Decisions, Decisions...

Alternate title: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the AR...

Well, I used to have one AR-15 pattern rifle. Now I have three(ish). I sent out my second check to York Arms yesterday for my second Conspirator lower, from the second run (this should be an unmolested lower, thank you Weerd...). I loved the idea of the Safe/Fire selector being Safe/Fill Your Hands and the custom caliber of 556Poodle on the first lower, don't get me wrong; then when I came up with the idea of building a varminter from scratch, I realized that having a rifle with whimsical markings was all well and good for the range, but if I were taking it into the field, I wanted something more mainstream.

When I mentioned the varminter concept, response was overwhelmingly positive. Barron put up a detailed post on his varminting rifle. The good folks at Leupold were kind enough to send a scope perfect for the job for the build. Plenty of folks have chimed in with suggestions, thoughts, and possible uppers/components/etc. I'll be pulling components together and assembling this rifle over the course of the next few months, and detailing the build as I go along. I'm excited about the project, and look forward to having a long(er) distance target and varmint rifle.

But there's that first lower to think of...

Wally suggested a short-barreled rifle, and while that has a certain appeal, that's something that I'd rather wait until I'm out of MA - I'd want a collapsible stock and other "evil" features (can you have a short barrel with a bayonet lug?). So what else could I do with a rifle with a non-existent caliber and a Rooster Cogburn-inspired safety selector? Why, turn it into a zombie rifle, of course! 16" flattop upper, vertical foregrip, weapon light; this is going to be the go-to gun for the zombie apocalypse. And given that we're seeing people getting their faces bitten off, I think sooner rather than later would be good...

The reason for this discussion (yes, I have a point in here somewhere) was brought up in a press release I received recently detailing a new addition from the good folks at Leupold. They've got a sweet looking new Multigun scope in their VX-6 series out that sounds like a perfect fit for such an application:

From the press release:

BEAVERTON, Ore.—Leupold® introduces the VX®-6 Multigun 1-6x24mm riflescope featuring the illuminated FireDot™ Special Purpose Reticle (SPR®), and now available through the Leupold Custom Shop. 

With its powerful 6:1 zoom ratio, the VX-6 Multigun delivers the speed of a zero-magnification red dot at its lowest power setting. At its highest power setting, the scope pulls distant targets in tighter for more precise shot placement. Unlike many higher power scopes that deliver their best sight picture only at each end of the zoom ratio, VX-6 is engineered to deliver exceptional image quality from edge-to-edge of the visual field at any magnification. With an MSRP of $949.99, the VX-6 Multigun outperforms many higher priced optics.

Man, that's a great idea. A red dot sight at the lowest setting, and a 6X scope at the highest? That's good out to 200 yards even for an old guy with old eyes like me. Having something that can be used in close quarters or out a fair bit is great idea - it's a single optic that serves two purposes. Given that it's a Leupold, it's going to do both purposes very well, I'd wager.

Drop that scope on the rifle, toss on an ACE Ultralight stock and a Magpul AFG, I think the "Z-15" would be ready to go!

That is all.