Village Praxis: Transition to an AR Family for .223 and .308 by Bill Buppert

Never initiate force against another. That should be the underlying principle of your life. But should someone do violence to you, retaliate without hesitation, without reservation, without quarter, until you are sure that he will never wish to harm – or never be capable of harming – you or yours again.

– from THE SECOND BOOK OF KYFHO  (Revised Eastern Sect Edition)

It is official;  the local village is moving to the AR series for both carbine and battle rifle calibers.  We have been a FAL family for the longest time but as technology and evolving family needs change over time, we discover different requirements.  Two of my children and my wife will NEVER field a .308 rifle; therefore, a change in armory composition is in order.

An aside: I have a philosophy of single gun usage for various purposes, we are Glock-only for all the family and the village does the same.  As we all know, in the event of unpleasant circumstances or the need to conduct social work, one will never be able to think through a fight.  One relies on battle drills and muscle memory.  You will never exceed your highest level of training.  The adoption of a single standard sidearm speaks to this need.  In other words, one will not hesitate to draw and think:  what are you wearing today.  With four mods (plug, stainless steel guide rod, tritium sights and extended slide release), every pistol in the house is identically kitted and housed in the same kind of holster.

The AR will serve the same need.  There will be both .308 and .223 ARs but they will be slung the same and modded the same.  The internals and controls are very similar on both platforms.

The village armorer, Skip L,  offers the following advice:

Ten Second Rigs: https://www.tacticaltailor.com/minimav.aspx

I can load up 5.56, 7.62, and .40 S&W, depending on the mission… my standard is not to travel beyond 30 minutes from my MBR without a 30 second rig for whatever gun I am carrying so that I can fight my way back to my rifle (thank you, Jeff Cooper). The 10 second rig suits this purpose like a weekend camping trip and one sits next to my bed-stand with three spare .40 magazines and an extra Sure Fire.

I can wear two Mini-Mavs bandoleer-style for minimal low-profile CCW operations (I have worn it loaded with empty magazines at work to test this), or I can throw on the minimav directly over the MAV, increasing my normal ammunition load without having to adjust my kit, whatsoever.

Combat Rigs: https://www.tacticaltailor.com/mavvestbody2piece.aspx and https://www.tacticaltailor.com/xharness.aspx

I can adjust the MAV forward for chest carry (urban ops); underneath the arms for heavy full-combat loads, or for low profile extended CCW operations as well.

7.62 Versus 5.56 Carrying Protocols:

Also, while reviewing various potentials for family kit, the age-old 5.56 vs. 7.62 magazine pouches kept rearing its ugly head.

I want kit that is simple and readily adjustable… when I began exploring magazine pouches, I fell into two basic approaches:

1. Standard 5.56 shingles (single mag pouch) for everyone, including me, and a separate 7.62 shingle setup for what I am calling my SPR, or “one gun”.

2. Multi-caliber shingles called the “taco” by HSGI.

There are a few things I do not like about bungee-cord retaining configurations… Hot dry climates do not like them… But I did find the technique intriguing.

[BB adds:  We are also building what we call “Michael Collins Rigs” for wear under street clothing for both rifle and pistol.  If you look at the conflicts during the Easter Rebellion in Ireland in 1916 and the guerrilla activities in occupied Europe during the War to Save Josef Stalin, certain operations will demand the use of  civilian clothes instead of mall ninja accouterments.}