KomradKlaus

The AR-15/AR-10 is made by so many manufacturers and with so many variations that you cannot say that it "sucks" or has a "poorly designed gas system," especially considering that some of the newest variations don't have the same gas system as the original. Direct impingement (the system used on most AR's) is great for high accuracy in semi-automatic firearms and is only slightly worse for reliability. The issues with Vietnam era AR's was the lack of cleaning kits available, the classification as "self-cleaning", ammo that burned dirty, lack of a chrome lined bore, lack of a forward assist, and hellish conditions. AR's these days are issued with cleaning kits to troops and no sane gun owner wouldn't own one. The military upgraded the rifles by chrome lining the bore and adding the forward assist, combined with cleaner burning ammo, most of the issues were sorted out. AR's these days can run thousands of rounds without jamming when made by a quality manufacturer, and prices range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.