Polymer AR-15 rifles aren’t anything new. Heck, you can print one out at home if you really have the urge. But while they may be “old hat” at this point, you can definitely see the appeal of a lightweight rifle — especially since pounds equal pain in any shooting environment. Historically they all suffer from the same set of issues, and generally they aren’t very good. But one company, MEAN Arms, has just started shipping their first hybrid polymer design, a rifle promised to be as strong or even possibly stronger than aluminum AR-15 but as light as a polymer rifle, and we here at TTAG were given the very first production rifle off the line to test out.

 image007

The downfall of most polymer lower receiver designs is that they have a tendency to snap in half right near the buffer tube. That area of the lower receiver is the thinnest, and yet has to handle the most stress as the gun fires. Cody Wilson figured that out when he was doing his testing for 3D printed AR-15 lowers, and as a result most have a significantly reinforced rear section. The guys over at MEAN figured that they could reinforce that area better by inserting an aluminum block there instead, and they’ve done it in such a way that you’d never know it was there.

 MEAN Hybrid-15, c Nick Leghorn

The guys at MEAN have actually been in the manufacturing business since the 1960s (under a different name), making parts for the aerospace industry. As a result they’ve gotten very good at machining aluminum and molding things in polymer, so when the AR-15 bubble happened last year and there were no guns to be had anywhere, they decided to make their own doing what they do best. The MEAN Hybrid-15 is the result, and I have to say that I’m very impressed.

The polymer design does indeed reduce the weight — the rifle weighs in at a svelte 6.186 pounds, and the lower alone is 0.34 pounds — but the real benefit according to MEAN is the elasticity and the ability to quickly customize the lower.

Under stress, plastic can bend and then return to its original position without breaking or deforming. Aluminum doesn’t do that, it just deforms or snaps. They believe that these properties make their rifle more durable than a standard aluminum AR-15, and to prove it they include a comprehensive transferable lifetime warranty. If at any time during the gun’s lifetime something breaks, they’ll fix it — no questions asked.

Customizing the rifle down the road is another benefit to polymer. All of the markings on the gun are made using metal inserts that they place in the mold, so doing a special run with something like a custom rollmark or some cool new design is quick and easy. It should make it cheap and simple to order up a set of rifles with a group name or logo.

MEAN Hybrid-15, c Nick Leghorn

The fit and finish on this firearm is top notch, with no rough edges or blemishes that I could find. On top of that, all of the parts function crisply and feel proper. Take for example the safety selector switch. On some rifles, it feels like you’re sliding a piece of penne pasta around. With the MEAN Hybrid-15, the safety snaps firmly and crisply from “safe” to “fire.” It’s the same with the rest of the controls as well.

Speaking of the fit and finish, this is the “MOE” version of the rifle which means that it comes decked out in Magpul’s finest frippery. Which ain’t a bad thing at all, since I’m a fan of Magpul’s style. It seems to me like the lower receiver is in the same style of tactical chic as the furniture, which looks pretty bad ass as a package.

The only thing that was slightly odd was that the lower receiver flares out near the top, but I’m guessing that there’s a reason. The guys said originally that they want to make both the upper and lower receiver out of the polymer material, but for this run the upper is a standard A4 style aluminum upper. My bet is that the lower is designed to marry up to the polymer upper, which will be released later. To accommodate that flare the rear takedown pin area is recessed into the lower, allowing you to use a standard takedown pin.

MEAN Hybrid-15, c Nick Leghorn

Since the lower receiver is molded polymer, the guys at MEAN can take some liberties with the design. For example, the magazine well on the rifle is flared a little bit more than usual to give you a bigger target when inserting a new magazine, but not to the point of being obnoxious. And the trigger guard is molded right into the lower, eliminating the need to buy that piece or deal with the cheap crappy triggerguard that comes with the standard parts kit.

