All AR's are not the same; my beginner's story.

farmboy · April 1, 2013, 09:59 PM

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.

tahunua001 · April 1, 2013, 10:13 PM

agreed. with AKs it's easy to judge one based on experience with another but with ARs there is just no comparison between a cookie cutter and a custom build.

BillyJack3 · April 2, 2013, 11:17 AM

Good advice and from a perspective that's often not told. When AR comparisons are done, much of the discussion revolves around mil-spec tolerances, twist rates, barrel treatment or coating and steel strength. While it all plays in the quality of an AR, there is a lot to be said by simply stating that the shooting experience of a cheap AR is not equal to that of a quality build (notice I didn't say expensive).

April 1, 2013, 09:59 PM	#1
farmboy Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2001 Location: Iowa Posts: 261	All AR's are not the same; my beginner's story. 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. Last edited by farmboy; April 1, 2013 at 11:02 PM.

April 1, 2013, 10:13 PM	#2
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	agreed. with AKs it's easy to judge one based on experience with another but with ARs there is just no comparison between a cookie cutter and a custom build. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

April 2, 2013, 11:17 AM	#3
BillyJack3 Senior Member Join Date: May 2, 2012 Posts: 423	Good advice and from a perspective that's often not told. When AR comparisons are done, much of the discussion revolves around mil-spec tolerances, twist rates, barrel treatment or coating and steel strength. While it all plays in the quality of an AR, there is a lot to be said by simply stating that the shooting experience of a cheap AR is not equal to that of a quality build (notice I didn't say expensive).