An AR observation...(your opinion may differ).

[kymasabe]

Personally, I like the AR platform, the ability to customize and make a gun as individual as the shooter, the modularity is great. Most times however, I find I enjoy hunting down the parts and building the gun more than I enjoy shooting it. No matter how "pretty" it is, I can never seem to get attached to one. Yet, I have cheap rifles that I've had for decades that I'd never consider selling, and while sitting here thinking about it, realized the few I really keep, all have wood stocks. There's something to be said about the warmth of a nice wooden stock.
Anyone have an AR they absolutely love and will keep forever? Or are most of you of my mindset, it's just a tool, something to be bought, sold, or traded when bored, which happens fairly often for me.

[HWS]

I love mine and I love to shoot mine. But I understand loving to buy parts and tinker also. Maybe one reason is I upgraded my buffer spring and buffer to lessen felt recoil so it is a pleasure to shoot now, new trigger, better sights---it is all fun to shoot.

[zincwarrior]

There is something to be said for good wood furniture.

[Nathan]

I have 3 custom AR’s. All by me. Even though they are all top quality builds, i’m guessing that their retail value is $0, or at least 1/2 what I value them at.

Their tacticool value is minimal. I will just try to wear them out myself and give to one of my children, or grandchildren someday!

[Mobuck]

"No matter how "pretty" it is, I can never seem to get attached to one."

I don't do "pretty" much when it comes to guns and never when an AR is involved. I carry a "functional" AR year round (one for winter and one for summer)and usually clean each once a year (when it goes into storage). "Pretty" doesn't fair well under those conditions.
The primary criteria is that they go bang when needed and send bullets where I aim.

[PushPuller]

I love both of mine.... but have loved other guns more. Im a huge fan of wood furniture and until recently that wasn't an option for ARs. Iv really been curious how nice the wood furniture sets are and have been thinking about picking a set up
.

[kymasabe]

Originally Posted by Mobuck

"No matter how "pretty" it is, I can never seem to get attached to one."

I don't do "pretty" much when it comes to guns and never when an AR is involved. I carry a "functional" AR year round (one for winter and one for summer)and usually clean each once a year (when it goes into storage). "Pretty" doesn't fair well under those conditions.
The primary criteria is that they go bang when needed and send bullets where I aim.

All my AR's are fully functional and reliable as a primary requirement. By "pretty" I meant I spent way too much time and money on matching FDE components, wanted to dress it up a little. But in the end, didn't make it any more keepable than any other AR in the stable. If anything, it made it easier to sell, and I keep going back to my beater Anderson-lower built carbine. Short, light, simple, rugged.

[imashooter]

I have many (arguably) firearms but have never got emo with any. Perhaps excluding the one I bed down with.

[zukiphile]

Originally Posted by k

All my AR's are fully functional and reliable as a primary requirement. By "pretty" I meant I spent way too much time and money on matching FDE components, wanted to dress it up a little. But in the end, didn't make it any more keepable than any other AR in the stable. If anything, it made it easier to sell, and I keep going back to my beater Anderson-lower built carbine. Short, light, simple, rugged.

I am exactly the opposite. I start with cheap lowers and uppers to begin my tinkering. By the time I get it just so, the market value is minimal, but you'd have to pry them from my dead cold hands.

My peculiarity, the one pertinent here anyway, is that once I have it done my focus wonders to the next project. This calls into question what I'm really doing building them in the first place.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I’m slightly more attached to my ARs than I am to my Glocks or my Phillips screwdriver set. It’s a tool; but I can appreciate a good set-up.

[rickyrick]

I own several ARs. I’ve only ever owned one of any other type of firearm at a time.

No AR is a favorite rifle.
An AR is a fork, like the other forks... they go in the fork drawer.
A favorite gun is like a wedding fork, pretty and unique; doesn’t get lumped in with the regular forks.

[stagpanther]

I have the same problem--I can never seem to grow attached to just one.

[HiBC]

Interesting.

I suppose I have developed familiarity and confidence with some firearms. Some I have enough history with to remember the time when....As a symbol or touchstone.

But this stuff of Love,emotion,bonding???? Are you sure?

Seems a bit odd to me.

If your AR does not make it for you...Have you considered a good dog? A Brittany can be very nice.

Hmmm. Of course...if you married your AR-15,Society might feel differently about breaking you apart.

Do you feel like listening to Hank Williams if Seri and Alexis ignore you?

I just don't know how to go where you are. Perhaps that part of me has been broken by all the guns I've had to sell.....I've become desensitized...jaded...unbondable.

Its ALMOST enough to make me watch a Woody Allen movie. Almost.

But no...I think maybe "The Wild Bunch" or "Last Man Standing"would be better. With a steak and a beer.

OK,OK I confess!! After I received my Garand, I slept with it beside me,under a green GI wool blanket (but it was quiet out there...too quiet!),and drank instant coffee out of a canteen cup in the morning.It was our honeymoon.And,things DO get complicated when the cloned 1903A4 is in my lap....

I suppose I could go on about the field stripping and linseed oil...but some things a gentleman does not discuss.

As far as getting more satisfaction from acquiring and assembling the parts vs shooting the results later.. ....I've heard folks say similar things about ...well,other matters.Not seriously,of course. Sleep deprivation does curious things.

