My experience is in the handgun arena but am wanting an AR.  I believe in "very simple is better but gotta be reliable".  The fewer parts a gun has...to me is better.  Less parts=less chance of failure.  Typical handgun mentality.  Just the sight of an AR components makes me cringe.  Doesn't look user friendly to me.  Then as I do research....I come to this debate....DI(direct impingement) vs Piston drive.  DI has been around for a very long time and has been battle proven.  Piston drive is the new fad but is it worth the extra $$$$?  I also know depending what the AR will primarily will be used for will also dictate the choice of what type of system to go for......range shooting and home defense.  AR peeps......whats your take and opinion on the types of system.  Mahalo!

this should be good
might as well ask- mac or pc?
http://2ahawaii.com/Smileys/extended/popcorn.gif

My experience is in the handgun arena but am wanting an AR.  I believe in "very simple is better but gotta be reliable".  The fewer parts a gun has...to me is better.  Less parts=less chance of failure.  Typical handgun mentality.  Just the sight of an AR components makes me cringe.  Doesn't look user friendly to me.  Then as I do research....I come to this debate....DI(direct impingement) vs Piston drive.  DI has been around for a very long time and has been battle proven.  Piston drive is the new fad but is it worth the extra $$$$?  I also know depending what the AR will primarily will be used for will also dictate the choice of what type of system to go for......range shooting and home defense.  AR peeps......whats your take and opinion on the types of system.  Mahalo!

My experience is in the handgun arena but am wanting an AR.  I believe in "very simple is better but gotta be reliable".  The fewer parts a gun has...to me is better.  Less parts=less chance of failure.  Typical handgun mentality.  Just the sight of an AR components makes me cringe.  Doesn't look user friendly to me.  Then as I do research....I come to this debate....DI(direct impingement) vs Piston drive.  DI has been around for a very long time and has been battle proven.  Piston drive is the new fad but is it worth the extra $$$$?  I also know depending what the AR will primarily will be used for will also dictate the choice of what type of system to go for......range shooting and home defense.  AR peeps......whats your take and opinion on the types of system.  Mahalo!

There are tons of threads about the pros and cons of each and opinions will vary depending on who you speak to.  I have a few ARs and they are all DI guns.  I don't believe that piston guns are worth the price, added weight and hassle/risk of buying into a proprietary system.  Most piston guns are at least 30% more than DI guns, and that's on the low end. 

IMO, where piston guns shine are where you are shooting suppressed, full auto, or are shooting a wide range of ammunition types. 

ARs really are pretty simple.  There are tons of videos on how to strip and clean the gun.  Just a few minutes with someone who owns one or someone from a LGS to assist and that's all that you really need to be able to understand the workings of an AR. 

I don't believe that piston guns are worth the price, added weight and hassle/risk of buying into a proprietary system.  Most piston guns are at least 30% more than DI guns, and that's on the low end. 

IMO, where piston guns shine are where you are shooting suppressed, full auto, or are shooting a wide range of ammunition types. 

ARs really are pretty simple.  There are tons of videos on how to strip and clean the gun.  Just a few minutes with someone who owns one or someone from a LGS to assist and that's all that you really need to be able to understand the workings of an AR.

+1
Are you looking at the AR-15 or AR-10?
I used drck1000 posts points to help decide what type of system I wanted to go with awhile back.  Put you hands on a piston and a DI system AR platform and you will  feel the weight difference right away.  My own recommendation would be the DI system.  This is just personal preference.

DI is the best but dirty. I have one upper that has 6000+ rounds of 556. I never clean it. 

In our testing accuracy suffers a bit due to the harmonics of the piston system not being intergrated tightly into the gun like HK and AKs.

Also the big issue of carrier tilt i have seen and have tried to solve.  Without a dedicated rail guide for the bolt carrier this will never be solved. 

I have a friend locally who tried to solve this and have seen his system. The  BCG area is too small to really make something reliable. He has a 308 he built with a guide system on the bolt carrier which works better.  But putting hardened steel rails inside the upper reciever is a challenge. Hes been talking about making a sheetmetal AR upper reciever to solve this problem.

+1
Are you looking at the AR-15 or AR-10?
I used drck1000 posts points to help decide what type of system I wanted to go with awhile back.  Put you hands on a piston and a DI system AR platform and you will  feel the weight difference right away.  My own recommendation would be the DI system.  This is just personal preference.

I'm probably looking at the AR-15.  If  piston drive is a "proprietary" system.....then I would kinda hesitate getting one. But yeah....same like Mac or PC or VHS or BetaMax or Blu Ray or Hd-DVD!  I guess everything has its pros and cons and which company buys into the system! 

DI is the best but dirty. I have one upper that has 6000+ rounds of 556. I never clean it. 

