I've got 12 shotguns from 410 to 12ga (double barrels, single shots, 2 semi auto, couple model 12s and 870s, 2 high power rifles, a remington 700 30-06 and a lee enfield, vietnam era not ww2. and got the 357 revolver. and my most recent purchase was an old hawken muzzel loader i picked up off a friends dad for 75 bucks including bullet mold. i've been around guns my whole life. my dad bought me my 870 for my first gun when i was 13. this is the first time i really looked in an AR but realy don't want to spend a grand. also one thing i like about olympic is they make everything in house. they don't out source and there are no chinese parts in it like colt or bushmaster. thats kinda a big selling point. I've also heard of the problems with the cast recevers on the older models but now it's higher quality forged. also like that everything is mil spec, and i know thats best quality for the money. it's not the best out there but at least being all mil spec i know it's not the worst. also for now i'm just going to buy federal surplus ammo. I can get 1000 rounds of 5.56 or 223 for 500 bucks right now. then i got a friend who will reload them for me and the guy is meticulus like a marine sniper loading his own rounds. he weighs the bullets, the powder, he mics the brass and then mics the bullet in place and weighs the final product to get everything as colse to perfect as possible. the reloads for my 303 are be far the most consistant rounds i've ever shot through that gun. and his accelerator round for the 06 are impressive as well. thats been our coyote gun for years. but it still blows away the hide. figured a 223 woudl be better. also bolt actions are more accurate but same price and less customisable. i like how i can put about anything on an AR, from flashlights for night hunting or home defence to a bipod, lasers, multiple optics, things that are harder to do with a traditional bolt action. I do apreciat the input though cichlid man. oh and just curius. did u ever use the vertical front grip? i've used an AR before and seems just as easy to me to hold the mag well, the vertical grip just seems like a waste of space and weight to me.