A Man Left Behind

Several things are fueling the AR craze I believe. 
First, a lot of prior military folks want what the rifle they trained with, slept with, relied on to live through battle etc. Some guys hunt and want better hunting calibers than 5.56/.223 but in the same rifle so we get rounds like the .450 Bushmaster. The .300 Blackout only makes .30-30 ballistics with light for caliber bullets but it was designed to be used with a suppressor. 
Another reason is video games, the war on terror is just far enough in the past (though its not over only no longer reported on) that kids grew up playing video games about it now want one of those guns. 
The last reason is people buying guns that appear to be fully banned in the near future.  Doesn't matter if they intend to use them to defend them selves or not when that inevitable ban comes (hopefully after my life time). 
If the argument is why do you need that many rounds to hunt with because it only takes one well placed round to kill your game then everyone should be hunting with a single shot. Coyote hunting is a wonderful place for an AR, call in multiples and you have a great gun for getting all or most of them (IF the shooter does his part). 

All those fancy gadgets aren't for shooting through brush at 100 yards. They are meant for the long range crowd. It's becoming popular with some these days to take big game animals at 700-1200 yards. To me that's not hunting but as long as the animal it taken cleanly and humanely I'm not going to complain. 

Contrary to your post many "precision rifles" these days are cutting weight. The trend is light and shorter barrels etc. 

Its not just guns where people are looking for tools rather than developing skills. Todays cell phone is more powerful than the computers that put men into space and onto the moon. Who uses and encyclopedia or dictionary anymore? They just look up the answer on their phone! 

I'm sure my reply sounds like I'm arguing with you. I am not. I own an AR with a lot of stuff hanging off of it. Last time I fired it was probably several years ago, I carried one for more than one combat tour through an arab speaking country. At one time I was pretty handy with one, that familiarity thing you were talking about. Now that my life doesn't depend on it they don't do much for me. I too much prefer fine wood and blued steel over plastic and matt black baked on finish. 

Yeah, I can understand why someone would want to buy a gun that is about to be banned. It's a whole nother discussion trying to figure out why a large group of politically powerful people always get away with punishing the innocent for the crimes of others, which is exactly what gun bans do.
I can also get that someone would want to shoot at extremely long range. I've known some who have done exactly that, I just think that in this case, the doodads are more powerful than skill.
I'm not dumping on the AR 15, but I am suggesting that it might not be the prefect platform for doing what has been done better before. Yeah, in the carbine version it is short, but with the grip and magazine it's two to three times the height of my older rifle. I guess if someone can plop down $1,500 for a really good AR, they might want to actually use it, but having shouldered more than one, it would never be my first choice on the hunting field.
I don't know, maybe what some say is correct, that change isn't good or bad, it just is. Maybe I just don't get where the young are at. After all, just in my little area, I've seen a huge swing towards restriction of rights, movement, and a big step up of tension. Maybe facing this for the rest of my long adult life, and looking at my new family, and attempting to make sense of it all would give me a different perspective.
In terms of the precision rifle platform, I look at it with an understanding that prices are starting to come down to Earth, but I don't see your assertion that weight is dropping with it. There is a bit of a gun store in the big city that has a great selection of powders, which is why I visit them, and they build precision rifles of all stripes. They are younger guys, pretty friendly, and in their store are suppressors costing four figures, camouflage clothing, and a tiny used gun section. They are crazy over 6.5s, love to trade for barrels, and consider bipods as necessary as breakfast. They have barely heard of leverguns, and view revolvers of all types as quaint. I see them filling a niche that the big box stores can't. A part of me is glad they are here, providing for a segment of the population that finds a way to enjoy shooting besides all the hysteria. Maybe this is the future, and when it's my time to go,  maybe someone will say he recalled some of the virtues that gave a quality to a previous time. Well, I can hope.

