AR-15 The Most Versatile Rifle Ever???

8

8200 rpm

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-Plinking,
-CQB,
-varmint shooting,
-infantry combat,
-bench shooting,
-home/ranch defense,
-DCM target shooting,
-law enforcement carbine,
-3 gun matches...

-flat trajectory,
-low cost ammo,
-availability of spare parts,
-low recoil to train newbies,
-endless amounts of upper receiver configurations,
-several trigger options...

Can any other rifle do this? AK, Mauser 98, FAL, Win M70, 10/22, Rem M700, SKS
 
Hey, no need to run just yet....I will agree, AR's are great. When you want to mess up someone day bring an AR
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or something like this
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But if you cared at all you would send the best
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Just have a well rounded collection, .223, .308 and maybe a few 7.62X39.....Just in case

Karsten
 
lonegunman- I'm a big fan of the M-14, M1A, and M1 Garand as well, but you have to admit they are too much gun for 99% of varmint and L.E. applications. And I definitely ain't going house-to-house and CQB with an 8 shot mag that can't be topped off. ;)

The AR is a real jack of all trades, it may not be the best rifle available for any one purpose, but it does most things well enough to be my first choice.
 
Too bad its not the most reliable...

An SUV is "versatile" as far as some folks are concerned.
Mouse guns, mouse cars.
The Ar15 is the SUV of the gun world. Ideal for soccer moms...
:barf:

I find my 30-06 and my 3/4 ton Chevy 4X4 truck very versatile.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
 
Well, I read the list a couple of times, and except for close quarters combat, I see no reason for any particular excitement about either gun or cartridge as compared to a bolt-action .30-'06.

The '06 is a far more versatile cartridge. For instance, a round lead ball and five grains weight of any shotgun or pistol powder make a good squirrel load. Varmint bullets from 80 to 110 grains tend to make a red spray out of jackrabbits and are generally ruinacious on coyotes. 150s or 165s for deer; 180s for elk. 220s for moose, for that matter.

I fail to see any value to "-endless amounts of upper receiver configurations,". I'd rather have my mind all made up before the firefight...And I'd rather have a shotgun, anyway, if it's a home defense situation...

I'd sure hate to have to butt-stroke a close-up fella with an AR-15! :D

As usual,

Art
 
Hey RPM,

I have two ARs with heavy target barrels, one in 223 and the other in 7.62X39. They're neat to have, I don't get delusional about them. If I could only have one long arm, I would have to go with Art - make it a shotgun with different shells. I think my Mossberg 500 with a 20 inch cyl. bore barrel that holds eight rounds would be my choice. Hey, the AR is cute.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile
 
Umm, guys, re: the shotgun argument...reread the topic of the thread. It's "The most versatile RIFLE ever?" not "The most versatile LONGGUN ever?"
Gotta disagree on the 30-06 thing too...yes, it's versatile for hunting, but I wouldn't want to clear a building with it.
 
AR-15? I doubt it. You can hunt with it - sure. But not something bigger than 200 pounds... or tough... or carniverous... or armored... or at a distance... I could go on. To be truely Versatile - You need to be able to fire a .30 caliber bullet of various types and weights. You want something that can handle Moose, Bear, Badger, Boar, Chuck, Buck... from 50 to 500.

No - You can't do that with an AR. Sure you could kill a bear with a .223 - if you hit it often enough, but thats not the point of hunting is it?

If versatile means Cops and Cans - sure the AR will do if your not that concerned with reliability. I'll give the AR points for its Ergo and its Accuracy. But thats it.

You want Versatile? I got your versatile right here:
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If you are not the Lever Action type - there are several other options. Automatics like the BAR and such. Pump actions, Bolt actions... Truely versatile rifles that you can trust to reach out and do the job.
 
put a 458 socom upper on the AR and make the bears consider the next turn of Shiva's wheel
 
Quite the sh!t stirrer, aren't I? Lot of people just hate AR15's.