One touch that I especially liked were the safety markings. I’m a big fan of the “bullets / no bullets” pictorial markings, since those are universal and seem to make more sense to me, and the addition of the third position on the markings is nice just from an asthetic standpoint. The rifles being offered for sale are manufactured to accept only semi-auto AR-15 parts and don’t have the requisite hole for the auto sear so position #3 will probably never actually be used, but I like having it anyway.

 MEAN Hybrid-15, c Nick Leghorn

For those who are curious, the serial number is not in fact in the “right” place. The ATF requires that the serial number be engraved into a piece of metal, and that becomes problematic with polymer guns. The New Frontier Armory guys simply embed a piece of metal in the “right” spot and put the serial number on that, but the guys at MEAN got a little creative. The serial number is engraved into the rear aluminum block instead, placing the serial number directly below the safety selector switch. It makes engraving the gun a little difficult if you’re planning on turning your gun into an SBR and filing a Form 1 with the ATF yourself, though.

The only other problem I have with this gun is also pictured here: the trigger. The guys at MEAN went with a standard “milspec” trigger, which means it’s terrible. Creep? Overtravel? Long reset? Yep, all present. It’s disappointing, since in every other way this gun is fantastic.

 MEAN Hybrid-15, c Nick Leghorn

Out on the range, the rifle handles like a dream. Not only does it feel as solid as a standard AR-15, but it definitely feels lighter. It actually feels a lot lighter than even my 11″ SBR. That means that you can run the gun just as hard as any all-metal rifle, but you won’t be as tired from lugging your gun around all day. I tried my best to break the gun through normal wear and tear, but it just wouldn’t give in. You know, bashing the buttstock on the ground, dropping it a couple times, dumping multiple magazines through it without a break — normal wear and tear. Or as I call it “the Thursday morning range trip.”

The only issue is that the barrel on this gun is a full M4 “government” profile barrel, meaning it is (relatively speaking) extremely heavy. I was expecting a pencil profile barrel for a gun like this, but after seeing the results of the accuracy testing I can’t argue with the results.

P1000951

As always, this 5 round group was fired at 100 yards. But since there’s no way to mount a bipod, it was done off a set of sandbags instead. Using Remington match grade 77gr ammunition I was able to get the above group, and I’m going to take full responsibility for that round I pulled low. The trigger on this gun isn’t exactly match grade and things went a bit wrong, but with a better trigger and possibly a bipod I could see this being a 1/2 MoA gun.

The results aren’t surprising, considering the source of the barrels. MEAN uses the much prized cold hammer forged barrels from FNH USA in their rifle, which is a smart move for the rookie company. I’ve seen how those barrels are made and have used them in competition all year long, and I trust them even after thousands of rounds of ammunition downrange.

As it stands it’s definitely a sub-MoA rifle at the least, which is damn impressive from a first time rifle manufacturer when even Bushmaster can’t get that right.

MEAN hybrid-15, c Nick Leghorn

Things I’d like to see in the next edition? A pencil profile barrel for one. Ditch the front sight post, slim down the barrel profile and maybe even put some fluting on that sucker — anything to drop the weight even further. A better trigger would be a nice improvement as well, something in a single stage variety. Anything but what it has now.

Despite the issues I have to admit that I am thoroughly impressed with the rifle. It’s a solid firearm that functions almost perfectly, and performs admirably in the field. What impresses me even more: the price. The gun is set to retail for about $1,200. It’s about 50% over the price of Bushmaster’s polymer offering, but in my opinion it’s worth every penny. The gun is lightweight, rugged, and accurate — exactly the qualities you’d want from a good carbine. And the fact that you’ll be buying from a small family-owned business is just the icing on the cake.

Specifications:

Caliber: 5.56 NATO
Barrel: 16 inches
Weight: 6.186 Pounds
Capacity: Ships with 2×30 round PMAGs
MSRP: $1,200

Ratings (Out of Five Stars):
All ratings are relative compared to the other weapons in the gun’s category. Overall rating is not mathematically derived from the previous component ratings and encompasses all aspects of the firearm including those not discussed.

