When the Kaliban decided to outlaw them, I figured that I needed, uhm, several.

Army basic.  Hated cleaning the fu*ker but after qualifying Expert I was hooked.  That was in '84, I've been a AR15aphile ever since.

I have purchased plenty of hunting rifles and pistols / revolvers 1970-83. Then one day 1983 in the SHOTGUN news I saw a sale on COLT SP-1s, called my FFL dealer and got me one. Now I own a DPMS A22 I'm customizing and a BullPup M17 Kurt is customizing.

[b][size=6][center][red]I'm hooked![/red][/b][/size=6][/center]

Edited b/c I can't spell and can't see!

When I was a little kid in the early-mid 1970's, My Dad took me to a gunshop, he was buying ammo and looking at a S&W revolver.
The old man behind the counter said:
[b]"Is there anything you'd like to see Sonny?"[/b]

I said [b]"Is that an M16?" [/b]
He said [b]"No, it's an AR15, but it's just like an M16." [/b]

I clearly remember him picking it up and breaking it open like a shotgun, pulling out the buffer and recoil spring. I thought the spring was huge.
He put it back together and handed it to me.
I remember, even as a little kid, being suprised how light it was, how skinny the upper receiver looked. The carry handle was thinner than My toy M16.

I'll never forget that day.


I wonder if that old man knew what he started?

I bought My first COLT in 1985, a slightly used one.

I've bought, traded and sold a bunch of AR15's over the years. I wish I still had My first one.


[img]http://www.hunt101.com/img/048438.JPG[/img]

I first handled them in basic in 75, but didn't buy my first one until May of 01. They are like a potato chip cant have just one. currently 4

"SWAT", the TV series from the early '70's. As a kid I carried a, full size, toy M16 (not the Mattel one) everywhere. The first real gun I bought myself, at 17, was a Squires Bingham/Armscor .22lr "M-16", then another, then an AP-74 .22lr, then...well...

I almost bought a cheap 9mm carbine at a gun show but I thought, before I do, I'll do a little research on carbines and I found this place. I bought my first AR-15 within a couple weeks after that. Since then I built one and bought another one (2001 LEGP #23, in fact).

Army training 1984.

Guess this is appropriate for my first post.

I started with an M-16-A1 that Uncle Sam let me use. After that I was hooked, and it has been downhill ever since then.

I ordered a Bushmaster catalog to flip through a year and a half ago.  I was going to buy a bushy 20" A3, but I ran out of money to buy one.  My interest in it ran out for a while.  Then, a year later, I was surfing on ar15.com and I got interested again.  Decided to get a Varminter from RRA, and now I am saving for accesories, ammo, and mags for it along with the AK I bought because of surfing the AK forum here.  

Lately though, I have been looking in the 50 bmg forum, which to me, seems like the next logical choice, especially since my g/f doesn't want me buying any new guns for a year at least, which gives me time to save for that 50 and buy accesories for the AR[:D].  If only she knew, muahahahaha!

My dad had one, but I didn't think I could swing the cash for it (I have always been accused of being a tightwad).  About a year after I quit smoking, I was mentioning to dad that I would like to get one.  My wonderful wife, of now 27 years, spoke up and said that I had surely saved enough money by not smoking and to go out and get one.  

She's a keeper.

So is the ASA 20 I bought.  Somewhere around 4000 rounds later it's still going strong.

Uncle Sam let me play with one of his for a while back in '66

I've always liked the looks of the M16.  I recently had a relapse of the shooting bug.  I was researching the latest technology of accurate centerfire rifles, while figuring out what kind of deer hunting rifle to buy.  I read several post from snipercountry.com and decided to buy a .308 tactical rifle instead of a wood/blue because of the accuracy.  I very quickly realized that .308's were not cheap to plink with and I did not want to shoot crap ammo through my precision rifle. I figured .223/5.56 would be cheaper to plink with and discovered this website.  Now, damnit, I have spent over $700 just to be able to plink with match grade .223!!!!  I'm spiraling out of control with BRD.

Bladepusher: Welcome to the board!

I first wanted an AR15 when my buddy had one and we got into reloading. My mini14 was a picky bitch about our reloaded ammo, but his AR just ate them up. The $350.00 for a new one in 1982 seemed way too expensive at the time so I put things off until 1994. Fast forward to 1994, the assault weapon ban was in force and a buddy of mine had an AR. I decided to take the plunge selling off my AK's to finance the purchase. Then I paid a premium for my pre-bans and have never looked back.

Bob

Hiya folks!

I'm a new one here ... and this is my first post.

