View Full Version : How often do you prefer the lesser gun?
I've got a bunch of .22s: Lithgow, Anschutz, CZ, Henry, Wifama—you name it. For some reason, I can't give up my piece of crap Romanian 1969. I just take it to the range more often.
Similarly, I shoot my LMT MWS, LRB M14, and even HK 91 more than my decked-out SAN 751. I'm not trying to keep the SAN "nice". It's a gun, meant to be shot, and if it breaks, I can fix it or buy more guns.
When you reflect on your own behavior, do you find yourselves doing anything similarly "irrational"? In my case, it might be familiarity. I've shot the 1969 the most, therefore I like shooting the 1969 the most.
I did that. I used to run the hell out of an old Bushmaster 14.5 rattle can M4, even though I had nicer guns.
Guilty!
My 20 year old Bushmaster M16A2 clone gets fired a lot more than my new 6920.
I don't know why that is.
I have an IDF clone build that looks like warm garbage with a non-matching upper and lower finish. A1 no bump nodak receiver, 16” lightweight barrel, irons, CAR stock, A1 grip, etc.
However it’s a very nice shooter and super light. It’s much easier to toss it in the back seat and roll out vs trying to bag up one of the BCM or DDs. Also no batteries required. It’s probably my favorite to shoot.
It’s a tool like the nicer rifles but I know I’ll never be able to sell it for what I have in it.
I often use a Rock Island for range blasting instead of my Kimber Gold Match. Surprisingly, the Rock Island shoots pretty damn good for a 1911 that I paid 350.00 for.
Likewise my early 70's Wingmaster rarely leaves the safe. I really don't know why I have the barrel assortment for it that I do.
Please keep it related to AR to this goes to general
nightchief
03-26-20, 07:49
Been shooting a LMT/Centurion "M4ish style truck gun" a lot...way more than the "nicer" suppressed 11.5 (much to the chagrin of one of my shooting partners). Simple rifle, with a light and reflex sight. It's light, handy, and gets banged around quite a bit. It's a highly practical carbine, while the more expensive one is more tailored to a specific role.
I don't keep many extra ARs or the like, so I can't really say I will prefer an older or lesser AR over the SCARs.
I will note, however, that I will cycle through and in some years shoot my mil-surps far more than the tactical stuff. Last couple of years I've probably put more rounds through my Enfields, Garands, and M1917s than through my SCARs or AR. That's swung back around, but it is interesting to notice.
I pretty much always grab my PSA SBR’d lower with a BCM Kino upper and cheap plastic handguard over the LMT MARS/Colt CCU. May change once the suppressor is cleared and I can attach to the BRT-built upper. Really looking forward to that.
I certainly take my BCM 16" midlength with FSB, plastic handguards, and Red Dot to the range more than more modern ARs with free float rails and magnified optics. Not sure if that qualifies as "lesser" though.
Andy
Nope, I'm not a collector. My personal guns (Colt and Glock) are for killin' folks that need killin'. My spare guns belong to my kids (Colts) or my wife (Colt and Glock). Ya'll detecting a theme here? :haha:
For range trips and a lot of day to day stuff I often preferentially grab an irons-only AR over my guns with optics and lights. I shoot irons often enough I’d be pretty comfortable using an irons-only gun (with a light) in an HD role, although since I do have two Aimpoint equipped ARs it’s pretty hard to justify going just irons for HD for any reason but “muh retro feels”.
This is what I’ve been messing around with a lot lately though.
robbins290
03-26-20, 12:47
most of the time i grab the lesser windham or M&P sport to go work the land. They get thrown around way to much to take the higher end stuff. Thrown on the back of the wheela or thrown in the bed of the truck in a rush.
Only always. The stuff I figure out and optimize for myself suffers from brutal amounts of feature creep, and even throwing money at doing all those things, the end result is a phenomenal piece of hardware that can do a bunch of things I seldom do.
I take stuff I originally intended for my wife (simple, light, minimum feature set for 24 hour operatoins), and they shoot fantastically. Anymore, the only reason I like my pricier stuff is that they have cans.