Accuracy: * * * * *
Sub-MoA without any modifications, but capable of much more if properly configured.

Ergonomics: * * * *
Like the Diet Coke of the AR-15 rifle. Trim off some more weight and it will be perfect.

Ergonomics Firing: * * * *
Fix the trigger and then we’ll talk.

Customization: * * * *
While it’s an AR-15, the custom lower receiver does tend to slim down the options available.

Overall Rating: * * * *
An excellent first offering from a brand new company, and doing something that can actually be called “new.”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

124 COMMENTS

      • Even still, four cherry-picked shots tells you nothing a about the mechanical accuracy of the rifle. I doubt if the gun is even close to 1MOA once you get a proper sample size.

        • Nobody seems to get a really decent sampling for accuracy. Three or five shot groups just seem to be the industry standard. I usually just multiply the accuracy estimates given by two or three to account for that, and then remember I’ve got a few tens of thousands of rounds to go before the difference between 1 MOA and 2 matters to me. Besides, if you really want true gnat-testicle-sniping capabilities, I’m not sure if a semi-auto is the place to look.

        • I further suspect that to a Bad Guy the difference between 1 MOA and 2 MOA is academic. And you will probably not be taking those 5 shots at 100 yards.

      • “May have been” and “a little drunk”? Are you running for office?

        Doesn’t Bushmaster still make the Carbon 15?

    • Unless you’re expecting to be in a prolonged fire fighting in Fallujah, or you’re running 3-gun every weekend, I’m sure carbine length gas systems are just fine.

      Let’s be real, most people don’t shoot enough ammo through them to notice any difference.

          • As 1 is an infinitely larger number than 0, I’d have to go with either infinitely short or infinitely long.

        • “There are those of us that still use iron sights too you know”

          I’m guessing that refers to sight radius?

          I kind of like my carbine-length gas system – with my 20″ sight radius.

        • The battery life of irons is one light day (which, depending on the geographic location and time of year, can be anywhere from zero to 6 months). They do fully auto-recharge overnight, though.

          • Oh, that was better than mine, at least on first reading.

            Unfortunately, a light day would be a unit of distance, not time. 1/365th of a light year, or a skosh over 16 billion miles.

            How about “one diurnal interval (or period)” or “one quotidian.”

  7. Nick,
    You should ask them if they will be doing stripped lowers, kit builds etc.
    It is an easy way for them to allow trigger offerings, and furniture changes with out bending over backwards.
    I am impressed with the melding of both metal and polymer to deal with issues, and increased strength. Sort of the best of everything.

    • I checked out their website, and they do have stripped lowers and build kits available. No 80% lowers though which is a bummer. I just completed a polymer 80%, and as Nick pointed out my concern is the buffer attachment area as well.

      MEAN if you guys are reading you should look into building a brace for this aspect of other polymer lowers. The photo of the aluminum insert above looks like it may add structural integrity if hollowed out to cover the top of the buffer ring perhaps with a secondary brace incorporating the end plate to cover the underside above the grip attachment. Conjoin them with a few hex bolts and you have a frankenstein lower.

      • A CMC-Single Stage Traditional Curved Trigger Group would be a nice option.
        Sure you should spend $200 plus but unless you compete, or hunt a lot with it I can’t see why.

  8. Been curious about getting a James Madison Tactical polymer lower for a while now, seems like a fun thing to put on a rifle for a small significant other. Polymer is the cats pajamas now anyway right 🙂

    Great price considering its a small shop as well.

    • The james madison poly lowers are the best on the market right now, not including this new Mean, the aluminum block seems like a very clever idea. The James Madison is only $99 as a 80% and comes with a jig, while the mean is $200, which id never spend on a poly, when quality forged lowers are $50.
      The Madisons are definitely A+ though

  9. First, outside of a sidearm and Pmags, polymer has no place being in a battle system.

    Second, one *4 shot* group does not make this a sub-moa gun.

