My very first rifle I've ever bought was Bushmaster postban 16" shorty. I was eighteen then. I've had it till I was 21, when I sold it to buy a Kimber 1911. Since then, I've owned many different rifles including HK93, and even black Steyr AUG.
Well, eight years has passed, and seeing that everyone was having fun mounting more crap than they ever need on their AR, I've decided to buy perhaps the best preban AR15 one can ever buy. 16" Preban Colt carbine.
It's stock A2 now, but I intend to use it as a host for uber 'tactical' AR15 by installing KAC FF RAS, M4A3 receiver with ACOG or Eotech, and ARMS BUIS. Tango down grip, Vlor,... You get the idea. Yeah, I should probably keep it K.I.S.S., but what's fun in that?
Having owned other .223 such as HK93, and Steyr AUG; what is my personal impressions on AR15?
-First. It's light, very light (lighter than AUG, but AUG balances better).
-CAR stock is short and not very comfortable.
-AR15 mag does look flimsy.
-Rifle doesn't feel very solid, and has toy feeling to it. May be it's the weight and phony looking furnitures.
-I prefer round front sight cover of HK, over AR15 front sight fences. I like fully adjustablility of AR15A2 sight though.
-Light crisp trigger, easy to reach/operate safety lever.
-Make me wonder why HK93/AUG doesn't have manually operateable bolt hold open device.
-Recoil is milder than HK93, but again doesn't feel 'solid' compare to HK93 or even milder shooting AUG.
-Oh yeah, this thing is highly modular, time to do shopping.
Between HK93, AUG, AR15. I would probably pick HK93 for serious use. My favorite is still Steyr AUG. AR15 is not bad, and I will probably use it for primary range/fun rifle. I like the fact that it's still 'cheaper' than HK or AUG.