Same problem with handguns - I'm 98% as good shooting mile cheap beater M&P 9mm Shields as I am my 1911's that are worth 10x that.
I tend to shoot “drills”, competition, EOTW carbines a LOT more frequently than any of my “nicer” precision ARs, ELR Bolt guns or AR10, haven’t picked up a “game gun” SXS since I buried old Belle years back.
Those EOTW/drills guns have seen rough use and qualify as being close to beaters.
That said, they always go BANG, and I have a high degree of familiarity and proficiency with them.
vicious_cb
03-26-20, 13:35
Nope, I'm not a collector. My personal guns (Colt and Glock) are for killin' folks that need killin'. My spare guns belong to my kids (Colts) or my wife (Colt and Glock). Ya'll detecting a theme here? :haha:
Pretty much this. Im not Gun Jesus that enjoys shooting all kinds of weird firearms no one would ever want to take into a fight.
Five_Point_Five_Six
03-26-20, 17:12
I don't really have "lesser" guns anymore. I don't say that to sound snobby or elite, I just thinned my collection down to only rifles that meet my standards for a fighting rifle. I have different guns setup for different purposes. One of those guns is setup for the sole purpose of being a beater training rifle. It doesn't get cleaned much, once a year probably, but it gets a little lube prior to being ran. I don't pay attention to how long the batteries have been in the optic and light, and I don't keep an accurate round count on it anymore, I did when it was on it's first barrel then I got lazy. I have a spare battery compartment on my Comp M2 that houses a fresh one if the optic goes dead, and I keep a couple 123's in the buttstock if the light is dead. Despite the treatment, it runs like a top and I'd have no problem grabbing it and heading out the door if I had to.
My house gun only gets a few mags put through it a year, I keep it clean and lubed and I change the batteries in the optic and light on each of my daughter's birthdays, which are almost exactly 6 months apart. The 11.5" AR pistol with a Law Tactical folder that I toss in the truck with me when I go for a drive through the mountains and for travel gets treated the same way.
I tried doing the one-rifle-do-it-all thing a few times and it always leaves a lot to be desired in one area or another, so I've come to the conclusion that it's best for me to have a few good quality rifles that are setup for different purposes.
I have two 1911s and those are my only duplicate guns if you dont include the one lower that has two uppers. One upper just sits because I dont like it. I have a pro I keep on the mounted sionics upper, but have a pst 2-10 on a qd mount to change out depending if need be. My ar serves as truck gun, practice gun, hd gun, and everything else I would use it for. I tend to practice and carry the wc 1911 a lot more than the trp operator though. I guess I am either cheap or try to be realistic in what I need and as much as I love guns, dont feel the need for 10 ars, not that we could afford it. But, I am going to get an ar pistol to fit truck gun category and hd roles and put the scope back on the current rifle along with the atlas bipod.
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I don't really have "lesser" guns anymore. I don't say that to sound snobby or elite, I just thinned my collection down to only rifles that meet my standards for a fighting rifle. I have different guns setup for different purposes. One of those guns is setup for the sole purpose of being a beater training rifle. It doesn't get cleaned much, once a year probably, but it gets a little lube prior to being ran. I don't pay attention to how long the batteries have been in the optic and light, and I don't keep an accurate round count on it anymore, I did when it was on it's first barrel then I got lazy. I have a spare battery compartment on my Comp M2 that houses a fresh one if the optic goes dead, and I keep a couple 123's in the buttstock if the light is dead. Despite the treatment, it runs like a top and I'd have no problem grabbing it and heading out the door if I had to.
My house gun only gets a few mags put through it a year, I keep it clean and lubed and I change the batteries in the optic and light on each of my daughter's birthdays, which are almost exactly 6 months apart. The 11.5" AR pistol with a Law Tactical folder that I toss in the truck with me when I go for a drive through the mountains and for travel gets treated the same way.
I tried doing the one-rifle-do-it-all thing a few times and it always leaves a lot to be desired in one area or another, so I've come to the conclusion that it's best for me to have a few good quality rifles that are setup for different purposes.
This is pretty much where I fall also. I never had a big collection and the extras are gotten rid of pretty quickly for other or better stuff.
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