i finally broke

down and purchased an AR.

it's on the M4 platform and i purchased the complete M4 in .22 long rifle with 5.56/.223 'uppers' to go along with it so I'd have a center fire AR as well. my preference for the 22 long rifle may seem odd, but in view of the costs of rimfire vs center fire ammo, i get more shooting from the rimfire. and, here in california, we have to have a bullet button on any semi-automatic , center fire, rifles with a detachable magazine, rimfire semi-automatic rifles are not required to have a bullet button.

I've become somewhat enamored with the AR platform over a period of time.

going back to my youth, i enlisted in the United States Army at the ripe old age of 18, right after graduating from high school.

at that time, the early 60's, the standard issue battle rifle was the M1 Garand, which i qualified with and trained with. it's in the venerable 30-06 caliber. later down the road during my tenure, the M14 rifle and M-60 machine gun was issued.

i was never exposed to the M16 as a soldier.

i have friends and relatives that DID use the M16 in Vietnam and were highly dis-satisfied with its performance to the point they would "pick up" any other rifle, including AK47's just to be assured it would not fail on them at a critical time.

two of my friends tell of being in ambushes and having the M16 jam after the first round was fired from it. not exactly what a soldier is looking for...an unreliable weapon in combat.

I've read much of the early history of the M16 and it's replete with failures and misfortune. in one incident, on Okinawa, a marine captain in charge of marksmanship training of marines, was asked to look at the bullets fired from the M16 at 500 yards...they failed to penetrate the target completely! they were actually lodged in the target! the performance of the M16 at that time was so bad that a marine commander told his subordinates to shut up and accept it...yet it was to be heralded as the answer to the problems of the all time greatest infantry rifles...NOT! it's hard to believe that the military accepted such a flawed weapon but they, for some reason(s) did.

to this day...there are complaints from the "on the line" war fighters that the M16 failed to "take out the bad guy"...the military just will not accept the fact that the 5.56 cartridge is NOT adequate as a combat cartridge! it's that simple.

it also turns out that the bullets themselves, were culprit in the poor performance of the 5.56/.223, M16. they were too light. now the military bullets are in the 70 grain plus weight range NOT the original 55 grain solid, boat-tail, FMJ. an approximate 50% gain in weight

that being said...i chose the M4 platform as it is probably the most versatile semi-automatic, platform in the shooting world today.

if you have the A2 platform it's of the 'flattop' variety that has the Picatinny rail. that feature enables the installation of various optics. that in turn, can change the persona of the M4 from a fire-breathing dragon to a mild mannered plinker in a matter of a few moments.

i chose the M4 carbine platform for many reasons, but the main being the length and weight. i chose to change to the A2 buttstock and i have no bi-pod, forward mounted pistol grip, etc. i view those features more like an "operator", or those who fancy themselves as being "operators", would select for "tactical" or CQB conditions; basically, wannabe "Gunfighters". i do not have that need. i choose to employ a sandbagged rest or a mechanical rest and when in the field, it's very easy to locate or construct a good, solid, shooting rest. in fact i carry a home made canvas bag specifically for that purpose. i simply fill it when the need arises and empty it when I'm ready to leave; it's very hard to beat a sandbag rest...even with a bi-pod.

i choose to use the standard A2 sight system but i do have multiple optics to select from should i see the need/want for optics. i seldom ever shoot more than 100 yards so the need for telescopic sighting devices is limited for me, by choice, not necessity. if I'm going to shoot at aspirins from 75 yards, then telescopic optics is a must, otherwise, the 'irons' will normally suffice. these all may be installed and calibrated in mere moments when, and if, the need arises. in fact, if one leaves the sighting devices in the rings they were installed and sighted in with, they're almost always right on if placed back in the same slots they were originally adjusted in on the Picatinny rail.