#12
nascarnhlnra Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2002 Location: THE DEEP SOUTH USA Posts: 531	Congrats on the new Bushy I own a mini and plan to purchase a Bushy or an AR180B but I also plan to keep my mini, I have several perfectly functioning P.M.I.'s as well as a 20 round factory Ruger mag that all work great, they were pricey critters though but to me the gun is useless without the right mags.

June 27, 2002, 08:39 PM	#14
Shin-Tao Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Posts: 1,528	You fellas know where I can get those really long pipe cleaners for cleaning out the AR gas tube?

June 27, 2002, 08:57 PM	#15
RikWriter Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 1999 Posts: 2,104	I haven't yet cleaned a gas tube on any of the ARs I've owned. I don't think it is necessary and it hasn't caused any problems for me.

June 27, 2002, 09:21 PM	#16
Shin-Tao Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Posts: 1,528	It's quite possible such isn't needed. But I'm a neat freak when(and only when) it comes to my weapons. So. You have any?

June 27, 2002, 09:24 PM	#17
uglygun Senior Member Join Date: March 27, 2001 Location: Cowpie Ca Posts: 552	Gastube? leave it alone. Only time I've ever heard of anyone suggesting it be cleaned is after firing a LOT of 22lr. through their AR15 with one of the 22lr. conversion kits, their thinking was that it was remotely possible to get a little lead into the gas ports if you shot a whole mess of 22lr. But how did they suggest that the gas tube be cleaned out? By pumping some high pressure 223Rem through there after cleaning the bore with a brush, a couple hundred PSI should remove just about anything from the gastube. Welcome to the club Shin-Tao. Before you know it there will be a spare upper sitting in your safe, varmint configuration possibly. It will be as if it spontaneously appeared out of thin air. Then, next thing you know you'll be looking real closely at those accesories at all the gunshows like Ergo Grips and "gappers", maybe even tritium front posts and red dot sights. Wish you luck with the rifle. My two bushmasters have been very good to me.

June 27, 2002, 09:32 PM	#18
Quartus Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2001 Location: Virginia Posts: 3,823	Shin, the problems of the AR-15 are greatly exagerated. Lemme tell you a story. (Stolen from the M-16 Horror Story thread because I'm too lazy to retype it.) While back I had a job that entailed wearing green a lot. At Ft. Lewis one sunny afternoon I ran about 30 mags (20 rounders) through a service rifle with nary a hiccup. Didn't clean it or lube it AT ALL during that session. Not too many troops on a battlefield have access to that many mags full of ammo. And, knowing who that rifle was issued to, I doubt it was clean when we started firing that day - we'd been in the field shooting blanks for a week. Those are notoriously dirty. Then we shot a standard qualification. Then we burned ammo rather than turning it back in. Somebody had ordered WAAAY too much! Oh, the sheer joy of dumping a full 20 rounder into the 25 meter target. From the hip. One long burst! I'm sure glad I didn't have to clean that weapon! Seems mine was secured in a rack while we burned the ammo. So, is it a perfect rifle? No, but I think you'll find it a lot more reliable than the Mini. The Mini just wasn't built to handle any considerable volume of fire. Here are some interesting comments from someone much better qualified than I: http://www.defense-training.com/quips/26Apr02.html Safe shooting!

June 27, 2002, 09:34 PM	#19
RikWriter Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 1999 Posts: 2,104	Shin, a good place to get pipecleaners is...unsurprisingly, a tobacco shop. That's where I bought mine when I was in the Army.

June 27, 2002, 09:52 PM	#21
uglygun Senior Member Join Date: March 27, 2001 Location: Cowpie Ca Posts: 552	Heh, Duke, if I ever transfer to CalPoly, I'll have to bring a few ARs with me. Lookin to be ready for a transfer in about 6 months, atleast that's when I'll be applying, hopefully spring quarter and if not then I'll shoot for summer.

June 27, 2002, 10:38 PM	#22
Navy joe Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2001 Location: VA, USA Posts: 1,804	Gas tube responds to carb cleaner for me, have on occasion plugged the chamber and gas tube and poured the bore full of copper solvent and left overnight, not much out of the gas tube. Mine has 8,000 rounds, no problemo.

June 28, 2002, 12:00 AM	#24
Shin-Tao Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Posts: 1,528	Yes, Duke. It is amazing. But logically, when calculating magazine availiabilty, politics of the various gunmakers, accessories, parts replacement, etc...I had no choice. But compaired to the 16A2 I had back in the day, this Bushy is a damn HK PSG-1. Smooth as glass. Still waiting for George Hill to roll in here and behead me.

June 28, 2002, 01:06 AM	#25
RikWriter Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 1999 Posts: 2,104	Just don't let George reassemble your buffer tube for you Shin...