I’m sure we all work hard for our toys and guns. So with that said I’m about to buy a DD rifle (had one before, sold it when times got hard). I’m also going to do some carbine classes but I can’t help but think of all the scratches and etc. I’ll put on her. Granted some say those are beauty marks and I my self haven’t had guns with those beauty markets yet (new to the sport/hobby). So to “solve” this I was going to get…two AR. MP-15 for classes and DD for range duty. I didn’t know if they also make some type of touch up pen.
Seriously? Buy the DD, run it hard, spend the money you would have spent on the M&P on ammo and training. I don’t have any idea how to test a weapon I’d trust my life on without scratching it.
Never thought I would say this, but its kind of a nice feeling when you show up for a class and everyone has their nice spotless AR’s and when you pull your dinged up weapon out of the bag everyone looks at u a lil different, and starts asking you all sorts of questions.
Even better when you make it through without one hiccup and the new rifles start sh*#@ing the bed.
I’ve never worried much about how my guns look. They are tools. They are practical. They do what they need to do. Their beauty is in their function. My AR has scratches on it. Some were on it when I got it, some I’ve put there, more will follow. Same for my other guns. I don’t have them to win beauty contests…although in my eyes they could, even the Glocks. They look like they will do exactly what I want them to do, and that’s the point.
That said…hi point pistols are butt ugly. I gotta draw the line there.
Some things get banged up, why would you take the lesser rifle to a class? Wouldnt you want to run your go-to through its paces?
Think of a car, if you do rally races, are scratches gonna bother you? Things get worn out - the best books are the ones falling apart.
Point is, spend $ on training, ammo, or retirement. Dont worry about a scratch that has NO effect on anything other than your feelings about it. My $.02, YMMV.
I had to look up hi point pistols when I read this. I concur. Those are butt ugly guns.
Have you considered posting this thread/concern at TOS? They might be able to put your mind at ease about your concerns about the external condition of a fighting rifle. Just a thought. To answer your question, no, I’m not as anal as you are are about my ARs.
That’s a nice Jeep in your avatar, do you own two of them? One for wheeling and another pretty one for the mall?
I love a beat up AR…
The ones that have been in country and have all the anodize worn off the edges look the best IMO.
Op if you want to keep yours nice then more power to you. I think there are a lot of professional/military-types on this board so you’ll probably find most of them like rugged guns that take a beating and still do not let them down.
I understand where the OP is coming from. When I got my first AR I treated it like a safe queen for a few months. The amount of money I spent on it was far more than any previous gun purchases, so I didn’t want to fudge it all up right off the bat. I’ve learned a lot since then thanks to M4C and my “toys” became “tools”. I’m a master electrician and in my trade, we view the guys with the cleanest tools as the guys that don’t use them enough. Those guys are usually the apprentices and they are afraid to let their shiny new tools get beat up. Once they have been in the trade a while, their tools end up looking like hell, but still function 100%. So don’t worry so much about scuffs and scratches, they add character and may be a sign that you know how to use them.
You would absolutely hate Krylon. The look of a well used rifle is more appealing to my eye. I like the seasoned look. I just dont like hearing a rifle drop to the ground or bang against hard surfaces. That makes me cringe. Just take your DD. Life is to short. Use the tool as it was intended.
Yeah, get two…treat one like the prom queen and the other like a whore…
Sharpie!..
Nothing more beautiful than trust when it comes to guns and gear brother.
I got those beauty marks just putting my gun together. There is nothing more dangerous to a firearms finish than me with a punch and a hammer:D
There’s a certain beauty to a brand new, spotless AR… They look cool.
There’s a mental evolution most go through… you get a nice AR and want it to be prestine forever… then you get into the macho, scratches are cool phase…
And finally you’ll get to where you don’t even pay attention to that nonsense. You get to be more focused on what you’re doing with the weapon, instead of worrying how the weapon looks when you’re doing it.
I know more than a few Prom Queens that were treated like whores and loved it!!
I use my weapon like the tool it is supposed to be but I also take very good care of it. If it gets scratched or dinged because of hard use that is one thing. One that makes me cringe also is hearing a weapon hit the ground when it’s dropped or knocked over.
Nothing wrong with running it hard and getting some “honest” wear on it. Just don’t be like some guys I have seen who purposely toss and drag their rifle around just to scratch it up.
My primary has been run hard through multiple Carbine classes and is run in monthly multi gun matches and isn’t all beat up. It has some honest wear on it but I don’t make it a point to purposely beat it up to impress people…don’t be THAT guy.
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I might actually do the opposite. Use the DD for class and defensive purposes since it is the more robust of the two and the rifle I’d bet my life on (and shouldn’t puke in a class), and get the M&P for lighter duty range use where it will always look perfect.
Alternatively, just get a DD and use the extra cash for ammo, classes and replacement of the few parts that wear out on an AR (BCG type items - extractor, springs, etc.). By the time you put 30K-40K rounds downrange and possibly wear out your DD (see BCM’s Filthy 14 article), you’ll have spent a bunch more on ammo than you would have spent on a few additional AR’s. Buy the DD and put the rest of the money in the bank. Cheers!