In our testing accuracy suffers a bit due to the harmonics of the piston system not being intergrated tightly into the gun like HK and AKs.

Also the big issue of carrier tilt i have seen and have tried to solve.  Without a dedicated rail guide for the bolt carrier this will never be solved. 

I have a friend locally who tried to solve this and have seen his system. The  BCG area is too small to really make something reliable. He has a 308 he built with a guide system on the bolt carrier which works better.  But putting hardened steel rails inside the upper reciever is a challenge. Hes been talking about making a sheetmetal AR upper reciever to solve this problem.

Just the man that I wanted to chime in....being that your shop does a lot of mods and have a lot of experience in this area! 

Being dirty wouldn't be a problem because I clean after every shoot! 

Maybe I should just take most veteran shooters advice...they all pretty much do the same thing with the same result whether its an entry level AR vs High End!

KK will say to get an AK, but anyhow..............it really doesn't matter for 99% of the people who get ARs.  Also, ARs are pretty simple guns when you get to know them.  Extremely versatile also.

Being dirty wouldn't be a problem because I clean after every shoot!

It's more about the volume you shoot.  Some guys in the mainland shoot several hundred to several thousand rounds per range visit.  You do this then yes the DI/piston thing rears it's head, but this isn't the case for most people.

I would go with the DI seeing that it's only gonna be used for the range and at home and you clean your weapon after every shoot it's not gonna be a problem.pistons shine when your running them through harsh dirty condition water,mud etc.. and like what the others have previously stated

Maybe I should just take most veteran shooters advice...they all pretty much do the same thing with the same result whether its an entry level AR vs High End!

I honestly would LOVE to have an piston AR.  I plan to get one some day, and when I do, I'd probably get either an LMT piston or HK 556.  Both of those are pretty pricey.  However, for a first AR, IMO the DI system is the way to go for the majority of users. 

The cleaning issue can be a bit misleading as well.  I've shot over 1,000 rounds over a couple of days and just added lube at lunch on the first day and did a quick wipe down and relube between the first and second day and no problems.  The quick wipedown wasn't really needed and just adding lube would've been just fine, but being that was the first time I've put that many rounds through the gun in a short period, I felt like a quick wipe down would help.  I have another course coming up in the middle of May and I'll likely do the same thing. 

While I wouldn't do the version of BCM's Filty 14, I would have no problems having my guns going a couple thousand rounds between full cleanings.  That said, I do clean all of my guns after each session, unless I will be shooting them again in a couple of days. 

To me, since each manufacturer of piston guns have their own proprietary system, that was a huge negative for me.  Replacement parts for DI systems are readily available.  Trying to get replacement parts from LMT or HK right now would be months. 

KK will say to get an AK, but anyhow..............it really doesn't matter for 99% of the people who get ARs.  Also, ARs are pretty simple guns when you get to know them.  Extremely versatile also.

I only have one AK, but I admit that I don't clean it to the extent that I do my ARs.  I know AK shooters who have never cleaned their gas tube area let alone opened that area for even a wipe down of the carbon in there. 

I have both (Stag 2T & LWRC M6), and if I had to grab a gun and head for the hills, it would be my DI. My piston rifle is heavy and, while it has never jammed on me, neither has my Stag. I usually shoot free standing, prone, and kneeling since it seems to be the most realistic way to practice, and the heavy front end of the LWRC wears on you quickly. I think if anything, buy a good DI and send the bolt & BCG in to be NP3'd so you can clean her up faster.

The more I shoot and think about a realistic bug-out plan, the more I see myself taking my 30-30. Much more simple and easy to handle. Think about it: if your bug-out plan sees you shooting the gun more than being on the move, you should probably come up with a better plan! Even if you think this will just be a range toy, you should take the whole bug-out notion into consideration if it's your only long gun. If not, then no worries. Range & HD roles will be fulfilled just fine with a DI AR, just practice with it until you know her inside & out.

I haven't even shot my DI gun yet. All I shoot is my LWRC piston. Hasn't failed on me yet. Even when the spring cup was cracked and looked like the gun was broken, it functioned flawlessly. Customer service took care of me

This post has been very informative

The AR is not a 100% DI system as it does have a "piston" in it already. Take apart the BCG and look where it has gas rings...look familiar?
The so-called "gas piston" ARs have more parts to do the same thing and it will cost a bit of accuracy. Parts are proprietary and not standardized.
Nothing wrong with "DI" ARs http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_2_130/158390_.html

the only other difference i can think of is gas tubes vcan melt, while pistons wont, but youʻd have to shoot an assload of ammo in a very short time.

the only other difference i can think of is gas tubes vcan melt, while pistons wont, but youʻd have to shoot an assload of ammo in a very short time.

Is "assload" close to a "butt ton?"  Or is it more like "choke?"