Florida Shooters Network

Seriously, damn kids today have it GOOD when it comes to AR-15s. The selections are out of this world. So many manufacturers and setups. You guys have braced pistols, midlength gassed carbines, light as hell free float rails, amazingly cheap quality optics, finishes and coatings that rival stuff in science fiction, and such an array of quality magazines.

Back in the day during the height of the AWB. Our options were limited. 20rd and 30rd preban magazines were usually $30+ and the only options in magazines was either GI Aluminium, Thermolds, Isralei Orlites, and junk. In my personal experiences. The Israeli Orlites were shit. The only mags I stocked up on were GIs and US made Thermolds; the Canadian made ones were shit since the Canucks changed the polymer formula.



Honestly, back then, American made Thermolds were the Pmags of the decade.

AR-15 layouts and options were also mighty scarce. You had pre-bans like the Colt SP1 Rifle and Carbine or newer made guns like the A2 HBARs hitting the scene.



Other than that. You were limited to post ban guns. If you wanted a carbine; good luck because like this unless you had a pre-ban rifle you can swap out parts on. If you didn't, all you had were options like this. Oh, and hope you had good hearing protection because that Mini-Y Comp and AK Muzzle Brake were the devil. A2s were verboten.







I happen to own a Ban Era Bushmaster Carbine that was a LE Letterhead gun. It is exactly the same as the Bushmaster Shorty AK Rifle. Only difference is my XM15-E2S Shorty Rifle has a A2 flash hider and a bayonet lug. It is a pig of a rifle but a hell of a shooter.



Colt came out with similar guns too like their Match Target Model 6731. A 16: HBAR Cabrine with a fixed A2 Stock and a A3 Reciever.



If you wanted to trick out your ARs; well. Your options were fairly limited. Red dots while in existence weren't cheap and mounting options weren't as varied as they are today. Same with lights. You had a few options and most of them were simply 60 lumen Xenon bulb Surefire 6Ps or Streamlight Scorpions. Tape switches were fucking magic.



If you had cash to throw, you could send your gun to someone like Ted Yost. He'd cut off the carry handle and install a sight rail so you can mount a red dot optic and put on a free float aluminium tube as your handguard. Other than that. You were limited to a 60 lumen light and maybe a three point sling.



Seriously, you guys have options like this today and you can get them for a hell of a price.



If you want a basic M4 Cabrine, they're usually $500 or less (barring panics) thanks to places like Palmetto State Armory.



Consider yourselves lucky. Because something like my Bushmaster Shorty Rifle was about a $1,000 back in the day.

great write up

in future articles use terms like poverty pony when referring to the other rifles such as the bargain basement AR's

also according to the Hitler meme from Downfall...... Thermolds are made from melted Pringles lids ( often referred to as Thermelts )

rentprop1 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 2:14 pm great write up

in future articles use terms like poverty pony when referring to the other rifles such as the bargain basement AR's

also according to the Hitler meme from Downfall...... Thermolds are made from melted Pringles lids ( often referred to as Thermelts )

The Canadian made Thermolds melted. The American made ones didn't. The Canucks decided to be cheap and literally changed the polymer formula for them. Hence why they failed.

This.

Turned 21 in 1996 and had my pick of ban era guns. Missed the cheap chicom aks and m14 clones by a few years and a crap AR with collapsible stock with hi cap magazines was real money.

Bought a Universal M1 carbine for a y2k longarm as the mostly GI versions were small money back then and 15 and 30 rd mags were cheap.

Then a few sks carbines and finally got into FALs as you could build 2 ban compliant/922r versions for the cost of a colt factory AR.

Owned a few Mini 14/30 rifles but accuracy sucked.

Kids these days have it good. Cheap AKs for a few years and now bargain basement ARs. I will keep my last ARS FAL carbine, but my keltec RDB and ARs get more range time.

Bought glock 19s and AR carbines for my kids a few years ago and theirs are in the safe.

I had about 50 US Thermold mags at one time when they were about $5 a piece. I ended up selling them all during AWB. Now I wish I had couple as they would look cool in my AR-180B. I've never seen any problem with US Made Thermold mags.

Still have a dozen us thermolds and a dozen orlites which never gave issues for me. Gave my shorty AK to sil.
Still have two bushmasters, one with 20" heavy target crown barrel and another set up as a cmp competition rifle. Both extreme tack drivers with two stage triggers.

They both get a lot of interest when taken to the range. Strange to see no kitchen faucet screwed on the end.