I didn’t even want an AR-15, the round is puny. Yeah it is fast, but it is still a puny 55 grain projectile.
There are more effective cartridges available.
I bought an AR last year when it looked like Hildebeast might win just because they don’t want me to have one.
The biggest threat during Civil unrest will not be bullets.. IT WILL BE FIRE!
Yeah, the funny thing is, if that kid had used a 12 gauge shotgun with a short tactical sized barrel and double ought buck - in the tight, crowded confines os school halls and classes - it would have been worse. But everyone wants to get the vapors over the scary black (20 caliber) rifle.
It has become my favorite anti-coyote weapon. Use it on the ranch daily.
The 5.56mm NATO round is very accurate, and much more effective than you might think. Various bullet weights are available, from 62 thru 77 grains, which are most effectively utilized with various barrel twist rates like 1: :9 or 1:7 to avoid over stabilization with heavier weight bullets. BTW, those barrel twist rates spin a 55 grain bullet so fast that they will disintegrate a 55 grain bullet, designed for a 1:14 twist rate; after 100 yards or so. The heavier bullets can reach out to past 600 yards with great accuracy.
I have AR’s with barrels chambered in .22 LR, 5.56MM, .300 Blackout, and .50 Cal Beowulf. 300 Blackout utilizes a trimmed from 45mm to 35 mm length 5.56 cartridge case, 125-200 grain bullets with ballistics similar to the AKM-AK47 7.62mmx39 round. The .50 Beowulf is a .50 cal, 300-400 grain round with ballistics similar to the old 45-70 Govt. round. You can hunt grizzly bears with it. It uses standard AR mags, but a 30 round mag holds only 10 rounds.
The great thing about the AR-15 is it is the Burger King of rifles. You can customize it in almost any way that you choose. One of the greatest rifle designs of all time. I carried an M-16A1 in Vietnam, and it was very reliable with normal maintenance and very ergonomic. Plus a 600 round loadout did’t weigh much more than 150-200 rounds of the admittedly more effective 7.62x51 NATO round.