As far as lever actions, I don't think there is anything wrong with them for their intended purpose. But come on, can you imagine arming the Marines with them. We'd be the laughing stock of the free world.

Art, you are absolutely correct about the versatility of the 30-06 and having a weapon configured before a fire fight. But surely, I do not think that the AR can do ALL things simultaneouly.

I am just saying is that the AR can be more things than any other single rifle. MODULAR.

Oh, and one more thing to add to my original list...

-Light machinegun. Sure, Colt/Canadian heavy barrel upper, full auto trigger group (w/ Class III, of course), and a bag full of Beta C-mags.
 
The AR probably IS the most versatile weapon on the market. THIS DOES NOT MEAN IT IS THE MOST VERSATILE DESIGN! In fact, theoretically, the FAL can be modified in every way the AR can, but the parts are just not out there for that.
 
I think the Timberwolf Pump 357Mag rifle is. Or the 1894 Marlin.

The reason is, the 357Mag is a man stopper, it will drop anything within 100 yards short of a cape buffalo. It's cheap, it will go in pistols as well as rifles, and you can carry a revolver + a rifle with the same round; in a rifle though, the round becomes a whole new badboy.

I'm a big fan of the 357Mag.

Albert
 
ARs? From what little I post on this forum it should by now already be known that I love the things.



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For what can't be done with a 223Rem AR15 or the wide range of custom chamberings based off of that magazine size and lower receiver, I've got my AR10 for extended versatility.



Can't wait to get one of those Tromix uppers, I'm thinking about either a 440Corbon or a 50AE upper where those two chamberings are approaching 45-70 level power after coming out of an 18-20 inch barrel.


The AR10 is gonna have a few chamberings done up some day, 243Winchester is planned as well as a 260Rem upper. And now people are looking into the possibility of a 300Winchester Short Magnum chambering for the AR10 so that should get really interesting as well.




As far as the whole versatility thing. I just look at the AR family as the Thompson Contender or Encore of the semiauto world. The similarity is striking in that respect. Then ofcourse there's the ability of taking one lower receiver from a defensive carbine setup to a long range varmint setup with just the simple switching of upper assemblies, I love that fact.


Yep, definitely love the AR design. Mine have proven to be quite reliable too.
 
It is a weapon system that has been in continuous use for, what, almost 40 years now? More than 40? Something like that. If it was NOT exceedingly versatile, I would be shocked. Basically, the more mature the system (this works for planes, too...look at what the B-52 airframe has been made to do...high level penetration, low level penetration, nuclear bombing, conventional bombing, cruise missile carrier, shipkiller with 16 harpoon missiles, etc etc etc), the more bugs have been worked out and the more tasks it has been modified to perform.

I'll second what Dangus said on the FAL...if .308 had not fallen out of favor, I'll bet it would be just as heavily modified and flexible.

Mike
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a 64 gr. bullet traveling at 3100+ fps have enough power for long range hunting and for penetrating plenty of thick surfaces? Why wouldn't it? I thought they used .223 rifles in some of the wars too.,..
 
You dont like Levers?
Fine: How about the Remington 7400?
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Or what about the sexy Browning BAR?
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Or the forgoten HK SL7
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There are many options for truely versatile rifles that are in seriousely versatile calibers.
Being able to bolt on aftermarket gadgets onto your rifle with out a gunsmith is not the defining trait of a versatile rifle. Gimme a break. If that was true with cars then the Honda Civic and the Ford Mustang are the Most Versatile Cars you could buy! Never mind they lack the capacity and power of something truelly versatile like an F150... Jeep Wagoneer... Toyota Tundra... Land Rover Discovery or Defender... Even a little S-10 or Ranger.
"Oh the AR is MODULAR!" Yeah - but not by design - but by creative aftermarketers making a buck and magazines that sell subscriptions and advertising trying to convince you that your nice light little handy toy .223 just has to have so many bolt on devices that it can often double in weight, and become awkward to use. Back to a car analogy - its more of an East LA Low Rider than a versatile rifle.
 
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