Yes, many, in fact; but I haven't been in N. AZ since the mid-1970's, and I was yet to get back into guns back then. Must have been one of my readers. You have no idea how satisfying it is to see the message being repeated.
I will, while we're on the subject, outline my reasons.
Less cost is not an impediment to good accuracy, since the rifle itself is only a part of the equation. All parts are equally important, but cost and complexity are not at all necessarily an indicator of good groups to came. What's more important is that what you get is functional. Some isn't and that's a QC issue, not a rifle design or cost issue. It
Is true that manufacturing failures can be more common in the lower tier of some manufacturers' product lines, but the forums of SH have gone an immense way toward making us all aware of where to look. I devote most of my time to working and writing for that level of shooter. That complexity can be confusing to the learning shooter; presenting tasks and decisions that are outside the absolute necessities of learning the crucial basics: position, breathing, trigger manipulation, and recoil management/followthrough.
At its simplest, we all have to start somewhere. Like swimming, it's better to wade into the shallow pools than to dive headfirst into the rapids.
I began my shooting in the later 1950's, shooting a Savage-Anschutz Single shot 22lr at one of the Boys' Club's in Newark, NJ under the auspices of the PAL (Police Athletic League). In case nobody's noticed, that's not possible in these our current days. Our world has changed, not for the better, and not by accident.
When we take it all back, we'll need to pick it all back up at a much lower level that most of us are imagining. One cannot build on a footing of sand. I sincerely hope folks are finally thinking on that level, and working on providing and protecting the means to make it happen. If you're not already working toward that goal, get crackin'. Time, tide, and the proper response to a Communist Takeover wait for no man.
Heinlein said that it will be the Veterans who save this world from its out of their mind governments. This Veteran would love to, but at 75, just staying head of the nipping teeth of Ma Nature and her evil Cousin,
Agent Orange, is a goal we are already guaranteed to lose. We are the ones who understand sacrifice, and taking chances for the better good. If there is something good still left for us to do in our troubled lives, taking back our world from its out of their minds governments is a righteous goal.
Get Crackin', the clock is ticking.
Greg
Pro tip: use heat resistant ear plugs)
