Originally Posted By: SqueezeMe too. I still have a love affair with a M70 bolt gun, but most all of my hunting rifles have gone to AR-15 receivers. I do have a Browning BAR LW Stalker, in 308 Win, that gets picked over my LR-308, with a custom barrel, because it is at least as accurate, with hand loads, and lighter. All of my Pdog/Varmint/Predator rifles are AR-15s(204 Ruger, 223 Rem, 6mm WOA, 6mm TAC, and 6.8 SPC). Actually last night, fighting insomnia, I was thinking about selling some bolt actions, in varmint cartridges, just because they have turned into safe queens.
One of my fondest memories is having some liberal friends over, to sight in their "safe" deer rifles, and hauling out an "evil" AR-15, in 6.8 SPC, and letting them shoot it. I had to keep from laughing, as they handled it like it was going to bite them. After shooting some tight groups with it, the ultra liberal wife, who shot the best group, wanted to know how much my rifle cost. They really liked it, but I think it was outside their limited firearms budget. At least they got to see there wasn't anything evil about an AR-15.
Squeeze
I remember Mark Kelly, husband to Gabby Giffords, making the claim that he as a "hunter" saw no "legitimate" reason to have an AR-15 because he felt that you wouldn't use it for hunting. He claimed that he had recently hunted and did not use an AR.
I can't stand anti's like him who try to legitimize their claims by pretending to represent other hunters. I hunt. I have used single shot, bolt action, lever action, pump action, semi auto and AR's all for hunting.
I am interested when they seem to gift the AR's with super powers. A recent gun grabber tried to tell me that the AR-15 was too "powerful" and was not necessary for coyote hunting. He then went on, in an attempt to lend veracity to his argument, that his mini-14 was plenty for hunting coyotes. Ummmmm, they are both the same caliber. They are both semi automatics. How is the AR more "powerful" than a rifle of the exact same caliber?
Funny about those "safe" hunting rifles. They think that an "assault rifle" is magically more dangerous.
The Brown Bess MUSKET, was the assault rifle of it's time. Ok, it was a smoothbore, but why let facts get in the way?
Then the breech loading 45-70 was the assault rifle of it's time. The lever action took over for the trapdoors. The bolt action took over. The Garand was the assault rifle of it's time, beating out the bolt gun, and so on.
I personally value the versatility of the platform. I tender my soapbox.