Are Bump Stocks Useful?

[DanTheFarmer]

Good Evening,

I've not used a bump fire stock. I've seen videos of them. I dismissed them as a gimmick because it seemed like they were likely to be very inaccurate and also likely to malfunction.

Was I wrong? What can they be used for other than the "Gee Whiz" aspect of shooting loads of watermelons or seltzer bottles? I'm not criticizing the fun factor just looking to see if that's the only factor.

Thanks for the input.

Dan

 

[ewlyon]

For my purposes, no. If I want simulated full auto I would prefer a binary trigger, but I consider semi-auto to be fast enough for my purposes and ammo supply.
But that does not mean that I should not be able to own one.

 

[MEHavey]

"No"

 

[1911 guy]

Useful for what?

Unfortunately, some nutjob just proved that they are useful for putting rounds at sustained rate into a crowd from 200 to 450 yards away.

I imagine that given a tolerant range (or your own back yard range), they'd be useful for converting ammo into smoke and noise, maybe putting a smile on your face if you enjoy it.

Useful for the potential accuracy that a true select fire weapon can be capable of? Not so much. It's got to do with the technique required to make the stock function.

But that wasn't the intended purpose of them. They were designed primarily as an entertaining add-on for those who wanted something close to full auto for their own amusement.

I've used real full auto before. Outside limited circumstances, it's not actually useful. But it can be entertaining, especially when Uncle Sam (or taxpayers, more accurately) are buying the ammo.

So if you want a range toy, go for it. If you're looking for "real full auto", skip it.

Having said all that, I'm not in favor of banning them just because I don't find them useful or worth my money. Anything can be misused, not just guns and gun accessories.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Useful? Sure, if you have a weapon that you would like to add a suppressive fire capability to such as a defensive carbine.

Also they are useful for fun. And no, I do NOT think they should be banned, useful or not I have 0 issues with them.

 

[3GunEric]

I have never wanted a bump fire. They really are not accurate and would be prone to breaking/jamming in real world use. More of a gimmick or novelty in the shooting world. That said I would stand up for your right to have one.

"When they came for the bump fires...
I did not speak up because I did not own one.
When they came for the AR 15's ...????

 

[george29]

In the military I was issued a full auto (safe/semi/full) capable weapon (that was in fact carried in a war zone). The training I received was that full auto was wasteful and was good for only very specific scenarios. I never had to disengage the safety but even "if", my training was to put it on "semi" never "auto". My friend has a bump carry on his AR (modified with all kinds of things I never had in the military) and he says it does turn the weapon into a sort of full-auto weapon. Other than murdering people next to a trench they dug themselves or shooting up a concert, I can't see it being of any advantage in a firefight, so I'm not going to get into this argument. The 2nd talks about a well armed militia and that's that. In this day and age of drones equipped with infrared cameras I don't think the bump stock matters that much. My $0.02 and I could be wrong.

 

[Robert]

We covered this many, many times when they first came out and it always came down to two camps:
1. It's super fun and I love it!
2. It doesn't do anything for me and is not accurate enough to hit the side of a barn.

I don't see what good will come of yet another thread on the subject.