Observations after 4 years of absence on the forums

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My hobbies often swing between rifles and cars. I was living in the city and going to graduate school for the last 2 years so I got an old turbo diesel Benz to work on in (I left my reloading equipment behind when I moved), leaving me quite AWOL from all the gun boards.

That said, I'm back. It's interesting to see how half the threads are about AR variant rifles. When I was last very active, it was mostly bolt and levergun talk. I guess that's a really good indicator of what new shooters are choosing these days.

It's always easier to see these types of trends when you are absent and come back, vs slowly boiling in the pot! :D
 
You have certainly pegged the trend - I own both (the paramilitary AR/ 1911 stuff and the quintessential blued steel/ nice wood bolts and levers (even a Sharps falling block). I like all of it but I really like shooting the old designs - probably due to my older age. Anyway, welcome back and congrats on your schooling.
 
The AR has certainly reached a level of popularity that Stoner himself couldn't have predicted. There's a lot to like about them, but the two largest factors in the recent explosion of that market have been the constant idle threats to ban EBRs, and the drop in price to the point where one can assemble a basic carbine for barely more than the price of a halfway decent rimfire autoloader. Once into the game, it becomes an addiction, and the initial attraction of low entry price point gives way to appreciating the real benefits in the weapon's modularity and customizability.
 
Oddly I feel like I'm a few years ahead of the trend. I was posting mostly about ars 5+ yrs ago but past five years my time and posts have probably been 80% bolt guns as the precision rifle series has made bolt gun shooting fun and competitive.

I think the trend you're seeing is price related. Ar used to be a premium carbine or rifle and a good one was $1100 while a decent rem700 was much less. with the rumors of rem700 quality issues the popular bolt guns are $1300-1500 and you can get a decent ar for under half that.

Another thing to consider is that in the past four years there have been a TON of new gun owners and they're not buying bolt guns... They're not hunters.
 
Things have changed a lot. I rarely comment and never post a new topic, as I am interested to see what the younger members are discussing and commenting on. I am about to build #26 AR, so I got hooked on the AR's a long time ago.

I guess I am a lurker, but I do occasionally do try to offer some input. This is my go to site though.
 
there have been a TON of new gun owners and they're not buying bolt guns... They're not hunters.

I'm an old school hunter, but there are fewer of us. I also own and shoot AR's so I don't consider myself a Fudd. But hunting is still my primary purpose for owning a rifle.

While AR's certainly have gained in popularity I still see a lot of interest in bolt guns. But not for hunting. Many more interested in precision bolt rifles that aren't necessarily the best choice for hunting.
 
AR rifles are even more popular than what is represented on this site. THR skews older than average shooter.
 
I'd buy that. When i go to the range, I see a fairly clear demarcation in age groups and hardware. The 40+ crowd is far more than half "traditional" guns, while the under 40 crowd is 75% AR or AK, but with a dominance by the AR.

I don't think it inherently good or bad, it just is. I'm sure back when the 10/22 began gaining popularity, some complained it was too new-fangled, burned too much ammo or just looked "wrong".
 
I'm still in my (late) 20's and I really like the classics. 357 mag is my favorite caliber for sure, so easy to load over a large range of power levels for a large range of uses.

Other people my age, especially the guys who are first time gun buyers from families that didn't have a tradition of firearm ownership kind of make me nervous. Creless handling, alcohol on the range, etc, etc.

Cringeworthy activity that fuels the legislative push to ban/restrict firearms.
 
re: safety, my experience is that the new shooters in the tacticool and competiton crowd are very safety conscious. they are aware of the 4 rules and practice them. they may look goofy and have a seemingly insatiable desire for accessorizing, but as a group, they are probably the safest i've seen.
 
Hopefully this is the case elsewhere, in my experience on the left coast, I have seen a lot of carelessness. So much so I won't go shooting at the popular shooting spots in the national forests on weekends. Lots of trash and alcohol.

At ranges or clubs it's better I'm sure. I have a private range now, so I don't frequent ranges or clubs. Haven't been since 2008, really.

But, YMMV.
 
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I finally broke down and bought my first AR a few months ago. The prices finally dropped to where I couldn't resist ($500 for a base gun that was exactly how I wanted it). Before that I'd been an AK and historic firearms guy. Well, I'll say this after fully customizing it: the AR is nice, but I'm still very much on the fence of whether I like it or my AK better. The thing I miss most about the AK is its quick-change optics. The AR charging handle seems a little wonky to me, too, as a lefty (it's a right-hand upper, and even with an "ambi" handle there's still the forward assist in the way).
 
Another thing to consider is that in the past four years there have been a TON of new gun owners and they're not buying bolt guns... They're not hunters.

This is true. For better or worse, the AR boom is fueled by the perception/fear there will be internal warfare or at least some sort of civil unrest in the US in the not too distant future.

Figuring out how to shoot white tails with your AR is a decidedly secondary concern.
 
Once into the game, it becomes an addiction

Like chips, you can't have just one...

colonelhogan44, I'm also from the west coast and I've seen some questionable safety stuff too. I've stopped shooting at "public" ranges and now only shoot at the gunclub.

dakota1911 I like the look of that Ruger No.1
 
Over the past four years one of the biggest trends I've noticed is the growing number of women shooters. Back in the day it was an almost exclusive men's sport. Not any more. I'd say 30% of the shooters on the firing line are now women at the ranges I visit. I hope this trend continues.
Here on THR the AR has grown in popularity. That's not a bad thing either.
 
I joined THR 06 July 2012 so come July it will be about 4 years. When I got here the AR was about the same as it is today as to overall forum popularity. The rifle I seem to recall being real popular at the time was the Mosin Nagant with half the posters claiming MOA which I didn't quite buy into. While the occasional Mosin thread pops up I do not see anywhere near what I saw when I found this forum. This also being the only gun and shooting forum I am active in. Anyway, I see the AR about the same here today as it was 4 years ago. Some of the same discussions seem to recycle like AR vs. AK and the 1911 .45 ACP is reserved for dinosaurs. :)

Seriously I have not noticed a trend change if there was one.

Ron
 
It seems like there are fewer posters/new threads posted up here today than when I showed up in '07.
 
I also took a very long break.

I have been on, on-line gun forums for awhile now and after awhile I get bored with them mainly because often it is more of the same thing. Same questions, same answers.................. People speculating on answers to questions without any first hand experience (repeating what they read on another thread)................

Something I did do that I found amusing is that I was looking for something I posted years ago. I couldn't find it, so I just brought up all the threads I had posted in. I started going through posts from 10 years ago and I got a laugh out of a lot of it. Similar to the stuff you mention: AR15s were kind of a fringe thing. NFA weapons were kind of a fringe thing............................ Like has already been posted in this thread, I read about the Mosin Nagants shooting sub MOA groups as well as other ridiculous claims of accuracy...............

It was interesting and entertaining.

But, a lot of it was just the same thing still being posted today.
 
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