Well, first, this is a great topic.
There are multiple factors that attribute to the "love" of the AR and the "hate" of other assault rifles.
1. nationality
2. culture
3. history/past experiences
4. function/adaptability/platform
5. niche
No doubt that only hit the tip of the iceberg but i'm not going to go into to much detail currently because i am quite tired.
Now addressing the points above.
1. The AR/M16/M4 has a great historical signifigance in the USA's combative history just as the AK has historical signifigance in Russia and countless nations in Africa. The exposure to nationalist beliefs like "ours is better than yours because it's american" and similar statements are a product of pride or competetiveness.
2. Culture blends with nationality. If you recall early american history (i'm sure you do) a musket was an essential tool to hunt game. Alot of pride was put into ones skills in marksmanship and ability to hunt game. Young men of the era could consider their ability to use a musket proficiently and provide for their family as a right of passage.
3. History/past experiences can play a major role in ones preference of a rifle. I grew up around firearms (my father worked for various shooting ranges and stores for nearly 20 years) , my fondest momories of my childhood revolve around the time i spent with my father at the range and people/culture that revolved around it. I thoroughly enjoyed shooting my fathers AR so that also attributes to my love for the platform.
4. The capabilities of the rifle also play a great role in why some people feel absolute about why they think a rifle is "better" than the rest. Personally i think that the AR platform is the most versatile and adaptive weapon system avaliable for the common man, with the AK coming in second. The ability to personalize a weapon to fit your needs is again, in my opinion, a very important aspect of choosing a weapon system. People can argue about whats "better" all day (and they do), but it's just an opinion, not absolute fact. Peoples needs are different but that doesn't stop their urge to be "better" or "more knowledgeable" and spout this "i'm right and your wrong" mentality we see so much of today.
5. Niche. Kind of self explanitory. Each weapon system has its advantages and weaknesses and it is quite easy to take an understanding of those advantages and weakenesses and say "this is good for this job and that is good for that job", and then it comes down to personal needs and preference again.
Anyways, thats my relatively quick two cents.
Last edited by CPtheWightKnight; 01-23-12 at 01:07.
Reason: corrections for clarity
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