I would agree that there is a certain satisfaction with hitting what you  aim at with a lever gun manufactured with a design that has stood the test of time, still nothing wrong with variety. I have good shooting rifles ranging from a 90 year old to one year old. single shots to semi autos. Just picked up a new stripped lower ready for next years build, .458 socom. I am also playing around with one of those "Ballistic Data Exchange" Sig systems, on a range rifle right now for testing/ learning curve and should be operational by next season on my .338 BAR elk gun if it does what it says it does. Old lever guns, SA's, or new unproven tech , it's all fun,  and there is something to be said to be able to pick up any  gun on the range and operate it with the familiarity that only comes with shooting/ owning/ building  a lot of different platforms. (Also a lot of satisfaction with hitting open sight bulls when the guy next  to you with every gadget clamped to his rail possible shooting an 18" group!) I would agree can't buy skill by bolting on the latest tech, but if the time is taken to master it, just like any weapon, it can't hurt. Right now my shot confidence starts dropping off fast around 200 yards open sight/400 yards scoped, if I can up that to a 600-700 one shot kill, why not?

I suppose I had quite a unique life experience compared to most, and this experience has very much shaped my perspective on any number of things, not the least of which is shooting.
If we are going to rely on any piece of equipment, that equipment must be worthy of that reliance. The best equipment is that which enhances, or extends our skill, because it lifts us up to a higher level of functionality. A good example here is a pair of good binoculars. Binoculars don't replace one's ability to observe, note, and evaluate, they can add to that.
On the other hand, not so good equipment replaces, or renders quaint, essential skill. An example here would be rifles without any sights besides optics. A rifle that only sports glass is made useless by certain weather conditions, period. A rifle without irons thus becomes one which replaces the skill of using them. There are more'n a few that never developed skill with iron sights because of this, and the result is a little like a 40yr old who can't tie shoes.
I might as well fess up that I don't think this country is capable of going anywhere but into harder times. I don't believe that in hard times there is any replacement for skill, and that means shooting.
Now, I know the self satisfying p.r. jocks who pull the levers on this mess are going to tell you everything but what I just said, but as for me I'd rather die free than have to kowtow to a group of demented liars, and to do that, one needs some independence from their networks, a measure of self reliance.
Does your equipment enhance your abilities, or does it replace them?
Think long and hard, because the answer is going to determine how you go forward in life.

Heading out this morning with 2 rifles to the range for testing, M1895 Winchester in .405, finally getting around to working up/ chrono'ing some loads, and a AR308 I have been assembling /tweeking for the last 8 months, Sig Saur BDX Serria 6.5-20x52 Scope. Functionally and ballistic data. 
Ahh, the duality of man...

I suppose now is the time to clarify my perspective, and just maybe, to provide a little food for thought.
First off, it should be said that I am not in any way against the AR platform. However, I don't find it all that useful in most outdoor related activities, with one very large exception: anti-personnel. Even in semi-automatic only mode, fast firing with a good ammunition capacity makes this gun extremely useful in situations where 2 legged predators are out and about. Mild recoil goes along with modest power, and within the reasonable reach of AR cartridges, humanoid targets can easily be neutralized.
Furthermore, many voices are warning that the break up of the social order is inevitable. Government is too corrupt and self absorbed to honestly address the issues facing this country, so all it can do is lean heavier upon those who make it's existence possible. Anyone who takes the time to consider this perspective needs no further justification for the AR.
Finally, if I knew I was going to get rudely awakened by miscreants intent on wrecking my life, my very first choice would be a scary black rifle and stacks of full magazines to thwart their plans.
However, I spent some of my best years tramping over mountains, and living far from anywhere 911 would reach. In those conditions, a rifle shot could down a problem animal, convince trespassers to find greener pastures, and alert one's people that something was up. Loud reports were a good thing, and a cartridge capable of dealing with diverse challenges was depended upon. One wouldn't particularly wish for an ample amount of ammunition, just for a balanced supply. It was all about being able to move, deal with the unexpected, and do so with equipment that inspired a sort of pride of ownership, that like oneself, it was competent and capable.
In my way of thinking, an AR is potentially indispensable in a degenerating society, but for as long as things sort of hold together, a beautiful rifle firing time tested rounds will have it's place.