My first exposure to the AR/M-16 was in my time in the Army. I liked it fine, although it still had a few bugs. (1979)

After some overhauls, it got alot better.

When I was a civillian again, I tried a few of the H&K weapons, and they are sweet.

But I still liked the AR family.

I'm fortunate to own a few of each now, but I like the ARs cause they're lighter and one can do a bit more with 'em ... not to mention they're as accurate as one can shoot 'em, assuming they're built correctly. [8]

Lots of good posters here - I managed to a bit.

Luvvvv them Carbines, I really do!

Hi Bob,
Thanks for the welcome. I was looking for some place like this. Finally found it. Looks like it will only take me about 18 years to read all the posts. (so I'm a little slow.) This looks like a great place to be. Also a tremendous amount of info.

It's all Josers fault!!!!

Come on I dare you to post!!!!!

Actually I wanted one since I saw Platoon the first time... About 10 years ago.... Then me and the aforementioned Joser started to get back into the shooting groove a couple of years ago and eventually (last year) I ended up with a Bushy 16" A2..... Now I have converted the 16" to a Bushy 20" LW, built a RRA lower and FT upper around the leftover 16" barrel.... Now all I need is a varmit to go in search of the "red mist"... Which means hunting BU-FU toads down here........


genius91

A few years after I got married, I had moved to a house in the country.  It was located about 50 feet from where three counties came together.  Any time we had a problem and called the sheriff's office for help they argued over whether we were in their jurisdiction or not.  Each of the three SO's said we were in one of the other two counties.  IF we could get one to respond, it was 40-45 minutes MINIMUM waiting for help.  

I realized I was on my own, and needed something more than just a handgun.  I notified all three CLEO's I would not call them again for help, and  please send me a letter stating I was not in their jurisdiction and owed no taxes in their county.

I bought a Mini-14 folder, and kept it handy at all times.

I had picked up a Shotgun News, and found out that I could order parts, accessories, and unless I was buying a firearm or receiver, I did not have to go through a dealer. Cool.

A few years later, in 1986, SWAT magazine came out with a special issue, "AR-15/M-16, America's Assault Rifle", Vo. 1, No. 1.  It was a special issue only about our favorite black rifle, and its ammo.  No other issue of this new series followed, and it remained available for a number of years.

In this issue was an article, "Build Your Own AR-15", by Bolan Wilson, page 54.  Another was "Building A CAR-15 XM", by W. Ed Poe.  They were complete with pictures, step by step.  I knew I could do that, I worked on more difficult stuff at work.  Simple.  I was convinced I could do this, too.

I ordered a lower through a dealer who himself was an AR enthusiast.  He got me an Oly Service Match kit for cost, and wanted to see one built himself.

I bought the armorer's wrench and at that time, barrel vise jaws, no "action blocks" in those days.  In about three hours I had a nice rifle.  Yes, I went very slow.  No the upper was not assembled in those days, the sight parts were not installed, a lot of time was spent figuring out which spring and pin and detent went where.  Nothing was labeled, but it was mostly a no-brainer.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

I still have that special SWAT issue.

[size=3]U.S.M.C.[/size=3]

that did it for me. [:D]

Carolyn McCarthy & Dianne Feinstein did it for me.

Had to get one before it was banned. I was in middle school at the time of the crime bill.

T00 bad .50 BMGs are out of my price range right now.

CRC

Hiya Sports Fans!

After reading CC's post ... I have to admit, the Franken-Finesteiner thingy got me going to buy my 3rd AR.

I gots to get more 30rd maggies too. [bounce] Cause after wut I've been reading here on some posts ... them 30 rounders are goi'n to be a HoT commodity as well as any AR or AW.


Da ReCoiL_JuNKie [50]

Luvvvvv them dern Carbines, I really really do.

There's NO excuse for negligence!

-- John Wayne

I wonder if the silly S*B's and bi**hes, Bubba(he ain't really a bubba)Bill, Sarah, Feinswein and Schumer, not to mention a host of others, know how many AR's and AK's they actually caused to be sold? This bunch had to be the best firearms salespersons of the 90's.

Rick

Hi Rick!

Oh yea! I can guarantee it got those dopes quite upset 4 sure. [pissed] LOOL

See'n Franken-Finersteiner in her mother-of-all sweet mommies yeller dress [rofl2] tryi'n to convince others that we gun-nuts are a ... get this ... "a moral tragity waiting to happen".

She don't know if she's snake bit or not!

Well ... it's all to clear that she and others like her ain't got the brains God blessed a pair of coconuts.

She turned tail when asked what her husband's deal with the Chinese and Norinco.

How types like these could even show their face after they take the oath ...

