Essay:How to take care of (and properly rear) your AR-15

From RationalWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Essay.svg This essay is an original work by KleineFurry.
It does not necessarily reflect the views expressed in RationalWiki's Mission Statement, but we welcome discussion of a broad range of ideas.
Unless otherwise stated, this is original content, released under CC-BY-SA 3.0 or any later version. See RationalWiki:Copyrights.
Feel free to make comments on the talk page, which will probably be far more interesting, and might reflect a broader range of RationalWiki editors' thoughts.

If you are reading this, then congratulations! You have successfully and legally purchased (or illegally obtained) an AR-15. You may have heard all of the controversy involving these misunderstood beasts, but if raised properly, you will come to find they are actually gentle creatures. This guide you are reading will help you take good care of your new modern sporting rifle.


Anatomy[edit]

Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to know the proper anatomy of your new weapon.

The first and most important part of the AR-15 is the pistol grip. In order to maintain full control of your AR-15, you must have a firm - but not too firm - grip on this.

The next part is the handguard. Handguards vary in styles, but they all provide a grip for your other hand. Some handguards have been known to have slight variations, allowing accessories like flashlights and foregrips (additional grips to provide a much more stable platform) to be attached.

In order to feed your AR-15, you need to find a feeding apparatus known as a magazine. Magazines range from having 5 units of .223 grade food to 100 units. Magazines are sometimes erroneously called "clips" by misinformed but well meaning people.

Some AR-15s have evolved to accept other grades of ammo, like .308 or the infamous .300 Blackout (also referred to as the ".300 Memeout" in other circles)

AR-15s have been known to kick when they play, so they've evolved with a resting platform called a stock. The stock is put up against your shoulder and mitigate some of the kick.

Looping back to feeding, how exactly does an AR-15 eat? Simple, really. In order for it to start eating, one must first awaken it. There's a handle near the stock known as the "charging handle". Pull back all the way and release it to wake it up, and the first morsel of food winds up in the mouth, or "chamber".

The AR-15 loves to play when eating, so it evolved with a growth near the magazine well. This growth, hereafter referred to as the "trigger", is depressed, and the AR-15 claps once loudly. The food is digested, and the weapon discharges waste at high velocity. The first bit of waste, called the "bullet", is ejected out of a protrusion in the handguard known as a "barrel". This bullet is extremely dangerous, so the barrel has to be pointed in a safe direction, preferably into a hill that's 15 yards away. The second bit of waste, "spent brass" or "cartridge casings", are ejected out of a port in the side of the AR-15. While the cartridge is not lethal, it is extremely hot. Typical injuries involving a cartridge range from mild discomfort to a distinct searing pain that lasts only a few minutes.

Behavior[edit]

As stated before, AR-15s are relatively docile. When the charging handle is pulled back and the trigger is depressed, the rifle consumes the round quite loudly, with a rather loud popping report. The necessary ear protection is required (unless you have a need to lose your hearing), as well as eye protection to prevent bits of metal ricocheting back into your all important eyes.

When the AR-15 fires, it kicks up and back out of joy. By putting the stock against your shoulder and maintaining a secure grip on it,