    • Why does it have to be a “battle system”? As long as it is reliable and hits what it is aimed at, it’s GTG. It doesn’t need to be engineered to stand up to a firefight in a far off land.

    • How many battles are you in on a regular basis where you get to bring your own, non-government issued firearm?

        • “Polymer rifles have no place in a battle.”

          I hope the irony of railing against polymer firearms with the username “hkfan” does not escape you.

        • I wasn’t aware HK made polymer rifles. Please provide a link.
          Perhaps reading comprehension isn’t your strength. This is arfcom2, after all. I specifically excluded polymer handguns, as I of course, am an HK fan.

        • Well, jeepers, I’m glad I know that now.

          Just so you know, polymers parts and pieces have been on M16’s, M4’s, Glocks, etc. for some time now. HK is does polymer stuff also, but I don’t buy from them because they hate me once I take my uniform off.

        • Please provide a link to an M4/M16 lower or upper receiver made of polymer that is used by the armed forces.

          This discussion is not about handguns.

        • and no, the G36 doesn’t count, when it has as much steel used in the metal inserts as polymer. I wonder why.

        • I said polymer parts, not polymer lowers. I’m not aware of a polymer lower rifle reciever currently in common use. The Glock is a polymer pistol lower commonly in use in the with military and police. Polymer parts are in handgrips, stocks, heat shields, etc. Kevlar is a polymer which repalced and improved metal helmets. This could be the first polymer / hybrid lower that some militaries pick up.

          Having actually carried guns in the military and police, I guess I just don’t accept your “expert” opinion regarding these matters. You’re welcome to it, and I’ll fight for your 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, I just don’t agree with you. Polymer can be used in battle guns, and it’ll likely compose a rifle reciever either as a whole or in hybrid configuration very soon. It may already be in use by special forces somewhere.

          You’re welcome to your partial polymer G36. I don’t use HK.

          • That is why the military got all the old M14’s out of storage and got rid of the old wood stock and some other up grades ,,, From COMBAT vet’s the M4/M16 has never got the job done right…and yes they are great for all the little girls in the military ,, but the ideal in WAR is win and do it right , not P.C. or cheap.. and last if your life counts on it plastic does not cut it…….and most do not understand the ART OF THE RIFLE ??? See what Jeff Cooper had to say!

        • I suggest you wonder over to M4C and see just what many in the field have to say of polymer lowers 🙂

      • HA!

        That little exchange between JWM and MattInFL just became my favorite part of this day. (Though it’ll probably slide into second at 5:00.) Thanks for the laffs.

    • Does that include the plastics and polymer on the stock/forearm as well? I guess the SCAR really isn’t a battle sytem either. Guess we should just go back to M1 Garrands, you know, a real man’s gun.

        • Its exactly people like “hkfan” that try to turn this into arfcom.

          I will admit that polymer triggers suck (up yours Gaston) but I dont see a problem with using polymer stocks, coatings, lowers etc.

          Would be cool of MEAN to use those aliminium wrapped barrels(I believe Walther Lothar make them) to save weight while keeping a heavy profile.

        • Why the distinction for polymer handguns? They’re okay for “combat”, but polymer on rifles isn’t? Seems arbitrary.

      • What girle-man wussiness is this, firing pathetic little mousegun .30-calibre? Real men should use .45 from a Trapdoor Springfield! None of this effete small-calibre “repeating” nonsense, please…

  10. I’m impressed. Nice design!

    I wonder if a company could sell an aluminum reinforcement block that is compatible with a 3D printed lower.

    -D

  11. Nick-
    Did I miss where you tell us what the gun actually weighs? Sorry if I overlooked it.

    I will say that at half the price, the SU-16 with the AR stock and forend is a 5lb ‘AR Hybrid’ that’s surprisingly good. It’s not a mil-spec, turned-to-11, it-costs-a-bunch-so-it-must-be-good race gun, but it’s nearasdammit good enough if you need a lightweight, reliable, accurate gun for a lot less cash.

