Gun Talk Radio says the AR is a commodity firearm

[theforge]

Yesterday I caught Gun Talk Radio with Tom Gresham (http://www.guntalk.com/site1.php). Overall it was a pretty informative show and wasn't overtly promoting certain firearms. Anyways, I guy had called in asking about an AR he had his eye one. One made by Sabre Defence. Apparently this caller's local gunstores said they were no good compared to other brands (probably Bushmaster and Stag). The host of the show told the caller Sabre was a good brand, but was probably being badmouthed by the gun stores because his stores weren't selling Sabre and wanted to sell them another brand. Overall good advice, but then he mentioned that the AR is a commodity item and some are better than others, but overall there is little difference between one brand or another. He did tell the guy to go ahead and get the Sabre but couldn't tell him why. I wanted to call in and educate them both (I own a Sabre, an LMT, and a Bushmaster) on what makes one brand better than the others (primarly information readily availabe here, and in the chart). However, I realized that the show was a recorded replay. Though I don't think they guy gave him intentionally bad advice, it is advice like this that sells bad or lesser quality rifles and doesn't encourage standard brands like Stag and Bushmaster to make basic modifications that take the quality to a whole new level (proper staking, etc).

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

From a general position I guess he is correct. I'd take almost any brand of AR over a SIG556 or a Ruger mini-14. Commodity in that sense. Even oil isn't a commodity in true sense, all there are all kinds of grades.

I'd say that a AR built to the TDP (?) or chart would be a commodity, it's just not everyone does it. Wasn't it Charles Daly that built to the chart, and they were pretty well accepted it seems.

Commodity in that anyone 'could' make one, it's just most don't.

[Bolt_Overide]

sounds like a case of someone with a little more than average info giving advice like hes an expert.

[500grains]

"Commodity" is simply poor word choice. AR-15s are no more a commodity than automobiles. There are vast differences in performance and quality for both, obviously. No one can convince me that Hyuandai = Mercedes.

[bkb0000]

i'd say its not only a poor choice of word, but completely incorrect.. the AR market bears some similarities to other commodities, in that the price fluctuates regularly based on market conditions and that there's some degree of standardization- but that's where it ends.

seems like a sort of cheesy and pointless argument to make to begin with, if you ask me.

[D. Christopher]

Sabre and Stag (CMT) are unique from most other AR "gun" companies in that they actually make many of the most important components in their rifles and they are of high quality. I don't buy complete rifles but if I did I wouldn't have bought a Stag or Sabre because in the past they have tended to use commercial receiver extensions instead of milspec. I don't know if that is still the case today. Bushmaster can't say the same thing. Their weapons have many more problems than just choosing the wrong buffer tube, including the quality of the most important components and attention to details in the building process.

I buy a lot of Stag (CMT) stripped receivers every year because they are very high quality, are precisely machined and finished, empty PMAGS and new Okay manufactured G.I. mags drop free without mods to the mags or the magwell, they only cost me $75.00 each, and I have never had a bad one. Having said that I wouldn't buy a complete Stag rifle.

I also have purchased several Sabre barrels each year for the last few years for the same reasons, high quality by a company that has a proven track record of making great barrels in great numbers. I didn't buy a complete Sabre rifle over the last few years because every one I picked up had a commercial buffer tube instead of a milspec. I will admit that BCM gets almost all of my business when it comes to barrels and uppers these days.

Like many around here, there are only about 5 companies that I would buy a complete AR style weapon from.

[JodyH]

Among educated consumers, such as the majority on this site commodity might seem to be the wrong word.
But to the masses one AR is the same as another and commodity is actually an appropriate word.
To the people on this web site a BCM is 100x better that a DPMS or Bushmaster.
In the real (ignorant) world, if I advertised a BCM a Bushmaster and a DPMS in the local newspaper the Bushmaster and DPMS would sell faster for more money due to name recognition.
One AR is the same as another... to the masses.

[RogerinTPA]

i'd say its not only a poor choice of word, but completely incorrect.. the AR market bears some similarities to other commodities, in that the price fluctuates regularly based on market conditions and that there's some degree of standardization- but that's where it ends.

seems like a sort of cheesy and pointless argument to make to begin with, if you ask me.

Agreed. It's like saying all shoes or cars are the same. The radio host didn't offer a quantifiable answer because he couldn't. IMO, he is a red cunt hair above the standard gun store employee level of ignorance.

[JodyH]

Commoditization occurs as a goods or services market loses differentiation across its supply base, often by the diffusion of the intellectual capital necessary to acquire or produce it efficiently. As such, goods that formerly carried premium margins for market participants have become commodities, such as generic pharmaceuticals and silicon chips.
I can walk into any gunstore in town and see Olympic, DPMS and Bushmaster AR's walking out the door with $1200 price tags.
That's the same price you can buy a Colt, BCM or any of the other top shelf AR's for.
I'm not saying they are the equivalent, just that AR's have been turned into a de facto commodity to the average purchaser.