Monthly Archives: February 2020

Let’s Talk AR

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Whether intentionally or not, the initials “AR” are believed by many to be simply an abbreviation for “assault rifle.” This is not the case. Armalite is a small arms manufacturing company. The original company was founded in 1954 in California. It produced the original “Armalite Rifle,” a lightweight survival rifle designed for downed American aviators. The AR-15 (the AR stands for “Armalite Rifle”) became the military’s M16 standard. The history of the AR-15 can be read on Wikipedia as well as elsewhere.

For people not keeping up with technology, the term “rifle” brings to mind the Old West, with scenes of John Wayne brandishing a Winchester level-action, wooden stock long gun.

John Wayne, in The Searchers (1956)

Lever-action rifles are still being made. The Henry Repeating Arms company makes some very highly-regarded “traditional” rifles.

Henry Rifles, Made In America

But this article is about modern rifles. This is what today’s “ordinary” rifle looks like.

A “Typical” AR-15 (source: CNN)

Believe it or not, the two are more similar than they are different. In fact, I’d posit that the Henry-style rifle is more difficult to build than the AR. That’s because parts for an AR abound, and the ability to mix-and-match parts is one of the reasons it’s the most popular rifle in America today!

One of the reasons it’s so popular is that it’s customizable, and the entry-level cost is relatively inexpensive. By the way, both rifles shown above are SEMI-AUTOMATICS. Put another way, 1 trigger pull = 1 bullet fired. When the military had them made, their version was FULL AUTOMATIC, or more accurately, SELECT FIRE (full or semi). Fully automatic firearms have not been legal in the USA for decades! So, once again, the lever action rifle, and the AR-15 are FUNCTIONALLY EQUAL.

Because the AR-15 has become so popular, it’s not surprising that gun-grabbers want to ban it, as it has shown up in some of the mass shootings that have sadly made the news. But the fact of the matter is, and while it’s a common “slogan,” guns don’t kill. People kill! According to Statista, in 2018, rifles accounted for only 297 of the total murders committed. Blunt objects (443) and personal weapons (fists, hands, feet, etc.) 672, each accounted for more. Yet politicians don’t seem to want to ban clubs, hammers, fists or such.

So why the continued focus on banning “assault rifles?” Dana Loesch in her book “Hand Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America” (Loesch, D. (2015), Center Street, Reprint Edition) claims that ignorance of the technology makes “black rifles” scarier and “shootier.” There is also an underlying belief that anti-Americanism drives the desire to disarm and subjugate the American populace.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been researching the technology that makes up an Armalite Rifle. Technology fascinates me, and I find myself amazed at how all the little pieces add up to make a rough, tough, instrument of destruction. The number of grains in a bullet can dictate the proper twist rate of a rifle barrel (don’t worry if that sentence makes no sense to you; trust me). Stainless steel, chrome lined, nitride… there are so many possible variables and pieces. A fully custom-made AR can cost thousands of dollars, and the components that make it up can be as intricate as the pieces of a watch (the old style, not the digital kind).

The purpose of this post is to outline some of the thought processes that I’ve been going through, as I consider getting my first AR.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some of the sweeter ARs I’ve looked at:

Marblemouthed Metro

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Sometimes I have a need or want to ride public transportation. My recent trip to Vienna, Austria found me traveling all over the city aboard Vienna’s fine subway system, for example.

Yesterday, I had need to use the (Washington) D. C. Metro system to go into the city to attend the annual Auto Show. Side note: I remember when the D. C. subway system was built, and when it first opened, it was the model of a modern, efficient, clean transportation system.

No longer.

Besides the delays caused by single-tracking (an effect of much-needed repairs being performed) one thing that I found both sad and humorous at the same time: The inability of train operators to clearly enunciate over the train’s P.A. system. Not only were the stop names unintelligible, but even the delay announcements. A short lesson in how to speak clearly over a public address system should be mandatory for drivers.

To be fair, some of the newer trains have automated voice-overs, which seems to be the standard in places like Vienna, Toronto and other subway systems I’ve ridden, as do the commuter buses I need to take twice a year. But my point is that if I were a tourist and didn’t know the stops, I”d be looking at signs out the window and worrying about how quickly I would need to exit the car at my station. Fortunately, I’m familiar enough with D. C.’s Metro to simply find this humorous.