BUSHMASTER AR15 16" Carbine
by Lee Miracle
My primary battle rifle is the Bushmaster AR15 with a 16" heavy barrel. I have chosen this primarily because, as an infantry veteran, I am thoroughly familiar with the performance and maintenance of these types of weapons.
This is a magazine-fed, air-cooled, gas-operated, shoulder-fired, 5.56mm semi-automatic defensive tool. It roughly approximates the standard rifle issued to our active duty regular military forces.
Like most other American firearms, the AR15 is a precise instrument, designed to be owned and operated by persons who are able to perform routine maintenance tasks. If one fails to perform basic preventative maintenance on this rifle, it will encounter difficulties. (Note: I have experienced ONE case of abuse-related weapon malfunction with my AR. After several months of firing, with absolutely no cleaning at all, the bolt carrier froze in place. I had to hose it down with a can of spray-on gun oil, clean it, and then it worked fine. This was embarrassing, but it is good to know the tolerance of the weapon. If you love your guns, you will clean them.)
It fires a 5.56mm round (.223 cal). I have chronographed several types of 55 grain military surplus ammo at just under 2900 fps. A 20 inch rifle, firing the same ammo, clocked in at almost 300 fps faster. It is a decent trade-off, as the 16 inch weighs a little less, and is a lot more maneuverable in urban and household defensive situations.
I have fired a small amount of 62 grain ss109 penetrators, and the rifle functioned well, but I did not chronograph these rounds, and cannot normally afford them. It seems to work well with expensive PMC commercial ammo (which I cannot normally afford either, but my best friend Hank gave me a can full. Your true friends will do that for you...)
This rifle has minimal kick, even though the barrel is short, and the rifle is not very heavy. It produces maximum flash, because it is a postban weapon, without the flash suppressor. (Note: When the ban expires next year, the FIRST order of business will be to add a flash suppressor, CAR stock, AND a bayonet lug. Watch me.)
The rifle is easy to load and operate. The magazines insert straight in (no aggravating try-to-find-the-catch rotational nonsense.) The charging handle, which is on top of the rifle, is pulled back easily, and the rifle also features a forward-assist, to ensure that the bolt is all the way forward and the round is properly loaded. I don't remember ever having to actually use this, but it might come in handy.
The AR15 family of rifles is one of the most varied and accessorizable group of firearms ever produced. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and in any color you want, as long as it's black.
This rifle cost me around $620 when I bought it about 8 years ago. Prices have gone up and down since then, and you can even build your own for a good deal less than that today.
There is a vast amount of US military surplus gear available for this rifle.
I would highly recommend this rifle to anyone who is considering a major rifle purchase.
-Lee
There are many AR15 resources available on the internet. Here are a couple: