Why You Might Want An AR-15
The time to decide is before they push through bans
I started this newsletter in part for some people I met who weren't traditionally conservative so I stay away from politics, but since gun bans are the big news I know people are rushing out to buy guns before a potential ban. Some readers are probably asking themselves if they need one and I hope to help you come to a conclusion with some information I present.
You will find lots of prepper lists of the benefits of AR-15s that make valid points like that ARs being so popular means you can find parts and ammunition, you can standardize “kit’ for the make shift militia some people think will form etc, but that is advanced prepper thought for lack of a better word. Those are points made for people who already know about guns and are now just indulging in the hobby aspect of prepping - that is arguing about guns and gear.
I’m going to just quickly run down some of the specific benefits of this platform in my opinion, and some specific circumstances in which I would recommend one. I leave it to you to decide if any of this applies to you or if you even agree with me. As for experience with the platform I in fact shot an M-16 A2 once and spoke with people who used them professionally. This was in the 90s and at the time these were still considered delicate rifles that needed lots of maintenance. The one I fired jammed twice and I had to be taught the tap and rack jam clearing technique. This put me off ARs for a long time. I’m told they’ve become much better now.
The history of the AR is relevant to why they’re so popular but for brevity I will just link people who wrote longer articles about this. I will excerpt one however that will give you a good overview. From The Truth About Guns:
The U.S. Army began a search for a rifle to replace the M1 Garand. While the Garand served admirable in World War II, all that combat use uncovered some areas for improvement. For example, soldiers wanted more magazine capacity than the eight rounds offered by the M1 Garand. Also, weight was an issue, with the M1 tipping the scale at ten and a half pounds. With World War II soldiers carrying their gear for (literally) years at a time, every pound counted. Front runners in the contest were an updated design based on the M1, the Springfield Armory T-44 and the T-48, which was based on the FAL design.
ArmaLite submits plans for the AR-10 rifle with similar caliber and performance characteristics as the T-44 and T-48. Unlike the others, the AR-10 incorporated radical design changes that allowed use of lightweight aluminum receivers and plastic stocks and hand guards. The key to the design was using a steel barrel extension to lock up the bolt rather than the receiver itself. This allowed use of lighter and less strong materials for receiver construction. The AR-10 weighed less than seven pounds – in theory allowing a solider to carry three extra pounds of ammunition and/or gear
ArmaLite entered the contest too late in the game to work out new design kinks and ultimately the T-44 was adopted as the M-14 Rifle in 1959.
1956
Seeing possibility in the AR-10 design, the Army asks ArmaLite to work on a smaller caliber version to be named the AR 15 Rifle. The project is exploratory, as the military doctrine of the time called for large caliber rifles to be used in engagements at longer distances.1956 – 1959
ArmaLite sells the AR-10 internationally through a licensing agreement with Artillerie Inrichtingen, the Dutch Arsenal. Not even the Dutch adopt the AR-10 and international sales are light. At this time, ArmaLite is only really selling the AR-5 aquatic survival rifle, so revenue pressures mount.1959
ArmaLite licenses both the AR-10 and AR 15 designs to Colt Firearms. Robert Fremont, a key player in the design team of the AR-10 and AR 15 Rifle models, leaves ArmaLite for Colt Firearms to help with continued AR rifle development. ArmaLite launches the AR-7 Survival Rifle. The AR-7 was a .22 long rifle caliber rifle targeted at the civilian market, although a number of military organizations around the world bought it. Colt Firearms sells the first AR 15 rifles to the Federation of Malaya, later to become known as Malaysia.
To summarize after WWII the militaries of the world were trying to modernize their arsenals and ArmaLite (what the AR in AR-15 stands for) was making “space age” designs that allowed them to shave weight off their guns and increase magazine capacity. One of the reasons a AR-15s that are built more traditionally have a retro-futurism look to them is that they were produced in the time period retro futurism emulates - a time of rapid and amazing advances.
Small Wars Journal has a more expansive look at the history of the firearm, including early failures. This will give you insight into older dudes who don’t trust the platform and why AK-47s made such inroads into American gun culture.
Now for the million dollar question - do you need one? My answer is you might if…
You’re recoil sensitive or slight of stature: The AR is commonly available in 5.56/.223 Remington. Those are essentially identical cartridges except 5.56 will have slightly higher pressures. You can read about those differences here. Either way the round itself is extremely light recoiling for a rifle. This is especially notable because the rifle itself is so light. In most cases the lighter a gun the more you feel the recoil but not with the AR. Many of the modern models come with adjustable stocks so small people can configure it to fit them, and the light weight makes it easier to handle. Everyone can’t run a shotgun.
Your home defense includes a large outdoor space: I live in subdivision. There is literally no distance I can see clearly that is outside of slug range and all those distances are basically backed by someone’s house. So even in the worst case scenario if the world collapses and I have to defend my subdivision from marauders dressed like extras from the Mad Max films I literally will still be in shotgun distances. You might not be. If you live in rural areas or somewhere with large property you may need more range and accuracy. AR-15s are known for accuracy by the way. If I lived on a large enough property where I wasn’t liable to be firing into someone's house at distance I’d use a semi-auto rifle for home defense.
You live in an area with extended police response times: The 30 round mag is a useful in situations where you might need to keep in the fight for longer than than a few minutes. In some rural areas police response times can get up toward an hour. My personal opinion - I add five rounds to my platform for every extra minute past the national average (9) but YMMV
If you might be targeted by mob violence: Again not to get political so I’ll just say if I lived in Portland, or Denver where Antifa assassinated an guy in broad daylight or any other city where I might be targeted by militants because I’m probably on a list I’d own several assault rifles. If you're a “terf” getting death threats from trans activists now think about when the lights go out. Your voting records are public. Your social media is public. When things are chaotic are you safe from mobs who might come for you? If not the AR-15 is the best equalizer for individuals who might be targeted by mobs.
Varminting: The .223 is a varminting cartridge. The easiest way to think of varmint hunting is where you’re pursuing animals that endanger ranch and farm livestock. If you have prairie dogs that are snapping the legs of wild horses or foxes killing local chickens then the AR is the perfect rife to help family farms. Side note: Coyotes are actually an invasive species in most of the United States. As people move toward self reliance in the coming times keeping varmints in check will become fairly important
But also to be frank - just liking something and wanting it is enough reason to own it.
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