ThinkingAfield.org

By Raul Mas

The Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR), most of which are based on the AR-15 design, has become the most popular long gun in America today.  A recent report <https://www.nssf.org/articles/commonly-owned-nssf-announces-over-24-million-msrs-in-circulation/?hilite=MSRS> from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) suggests that almost 25 million of these firearms have been produced or imported into the United States since 1990.

Despite media efforts to brand them as “assault rifles” and “weapons of war”, most gun owners know that the MSR is simply today’s version of semi-automatic rifle technology dating back to the turn of the 20th century and Remington’s introduction of the Autoloading Repeating Rifle.  First introduced in 1906, the gun was later renamed the Model 8 <https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-remington-model-8-a-look-back/> in 1911 and it became a commercial success; despite stiff competition from popular lever action designs that had “won the West” and the Winchester Model 54 bolt action rifle introduced in 1924.  Semi-autos became increasingly popular after World War II as surplus M-1 Garand rifles and M-1 carbines began making their way onto target ranges and hunting fields.  By 1964, the Colt AR-15 rifle also made its commercial debut:

While the internet is full of AR-15 videos and information, a lot of it is missing the detailed knowledge necessary to properly inspect, measure, gauge and assemble your parts into a safe and reliable rifle.  By safe and reliable, I mean one that is chambered and headspaced correctly, where the gas system is neither overgassed or undergassed, where the parts are torqued to the correct specifications using the proper tools and torque values, and with the appropriate lubricants or sealants.  In addition, the rifle must feed factory ammo correctly with G.I. issued M4 magazines or quality commercial magazines.  Finally, the receiver extension components should produce reliable cycling, including the appropriately timed extraction and ejection of the spent cartridge cases. Read more

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The Speed Jags in the Bore-Max Speed Jags & Patches Multi-Cal Pack feature longer shanks than standard jags to deliver up to four times more bore contact surface than traditional jags. Used exclusively with Real Avid’s no-bunching Speed Jag Patches, this system means fewer passes and fewer patches are required to remove stubborn bore fouling, so the work goes super-fast with superior results. What’s more, the precision-sized Speed Jags are nickel plated to prevent chemical breakdown and to ensure longer life than standard jags. The kit includes 10 jags: 6 rifle jags covering .22 caliber through 7.62mm and four handgun jags in .22-, .380/9mm, .40-, and .45-caliber. Also included are 500 Speed Jag Patches. Read more