They're accurate, they're customizable and they're fun to shoot. Why you're going to see more AR-style rifles in the woods this fall.
Jul 2, 2007
Why AR's Shoot So Well
It's fair to ask, What happened? How did ARs get to be the most popular guns in America?
Actually, lots of things happened, and, as usual, they happened a little at a time. First and foremost, AR-platform guns got better...incredibly better. From being the Vietnam War albatross, the AR has matured into one of the most versatile, accurate and easy-to-shoot platforms in the world. ARs own Camp Perry and 600-yard competition; they've helped fuel the huge boom in 3-Gun practical shooting and carbine-precision rifle shoots. Just last year precision-rifle instructor and ace gunsmith Dave Lauck achieved Col. Cooper's equivalent of running the 3-minute mile-the 20-20-20 Challenge. That's putting 20 shots into a 20-inch circle in 20 seconds or less...at 1,000 yards. Lauck achieved this amazing milestone with his own custom-built AR.
There is, of course, a lag time between reality and perception. I mean, I sort of knew that ARs had improved, but it wasn't until I hooked up with John Paul at JP Enterprises a few years ago that I realized how good "good" actually was. Don't spread this around, but John traveled the world as a rock-and-roll keyboardist before he found his true calling, building what might be called the ultimate AR-platform rifles. In fact, his personal "trajectory" is very similar to that of a lot of other people. He comes from a hunting and competitive shooting background and sold his house to open his own gun shop.
"Like many of my contemporaries, I had no time for the M-15/16-type rifles and considered them uncouth, inaccurate and socially unacceptable," he says. "One day, against my better judgment, I took an old AR-15 A-1 by Colt's Mfg. in on trade just to satisfy my personal curiosity. I soon realized that this so-called black rifle was really a diamond in the rough."
The first time I shot one of John's top-end competition guns, it was a revelation. The balance was perfect, the trigger was perfect, it made little bitty groups at long distances seem ridiculously easy-and it came in colors. John's CTR-02s, which use his custom-machined upper/lower receiver sets, can deliver 1⁄4 MOA at 100 yards in the right hands. (Not mine, I assure you!)
Part of the reason for the AR as a born-again target rifle is that military guns are designed from the ground up to be quick to learn and easy to shoot. After all, some hard-as-nails drill instructors are going to have to beat marksmanship into yet another generation of 18-year-olds, and it makes sense that the guns used be as easy to learn as possible. Those ergonomics, coupled with ease of operation, light weight and the negligible recoil from the 5.56 cartridge, make AR-platform guns a blast to shoot. As an instructor, I used to use a Winchester 94 .44 Magnum "Trapper" loaded with .44 Specials for totally new shooters, and I've introduced a lot of newbies to the sport with that gun. No longer. Now I use an AR, one of my three. Newbies take to it like ducks to water. I usually have to pry it out of their hands at the end of the day.
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