Topgun 3006

Big Uncle---I thought I was the only one with your feelings towards ARs. Glad to hear you express your feelings and I'm in your corner 100% and will never touch one either!

d80hunter

I remember the type, the tactical AR guys hanging out at the 25 yard range and camped there till they ran out of ammo. It was an easy time getting to use the 100 and 200 yard ranges when those guys showed up. I remember those who owned the AR-15's that would jam every 3 rounds because they never maintained their rifles.

My military experience was very limited with the M-16 rifle and I always felt the same way as the OP about the AR-15 for many years. It wasn't until I became very experienced with shooting, hunting, and reloading with bolt action and lever action rifles that I re-introduced myself to the AR M-4 carbine variant just a week ago. The price was just too right and I bought one.

With all the gadgets one can put on the rifle, it is like a grown man's Barbie doll. I see why there is a large tacticool crowd who doesn't hunt or even shoot well. I can see why hunters and experienced marksmen think they are MEEHH. Oh well, to each their own, we live in the land of the free. But I can say one thing, I will be coyote hunting with it. It will not stay idle in the gun safe.

cjclemens

I used to work with a guy who was kind of the opposite. He did 3 tours in Iraq with the marines, and he had a hard time sleeping at night without his AR. It was almost like a grownup pacifier, I guess. He'd sleep like a baby as long as it was next to him (unloaded of course). If he woke up and it was out of reach, he had to put it back next to him and he was back to sleep no problems. I guess everyone handles it differently.

stalkingbear

I LOVE going coyote hunting with my exquisitely accurate bull barreled scoped AR! I was able to bust 3 coyotes out of a pack several years ago and that sold me on hunting coyotes with a AR! With 1 of my beloved bolt rifles I'd never have gotten over 1. Of course I set this 1 up specifically to do that, and it's a solid 1/2 moa performer with my handloads!

homers brother

Understandable.

And precisely why I won't own a Kalashnikov or anything that remotely LOOKS like a Kalashnikov or anything in 7.52x39 or 7.62x54R. Various versions of the M16/M4 kept me safe from them, so there's a place in my heart for the ugly black rifle.

And, while they're not usually my first choice, my ARs have spent time over prairie dog towns, coyote setups, and chasing spring turkeys. They're durable and, maintained like any other rifle should be, make a good "truck gun".

They do bring out the fool in many shooters (I did not say "marksmen"). When things got hot, we always used to stress that "one bullet, placed through the bad guy's forehead, will end every engagement favorably." That doesn't happen if you're ventilating the palm fronds and fig trees. Let those guys burn up the cheap steel-cased ammo in their tortured Bushmasters. What they don't learn with their brains they can learn with their wallets.

A rifle is simply a tool. Some day I'll maybe try to figure out why everyone buys those horrid-looking stainless-steel, black composite-stocked 700s and the like. Or, maybe I won't?

RWK

They make us hunters look Bad!

super_hunt54

Pardon you? I've been a hunter since before a majority of the people on this forum have been breathing. I own and use 3 AR's with a 4'rth coming soon. I use them for hog hunting. I would really like for you to explain that ridiculous comment there RWK. Just how in the world does a certain kind of rifle "make us hunters look bad". It's a semi automatic rifle. Plain and simple. Does someone using a Remington 750 make us look bad? It's a semi! Must be evil! Detachable magazine? Browning BAR .30/06 must be the devil's handiwork there! Because it was/is patterned off of a military rifle? Guess what, almost EVERY rifle, be it bolt action, semi, pump is patterned off a military action! It's comments like yours that make hunters look bad! Not the rifle they may or may not prefer.

cjclemens

So, I guess there's like 3 things we agree on. I just had this discussion with a cousin of mine. He uses his ruger ranch rifle for coyotes all the time and, without batting an eye, tells me my AR's are bad for hunting because they look more dangerous. I think I'm gonna stay outta this one because it looks like you already got it covered....and I'd get banned if I said what I was really thinking right now.

d80hunter

The Ruger ranch rifle is miniature M-14 and uses Garand style opertion. As previously said many popular firearm design had its time in service such as a Mauser style controlled round feed bolt action rifle that many hunters use.

Nomercy448

There was a time when I would get doors closed in my face when I asked for permission with an AR on my back. I can say that those days are over.

For a new hunting property, I USED to have the policy of taking a non-AR at first to make them comfortable. In the last few years, I've had farmers and ranchers ASK ME WHY I'M NOT USING AN AR-15!!! I own up to trying to keep them comfortable, and the response has been "bring out the AR and bring out a buddy with one too, I want you to kill every one of them you see!".

I've even had 3 farmer/ranchers ask me to build them AR's in the last 2yrs such that they could have their own - nobody takes away my permission, but they want to be able to run them off or kill them at any cost.

There was a time when AR's had a negative stigma with landowners. These days, I don't get that impression any more.