Pros And Cons Of The AR

The AR-15 has become so publicized, dramatized, politicized and demonized, it’s hard to discuss rationally. And just to get our terminology correct, AR stands for ArmaLite Rifle, not “assault rifle.”

Like any other firearm, the AR has its good points and its faults — some of which depend on your perspective and what role the rifle plays. The AR continues to serve the U.S. armed forces, as well as the militaries of several other nations. It has been widely adopted as a police duty arm. Its long and widespread acceptance indicates it fulfills these roles well.

Terminology, Utility

A current trend is to use the term “MSR” (Modern Sporting Rifle) to replace the misused “assault rifle” term. I’m not sure there’s any real benefit to this. It’s much like hunters saying they “harvest” an animal, so tender ears won’t have to hear the words “kill” or “shoot.” And “sporting purposes” has nothing whatsoever to do with constitutional rights.

Nonetheless, when antis say ARs serve no sporting purpose, they are flat wrong. My primary uses for AR-style rifles are competition (especially 3-Gun action shooting) and for hunting small game/varmints ranging from ground squirrels and prairie dogs to foxes and coyotes.

For such purposes the AR works very well — better in fact than almost any other type. I’ve never used an AR for big game, not because it wouldn’t work, but because I have other rifles I like better for such purposes.

What are the AR’s strong points? Well, set up with a good quality barrel with a free-floating handguard, good sights and a decent trigger, an AR can be astonishingly accurate. I guess this is old news today, but those of us who recall when the only AR available was the original Colt SP-1 took a lot of convincing.

Undeniably Influential

The qualities of reliability and durability so much appreciated by military and police users are also appreciated by hunters and target shooters. I won’t say an AR is more reliable than a bolt-action of similar quality, but it certainly isn’t less.

Today there are so many quality components, and so many accessories available, an AR can be set up to suit most any shooter. And there we get into another advantage — with some basic training and inexpensive tools, we can do most gunsmithing jobs at home. Rebarreling a Mauser or Springfield takes tools and skills most of us lack, while rebarreling an AR is a fairly simple task.

Some AR features are appearing on bolt-action rifles. The popular Ruger Precision Rifle features a floating barrel and handguard, fully adjustable stock, replaceable pistol grip and easily interchanged barrels.

On the “con” side, cartridge selection is limited (I’m talking about standard .223/5.56mm rifles) by the size of the magazine and operating system. The varmint cartridge selection is excellent, and there are some neat big-bore choices, but not so much for medium/long range big-game hunting.

The nature of the AR design places the line of sight considerably higher than the bore. When an AR is sighted, let’s say at 200 yards, the point of impact at 10 to 20 yards can be several inches below the line of sight. This can be critical in police or defensive use, less so for hunting purposes. And maybe this is a personal thing, but I find most ARs a bit more muzzle-heavy than I consider ideal.

To reiterate, your constitutional rights and your decision whether or not to own an AR are entirely up to you and need no sporting purposes justification. Regardless, the design serves several “sporting purposes” very well. If you’re strictly a target shooter or hunter, don’t overlook the AR. You may find it serves your needs admirably.

ArmaLite
https://www.armalite.com/
Ph: (800) 336-0184

Stag Arms
https://www.stagarms.com/
Ph: (860) 229-9994

Streamlight
https://www.streamlight.com/
Ph: (800) 523-7488

Trijicon
https://www.trijicon.com/na_en/index.php
Ph: (800) 338-0563

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