Coronavirus Causing AR15 Shortage?

[44 AMP]

They were designed to be a general issue infantry rifle that has been pressed into many different uses and configurations over the last 60 years.

You'd have to go look through Eugene Stoner's papers to see if he left any record of what he designed the AR-15 to be. Or consult a medium.

What the Govt first bought them for was not as a general issue infantry rifle. Gen LeMay bought some for his Air Force SAC guards, to replace the M1 carbines they had. The Army was dropping the carbine, and the Air Force got its small arms and support parts from the Army, so LeMay was going to be "out in the cold" holding on to the carbine and found a superior replacement.

It was the "whiz kids" at the MacNamara defense dept that decided it would be a general issue infantry rifle, whether the Army wanted it, or not. There was a lot of pushback for some time, but they made it stick and here we are today with multiple variants to better fill various roles.

I wonder how many of the ones standing in line to get a firearm were anti-gunners just a week or so ago??

Probably not too many, yet. Spoke to a friend today who works at a shop and yes LOTS of people who never before were interested are buying guns.

I think the "Converted" anti gunners will show up in droves IF civil unrest reaches violent levels. The irony is, IF it gets to that point, they probably won't be able to get at gun, legally. Even worse, if they can, they won't know much, if anything about how (and WHEN, and when NOT TO) to use it.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

Sounds like the AR-15 is not for me. If I'm understanding people correctly, it does the same thing as the AK and Vz58, in a caliber I don't like as much. Why the AR10 is so much more accurate is a mystery to me. Perhaps someone here knows.

I really enjoy target shooting for precision. I can do that right here at home. I can't run around like Keanu Reeves, firing frantically at steel. Too much potential for sending a round off the property.

 

[Ignition Override]

44AMP made an excellent observation.

Can almost everybody here shoot 2 MOA without being in the transcendental meditation position on just the right bench and sitting on just the right stool, leaning the gun preferably on the correct small bean bag?

And is a red dot scope required?

 

[FrankenMauser]

Sounds like the AR-15 is not for me. If I'm understanding people correctly, it does the same thing as the AK and Vz58

I'm not a devotee for either religion.
But I do have to say that commercial ARs do a lot more than the AK can do, in regards to reliability and accuracy.

If you had said "SKS" I would have let it slide. But you had to go for the AK...

 

[dahermit]

Sounds like the AR-15 is not for me. If I'm understanding people correctly, it does the same thing as the AK and Vz58, in a caliber I don't like as much. Why the AR10 is so much more accurate is a mystery to me. Perhaps someone here knows.

I really enjoy target shooting for precision. I can do that right here at home. I can't run around like Keanu Reeves, firing frantically at steel. Too much potential for sending a round off the property.

AR 15s are used extensively in Service Rifle matches...that is not a "run around" type of competition.

 

[G.barnes]

If you buy the cheapest bulk ammo you can find for your ar10 it won’t be anymore accurate than an ar15 with the same ammo. It depends on how much you want to spend per trigger pull for 30 cent a round my ar with 2 or 3 moa ammo will do the same job as 75 cent a round .5 moa match ammo at any legal defense distance. My 14.5 barreled ar15 can do sub MOA all day if I want to spend the money. Most of us by the cheapest ammo so we can practice more.

 

[MarkCO]

This has got to be one of the most chaotic threads I have read on here in a while.

AR pattern (AR15s, MSRs, and the various .308 platforms) have an "operating system" that lends itself well to a variety of pursuits. While I don't hunt much big game with them (too heavy for what they are) I do shoot a variety of competitions with them, shoot varmints and predators, utilize for HD, train LE and just generally plink. I have them in 8 calibers (.22LR, 9mm, 10mm, .223 Wylde, 6.5PCC, 6.8 SPC, .308 and .450BM). That operating system is different for each and the ammo I shoot. The operating system parameters, and how it is built, affect the accuracy.

I have an upper (sold him a barrel) from a customer who could not get better than 5MOA that I am diagnosing. The barrel is capable of .25 MOA, so something is wrong. Steel cased ammo with bi-metal jackets can print in the 3 MOA range from a rifle that prints .5 MOA with match grade ammo. If the barrel nut is loose, or the gun is significantly overgassed, those can also degrade accuracy. People also tend to get sloppy because it is a "bullet hose" so their technique degrades when in fact, the AR pattern rifles are more sensitive to poor technique than a bolt gun.

It may not be a person's cup of tea, but they are very capable of accuracy beyond what the average person can deliver. They are relatively easy to shoot for persons of various statures and they are easily adapted. You probably are not going to see many capable to 1 MOA or better for less than $1000, but unless there is a problem, almost all of them are capable of delivering 2 MOA or better with decent ammo and good technique as long as the sights are solid.

 

[JERRYS.]

Sounds like the AR-15 is not for me. If I'm understanding people correctly, it does the same thing as the AK and Vz58, in a caliber I don't like as much. Why the AR10 is so much more accurate is a mystery to me. Perhaps someone here knows.

I really enjoy target shooting for precision. I can do that right here at home. I can't run around like Keanu Reeves, firing frantically at steel. Too much potential for sending a round off the property.

if you have an AR15 OR an AK47 with a 1,000 rounds of ammo you'll be fine.

 

[Houndog]

What MarkCO said. I also own half a dozen AR's of various calibers and barrel lengths. If I just want to plink, shoot at steel under 100 yards or work on my speed shooting a silhouette target at 50 yards I've got an 11.5" BCM upper attached to a pistol brace with a Primary Arms red dot. It's light, easy to get on target quickly, accurate enough with XM195 or Wolf Gold and didn't cost a lot to put together.