[9x19]

Unless it's a family heirloom, I hold no serious attachments to any of my tools, be they firearms or combination wrenches.

The only center fire rifles I kept in my personal downsizing were AR15s. They do what I need and are versatile enough to evolve if my needs change.

Still, just like the bolt and lever guns, they are just tools.

[stagpanther]

Interesting.

I suppose I have developed familiarity and confidence with some firearms. Some I have enough history with to remember the time when....As a symbol or touchstone.

But this stuff of Love,emotion,bonding???? Are you sure?

Seems a bit odd to me.

If your AR does not make it for you...Have you considered a good dog? A Brittany can be very nice.

Hmmm. Of course...if you married your AR-15,Society might feel differently about breaking you apart.

Do you feel like listening to Hank Williams if Seri and Alexis ignore you?

I just don't know how to go where you are. Perhaps that part of me has been broken by all the guns I've had to sell.....I've become desensitized...jaded...unbondable.

Its ALMOST enough to make me watch a Woody Allen movie. Almost.

But no...I think maybe "The Wild Bunch" or "Last Man Standing"would be better. With a steak and a beer.

OK,OK I confess!! After I received my Garand, I slept with it beside me,under a green GI wool blanket (but it was quiet out there...too quiet!),and drank instant coffee out of a canteen cup in the morning.It was our honeymoon.And,things DO get complicated when the cloned 1903A4 is in my lap....

I suppose I could go on about the field stripping and linseed oil...but some things a gentleman does not discuss.

As far as getting more satisfaction from acquiring and assembling the parts vs shooting the results later.. ....I've heard folks say similar things about ...well,other matters.Not seriously,of course. Sleep deprivation does curious things.
Last edited by HiBC; Yesterday at 08:49 PM.

[Charlie98]

My first AR was a box stock Colt H-Bar that I bought when I got out of the Army. It closely resembles my service rifle, so it holds a special place in my heart, but aside from that, it's an excellent rifle and worthy of taking up safe space.

My second AR is a build that has morphed a few times, and probably will again. If I had to sell all my ARs but one... this is the one I would keep. It's built with everything I want, nothing I don't.

The rest of my ARs are redundant, I could sell them or not.

For that matter, about 80% of the firearms in my safe are there to stay. I've got a few I may or may not rotate, but by and large, each of those pieces in the safe have a value to me more than the sum of their parts.

[Skans]

Their tacticool value is minimal. I will just try to wear them out myself and give to one of my children, or grandchildren someday!

I have two custom AR builds. One has an Echo trigger in it and the other one has the Franklin Binary Trigger (2nd Gen). The Echo is the more reliable trigger in binary mode. Both of these guns are very fun to shoot. I too, however, doubt that I would get 50% of what I have into them should I decide to sell them. But, both really are nice AR's. Nice to look at and nice to shoot.

[imashooter]

Ok, ok. Admittedly, I do have affection for my old Norinco 1911. There, I said it.

[WV_gunner]

I’m not an AR fan, just not something I’d want. I’ve always said I’d want a wood stock on one. Now that I’ve discovered the .357 Maximum Rimless cartridge I want one.

[Dragline45]

I think the AR is the best rifle platform every created personally. Cheap, easy to assemble, very accurate, reliable, light recoil, endless amounts of options. I can swap barrel lengths and setups in a few seconds by pushing a pin and swapping uppers. If I shoot out a barrel I can replace it cheaply and easily, where as on an AK for example its a much harder process and can only be done a limited number of times. There are a small handfull of rifles I implicitly trust as a true self defense rifle, and besides the AR and AK's the rest are double the price or more. I wouldn't trade my BCM AR's for anything and they are easily my favorite rifles and the ones I can truly trust to work when I need them to.

[bfoosh006]

I have a "few" AR's ... IMHO, the most accurate ones are the ones I am very fond of.

Next build buy a Criterion barrel to install, lap the front upper receiver face flat , glue it in with Loctite 609... the increased accuracy will make it a keeper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=P...&v=XHxU8VUAHOY

[RickB]

I like my AR as an implement, and appreciate its development and history, but do not have much of an attachment to it.

[Skans]

AR's seem a bit crude to me. I have several, but here is what I don't like about them:
1. I don't like the way the two receivers go together - not a big deal; just don't care for the design - seems clunky to me

2. I don't like the bolt carrier handle

3. I don't like the buffer-tube assembly which seems to add unnecessary length to the platform.

4. I'm not crazy about how the steel pins fit into the aluminum receiver

5. I don't like the way several of the tiny steel springs fit into the aluminum receiver.

[BBarn]

I don't mind #1 much, but I agree with you on the rest.

The AR was more or less State of the Art 50 years ago. A way to make a cheap military rifle. Reliability came a little afterward.

Today it's a proven design loved by many. Still can be had relative!y cheap. Or you can spend more and get better performance.

They do nothing for me. I don't like the look, feel, or design.

[rickyrick]

Buffer tube and charging handle setup really hamstringed what could have the awesome potential of the AR. As good as they are, they could have been so much better.

Edit to add:
I don’t claim to know of another way to do it, lol