Why an AR over a good bolt gun?

[Reid73]

Come to think of it, I tend to avoid hurrying, just as a matter of personal policy...

As Ross Seyfried says, "You can't miss fast enough to catch up."

 

[ArmedBear]

I'l use mine, if the pagan hordes come thundering up my mountain.

A member of the Magyar Hordes already stalks my backyard, hunts down quail, and even chases frisbees.

I think that said hordes may be less fearsome than we imagine.

 

[ARNETT44]

this is kinda silly, Truck or Corvette, both vehicles but, can do different things though.

 

[Reid73]

You are perfectly right. But many (most?) of the threads on this forum are essentially pointless discussions of inherently subjective topics.

Still fun to exchange views, though.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Well sure. There are plenty of places where an AR is quite legal for hunting. However, there are countries where this is not the case. While you could certainly stay home, many of those countries offer desirable hunting opportunities, e.g. South Africa, Canada, Namibia, etc.

Different tools for different jobs. My AR15's don't do everything, otherwise I would only own AR15's...

AR15's can cover a wide range of different jobs very very well, for the rest, I have different firearms...

 

[TheFallGuy]

I am in the process of building my first AR-15. I have a Tikka T3 in .308 and multiple other firearms.

My reasons for wanting an AR over another bolt or pump (or semi auto for that matter) are:

1. I learned a lot about it in the military. So did lots of other people.
2. I can clean it in my sleep.
3. It's easy as heck to work on.
4. It's accurate enough for coyotes.
5. They are awesome fun.
6. They are addictive.
7. Who knows when the next ban will be passed? Will I ever be able to own one again?
8. They are plenty reliable.

 

[noob_shooter]

personally, i will never own an AR. no use for it really and like you said, the price is up there. Round is too much for small game and seem a but too little for big game. Target and maybe varmint are the only uses. for HD, i got my pistols+saiga 308 + 12 gauge. I prefer me a rem. 700 in 30-06 or savage 10FP in .308 over any AR any day.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Sound effect

A good bolt gun will never sound like a pogo stick that the AR so gleefully mimics.

 

[ArmedBear]

a rem700 chambered in 223rem is still heavier.

...and if I ever buy a 700 chambered in .223 from a dealer, it would constitute a felony. If I were buying a 700 in .223, I'd have to be lying on Form 4473, item 12e.

I'd say that about a 700 in general, except that I might, at some point, buy something based on a 700 action. But a production 700? I'd have to be stoned. To get one in .223, I'd have to be blitzed out of my mind.

Note two things.

1. I am not lying on 4473 item 12e.
2. I do not own, nor plan to own, any Remington rifles.

Therefore, I couldn't care less whether one would weigh more, or less, than one of my ARs.

 

[Maverick223]

I'd have to be lying on Form 4473, item 12e.

AB, are you out of your mind?

 

[jackdanson]

"It's the Harley Davidson of rifles" I like that, I am stealing that line.

Except it's not big, overpriced, and ugly. I also have never thought, "hey, how can I make my AR louder and more annoying to people in the lane next to me", which seems to be a theme with harley riders.

hehe ::dons flame suit::


As to OP.. frankly I can't outshoot my AR in any field positions, I don't really need anything more accurate. Plus with a rem 700 you need to drop at least 350 on a mediocre scope to have a firearm that is even the least bit useful. After optics the AR is cheaper.

 

[waterhouse]

If I were buying a 700 in .223, I'd have to be lying on Form 4473, item 12e.

Just to be clear, there is no 12e. 11e is the marijuana/drugs question. 12 is the "if you are a non-immigrant alien , do you fall withitn any exemptions . . ." question.

 

[yokel]

SGT Alvin York and his plain-Jane bolt action repeater rifle made mincemeat of the enemy armed with crew-served machine guns.

Granted, most of us are not blessed with York's jaw-dropping ability to rapidly engage and destroy targets with aplomb, even under the most stressful of circumstances.

 

[Maverick223]

Just to be clear, there is no 12e.

Yep, think he was referring to 11f.