  12. It’s interesting looking, but I’d really like to know the weight of the stripped lower alone, since that’s really the only difference between this and “any other AR.”

    For comparison, the last two photos of the first post here have a standard Spike’s stripped forged lower and a preproduction version of their new billet Compressor lower. The standard forged is 251.1 grams, and the billet is 248.9 grams. I know the polymer lower is going to be lighter, but how much?

  13. I do not understand the fixation on weight from people whose longest walk will be from their car to the firing line. Even three gun isn’t that strenuous compared to all day stalking or carrying a golf bag on a 7200 yard golf course. People act like they are gearing up for the air assault at Arhnem and those guys carried a 9lb rifle an a 40+oz pistol. Just remember, carring a little extra weight might help you become an old fit white guy instead of a fat one.

    • What about carrying more ammo? Seems like carrying an extra pound of bullets would be an improvement.

    • Add to that the relative fatness of the shooting community, and it can be a head scratcher. Still, it can be nice to have a lighter phone in your pocket, gun on your hip, or rifle in your hands. I CC light guns and hunt with heavy guns. I do smile inwardly whenever a husky guy talks about a lightweight gun.

      • Are you saying that the inevitable heart attack from him running is more of an issue than how much weight is in his hands?

        • No, you are just…er…. Big boned. JK.

          I appreciate a lighter rifle due to being faster, and I can carry more of other stuff.

        • Troopers jumping into Normandy carried upwards of 80lbs of gear. Many had to march 10+ miles to their objectives. I doubt your “more stuff” is half of what their “more stuff” was.

        • My grandfather was in WW2, he took 15 pieces of shrapnel to his back, dragged his buddy to safety and punched a corpsman for not helping his buddy fast enough, they don’t make people they used too.

        • Grandfather? That hurts.

          I was talking about plastic vs wood with a SGM and I made similar comments. He laughed and said that’s because they were men and we are pussies.

        • My most specific recollection was actually a guy driving a corvette who stopped to talk to me on the side of the road while I was on-duty a few years ago. He wanted to know if his titanium exhaust system on his Z06, which cost several grand, was street legal. It was 10-15 lbs lighter than the stock unit, and was supposed to increase power to boot. It might have been a Borla, but I don’t really remember. I didn’t care, really, because his exhaust sounded awesome.

          Anyways, he went on and on about how it improved his power to weight ratio. I had a had time getting him to stop, he was so excited. I felt like he was holding me hostage. He was around 5’6 – 5’7, balding, and pushing 3 bills. I couldn’t help but think about his weight, and how it affected his power to weight ratio. I mentioned the story to the guys at work, and they got a kick out of it. Some of us still refer to power to weight ratios when referring to equipment vs. obesity. As in “that guy definitely needs to work on his power to weight ratio” in reference to a fat guy moving slowly. It’s an inside joke, so I’m not sure if its funny. In fact, even mentioning such things makes me kind of a jerk, so I’ll admit that. There are also a lot of fat cops out there, and TTAG is pretty harsh on them, so I don’t feel too bad.

          I never said that Nick is fat, and I think he may very well humiliate me in 3 gun. I’ll just go back to my afternoon scotch. It’s. 5 o’ clock somewhere.

    • A lightweight AR is the bees knees for a long arm that the whole family can use. With the adjustable stock, it is youth-sized to dad-sized. The lower weight means my wife won’t give me that look and never touch the rifle again, like she did with my Mossberg shotgun. My 9-pound operator AR-15 with the tactical coffee grinder is absolutely NOT going to be her choice to defend herself. But a 6.2 pound AR with just a green laser weapon light and iron sights will be the ticket!

    • Hah! Keep saying that. When the zombies come, I might not be able to run faster than them even with my lightweight pencil barrel AR, but I only need to run faster than you. Or that guy with a Garand.

