So by your logic, Glocks are now low quality?
Apply some common sense for a change. Retail value does not equal absolute quality, it is an INDICATOR of quality. Glocks are far from cheap, they're just cheaper than other guns which happen to be of inferior design and/or materials.
I'll reiterate for you. This statement is only true under specific circumstances, by virtue of that it's incorrect. I can sight you examples if need be.
You seem to struggle with comprehension.. There is not one physical attribute of a plastic knife that trumps that of a steel knife. For the meal at the mall/fair etc the plastic knife will likely get the job done. It however does not cut as well, as fast or as easily as a steel knife. The plastic knife also runs a very high chance of failing, the steel knife, almost zero chance of failing. See the difference?? Both will work, one will work better and for longer.
Same story for the rifles. Your garden variety low end AR will likely work for the low round count plinker. The risk of failure is much higher, as is the potential for lesser performance be that reliability, durability, or consistency(accuracy). How do you "prove" that? The whole reason why milspec is the standard by which all rifles are measured. The materials, the craftsmanship and the tolerances of milspec rifles are designed for reliable, durable, consistent performance and have been proven over the last 50 plus years. A rifle that adheres to no known specs cannot lay claim to anything resembling their quality of materials, craftsmanship or tolerances let alone prove it.
Which is what I said from the outset and you vehemently and repeatedly disagreed with throughout this thread.
I'll ask (again) how do you quantify that statement? When you started this witch hunt mid-length gas systems weren't mil-spec, but we'd both agree (both then and now) that they're more than adequate. You'd actually argue that it's vastly superior and that the mil-spec of carbine length is actually crappy (which is kind of hilarious)
Again read above, without documented testing of materials craftsmanship and tolerances there is nothing to compare or validate to begin with.
As I posted before, midlength has been tested and is proven to be superior to carbine length. As I posted recently it is now the adopted gas system for the secret squirrel types. That would be a clue in some circles. I agree that by the milspec TDP a midlength gas system is not to spec(until recently). I would also argue that extensive testing has been done in the past to prove it to be superior to carbine. The only toelrance/dimension that is of concern is gas port size. Port location has no effect as it's the port size that determines reliability and overall function. Carbine gas ports are over sized and thus over gas the rifle, a lot.
Which (again) is what I said from the outset, and you continually attempted to refute. I would disagree that I own any "budget" rifles, but you're obviously projecting so I'll ignore it.
Projecting what? If it isn't milspec then it's simply a guess as to the quality of materials, craftsmanship and tolerances.
Actually, the concept of "quality", and intended use are largely synonymous. If someone wants to shoot a hundred rounds of .223 per year a $3000 HK MR223 won't serve them any better than a $600 M&P15. As a humourous side note, if they have some sort of parts breakage, they're actually better off with the $600 option than the HK, but I digress.
Uhhhh.. NO. Quality is not a synonym for "intended use". Here's a list of synonyms for the word quality.
A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (also bonnie) [chiefly British], boss [slang], brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool [slang], corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope [slang], down [slang], dynamite, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous [slang], fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters (also gangbuster), gilt-edged (or gilt-edge), gone [slang], grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype [slang], immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, out-of-sight [slang], par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat [slang], prime, primo [slang], prize, prizewinning, excellent, radical [slang], righteous [slang], sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-flight, top-notch, top-of-the-line, topping [chiefly British], top-shelf, unsurpassed, wizard [chiefly British], wonderful
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quality
Yeah, nowhere did I see the term "intended use" listed or mentioned.
Your example has nothing to do with the quality of the firearms. The M&P is nowhere near the quality(materials, craftsmanship, or tolerances) of the HK MR223. Again, both will serve the plinker just fine. The HK is still a far better built product and will likely never have a problem. Again, comparing item for item, the materials used, the craftsmanship involved and the tolerances adhered to are what is being compared. We are not comparing usage, personal taste, personal acceptance of poor materials/craftsmanship/tolerances. If you're ok with the cheaper product and believe it will serve you well or that any issues are acceptable for your uses, then drive on. HOWEVER, to make the claim that a non milspec rifle is EQUAL to a milspec rifle is both delusional and disingenuous.