Guns aren't only AR or AK

chevyguyss350 said:
I was in my local gun store/hangout last week. Struck up a conversation with another patron. He started talking about AR's, and I mentioned I had no interest in them. So logically he assumed I preferred AK's and was dumbfounded when I said I didn't like those either. He had a hard time grasping the fact that a 29 year old white male did not want either of them. My father has a rifle, 2 carbines, and a 9mm carbine all on AR platforms. I don't mind shooting them but I have zero interest in buying one for myself. I've shot several AK style rifles and even owned one for a while, but I sold it because it does nothing for me.

I prefer guns with character. Interesting guns. Guns with a soul. I like my M1 Garand, M31 Suomi, VZ61 Skorpion, my old 1919A4. The 1911's. The Spanish Star Modelo B in 9mm Largo. Colt SAA clone in 44 mag. Hell, even my Henry lever action 22. They aren't all tack drivers. Some of mine have a hard time hitting the barn with me inside. But they are interesting. They aren't all high caps. Although the Suomi does have a couple of 72 round drums. Sometimes it feels like I am one of the only gun owners around who doesn't care about any of the newest tacticool crap I can hang off of 12 square feet of rail on the most badass AR the internet told me I had to have.

I can't even go to the so called "build it yourself" forums anymore. Buying an upper from company A, putting it on a lower from company B, and swapping out a stock and handguard from company MP is NOT building a gun. It seems like everybody wants to slap together some store bought assemblies and then seek validation from everyone else who slapped together store bought assemblies. Here's a message to all of those so called "builders": BUY SOME FILES. WELD. GRIND. BUILD.

I guess my point is, expand your gun horizons. There is nothing wrong with the designs from Stoner and Kalashnikov, but not every gun in your collection has to be designed to fight off 3 intruders, an invading army, or a horde of zombies. A French MAS 49/56 may not be what the operator magazines are bragging about but it's different and fun to shoot. A gun does not have to fill a specific purpose to have a place in your collection. It just has to be interesting.
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That's your opinion and it's valid.

I'm sure everybody here will respect it.

[laugh][wink]
 
Seriously though, there are plenty of people here who appreciate what you're talking about. We keep them in the other sub forums. Have you checked out the mil-surps forum here?
 
Personal taste can not be argued. Different strokes for different folks. How boring would the world be if we all just liked ARs, AKs and those ugly ass Glocks.
 
skeetshooter said:
vz58 all the way. but when i purchase a gun. one of my thoughts is. come go time how will this gun help me.
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I can pick up what the op put down! But I also hear what you bare saying.......my plan is have one semi auto in 5.56 in the safe and stockpile some ammo for it.....working on it. But I don't think its necessary to think about go time with every gun I purchase. M1 Garand .....revolvers......good quality lever guns.....all speak to me. But having at least one rifle chambered in what the .gov is using is just patriotic and a responsibility for every gun owner
 
I am not a long gun fan in general. For whatever reasons my current interests are pistols. Have been for quite a while. Got a case of the 1911 flu right now....
 
I remember a time when people actually hated ARs and that lasted for decades. Bill Ruger made a ton of money off the Mini 14 because it was the preferred .223 for a long time, had a wood stock and based on a Garand. I'm not so sure if that wasn't true at least at one time and that the Mini trumped the AR. Colt had a virtual monopoly on ARs, too and they were expensive.

There is nothing wrong with your choice of guns. A Model 94 Winchester is a great gun, a 1917 Eddystone is a great gun, a K98 is a great gun, the gun you like is probably the gun you will shoot best with and whatever or whomever you hit isn't going to be too concerned about the platform you used.

Differences are what make life interesting. Think how dull it would be if all we owned were ARs, AKs, 1911's and Glocks.
 
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I've shot ARs a number of times and didn't care much for them. Great platform, I certainly respect it and see the appeal, but it just doesn't do anything for me. I prefer my guns to not be tacticool.
 
mark056 said:
I remember a time when people actually hated ARs and that lasted for decades. Bill Ruger made a ton of money off the Mini 14 because it was the preferred .223 for a long time, had a wood stock and based on a Garand. I'm not so sure if that wasn't true at least at one time and that the Mini trumped the AR. Colt had a virtual monopoly on ARs, too and they were expensive.

There is nothing wrong with your choice of guns. A Model 94 Winchester is a great gun, a 1917 Eddystone is a great gun, a K98 is a great gun, the gun you like is probably the gun you will shoot best with and whatever or whomever you hit isn't going to be too concerned about the platform you used.

