[funny blog post] The Garand: almost as good as a real rifle

[Redlight35]

No, but the difference is in doctrine. Armies moved away from top loaded, charger fed rifles, and moved toward magazine fed, select fire, "assault" rifles.

The point I was making was that the guy I was posting put the AK in a group with the "smaller round" rifle... both the AK and the SKS used the same round. Yes I know one is semi auto and the other is selective fire... that wasn't the point of my post. Putting the AK with the M-16 as a Smaller Round firearm is incorrect.

I agree that there is a large difference in doctrine, but that wasn't what the poster was talking about. I'm just taking him at face value...

 

[smellie]

And another way to look at it is that the Garand design, as the M-1, was a COMMITTEE rifle. John Garand continued working on the rifle to make it the way HE wanted it. In 1944 he made it selective-fire and grafted on a magazine from a BAR.

Yes: the prototype for the M-14.

The same M-14 which was scrapped, given away, traded off, sold to civvies and generally denigrated.... until it became evident, in Iraq and Afghanistan, that a 200-yard plastic gopher-gun might not be the best thing for a long-range battle. Now, it's back in (very) limited production but, at least, it's appreciated for the job it can DO.

Some of those Quebec designers REALLY think ahead!
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[jibjedi]

It might be big and ugly and use a cartridge with far too much horsepower, but I still refuse to stand in front of one at 500 yards, given that the operator knows what he's doing.

Can you say the same for the modern stuff? Eight inches at 100 is great shooting for some Klacks; that works out to a 40-inch group at 500, but natural disprsion will actually increase that. The modern stuff NEEDS firepower to make up for its inherent LACK of range, velocity, accuracy and power.

REAL FIREPOWER is one round ON target, not 500 rounds all around it.

Spot on.

 

[RRCo.]

I was in a Marine Infantry battalion in 90-91 in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. We went to a range to zero weapons about a week before the Air War started. EVERY M16A2 in my Company failed – most very badly. Freshly (and constantly) cleaned, wiped dry of oil, M16's just could not handle the fine Sahara sand. Total fail. It shook our guys up pretty bad. We were grabbing lots of extra grenades before heading out and everyone who came across an AK kept it. Luckily most of the fights near us were settled with heavy weapons.

The Saudi's guarding the range with their nice G3's and MP5's were just shaking their heads in amazement.
Jul 19, 2011 11:37AM

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