"They see the Sun go down, but they don't see it rise."
Dresden Codak
Thursday, February 22, 2007
"You Could Shoot Things From Orbit WIth This Thing!"
In defeat, I am making good on my promise to buy my son a gun. Given the nature of the transaction, he can kind of get any gun he wants. Today, he showed me his choice.
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Mark, I am impressed!!! That is a very fine piece of hardware! I have several like it myself. Your son has great taste. May I inquire about how you ended up presenting your son with this gift?
An AR-15 is a fine firearm...but that thing is so encrusted with unnecessary cruft and silliness, it would make Liberace snicker.
"Vertical foregrip" - what is that for? If you've got a submachine gun firing full auto, yeah, maybe...but on an AR-15 which only fires single shots? SILLY.
"Quad Rail Handguard" - again, what is this for? Rails are used to attach accessories, and basically, an AR does not NEED any accessories. Iron sights are fine. Glass optics are nicer...and electronic glass optics are sweet, I will admit. So far we're up to either zero or one accessories. Now, if you expect to be engaged in night fighting (!?!?!), a flashlight could be added. So now we're up to either zero, one, or two accessories...and yet we've got a rail that allows you to bolt sillyness on all four sides? Don't forget that this is a flattop model that already has glass optics up top...so you've got four excess mounting rails.
The "collapsing" carbine-style stock is also silly - (a) there is no need for a collapsing stock; (b) most of them these days are "collapsing style", which do not actually collapse.
If your son takes this to the range he's going to be chuckled at for being a wanna-be "tactical" ninja.
My advice: get a standard AR-15, either with old-fashioned "handle" and iron sights, or a flat-top with glass optics. Save $1,500 off the price of this pimped-out model, and either put the money in the bank, or buy a shotgun AND a pistol with the difference (suggested: a cheap used Remington 870, and a used Glock in .40 S&W).
My $0.02,
TJIC
P.S. congrats to your son on his first firearm, and congrats to you for getting it for him!
Actually, after a few conversations on finance, priorities and eating nothing but toast and peanut butter, Geoff called me yesterday and changed his mind to this: http://www.rockriverarms.com/item-detail.cfm?ID=AR1251X&storeid=1&image=entry07.gif&CFID=35821513&CFTOKEN=94729096
I think he is planning on getting a smaller, second gun as well.
The event I am paying on? He signed his contract with the Army. After $120K in college tutition and fees, he's signed up *now* that there is only a year left. I told him early on that Drexel was expensive and if he saved me money, I'd kick some of it back. Not quite what I expected four years ago, but a deal is a deal.
I'm an unrepentant atheist with a background in science, math and technology. By education, an astronomer, by training, a cryptographer, by profession, a technology specialist. While people tend to peg me as "left" I don't really know what they mean. I'm for small government, low taxes and I believe that the right to swing my fist ends before your face. I distrust anything the government says no matter what party is in power, although I must admit to having worked for the government (ours and others).
4 comments:
Mark, I am impressed!!! That is a very fine piece of hardware! I have several like it myself. Your son has great taste. May I inquire about how you ended up presenting your son with this gift?
An AR-15 is a fine firearm...but that thing is so encrusted with unnecessary cruft and silliness, it would make Liberace snicker.
"Vertical foregrip" - what is that for? If you've got a submachine gun firing full auto, yeah, maybe...but on an AR-15 which only fires single shots? SILLY.
"Quad Rail Handguard" - again, what is this for? Rails are used to attach accessories, and basically, an AR does not NEED any accessories. Iron sights are fine. Glass optics are nicer...and electronic glass optics are sweet, I will admit. So far we're up to either zero or one accessories. Now, if you expect to be engaged in night fighting (!?!?!), a flashlight could be added. So now we're up to either zero, one, or two accessories...and yet we've got a rail that allows you to bolt sillyness on all four sides? Don't forget that this is a flattop model that already has glass optics up top...so you've got four excess mounting rails.
The "collapsing" carbine-style stock is also silly - (a) there is no need for a collapsing stock; (b) most of them these days are "collapsing style", which do not actually collapse.
If your son takes this to the range he's going to be chuckled at for being a wanna-be "tactical" ninja.
My advice: get a standard AR-15, either with old-fashioned "handle" and iron sights, or a flat-top with glass optics. Save $1,500 off the price of this pimped-out model, and either put the money in the bank, or buy a shotgun AND a pistol with the difference (suggested: a cheap used Remington 870, and a used Glock in .40 S&W).
My $0.02,
TJIC
P.S. congrats to your son on his first firearm, and congrats to you for getting it for him!
Actually, after a few conversations on finance, priorities and eating nothing but toast and peanut butter, Geoff called me yesterday and changed his mind to this:
http://www.rockriverarms.com/item-detail.cfm?ID=AR1251X&storeid=1&image=entry07.gif&CFID=35821513&CFTOKEN=94729096
I think he is planning on getting a smaller, second gun as well.
The event I am paying on? He signed his contract with the Army. After $120K in college tutition and fees, he's signed up *now* that there is only a year left. I told him early on that Drexel was expensive and if he saved me money, I'd kick some of it back. Not quite what I expected four years ago, but a deal is a deal.
You are a good man Mark....
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