Did I mention I owned an AR? See picture at the top of the blog. Some people think AR stands for assault rifle; this is incorrect and doesn’t fit the military definition, see Wikipedia entry. AR is for automatic rifle, aka black rifle. Because it’s scary looking some say Evil Black Rifle (EBR). Others who are familiar with the type will say AR, or AR 15 or M4. My favorite and my daughters is Zombie killer, or ZKM for Zombie Killin’ Machine, still have to pickup the chainsaw attachment.

So now you’re thinking I purchased it for stopping Zombies, not so. I was actually concerned of losing my rights of owning such a weapon with a new administration entering office. There had been many election year rumors and promises which disturbed me. I decided to buy before something was put into place to prevent me from owning one.

It took several weeks of research to determine what I thought was import and then looking at different manufacturers to compare offerings. Also, availability was a factor; I found there were others motivated for the same reasons as I, which began limiting supply. Many companies had orders placed that wouldn’t be filled for as much as six to ten weeks later. The opening screen to their websites advised customers to not call unless their order was older than eight weeks.

I was beginning to get a little desperate, not quite, but concerned. I had several models in mind and they couldn’t be found. If they were for sale on the web there was quite markup I wasn’t ready to pay. Then, at a gunshow in Chantilly VA I found the one I was interested in. It was a LWRC M6A2. This AR had some features that others didn’t which greatly influenced my decision.

Primarily it is a gas-piston operated gun. See figure. Typically AR’s use the hot gas of the bullet to actuate the bolts movement to the rear and eject the spent bullet, then load in a new one. This gun wasn’t like that; instead the gas operates a piston that pushes the bolt back performing the same operation as described. This keeps dirt and grime out of the moving parts, it also keeps the heat out. The bolt remains cool even if you shoot thirty rounds on full auto, all because its piston operated.

The other reason, the gun came with all the name brand after market upgrades I would have purchased anyways. So, with the concurrence of my spouse and American Express I now have my new gun.