Who'd thunk it?

Luvvvv them dern Carbines, I really really do!

Da ReCoiL_JuNKie [50]

There's NO Excuse for negligence!
-- John Wayne

Well here in the Philippines, your kinda limited to the M16. It is the most common 5.56 rifle here and the most affordable. Others like HK G36, Mini-14 are very limited and parts are not readily available. I liked the M-16 because it is very light, easy to disassemble, looks cool not to mention the wide variety of choices in accessories and parts.. what we normally have here are made by COLT, ELISCO(mfg.under licensed by COLT for the Phil.Army)a few HYDRA-MATICS. Most of the COLTS and HYDRAS are Vietnam vintage and kinda old. The ELISCOS are newer.
My first M-16 was a COLT, kinda beat up. i sold it and got an ELISCO a few years later, which is in better shape except for some pitting in the bore. I am planning to get a new barrel if there is one available.

There are only two guns I've ever liked so much that I've bought two:  The CZ75 and AR-15.

I've bought and sold about one of every kind of gun.  I don't collect, I only keep what I like to shoot.  Twice I've sold myself down to no guns at all.

When the 1994 ban happened, I saw the writing on the wall.  Went to a gun shop and bought a Colt Sporter HBAR.  Shot it and loved it.

And later I sold it.  But of all the rifles I've owned, its the only one I truly regreted selling.  I kept thinking about how great it was to shoot, and kicked myself for selling it.

I started to get back into black rifles, and I messed around with SKS, AK and FAL.  Sold them all.  But I knew that the only rifle that ever satisfied my plinking urge is the AR.

So I got a Bushy Shorty from a guy on AR15.com.  My love was back!  Joy!  Life is good!  Then I built another, and my happiness was doubled!!!  So now I'm building a third...

I'll NEVER sell an AR again.

C_M

Army Inf. ground pounder. Grunt. Bush Beater.
                  Path Finder!

O Yea I'm on my 5th one.  OOOOOT! [grenade]

I had been shooting the Mini 14 GB since 1985.I had an oppertunity to shoot an AR15a2 Sporter.It wasn't long before I owned one.My current build is a 24"Hbar Elite barrel A2.Funny but I never got any notification from D.O.J. that my rifles were "Registered" in '89.
Just do not vote for Arnold unless you love gun control.

Army,my first rifle was a Hydomatic by General Motors M-16,I'm now on my 3rd AR,a bushy "16AK.

+!st of all, I have always been a gun FREAK. I owned serveral rifles and shotguns and a handgun . Most were used for hunting. Then a friend got me involvedin USPSA about 3-4 years ago and I was hooked. after a year of just shooting the handgun matches a friend let me use his mini 14 to shot a 3-gun match. Again, I was hooked. I bought a coulpe of SKS's and modified the stockwith synthetic stocks and 30 rnd mags and a scope. I wanted an AR but with the cost of bullets, and my ,and wife and son's USPSA habit and my sons karate,( 8 yr old Red Belt :) )we were on a shoe string budget. Last april, My son got to shoot a friends Bushy w/ comp and red dot and fell in love. He had to have one so he and I started doing stuff to earn a little extra cash and saved lunch moey an stuff and we got a Colt M-4 w/16"H-bar and put a dot on it. We have been hooked ever since.! :)

Was always a military and history buff was just kinda a natural think for me. Ever since I could remember I had wanted one, While still in high school I purchased my first one. Then joined the USMC played with em there wish I still had access to all that ammo *sniff*.
I have had several over the years and currently own 4 a number that seems on the verge of increasing now that I am a reg here.
Ive had this addiction now for years and has only gotten worse thanks to all my new Bro's here.

For me, my love of guns started during childhood. My dad, grandfather and my uncles all were shooters and kept guns around. So I naturally liked them too. Once I was old enough to move up from cap pistols to BB guns, I did so. Then on to .22 rifles. Next came a .410 shotgun. Finally, about the time I turned 11 or so, the tv show "Tour Of Duty" began airing on CBS in the late 1980's. That did it for me. I aggravated dad until he went out and bought a used SP-1 Colt. Man we had fun shooting that thing. The rifle was light enough I had no problems with it and the recoil was tame. When I became old enough to buy guns I went out and bought a Colt Sporter 16" Lightweight. The AR has always been my favorite rifle and probably always will.

-Charging Handle

I was just looking for Ak-47 parts. WTS ak-47 lol. http://www.dotbob.us/images/newtoy.jpg  and http://www.dotbob.us/images/toys1.jpg

I've been shooting since about age six.  This all started when my dad took me shooting with him.