Differences are what make life interesting. Think how dull it would be if all we owned were ARs, AKs, 1911's and Glocks.
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You and I think too much alike. I have spent alot of time behind an AR (just got my 20 year letter from the army a couple of months ago) and they bore me to death now. But my M1 Garand......now.....there is an awesome piece of weaponry and history. Love shooting that beast. So......for a few months now I've been contemplating the whole "own a rifle that the .gov owns" thing and have beed searching for a good priced Mini 14 to fill that role. WOuld look awesome next to the garand in teh safe.....fill the "need" and I feel I would actually enjoy shooting it. Problem is from what I've seen the older ergo more in my price range used oens are only in .223 and the newer ones are 5.56/.223 so I've got some saving to do!
 
chevyguyss350 said:
There is nothing wrong with an AR or AK. I'm just sick of people acting like they are the only rifles in the world worth buying.
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Plenty of guns in the world worth acquiring that aren't an AR or AK:
M1, Thompson, M3, MP40, BAR, M14, FAL, Uzi, Steyr Aug, FS2000, M24, M82, HK94, HK293, Tavor, SCAR...

Having said that, if you don't have at least one AR and AK in your collection, you're wrong.
 
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I like my AR, AK, 1911, Glock, S&W, Ruger, Springfield, and so on. After assembling, modifying, cerakoting, and some other work on AR's and AK's, I tried some other venues. I built an FN FAL from a parts kit and enjoyed the differences between an AR and AK. I found some new joy in working on an modifying different guns. The world of guns would be boring if only AR's and AK's were the main rifle.
 
mav said:
Plenty of guns in the world worth acquiring that aren't an AR or AK:
M1, Thompson, M3, MP40, BAR, M14, FAL, Uzi, Steyr Aug, FS2000, M24, M82, HK94, HK293, Tavor, SCAR...

Having said that, if you don't have at least one AR OR AK in your collection, you're wrong.
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Corrected... [smile]
 
Blitz1 said:
Seriously though, there are plenty of people here who appreciate what you're talking about. We keep them in the other sub forums. Have you checked out the mil-surps forum here?
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THIS!

Come join us in the Milsurps area! Come to the REAL dark side...

Be careful, though, because the next thing you know you're reloading 35 different calibers because you can't buy them at your local gun shop!

My problem is that I not only love Milsurps, but other C&R guns as well - also modern guns. So I have the "old world wood and steel" guns, but also the AR, the AK, the FAL, the Glock, etc., etc., etc.

So in the end - I have more guns than I need, but not as many as I want....

*
 
I prefer guns with character. Interesting guns. Guns with a soul. I like my M1 Garand, M31 Suomi, VZ61 Skorpion, my old 1919A4. The 1911's. The Spanish Star Modelo B in 9mm Largo. Colt SAA clone in 44 mag. Hell, even my Henry lever action 22. They aren't all tack drivers. Some of mine have a hard time hitting the barn with me inside. But they are interesting. They aren't all high caps. Although the Suomi does have a couple of 72 round drums. Sometimes it feels like I am one of the only gun owners around who doesn't care about any of the newest tacticool crap I can hang off of 12 square feet of rail on the most badass AR the internet told me I had to have.
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With the exception of a couple guns you mention, I could have wrotten this.

I have more than a few pieces in my collection and have one AR and one AK, and NOT one Glock. Everyone who collects, should have an AR and an AK in the safe but I agree that they are just another tacticool item that people have to have because it's 'the thing to have.' Much the same as skiing, playing golf, or fast cars and bikes. If you don't have one, you're not with the 'in crowd'.

 
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Next thing you know Kevin de Leon proposes to ban guns with a lot of character as being more dangerous. The person behind the trigger has character not the tool. Yes, I know some look more deadly.
 
I think everyone should own an AR and AK simply to be proficient in the platforms, even if you hate it.

That said, my Springfield M1A is my favorite gun to shoot, followed closely by my SKS.

If you don't own an M1A, never shoot one until you can afford to buy one because you're going to want it.
 
Ah, don't listen to most of these jamokes.You should have and shoot what you like and not be criticized or heckeled for your choices. I have a couple of factory built AR's because I believe that the factory can build them better than I can and the execution of shots on multiple coyotes, should the hunting situation arise is faster than with my lever action 45Colts, but I enjoy shooting the levers a lot more for sure. As for AK's, I don't like them. Most of my experience with them consists of the never fired, or only fired once and dropped once type. Keep shooting what you like. NES is for all shooters.
 
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xtry51 said:
I think everyone should own an AR and AK simply to be proficient in the platforms, even if you hate it.

That said, my Springfield M1A is my favorite gun to shoot, followed closely by my SKS.

If you don't own an M1A, never shoot one until you can afford to buy one because you're going to want it.
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exactamundo
 

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