Evil Bert
02-09-11, 18:52
So how can you ensure you build/buy an AR15 rifle that is the best rifle for you? Simple. Just use the DMAIC (de-may-ick) process.
What is the DMAIC process? Some of you may be familiar with this as it is part of Six Sigma.
Define (D) Define the scope and set objectives for the rifle. In other words, what do you want to use the rifle for? Self/Home defense, competition, hunting, etc?
Measure (M) Measure the requirements to achieve the scope and objective of the Define phase. Example: type of build - carbine, middie, rifle, rail front end, standard front end, weapon light, flash hider, compensator, suppressor, etc.
Analyze (A) Analyze current standards, technology, and quality of available parts for your build. Learn as much as you can by comparing options, manufacturers, etc .
Improve (I) Improve is when you actually build the rifle with all of your parts.
Control (C) Control is when you would do proper testing of your build, break-in period, make any changes/modifications necessary, etc.
I think it stands to reason that people buy and build rifles for a myriad of reasons. Many of those reasons are based on looks of a particular build or because the .mil or SOCom uses it. This, I do not believe, is a legitimate reason to buy x optic, x stock, x upper, x suppressor to name a few. Also, it could be argued that people buy what is talked about the most by the Internet (errornet) forums, TV shows, or by what is simply popular and even worse because it looks cool. In any case, before you build or buy any AR platform you should strongly consider why it is you want it (rifle, upper, lower, component, etc) and what you will use the rifle for.
There is a lot of commenting on the various manufacturers and their respective quality. This post is not to debate any of that. We must agree that there are those rifles built by certain manufacturers that are suited for battle and those from manufacturers that are not intended for such uses, but rather fun and target practice, etc.
With that said, there is only one primary reason a firearm exists. That is for threat elimination/hunting. Everything else is second or third. Cool, Kewl, Kool, tacticool does not fall within any category for just about any firearm produced by an actual company within the firearms industry. yes there may be a few exceptions but this is not rule. So now that we have defined the true intent and purpose the role a firearm plays in our society, if you are considering building (or buying) your first AR-15 platform rifle, please consider ensuring you have at least one rifle that you can fervently depend on to save your life and the lives of your loved ones. I think most would agree that once you have that requirement met, you can then buy all the riles you want which are not suited for the previously mentioned purpose.
Keep in mind the military does not pick their optics because they look cool, but rather for functionality and reliability. The same can be said for the LE and competition communities. The question "why" begs to be asked here. Why is functionality and reliability the biggest concern for those three groups? Because that is what counts when your life is on the line or in the case of competitors, up to thousands of dollars.
If you have plenty of other weapons to rely on for your protection (i.e. FAL, Pistol, Shotgun, PS90, etc, etc) and you have no intention of using an AR15 as your primary or even secondary defense gun, then by all means you should have no qualms buying or building a lower-end rifle that "just works" for punching holes in paper and tin cans. Ultimately it is your money and your life and you should feel free to proceed without any concern of what I or anyone else says or thinks.
Just my $.02. Hope this helps someone out there.
What is the DMAIC process? Some of you may be familiar with this as it is part of Six Sigma.
Define (D) Define the scope and set objectives for the rifle. In other words, what do you want to use the rifle for? Self/Home defense, competition, hunting, etc?
Measure (M) Measure the requirements to achieve the scope and objective of the Define phase. Example: type of build - carbine, middie, rifle, rail front end, standard front end, weapon light, flash hider, compensator, suppressor, etc.
Analyze (A) Analyze current standards, technology, and quality of available parts for your build. Learn as much as you can by comparing options, manufacturers, etc .
Improve (I) Improve is when you actually build the rifle with all of your parts.
Control (C) Control is when you would do proper testing of your build, break-in period, make any changes/modifications necessary, etc.
I think it stands to reason that people buy and build rifles for a myriad of reasons. Many of those reasons are based on looks of a particular build or because the .mil or SOCom uses it. This, I do not believe, is a legitimate reason to buy x optic, x stock, x upper, x suppressor to name a few. Also, it could be argued that people buy what is talked about the most by the Internet (errornet) forums, TV shows, or by what is simply popular and even worse because it looks cool. In any case, before you build or buy any AR platform you should strongly consider why it is you want it (rifle, upper, lower, component, etc) and what you will use the rifle for.
There is a lot of commenting on the various manufacturers and their respective quality. This post is not to debate any of that. We must agree that there are those rifles built by certain manufacturers that are suited for battle and those from manufacturers that are not intended for such uses, but rather fun and target practice, etc.
With that said, there is only one primary reason a firearm exists. That is for threat elimination/hunting. Everything else is second or third. Cool, Kewl, Kool, tacticool does not fall within any category for just about any firearm produced by an actual company within the firearms industry. yes there may be a few exceptions but this is not rule. So now that we have defined the true intent and purpose the role a firearm plays in our society, if you are considering building (or buying) your first AR-15 platform rifle, please consider ensuring you have at least one rifle that you can fervently depend on to save your life and the lives of your loved ones. I think most would agree that once you have that requirement met, you can then buy all the riles you want which are not suited for the previously mentioned purpose.
Keep in mind the military does not pick their optics because they look cool, but rather for functionality and reliability. The same can be said for the LE and competition communities. The question "why" begs to be asked here. Why is functionality and reliability the biggest concern for those three groups? Because that is what counts when your life is on the line or in the case of competitors, up to thousands of dollars.
If you have plenty of other weapons to rely on for your protection (i.e. FAL, Pistol, Shotgun, PS90, etc, etc) and you have no intention of using an AR15 as your primary or even secondary defense gun, then by all means you should have no qualms buying or building a lower-end rifle that "just works" for punching holes in paper and tin cans. Ultimately it is your money and your life and you should feel free to proceed without any concern of what I or anyone else says or thinks.
Just my $.02. Hope this helps someone out there.