  14. “…when the AR-15 bubble happened last year and there were no guns to be had anywhere, they decided to make their own…”

    I hope their planning included a contingency for long-term stability in case the bubble burst before they got their product to market… Ah, well, they’ll be ready for the next panic, anyway. Hope they stick around; it sounds like they have at least a few new ideas, which is actually pretty rare in the “me, too!” world of the AR-15.

      • I like to see a real good 308 Win/7.62 Nato AR for under $1000. and with fold down iron sights and use cheap magazines like metric FAL. with the 308 win , use a small bullet for small game , but at the same time have full battle rifle stats for the 7.62 and even add a real web sling…and chrome lined bore that is well made and a flash hider . in other words have it all in one rifle……….is that so hard ???

        • And Bushmaster almost got it right but stopped the 308 W. rifle production to meet demand for the 223 Cal AR’s , next Smith & Wesson has the M & P 10 , but they do not come iron sights factory and sling and mags same problem and flash hider ??? and been to many dealers and no can get or order ????????? And keep in mind junk AR’s are just that ….If SHTF you want a battle rifle . or a good rifle to last a lifetime of hard use… come on give us some really good rifles like the METRIC FAL.etc…….

        • My Argentine FN-FAL parts kit gun came in right about $1k. It’s been a blast to shoot. I can’t wait for 308 ammo to get back to the pre-bubble prices…

      • How about a caliber that you can actually hunt with legally, i.e., .243 and up, whether that is .270 or 6.8 SPL or .308. Yes, I know some states allow .223, but most don’t, and personally, I wouldn’t shoot a 300 lb wild boar with a .223 even if it were legal.

  16. this is not the first hybrid to market. ATI OMNI II is a hybrid as well. Interestingly, the ATI was panned by TFB as “unsafe” while GunsAmerica blog just ate it up, even though it has an oversized and out of spec magwell that will unexpectedly drop mags.

    I’ve been looking at polymers, especially 80% polymer lowers. An 80% has several advantages. One, no FFL fees. Two, no California registration (although a bill has already been introduced to close that “loophole.” Three, no need to rent a CNC or high end milling machine (a practice that the ATF has been frowning upon as of late, advising that the owner of a pre-programmed CNC machine will be charged as a “manufacturer” if the machine is rented out to others.) Anyone have a list? The only one I know right now is EP Armory, which is a Kevlar reinforced lower. While the EP does have some complaints about pin hole alignment/placement, I haven’t seen anything about collar failures.

    • I just finished an EP lower. Very simple to do with just a drill and dremel. Hammer, trigger, and safety holes were spot on, however I did have to take a little extra material out of the bottom for trigger bar clearance when installing the LPK. I also had an issue with the bolt catch having a bit too much slop and being able to slide down off the mag follower but I cannot tell if this is due to the lower or the parts kit.

      I did test fit with a co workers upper, and fit was nice an tight. Itching to shoot it.

    • I have two Omni lowers. So far they seen fine. Everything lined up properly and fits tight. The only issue I see right now is the trigger and hammer pins. They rotate so a drop in trigger group may increase longevity. The buffer are doesn’t seen to have any issues so far. I know ATI makes a hybrid with metal inserts. When I put more rounds through this I will see how it holds up. The magwell has no problems either. The mags stay inserted during firing.

  17. Maybe I’m a cheapskate, but i was expecting the polymer lowers and fully assembled rifles to come in at a lower price point. why should I risk money on unproven technology that costs more than the average aluminum receiver?

    • The novelty, and the fact that you’re getting a lighter rifle? Although I wasn’t able to find the weight of this rifle in the review or on their website (maybe I’m just blind).

      • Good thing I’m not one of those guys who saves weight on the rifle just to add more accessories.

