I was serving for much of those 10 years in the infantry --- the urge to buy my own guns and ammo just wasn't there. I pretty much got sick of shooting M16A2s and M9s to the point I didn't own an AR or 9mm until 2009 or so.

When I got out I bought a P220. Single stack .45s were a lot more popular then for obvious reasons. I am pretty sure it helped the big revolver market too which has really been stagnant since 2005 or so. It definitely was the age of the SKS. I just laugh when I see them in pawn shops for $450 when you can build a basic M4gery for $400 now.