 

[BushyGuy]

AR has quicker follow up shots then a bolt gun, and it is more fun to shoot and less flinchin... I would choose my Bushmaster for an all around gun over any bolt action any day,, if i need to reach out i will simply hide till they come in closer....

 

[Max C.]

Do you want/need semi-auto capability or not? If not, there's no reason to have an AR or any other Semi-auto rifle. If so, then an AR or any other good semi-auto is clearly a good choice.

 

[dscottw88]

Because its an AR. Trying to justify the fact you dont need one is admitting you want one. If I can only have 1, I'd take an AR. If I could have two, I'd take another AR. On and on and on. Its better for home defense and it makes the anti's shake in their boots.

 

[IndianaBoy]

They are handy to keep around the home....

 

[altitude_19]

Really?

Is this a serious question? Because they want a standard ("high") capacity, semi-automatic firearm and believe that it may soon be illegal to own one. Whatever you crave in life, I'll bet good money you'll pay whatever you have to for it if you find out you may soon be unable to acquire it at all. So if you read the news and have even the faintest grasp of the concept of supply and demand, you already know the answer to this question.
Simple rhetoric: People pay because they want it bad enough.
BTW: DUH!!!! We all know bolts have a greater range and reliability rating. But a one shot kill capability with low capacity and rate of fire makes it suited to snipers and hunters (hopefully you're the latter). Your 500yd (?) kill range is no good when you most typically can't decide whether or not a man needs killing at that distance, making the defensive application of such a firearm likely an irrelevant question. An engagement where accuracy and reliability trump capacity and rate of fire is the exception, not the rule. That is a mathematical fact.
If I have nothing else, you'd better believe I'd be on both knees thanking the Almighty for the bolt action he gave me. But given the option of one massive center of mass shot, and being able the throw 30 rounds at an aggressor, guess which one I'm gonna take. EVEN IF IT JAMS AFTER EVERY ROUND, it will still have the same rate of fire as a bolt action, but STILL have a higher capacity. Think what you like, but odds are plenty of armed professionals disagree with you, and make a living doing it. And that's coming from somebody who DOESN'T own an AR (I have a mini ).

 

[wickedsprint]

This question was already asked and answered awhile ago, but I apprecite your passionate response

 

[Joe Demko]

Here's the answer for almost all of the A v. B threads so we'll never have to do this again:

A because A is cooler than B and because I am cooler (and smarter and richer and better looking and have a hotter gf) than you.

In any future threads, just plug in the names of the appropriate guns. Spend the time you saved in dry fire practice.

 

[woof]

Joe Demko nailed it. I was gonna say because if you want to "play army" you don't want to do it with a hundred year old grampa rifle.

Not just with guns but with cars and lots of other stuff - people don't buy what they need. They buy what the person they would like to be needs.

 

[LAK]

TexasRifleman

Quote: So outside of wars and LEO use, how exactly is an AR15 more practical?

No one said an AR is MORE practical but you sure can't argue that it's any LESS practical.

I agree with this, and one could say both are practical for just about anything within the limitations of the cartridges they are chambered for and the mechanical accuracy limitations of the individual rifles. The rest is all between the ears.

I would add though that the continued craving for ARs despite the high prices is more than likely due to a perceived practical advantage, and the perceived possibility of a ban down the road.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I would add though that the continued craving for ARs despite the high prices is more than likely due to a perceived practical advantage, and the perceived possibility of a ban down the road.

I agree. I certainly DISAGREE with the statement that the AR is the best selling rifle in the US simply because people want to 'play army'.

 

[Art Eatman]

For over sixty years I've been reading about the "quick second shot" or "quick followup shot".

My preference is, "If you don't have the time to do it right the first time, how are you gonna find the time to do it over?"

I dunno. Maybe I'm spoiled. Bang, plop, go gut Bambi. But, I'll admit, so far I haven't had to go gut Goblins, which may get us back to heaps, gobs and bunches. Dunno.

Hey, ARs are neat. What other critter plays music in your ear when you shoot? Even if it's only a Johnny One-note song. Only gun I know that goes, "Bang-sproink." That's worth the price of admission right there, I don't care who you are.