If I want to shoot tiny groups or steel out to 4-600 yards I've got a nice 18" LaRue upper in 6.5 CM with a 1.8x10 U.S. Optic scope. (Yes, I know this is actually an AR10 platform). Will shoot 1 MOA with match ammo it likes (and is probably capable of better groups if my technique were better). But it wasn't cheap to build and isn't cheap to shoot, and is not the best choice for HD or shooting under 50 yards.

But that's the great thing about AR's - they are very versatile and depending on barrel length, caliber and how you scope them they can be set up for long range shooting, HD, hunting, cheap plinking, or overall versatility.

Used to own an AK, but sold it to buy more AR's. Apart from being potentially more expensive, they are really superior to AK's in every way. They are far more ergonomic (i.e. the stock is not designed for a short, 120 pound asian). They will almost certainly be more accurate. They have less recoil. They are easier to scope and there are an unlimited number of options for different optics. Their stock triggers are better and their aftermarket triggers are far better. And, as mentioned before, they are far more versatile.

Finally, not sure where your belief that AR10's are so much more accurate than AR15's. Maybe, if you want to shoot out beyond 5-600 yards where the larger bullets of an AR10 will be less affected by the wind, but for anything under 500 yards most AR15's can definitely hand with AR10's.

 

[shafter]

When the virus is over and if Trump wins the election then there will probably be sales on guns and ammo like we've never seen before.

If Trump loses then what we have is what we have. There won't be any to be had.

 

[9x19]

My blow-back ARs: .22LR, .17HMR, .22WMR, 9mm, 10mm, .45ACP

My DI gas ARs: 5.56, 6.5 Grendel, .300AAC, .7.62x39, 10mm, .450 Bushmaster

The platform can be so many different things, and there is high, mid, or low quality in every part available. Research and reputations can help a lot in buying/building an AR with the performance you desire.

 

[rickyrick]

The virus has caused me to go test fire a couple of ARs

 

[stagpanther]

I have lots of AR's that I've built, and generally I make them to be as accurate as possible as most of them I aim to get teeny weensie groups as far out as possible. Have lots of money in expensive optics too. Most of them are in fact very accurate. They also tend to be quite heavy with long, thick profile barrels.

The one AR I have that isn't all that accurate--about 1.5/2.0 MOA +/- at 100 yds--is a mil-spec grade lightweight carbine with chrome-lined barrel and a small red-dot on top. It is very light, very quick and I don't worry as much about problems with the barrel if the going gets hot. It's my go-to home defense AR. Accuracy is a matter of perspective depending on the situation I guess.

 

[bamaranger]

gas piston?

Where exactly is the gas piston, mentioned earlier , in an AR pattern rifle?

Y'all, I think your being baited to continue this wandering post.

 

[brasscollector]

The gas piston system replaces the simple gas tube. Notice how the BCG differs as well.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

The virus has caused me to go test fire a couple of ARs

We're there for you, dude.

 

[Ignition Override]

No shortage- tons are listed on Armslist TN......unless the sellers/traders forgot to delete their ads after selling a gun.

Gunbroker has many pages of AR-15s.
There is no shortage, only lots of people trying to Create a panic, and who are Still trying to sell ARs which they bought (after the election) in late 2008, then assuming that "his" limited 'political capital' was not Already focused on something totally unrelated to guns.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Plenty here last time I looked------have all the AR's I care to own--bought years ago.

No TP here--but did score a couple 3 packs of the large boxes of Kleenex --so I'm good for a while- lol

 

[Desmosedici]

Bought my first AR weekend before last. After my Christmas bonus, I had been looking and researching, so it was going to happen, then I got busy. Then, the Coronavirus hit, and my favorite gunshop started selling everything off the shelves. It didn't panic me, as I didn't think they would keep up that level of movement for months at a time, but it did remove my ability to get the AR I really, really, wanted----A Springfield Saint Victor in FDE. They are back ordered indefinitely and I couldn't find one anywhere else for a price I would agree to. I decided enough, I'm buying the AR right now, and not looking back.

So, I bought a Springfield Saint Victor in black (the last one they had and I got it for a great price-$900.00), and took it shooting for the first time yesterday, ran through 110 rounds and had an absolute ball with my shooting buddy. at 50 yards i was hitting in the black all day long with standard Federal 5.56 and this was with iron sights it came with. I'm looking into optics and accessories, etc. This gun, right out of the box, without being cleaned or disassembled, was what I would call accurate...at least for what I would like to use it for and it may be even more so with some good glass and a load it likes better.

I have been shooting pistols and shotguns for since I was 15 (I'm now 45) and this was my first AR, and I'm really, really pleased with my gun. My store has been selling AR's at a brisk pace, but I'm sure that'll slow down soon. Anyways, really like my gun, can't wait to take it outdoors on my in-law's property to really give it a gun run out to some distance and other kinds of shooting.

Hope you find one if you are still interested, Swifty. I had a huge smile on my face yesterday, it's one fun rifle.

 

[44 AMP]

This gun, right out of the box, without being cleaned ….

You should have cleaned it first. Then properly lubed it, THEN gone out and shot.

Firearms leave their factory packed for storage, as its expected they may sit in their boxes for months or even years before being sold. They are given a preservative "oil" of some kind, which should be removed before use.

Sometimes the preservative will function as an acceptable lubricant for a time, but it should be removed and the proper lube for running the gun put in place.