4WD ToyotaOwner Magazine - 4WD Toyotas Shooting AR-15s

[unwiredadventures]

Page 20 of the May / June issue is an article dedicated to Toyota 4x4 and Shooting.

[sdnative]

Yep, I had the honor of attending this event.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-san-diego-cr ... eling.html

http://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-san-diego-cr ... hanks.html

[ssc]

This is an outstanding activity and one that needs to continue and expand. It encourages safe gun handling and welcomes people to the activities in a friendly fashion. It is one of the ways we need to bring folks into the fold.

Regards, Steve

[Dennis David]

but an AR-15? I always thought as a weapon it was a piece of crap. Are these a big improvement over an M16?

[Chazz Layne]

but an AR-15? I always thought as a weapon it was a piece of crap. Are these a big improvement over an M16?

It is a fine hunting/target gun, I would never trust my life to one.

[ssc]

I do not know why you refer to it as a piece of crap. Please explain your position. Also Chazz, why would you not rely on it? The AR platform is, in my opinion, a very good weapon. Some manufacturers are better than others and some follow the blueprint a bit better. The AR-15 is the semi auto civilian version of the selective fire M-16. It is an excellent weapon choice and is issued the world over to many law enforcement personel, as well as to many different armed forces. It is relyed upon and trusted to protect our military and police. It is the most issued weapon platform in US law enforcement and is the issued weapon to our service members. I have a "few" and build them, so have a bit of experience with them. Hence, I do not understand the two above statements. Please explain.

The only other platform with the widespread distribution to service and police is the AK platform which is the standard issed weapon to the other side . Russia, China etc. The AR is available in both DI and piston configuration. They can be SBR, M-4, or set up to be extremely accurate at range and are limited by the round. At long range, there are better alternatives, but this is for military issues and sniper work.
The long gun I trust my life to is the AR-15 and I am picky on that subject. And yes, I do have AK's and no, I wouldn't rely on it. I am not saying they are not reliable, but the AR fits me better and has better ergonomics for me.

If you are refering to the issues when the M-16 was first introduced in Vietnam and had a tendency to jam in 1965--I think--that was an ammo issue. They were using the wrong powder which jamed the gun. After getting the ammo squared away and getting the correct powder and velocity, the M-16 held its own. It did like to run a bit wet and clean.

Regards, Steve

[Dennis David]

When I was in the army it seemed cheaply made and not as accurate as some of the other weapons I tried. Don't ask me to name the weapon (H&K G3?) but it was during a Schützenschnur where a fired another rifle I had never used before and shot better than my M16. It was also better made or at least seemed that way. Now of course this was over 30 year ago so I guess things have changed. I'm not an expert on firearms but I just can't get that out of my mind.

[Chazz Layne]

The AR seems to be a fine rifle... if you are zealous about the care and cleaning of them. They seem to get finicky if they are in any way dirty or have not been lubed in a while. That is the only reason it wouldn't be the first thing for me to grab off the shelf in a crisis. If the proverbial S were to HTF, I know I can trust an AK to work no matter how long it has been since it was last cleaned, and no matter how much mud/dust/sand it goes through before said crisis is over.

For the record, I do like the AR platform better and think the AKs are clunky, heavy, and downright fugly (as are most commieguns)...

[ssc]

Thanks for the responses. I will say I have put some of my AR's through some nasty testing without any jams. This includes dirty, and running 1000 rounds without cleaning nor additional lube. I must agree, my AK's just plain run as well.

Regards, Steve

[OLLIE]

I have not fired an AR-15 but have put 10's of thousands of rounds through the M-16. My experience has been that of Chazz's description. With regular maintenance it is a reliable weapon. Which, given Steve's background, I'm sure he takes care of his weapons. The first M-16A1's issued were advertised as bulletproof but after a few hundred rounds went through them they started jamming. It was due to both the round and the grit getting into the gas tube and "Bolt Housing Group". Immediately the manufacturer sent out a dedicated cleaning kit to go with each weapon and the service members were cleaning their weapons on nearly every break they took due to the harsh environment they were in. That almost immediately corrected the jamming issue. They were eventually transition to the new ammo and everything went a lot better after that. Eventually they introduced the M16A2 that incorporated the bolt forward assist that really helped matters. The Marine Corps KD (Known Distance) qualifying course requires that Marines qualify out to 500 yards with the M-16 from the prone (on belly) postion with open sites (no scope). That's a good distance. The weapon is said to be reliable up 800 yards. I have never shot further than 500 though.