My life once depended on a “piece of crap” M16.
The damn thing jammed on the 2nd round and I had to duck and scramble to repair the jam while under enemy fire. This happened a whole 2 weeks after they took our highly reliable M14s from us and replaced them with the M16s.
Excuse me if I have no love or respect for the M16 or its civilian version the AR15.
It is the same thing with cars, computers, smart phones, etc. I will take a simpler version if it is proven more reliable than an all bells & whistles gadget prone to failures not easily overcome.
As an anecdote...circa 1964 Chicago winter. After work at 5 pm, it is very cold and dark in the parking lot, and my car would crank but will not start. My co-worker and I opened the hood, bent the arm holding the points which created a gap between the closed together points, and the car started! When the electronic ignition or computer fails, it is a tow truck trip to the dealer or mechanic’s shop.
You’re excused for sure
This article is just AR porn