So really, this doesn't change anything. This brings preexisting truths more prominently to the public discussion.
So really, this doesn't change anything. This brings preexisting truths more prominently to the public discussion.
You can get an AR-15 lower blank for $100 or less.
You can buy the tooling to allow you to use a drill press to make the receiver M-16 ready for not much more.
http://www.cncguns.com/tooling.html
No heat-treating necessary (it's just aluminum). Yes, you'll need a drill press.
However, for the next generation of infantry rifles, you're seeing nothing but gas piston systems. Modern piston accuracy is "good enough" for the engagement distances that modern infantry units encounter. Modern DI rifles are "reliable enough" for the field conditions that trained, equipped first-world militaries operate under.
However, I'm not a trained, equipped first-world military. I'm some random dude who'd rather spend more time shooting and less time cleaning. A gas piston rifle is much more tolerant of bad hygiene and maintenance than a DI rifle, and my FAL is still more accurate than I am from field positions.
An AK isn't - I shoot better than even the nice Bulgarian AK-74s or converted Saigas. Most FALs are 3-4 MOA guns, and I'm about a 2-3 MOA shooter, depending on the day. But without an extremely steady rest like you see at Camp Perry, my FAL is more than accurate enough for my shooting.