At age six the first gun I ever fired was a M16 out in the desert of Barstow CA.  

My dad spent 22 years in the USMC, he worked at Firepower Div.  at Quantico from 1986-1990 (this is where Colt and the USMC developed the M16A2) it later changed names to Ground Weapons and now something different that I don't know.  My Dads boss was then Major Jack Muth (now ret. LT Col) Muth is mentioned in the book "The Black Rifle" by R.Blake Stevens, he later was in charge on the Scout/Sniper school at Stone Bay (Camp Lejuene) and then retired and went to work for Colt.  I went shooting a lot there mostly at Range 7 and occasionaly at the FBI ranges too.  At that time the FBI sniper rifle (M40A1) was built by Marine Armorers at Quantico.  I don't know if the FBI rifles are still built there or not.  While we lived in Quantico I got to shoot tons of guns that companies sent to the USMC to test and some that the USMC needed to develop futher or design fixes for.  There I shot, Beretta M9s and a 93R, H&K G11, PSG1 and a MP5s, M240s, M60s, M249, MK19s, M40s, M2s, Galils and UZIs, Russian Makorovs, AKs and the Dragonov, M14s and M21s, various Benelli shotguns, and obviously the M16s.  Some 9mm Colts (I forget the name of it and the fully suppressed on too).  The M4 didn't exist yet but they did have a bunch of XM4s that I shot (these didn't have the M203 cut barrels at that time and used the regular A2 upper and a 2 position carbine stock I think at that time they had 16" barrels, I do remember that they did have the fat M4 handguards then too).  

When we lived there is when  I got my first AR, I bought a stripped Essential Arms stripped lower (about $80) and bought the rest of the parts from Quality Parts/Bushmaster.  Back then they didn't do complete rifles.  My barrel was a 20" blackened stainless 1x9 twist (I think it was made by either DPMS or Oly Arms, It had a 5.56 chamber).  My upper and lower receivers didn't match, my A2 upper was darker like todays receivers and the lower was like an early Colt.  I later sold that rifle when I needed some money, damn I wish I hadn't done that (its now a preban).  My dads Armorer (SSGT Owens) assembled it for my and that how I learned to put one together.

Parris Island, mid October 1985.  Found the weapon to be extremely accurate out to 500 yards.  I was hooked.  L'man

[50]

I became more familiar with the black rifle while training with the M16A2 in the Corps, but actually became interested in owning weapons for two reasons. 1. The rise of terrorism and crime in the world. 2. I like to shoot them just for fun. [:)]


[b]ArmaLiter[/b]

I really liked shooting the M16, though it was too big for me, in Army basic in 1983.  Then I signed up for ROTC, and started dating a fellow cadet who was a gunnut.  He introduced me to pistols, he took me shooting a lot, and he pointed out an AR15 to me, when we were shopping one day.  Eventually, our relationship ended, but my love of firearms didn't.  Thanks Steve, where ever you are.  Eventually, after divorcing a man who didn't think I needed guns, I met my husband.  He is a certified gunnut, thank God, and encouraged me to buy any gun that I wanted.  My first AR15 has a DPMS lower and everything else is Bushy, M4AK.  He put it together for me.  He built a post-ban CAR stock using a pre-ban CAR receiver extension and drilled a hole 1 1/2 inches in from the last setting, and drilled and tapped it.  He used a screw to hold the stock in place.  We are building two more ARs.  RRA lowers, a .50 Beowulf and .21 Genghis.  I'm sure there will be more ARs and other rifles, pistols, etc. in the future.

"This is my rifle, there are many like it...

Grew up in Iowa, hunting, trapping, fishing, all my friends Dads where Vets, I think I shot my first AR when I was 5-6 years old.

Semper Fi

HI
 I have had a mini-14 for quite some time. I originally bought for blasting fun with the added thought of haveing something for possible shtf
type situations. With no flame intended to those
folks who like them it always bugged me that it did
not shoot groops but only patterns.(Really bad,like
14-16" at 100 yd with a good scope and ball ammo and only slightly better with match ammo. I always
imtended to send it away to one of those places
for a new barel,trigger work ect to get the sought
after 1 1/2" 100 yd groop.
  Three years ago on a lark I took it to my
local bushmaster dealer with most of the hicaps
I had bought over the years.(held a couple out for a buddy)Long story short I threw in $400 and
had a 20" flatop.The few times I have sold or
traded a gun I usually feel like s*** but after
going to the range once I only regret I didn't
make the move years ago!
2 Bushmaster lowers,1 with jewell trigger,one with RRNM trigger
Bushmaster 20" flatop
Bushmaster 16" w/ar flatop
DPMS 22lr upper (heavy)
looking for more-possibly a lightweight kit next?
Note- after 9/11 my ar was never far from me
day or night for quite a time and although we
are living thru some weird shit(god bless our troops)it gave me the warm fuzzies knowing I
had the best at my side if something hit the fan.
NHSPORT

Always been interested in guns. In my highschool days (about three years ago) I played lots of Counterstrike - a computer game, and loved the colt m16a2.

