The AR15 is the Modern Musket

  Guest Post by D.S. 

 During the revolutionary days, our forefathers had the most technologically advanced rifles in the world on hand to fight the British Empire. The soldiers were carrying muskets approximately 5.5 feet long and could fire 3-4 rounds per minute. Today, our soldiers are carrying rifles about 33 inches long (standard M4) and AR15s are going to be about 35 inches long. The M4 shoots about 700-850 rounds per minute and the AR will shoot as fast as you can pull the trigger.  The best rifle technology at the time of the revolution was available to the citizen soldier, and that remains true today. Since most people do not have the tax stamps for full auto rifles, I will only be referring to the “Modern Musket” as an Semi-Auto AR15 for the rest of the article, as that is what the average citizen has access to. 

What is the Purpose of the Modern Musket? 

   The purpose of the Modern Musket is much the same purpose as the rifles our forefathers used. They’re used for hunting, they’re used for recreation, and they’re used to protect ourselves from enemies foreign and domestic. Different times, same purposes. AR15s are the most effective tool at our disposal to do all of that in modern-day. Before people get all pissy at me and start saying that a 308 is better or an AK is better, I get it, there are lots of different options for different scenarios. So hear me out and ensure you own one of the most popular rifle in America, the AR15. Anyways, with the AR15 being the most popular rifle in America, it is going to be by far the most effective tool against a tyrannical government just like the muskets our forefathers used.

Why You Should Own One… Logistically Speaking: 

Will any of your neighbors have (insert gun type X here) parts you can borrow or rifles you can cannibalize for parts?

   Since AR15s are so common, if America were to suddenly find itself at war within our own boundaries from whatever opponent is fighting us, the most common rifle you will find will be an AR15 and along with that buckets of ammo and magazines. From a logistical standpoint, having an AR15 gives you a great advantage as you have the ability to find spare parts, mags, and ammo for your gun. Furthermore, if your gun were to have a catastrophic failure, you can pick up another AR15 and should have the ability to use it effectively. Which is why training is so important as well as training on the basics and then getting more advanced. If you have a bad lever, ambi safety, ambi mag release or ambi charging handle on your rifle, you may pick another rifle up and it might not have any of those features and just be a Mil-Spec rifle. So it is a good idea to stick with the basics and know how to use a Mil-Spec rifle first before you start adding stuff on. On top of being able to pick up a rifle and be effective with it because you own a very similar rifle, ammo is going to be easy to find since it is America’s most common rifle. You should be able to go from town to town and as long as everyone is working together, be able to get your hands on some sort of ammo for your rifle. From a logistical standpoint, the AR15 is the superior rifle to own for some sort of long-term SHTF scenario. 

Thanks Obama. Let’s keep adding to this number, shall we?

Effectiveness of your Modern Musket:

   The Musket of the revolutionary days had a range of about 160 yards and it was as accurate as the gun control “facts” from democratic candidates. Today, a 16inch AR15, when zero’d properly, can be point and shoot to 200 yards, and has an effective range of 300-500 yards with enough stopping power to be effective. You can still hit past 500 yards, but the round effectiveness is reduced at those distances. In close quarters, the minimal recoil of the rifle and the light 223/5.56 rounds will not over penetrate walls as bad as an AK or some sort of 308. This makes the AR15 ideal for room clearing as long as you don’t have a 20 inch barrel, however can still be done… just ask the Marines. 

Not far from Valley Forge…

Making the Musket yours: The Essentials

   If some sort of civil war or red dawn happened in America, you are going to want a rifle to fight with or protect yourself with. Now while the best thing to get for that rifle is food to feed it (ammo) you will want a few things to go from plane Jane AR15 to a tacticool, effective rifle. You can either go the value route and upgrade your stock, hand-guard and pistol grip to Magpul MOE products. Or you can go the expensive route and get a free float hand-guard, nicer Magpul stock like the CTR, or a BCM stock, and some sort of pistol grip with storage and that has a natural grip angle. Either way, you will want some sort of upgrades so you can attach other things to your rifle. Such as a sling, which I think is necessary for a Modern Musket/ fighting rifle, some sort of white light, and an optic. Those are the 3 must haves. Hand guards, stocks and grips are nice additions but it doesn’t matter realistically, you just need some sort of way to attach the 3 essentials just listed. 

Reliable rifle, sling, light, optic. Mags, Ammo, Training. It’s the American way.

As for the white light, people get too caught up in how many lumens you need. The answer is less than you think, unless you plan on shooting coyotes or steel targets in the middle of the night from 150 yards. Using your white light while fighting in an open field will probably get you killed as they know exactly where to shoot back. On my rifle, I have a 400 lumen light that lights up my house, and I have a 200 lumen light on my handgun that lights up my house as well, just not as bright. You don’t need 1000 lumens to have a good light. 

How to be effective with my Modern Musket

   Train. Learn how to shoot from different positions such as standing, kneeling, sitting and prone. Master those then move onto stuff like rollover prone or opposite handed shooting. Master those at 100 yards, then move back to 150, 200 all the way out to at least 300 yards for an AR15 with a red dot or irons. Reload faster, switch to your sidearm faster, clear malfunctions faster… push yourself. You can do all of that on your own with dry fire which is free (minus the cost of the rifle and mags) and be a very proficient shooter. Then test your skills in a class or a competition. Nothing brings out flaws more than a competition or a class where someone is yelling out what you are doing wrong. But that’s how we learn. The American rifleman should be able to hit what they can see within 300 yards without a doubt, and be confident with their rifle to the point where clearing a malfunction and reloading can be done in your sleep.

Hit the range, get zero’d, and go forth to a competition. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 – This is not only true spiritually, but as men prepared, we sharpen one another on the competition line as well. The things you learn from the rifleman next to you will give you leaps in knowledge no blog post or YouTube video can transmit.

Final thoughts

   What having a Modern Musket means to me is that I am not just the owner of a rifle, I am responsible for knowing how to use it. I am responsible for being able to safely use it to protect my family, my property, and my country should the need ever arise. I need to have a rifle that goes bang every time and shoots true… A rifle that I can be confident enough to trust my life, and with the lives of those I care about. My Modern Musket may one day need to be used like the modern muskets our forefathers… just like then, we need a capable rifle that we, as the common men and women of the United States of America, can use for sport, hunting, or protection.