stanc Wrote:Heh, heh. I, too, have owned and shot dozens of different rifles, but I'd place the AR near the bottom of the list in regards to most characteristics.
Oh, properly customized (as with your superb Grendel SBR, for example), an AR can look really sharp, but for actual shooting I detest almost everything about the design.
Fit, feel, and handling? I'll take an M14 rifle (especially with an "E2" stock) or M1 carbine over an AR any day.
Ergonomics? That frakking T-handle sucks, and the forward-assist is a Mickey Mouse contraption which, for me at least, usually interfered with retracting the bolt assembly. Give me a proper bolt handle, a la the M14, please; much easier to use.
Plus, the Sproing! sound of the AR's buffer spring with each shot fired is rather annoying.
Ha! We'll just have to agree to disagree. The manual of arms on an AR15 is just about second nature to me at this point, so that might be biasing me a bit. And I shoot some sort of optic almost exclusively - aside from a 20" AR15 that I just enjoy shooting with irons, and that has a detachable carry handle - so the ease of mounting an optic on an AR is a big deal.
Besides, with a last round bolt hold open, how many times do you actually need to use that "frakking T-handle" anyway (unless you're practicing malfunction clearance drills)? And even then, updated designs like the BCM Gunfighter and the AXTS Raptor allow you to charge your rifle with a broad palm-based sweeping motion, obviating the need to gingerly pinch both sides of the charging handle and pull straight back. LOL...