  18. I like their thinking. The only poly lower that interested me prior to this was the coyote arms/gwacs, since having the stock integrated strengthened that joint area. I still have one for my 22lr upper. Implanting the aluminum reinforcement in that high stress area makes perfect sense. The weight isn’t really an issue for me, but in many ways poly can be better than aluminum.

  19. Since when is lightweight for a rifle a good thing? 99% of you are not out in battle or patrol, you are not on a swat team or belong to a militia or group that does day long walks with their firearms. So what’s the point of lightweight anything other than conceal carry?
    Weighted rifles are more accurate in most scenarios. And does a regular ar carbine really weight that much that one would need a poly? My service rifles average just under 20 lbs. and I can shoot them all day any shooting position.

    Just another ar not needed in today’s market.

    • 20 lbs, eh? well, you must be one tough hombre. I remember being in a LGS looking at an M1 Garand, and the owner said, “That’s a rifle you will take hunting–once.” A ten pound rifle and a hike in steep mountains will give you a real good reason to get a 6 lb rifle. Unless you are One Tough Hombre ™.

    • I built a lightweight precision rig around a 16″ lightweight Noveske SS barrel, Geissele Mk4, Vltor receiver, and CTR stock. Came in around 7lbs and it shoots HONEST and REPEATABLE 5-shot groups of 0.65 MOA. Topped with a 1-6x optic, it is both a battle ready CQB and medium range gun, not throw away crap.

  20. I picked up a couple ATI polymer lowers a few years back under the assumption that they wouldn’t last forever. I put together a lightweight hunter with a 18″ 6.5 Grendel barrel, and as many light plastic bits as I could find. Came in around 6something lbs on the bathroom scale, shoots wonderfully, and is nice to carry through the woods all day. If the lower breaks, I transfer my parts to the next one. Too bad this wasn’t around a few years ago, I might just pick one of these up if my ATI ever dies.

    Also- looks like they have some 7.62/308 rifles planned. Sweet!

  21. Weight the Lower.

    I’m so SO goddamn tired of all this “It’s over 50% lighter!” bullshit, and them never listing the goddamn receiver weight.

  22. Sometimes I think we forget that we love in a somewhat free market. That means a lot of people get ideas and try them out and if they sell, the people succeed. If they fail, well that’s what freedom is for, as well as success. Who cares WHY companies are trying polymer lowers? The fact that they are is good. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” could have been applied to chariots, slavery, the longbow, and a billion other things, but we didn’t reach the moon by thinking that way. Granted, rehashing a 60year old gun design isn’t necessarily progress either. I like blues steel and walnut a lot, BUT I also like Buck Rogers looking wiz guns that shoot tiny bullets super fast. If you have to have one or the other buy a Turnbull TAR10 and have both. Masterbuilt 30 cal with walnut and polished blueing, AR-ergos. If you long for the days when “when real men carried real rifles” but have no idea how your Grandaddy actually felt slogging up Suribiachi(if he was a grunt he was bitching the whole damn time, guaranteed) knowing he might die today, and probably not particularly concerned with which banging 2×4 was in his hands. Lot of Marines didn’t want to abandon their 03 Springfields for the Garand but time marches on. Small unit tactics change with the country we’re fighting in. But harking back to things we don’t understand because we weren’t there never changes. I for one hope rifle technology keeps progressing, and in the meantime I can whole heartedly recommend Alexander Roses American Rifle as a good read that explores the ancient history of the same sad argument rehashed in this and so many other comment sections or threads since the interwebs began. Enjoy your right to choose which weapon to own and employ, and let everyone else do the same. This right is yoooour right! This right is myyyyy right, from the cheap crap Lorcins, to the LWRCI!

  23. The amount of information left out of these reviews makes me turn away from this website as a source for firearms information. “The Truth About Guns” is a strong title for this weak setup of testing and evaluation. There is a lot of open ended comments made about different portions of the firearm in several of these articles. That and the fact that a TON of data is left out. Real simple stuff like trigger pull weight and ammo type just for starters. I must say I am not impressed.

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