In what ways has your AR ownership changed from your very first purchase?
Knowledge... first and foremost. My older brother was SF/SOG in Nam (65-67) with all the "been there and did that" that goes along with it and so I took everything he said as scripture. He was victimized by the early m-16 failures and justifiably dirided the platform and convinced me of the utter failure of the weapon the "varmit cartridge" aspect of the round and I stayed away. Sooooo my first purchase was a FAL Para. At a going out of business sale I got a mini-14 for about $150... I liked the lightness and portablity; hated everything else. Then I broke down and bought a Colt H-bar... so much nicer than the FAL to shoot and was just as accurate (disclaimer: I got a FAL that is inordinately accurate. It will shoot 3 shot 1/2" groups at 100 yrds with some regularity) and lighter to carry. I sold the Colt to buy a Wilson CQB carbine when they started buliding them. Love that gun. I am an accuracy freak and this is my salve. Internet forums did not exist in the late 70's and through the 80's when I was doing most of my purchasing. I just can't tell you how much disinformation I have overheard in gun stores, amongst other soldiers, even propagated by the Combat Arms guys in the AF. So this forum has been a real breath of fresh air for me.
Are you a fan of certain brands more than others?
The Wilson I have has been so flawless I cannot help but be a fan... and I have a Noveske to compare with.
Are there certain accessories you consider "must haves" and others "must avoid"? "must avoid" for me is the obvious airsoft crap. I will spend the $$ to have good stuff. I won't buy things that are more show than go either. "must haves" is a quality trigger. Geissle and Wilson are all I have.
Is there any particular AR-related item that turned out to be a surprising and utter disappointment? YHM quad rail. I usually do a lot of research before a purchase so I don't get "falilures" maybe just not as good as I had hoped.
Is there any AR-related item that you didn't expect much out of and it turned out to be an essential piece of kit?
No... again I try to educated ahead of time and make judicious and purposeful purchases. When it come to my guns I have a good idea what I want and what I want it to do. I'll take "fliers" on my camping equipment... not my firearms.
Anything you want to discuss about your AR journey in general?
Educate, educate, educate. Keep an open mind... even the best and most respected can get it wrong sometimes and everyone has an opinion. I am thinking of a good friend who was a Sniper with 82nd with time and experience under his belt and squared away that thought his bushy was a good gun.

