Status of NEW Comparison Chart of Commercial M4-pattern carbines

[opmike]

Rob, I wouldn't put too thought into it. I think they are largely (not solely) due to the third option you listed, with the addition that some may simply be curious from a purely academic position with no intent on buying. Granted, I have seen a number of users who were obviously trying to validate their opinions on a brand, good or bad.

In any case, I'm am not one of those people eager to see brand X or Y on the chart; I'm just stating what I've seen to be some people's reasoning. There was a discussion of the chart on another forum, I forget where, and I saw this come up an number of times. And yes, a lot of the questions one might have could be answered by simply taking some time to do research on one's own time.

And I'm sure you already know this, but a LOT of people aren't the type that are going to take the effort to research something extensively. They just want to be told what to buy or an easy means of coming up with that decision themselves. I encounter this frequently in the world of firearms, and even more frequently in the world of computing technology.

Also, some comments, questions, and complaints have their origin deep within the Peanut Gallery, and should just be ignored.

[rob_s]

And I'm sure you already know this, but a LOT of people aren't the type that are going to take the effort to research something extensively. They just want to be told what to buy or an easy means of coming up with that decision themselves. I encounter this frequently in the world of firearms, and even more frequently in the world of computing technology.

This is what gives me pause, and what led in part to my pulling the old version. In a world full of people who not only lack the ability to fish but refuse to take the rod and reel when offered, I am reluctant to continue to be a party to the free fish business.

[Stickman]

This is what gives me pause, and what led in part to my pulling the old version. In a world full of people who not only lack the ability to fish but refuse to take the rod and reel when offered, I am reluctant to continue to be a party to the free fish business.

I strongly disagree. There are few people who have the knowledge base to identify everything you have listed in the chart, and be able to contact a manufacturer and ask for clarification. I think people who are heavily involved in the weapon community (and I don't mean gun boards) can forget the world of new people, and the users who are not dialed in to the specifics.

Using the fishing analogy, I think the "chart" is teaching people to fish, not giving them the fish for free. If its not giving people information and teaching them whats important, or at least establishing a baseline, whats the point in it?

[opmike]

The world is full of the lazy, the misinformed, and the ignorant who misuse and abuse. Why not ignore them? They do nothing to detract from the quality and value of your data, or its appreciation by those who use it the way that you intend.

[rob_s]

If its not giving people information and teaching them whats important, or at least establishing a baseline, whats the point in it?

Exactly.

[rob_s]

The world is full of the lazy, the misinformed, and the ignorant who misuse and abuse. Why not ignore them? They do nothing to detract from the quality and value of your data, or its appreciation by those who use it the way that you intend.

Because, and maybe this is the cynic in me, those that know don't need it, and those that need it are too lazy to get it themselves?

If I"m not catering to the lazy, what am I accomplishing?

[duece71]

Looking forward to the new chart. I used it as a learning tool and am now on my way to making a rifle that I own better. That is the value I see in the Chart. Thank you for the hard work.

[Aray]

Because, and maybe this is the cynic in me, those that know don't need it, and those that need it are too lazy to get it themselves?

If I"m not catering to the lazy, what am I accomplishing?

Rob, the gun store where I work one night a week now has a copy of the old one and uses it to inform staff and customers. It is used as a tool by folks like me who can't remember all of it and is a good visual tutoring aid for those who would be overwhelmed with all of the info. It is also more useful than me telling them to "Just buy a Colt."

[ucrt]

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I've referred the Chart to dozens of people but never without telling them (more than once) that the most important part of the whole Chart is the Explanation section. I tell them to ignore the Chart section and to read the Descriptions, follow the LINKS, and then after they have a decent understanding...look at the Chart.

To just show that a Colt is better than a Oly doesn't do a whole lot of good for the individual but showing him "WHY" the Colt is better, that is teaching a person how to fish. So, the Explantions teach how to fish and the Chart's graphics just make the results obvious.

When some guy posts that his BM is jag as a Colt, it is obvious that if he looked at the Chart, he didn't bother reading the Explanations. When people make their defensive jag comments, it is easy to see their comments are ego driven. When someone tells them they paid too much for substandard gun, their ego gets a double whammy because their "manliness" and their "intelligence" are insulted at the same time.

But maybe it's just me...

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[VaeVictis]

I don't understand these types of posts AT ALL. I never understood them before, and I still don't understand them now. Why do people lobby for this brand or that brand to be on the Chart?

The way I see it is, a lot of people don't get a chance to hold many of these brands before they can make a purchase. Where I live most of the stores carry RRA, Bushmaster, and Colt, and if you ask the people at the gun shops they'll tell you the RRA is just as good as the Colt.
If I hadn't found this site I most likely would never had heard of brands like Noveske, Daniel Defense, and Bravo Company, but thanks to this site and the chart I now own a Noveske rather than one of the many RRA's that were being pushed on me.

So I wouldn't take these requests for brands as any sort of laziness or fan boy syndrome, it's just that many people have come to respect both you and M4carbine.net and see your input as invaluable information.