In this six-part article, I’ll be covering a few of the areas concerning the AR-15 that are often overlooked and do not receive enough attention. This is an attempt to bring some considerations to the attention of new shooters before it is too late to correct an oversight. While this article is decidedly AR-15 rifle-centric, there will be other rifle platforms and alternative ammunition types mentioned. Please be advised that I am not a trained professional and I have no formal weapons training or formal education of any kind and have never been in the military. I speak only as a self-taught citizen defender and I’m not qualified to have a professional opinion on these matters.
I believe that the ordinary citizen can and should strive to bear arms in an effective manner and that we can do this on our own if we have the will to do so. We are the stock that has provided our Armed Forces with the talent and means it once possessed. Apathy killed this country. If there is a will, then there is a way, and the audience is now the Praetorian Guard of the American way.
What I’m describing will require hard work and dedication, yet what are our lives, faith, and liberty worth? I am hopefully providing information that might serve the Christian faith, our grandsons, and the future of this country. As I see it, it shall be primarily the old and the young that would be willing to die to retain a remnant and portion of the land that what once was, and what could be, if we are not indeed entering the End Times.
The AR-15, A Symbol of Freedom
Simply owning a rifle without knowing how to maintain and use it makes it more symbolic than real. As I recall JWR used an incisive analogy. He is often quoted as saying: “Owning a gun doesn’t make someone a ‘shooter’ any more than owning a surfboard makes someone a surfer.” One should conclude that the rifle alone is not enough to protect life, and liberty. In modern America, it seems that owning a rifle has become the goal, and that owning many rifles to make us feel safer. Yet it is only a platform, an important tool that requires training and must be understood and supported by accessories and supplies, and the knowledge to maintain it, otherwise owning a rifle is merely symbolic.
Buying ‘Gucci’ rifles and hanging the latest and greatest accessories on the rifle does not necessarily make it a better rifle. It would certainly make the rifle heavier and possibly less combat-effective for people who are not in peak physical condition. Buying only a rifle and what is needed for a day at the range practicing is not going to cut the mustard, either. Instead of buying a sports car with the most expensive and powerful motor and all the options and having no way to pay for the gas, oil, and tires to keep it on the road, we could end up with an expensive club that is not as effective as a club. Before purchasing a firearm the total cost of ownership and operation should be determined first and then an affordable rifle and supporting accessories and ammunition chosen, and preferably purchased together to complete a package.
To quote one unidentified soldier in Ukraine:
“This conflict has taught me a lot about the context of “good enough” vs “Gucci.” Gucci sxxx is great, Gucci sxxx is better, but good enough will still drop bodies and get you through the fight all the same. Plus you save money for the most important sxxx, like ammo [and body armor] plates.”
Ukrainians are Learning the Hard Way
The variety of rifles and equipment being used in Ukraine is whatever is available, affordable, and sourced from many different countries, their surplus system, grey markets, and even the Internet. Much of it is Cold Ear and later gear, and inexpensive items purchased with personal funds. Many of the affordable modern accessories for rifles and gear in general tends to be of lower quality, and it is not battle-tested. I would not want to be in the same situation as a contemporary Ukrainian. Therefore I am encouraging Americans to fix this problem now.
For the Ukrainian grunt, 5.56 ammunition and magazines are 3 to 4 times the current retail price found in the U.S.. Considering that the average Ukrainian has a lower standard of living makes the purchase of these supplies during war time extremely expensive. Special units are provided with the latest and greatest gear, yet the average Ukrainian grunt must buy his own if they want better than issued that is typically an AK-74 and 4 to 10 magazines and no more than 300 rounds.
Unlike the Ukrainian grunt’s experience, there may be no resupply for Americans during a grid-down collapse. The learning curve could be much steeper, if not sharply abrupt for Americans. We should not expect any outside help or access to markets. Depending on how our cookie crumbles, because of the long list of small manufacturers specializing in the AR platform, and because of the amazing innovations produced for the AR-15, it is possible that a low level of manufacture may persist, yet I would not assume that it would exist.
The Importance of Replacement Parts
Eventually, all springs lose their ability to function as they were intended to do over time and with used. Leaving the action cocked and stored for period of many months after clearing the weapon can cause the hammer spring to slowly and imperceptibly lose spring tension prematurely. And springs can break. The AKM recoil spring, should it fail, can be replaced with several large rubber bands or even a good bungie cord, but that is not an acceptable long-term solution.
This same problem can occur with lower cost and possibly lower quality magazines. Avoid storing fully-loaded magazines for long periods such as 6 months or more, and have more magazines and spare magazine springs just in case. The highest quality equipment would presumably be less likely to suffer from the effects of use over time. But do your research before you order, because some components are sourced from China or other countries that now dominate the industrialized world. A product or part could be assembled in the U.S. or even manufactured in part or wholly in the U.S., but yet the base materials, and tempering are mainly provided by foreign manufacturers and quality control could be inconsistent. If trade becomes impossible with these countries, then the ability to produce parts or a complete weapon would likely be increasingly difficult if not impossible without a significant increase in production costs if we were able to produce the base metals or polymers used.
Because of the current inconsistent quality of available parts and materials, manufacturers are competing in a tightly contested market that favors ever-lower prices as our currency further declines in purchasing power. The result, as time progresses is that the service life of the item could be shorter than expected. Springs, clips, fasteners, and other small parts such as firing pins will increasingly fail or wear out prematurely or become otherwise lower in quality or nonexistent. This trend is not our friend. This is a key reason to stock up on many sets of small parts to keep any rifle and an AR running for the next decade and beyond.
Without a deep supply of replacement parts, all weapons will eventually wear out or break after being in service for a few years. ARs will need to have their ejectors replaced after around 5,000 rounds — or perhaps even sooner if low-cost steel-cased ammunition is used extensively. Barrels will lose their peak accuracy above the 7,000-round count. Spare parts and complete uppers for the AR-15 are relatively inexpensive. Everything including butt stocks might need to be replaced. In a protracted conflict, a foe would size up the manufacturing ability and target key industries for destruction as all war is essentially a war of attrition. Remove or destroy the ability to manufacture key small parts and strategic materials, and a large military force can be stopped in its tracks.
The Logistical Advantages of the AR-15
The AR-15 is now ubiquitous and has the huge advantage of having a deep
supply of inexpensive parts and there are untold pallets of ammunition
out there. And it has deep technical support as well. Technical support should not be underestimated. But even this broad supply would be quickly be consumed or otherwise not be available as lines of communication are disrupted or denied.
At one time the AKM was the king of survivalist arsenals, but now it is the AR-15 because it is inexpensive to purchase the rifle and a parts and ammunition supply, and because the rifle is so easy to work on that the average kitchen table top kinda guy need not be a gunsmith.
However, without a deep supply of parts, on average our AR-15 rifles will no longer function well or at all after about 5,000 rounds. If used during a time of war, the AR-15 will after the first to two years of constant use will become combat ineffective. If we have twice that amount of ammunition, perhaps 10,000 rounds, yet no replacement parts to keep the rifle running, then we have made a serious logistical error.
The first spare part kits to buy are the kits that include all the springs and
small parts that wear out or can become accidentally lost. Second on
the list to buy is a complete Bolt Carrier Group (BCG)) that can be carried in your sustainment field gear and installed immediately after a failure to eject. Third, buy a spare complete upper, and fourth, a complete lower parts kit that includes the butt stock and pistol grip.
(To be continued, in Part 2.)