I started researching them out of curiosity, found out that US military forces still use them AND you can buy them for civilian use.

Found AR15.com, things spiraled out of control from there!

Now I own my first. If the AWB sunsets, I think my next purchase will be a real CAR model with collapsable stock.

At any rate, I love these rifles. Learning more every day.

United States Marine Corps Infantry.  Consumate Professionals.

My son is Army, First Cav, if it was good enough for him, I had to have one...

SocomCen,

Little piece of trivia.  I was in the airwing at Kaneohe Bay, HI and took the indoc for recon on a bet in 1978.  I passed, but I was getting out and I was in a short MOS anyway, so it wasn't going to happen.  Captain Muth ran that indoc.

Go forward to 1989:

I am a SSgt in 2d Recon Bn and am in charge of our rifle team for Division Intramurals.  Guess who is running the show?  LtCol Muth.  I go up to him and tell him about the indoc in HI and he remembered me.  It was very weird, because I never expected my career path to take me there.


Small world.


Jim

I was drawn into it by a friend really. I had always wanted an AR, but being a little younger, I did not want to shell out the cash for one. My buddy found a good deal on one and talked me into it. There was no going be back from there.

y'know those little green army men?
When I was about three.
Then, when I was older I got to go with my dad and uncle to my first gunshow. I saw a colt carbine, and that was it.
Then, I had to wait, until I had collected all of the arms I needed for the various game, I hunt.
But then, suddenly, the wait was over.
I let the addiction creep in.

I loved firearms when I was a kid.  I built many "replica's" out of wood that I found in my Dad's lumber yard on our farm (couldn't afford the plastic toy guns).  I got my first .22 when I was 13 for Christmas, then lusted after an M1 Garand after getting the John Wayne move "Sands of Iwo Jima".  After getting the M1, I decided that I needed to get my second favorite gun, an AR-15.  I bought a Bushy A3 HBAR at Cabella's in Owatonna.  Then a Bushy lower w/ a RRA A3 upper.  After that came a KKF dedicated .22 upper, and another Bushy lower for that.  Finally a preban DPMS.  I need to get an M4 yet, AR-10, and a 9mm carbine!

Brad

3 generations of hard core Marines in the family.  So, obviously I was raised on weaponry and the like.  I've always owned weapons, but on St. Patty's Day '02, I was at a buddies house, and he was kind enough to show me a wee bit of his personnal armory, which included an AR.  I said "holy shit" , researched the AR weapons available to the public, picked up a 14.5" Bushy w/ break and have been having a "blast" since.  More importantly, I've been very active getting people to shoot my "evil" rifles, and getting involved in the protection of our RIGHTS!!!  OOOOOOraaaaah [peep]

Bought a Colt AR in 1975 new.  $150 w/2 mags.  Shot it a lot and got pretty good.  Got rid of it when some goofy laws started coming into Canada.  Bought a metric FN FAL.  This was carry gun for long time.  Discovered M1 Garands and bought/rebuilt 3.  Still have 'em.  Promised myself I had enuff firearms (stupid huh?) and never bought anything since '95.  Fell in love with a DPMS
14.5" bbl with fully functional 4 position stock.  Mag well is marked 'EXPORT' so can't take it into the States.  Took the Carbine Course at Gunsite last May with a borrowed M4 using my Eotech holo.  Really enjoyed the course and won the shootoff.  Not bad for a guy with 58 year old eyes.  I've been shooting these kinds of guns (got 2 AK's as well) for years but really learned a lot about weapon manipulation on that course.  Gotta love the M4.  Cool gun!!   R1

LIBERALS!! Realy that what made me want a AR.I had lots of guns Mini-14,ak47,lots of hunting guns but I always thought the AR's where ugly plastic peices of crap.Then the liberals started saying how dangerous these things where and how scared of them they where.So I naturaly wanted to see for my self.I found a guy at the gun range with one and asked if I could look at it .Well after about 300rds I fell In love. So now I'm buying one for myself.

If a liberal does'nt like it it must be good!

"What first made you get into the AR scene......."

Made? It was the US Army {'66-'69} that made me interested. But then, they "made" me interested in M14's, SAM's & ICBM's too.........