Every time a criminal murders innocents with an AR-style rifle, people ask what other purpose such firearms serve. As I’ll illustrate below, if you have a particular purpose — or even an aesthetic preference — you’ll find what you need in the AR.

In fact, one of the primary reasons the AR is so popular is the immense amount of customization available in sights, barrel lengths, optics, grips, flashlights, lasers, disco balls, magazine capacity, colors, stocks, and caliber. Indeed, it’s important to understand that there is no single manufacturer of the AR rifle, and that nearly everyone — from a local gunsmith who creates custom rifles to mass-market behemoths like Smith and Wesson — offers some version of it these days.

Hunting: The AR is a popular hunting rifle. While its traditional caliber (5.56/.223) is fine for small game, some AR rifles come chambered in Winchester .308 or other calibers suitable for hunting large game such as moose and wild hogs.