The T26 in that picture looks like some of the Garands that they are manufacturing now, with the stamped receiver. I have seen several new Garands at gunshows and they look real nice, and they are around $1,200. I would rather have the old one that is a little beat up, but has the milled receiver.
The CMP is a good program, but a lot of what they sell you, especially the cheaper stuff, is so beat up that it is almost junk. A range near me has these CMP shoots periodically, so it would not be a big deal to participate, but a few years back when I was looking into getting a Springfield, I found out that it would be $500 bucks and it wasn't in very good shape. I instead looked around at a couple gunshows and found Mausers in "exellent" condition for about $180.

Tikilal: The AR is far and away a funner gun to shoot than the AK. It is more accurate, has less recoil, and is not as loud. AK's can really bark, and with my height and long arms it is sometimes difficult to fit into the sights of an AK. The AK also heats up very quickly and it is easy to burn your hand on the metal near the foregrip and the barrel.

I see both of these guns as carbines, not battlerifles. I think the "richest nation in the world" made a mistake when it equiped its army with the .223. They can put the short barrels and folding and collapsable stocks on these guns, and they make them a compact little tank gun, ideal for going through houses and such. Its when we have marines out in the desert or in the mountains shooting at 400+ yards that not having a larger caliber in your squad really kills you, quite literally.

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Weapons are cool.