The Most Wanted Gun in America (NY Times article on the AR)

NYTimes ^

[Red in Blue PA]

THE phone rings again at Pasadena Pawn and Gun, and a familiar question comes down the line: “Got any ARs?”

The answer is no. Pasadena Pawn and Gun, a gun retailer and pawnshop 15 miles south of Baltimore, is pretty much sold out of America’s most wanted gun, the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. Since the massacre in Newtown, Conn., in December, the AR-15, the military-style weapon that the police say was used in the shootings, has been selling fast here and across the nation.

Before Newtown, the rifles sold for about $1,100, on average. Now some retailers charge twice that. At Pasadena Pawn, on the wall behind glass counters of handguns, are three dozen or so AR-15-style rifles. Dangling from nearly every one is a tag that says “Sold.”

“The AR-15, it’s kind of fashionable,” says Frank Loane Sr., the proprietor. His shop has a revolving waiting list for the rifles, and a handful of people are now on it. “The young generation likes them, the assault-looking guns.”

....

Another feature of the AR-15 is that it can be easily personalized and accessorized.

“You can take the whole gun apart and replace any part you want to without special tools, without knowing a whole lot,” says Tim McDermott, a range officer at the Personal Defense and Handgun Safety Center in Raleigh, N.C. “They are Legos for guys.”

[Beckwith]

ABC, CBS, NBC All admit there was no Bushmaster AR-15 used at Sandy Hook

http://theobamafile.websitetoolbox.com/post/show_single_post?pid=1276720266&postcount=237

[GBA]

Instead I picked up a S&W M&P15 (the 2nd S&W AR I own) because I got a smoking deal on it ($650 after rebate).

What a great deal! I'm having a lot of those "woulda, coulda, shoulda" moments these days.

I saw a new S&W for sale at an online auction site this morning. At the time, the bid a bit over $2,000. A Sig M400 Enhanced was $2,500 and climbing. Oh well...

[3Fingas]

The only difference I saw from the time I served was the far forward placement of the non-trigger hand and perhaps thumbing the bolt-release (we usually would use our palm —wider surface area). What did you observer that was different?

[Spktyr]

Pretty much what my Marine friends who rotated back recently showed me - far forward support hand, use of the forward assist optional (watch when he loads the first Surefire mag).

[3Fingas]

The only time we would use the forward assist was during remedial action for a weapons jam.

I think far forward support hand became popular after I got out.