M1 clip (.30-06) next to .223 (AR-15) ammo. 
Posted on 04/26/2005 12:06:43 PM PDT by holymoly
St. Petersburg police officers have added the Colt AR-15 rifle to their inventory to counter the expiration of the assault weapons ban and the appearance of more heavily armed criminals.
ST. PETERSBURG - (AP) -- The expiration of the nation's ban on the sale of assault rifles and the appearance of more heavily armed criminals have pushed more than 100 St. Petersburg police officers to order assault rifles of their own for official duty.
The first group of officers completed the required 16 hours of instruction for using Colt AR-15s in January.
The semiautomatic weapons fire bullets that travel up to 2,700 feet per second and are powerful enough to penetrate body armor.
''St. Petersburg -- it's not so sleepy any more,'' said Tom Jacwin, a 22-year veteran who is getting used to his new weapon.
``The bad guys are smarter and better armed.''
Police Chief Chuck Harmon approved use of the AR-15s last June with guidelines that took months to develop.
Officers who want the weapons must buy them for $1,100.
The rifles may be used only in ``a high-risk situation, such as to overcome suspects with superior firepower, in response to an active shooter situation, when confronted by barricaded subjects, during stakeout and perimeter operations, for felony vehicle stops.''
The weapons must be stored in a hard case in the trunk of a patrol car except when being used.
They can't be modified for automatic fire, and officers must qualify with them in the shooting range each year.
Critics say that the speed and 300-yard range of the bullets pose a threat to bystanders.
Advocates say the assault rifles are vastly better than the standard Glock handguns assigned to officers and are more accurate than the pump-action shotguns that the department makes available.
Ahh... excellent information you have there. I'm not too knowledgeable about semi-automatic rifles. All mine are bolt action hunting rifles.
I am in the market for a Springfield M1A soon. (civilian M-14) Such a nice rifle.
I must admit my malicious streak in me though. Every time we hear of the locals chalking tires at the local bars, we run to the Piggly Wiggly and chalk all the cars. When the people show up in court with grocery receipts from Piggly Wiggly and their user profile proving it was them (those preferred customer cards have a use) and they couldn't have been at the local bars, it really screws up the cash flow that month for the district court.
In the 80's, Woolworth's sold Springields, Mausers, M1 carbines and Garands by the barrel full. I bought a Sweedish 6mm Mauser for $30. A Garand for $60. The Sweedish Mauser is a fine varmint weapon. Sure shoots flat and straight. Cheap ammo too!
M1 clip (.30-06) next to .223 (AR-15) ammo.
Yes, very much nice rifle. Accurate, reliable and effective out to 400 meters. There is not much to say bad about it. Only thing I could say about it is that its heavy and needs a skilled operator at the controls due to the recoil. All the .223 rifles are easy to shoot and the 7.62 Nato rifles are more difficult for folks who are not "rifleman" first and foremost.
If you are a rifleman, then its a joy and not a problem. (Oops, sorry- that came across as kind of superior; a validation of the rifleman cult. . . . Hoo Rah.)
Nothing beats the M1 Garand's.. blam! blam! blam! blam! blam! blam! blam! blam! PING!!!
Well... perhaps my .375 H&H magnum or .300 Winchester magnum. ;)
LoL. I've been a rifleman for years. Taught by my father who was a DI at Fort Ord, CA during the Vietnam war. Most of my experience is with non military type weapons but the ones i've picked up i shot very well. Most of my experience is with high powered hunting rifles.
Sarah Brady ans the VOC were right! Expiration of the AWB has resulted in more assault weapons on the streets (100 in one Florida town alone)
I think you described an M1A or M14. The gas cylinder has a gas pipe attached and it doesn't move. The operating rod has a block in the front that the pipe fits into. The gases push the operating rod to the rear. It has a spring return to chamber the round. The system is identical to the M1 Carbine. Heating is the problem as you mentioned but I also think Ruger makes horrible Mini barrels.
If you really want to see horrible groups, tighten those 10-32 screws on the gas cylinder.
Before you do, check out an FN-FAL. It's nice to see 12 dollar magazines that work.
Yup, a Browing A-bolt in 7.62 Nato (.308 in civilian terms) lives at my house. Very nice rifle and purely for civies. Drives tacks at 250.
Boy, am I embarrassed. My description is wrong. The Mini 14 has a floating cylinder and fixed piston- not a floating piston and fixed cylinder like I said (just checked an exploded drawing). It doesn't matter, the heating problem is the same. One of the differences between the MIA/M14 and the Mini 14 is that there is no Gas Pipe on the Mini, only a short gas piston fitting into a floating cylinder like the MI carbine.
Sorry, I hate it when I am wrong and hate it worse when I realize it myself.
I think that cal. clearly indicated caliber. Psst, what do you think it was meant to indicate calorie?
The local sporting goods store equipped the police with the AR-15s. The police never returned the rifles or paid for them. Not long after that, California banned the rifles.
Every time someone tells me their Mini launches the brass into the hinderworld, I ask them if they had ever taked the gas cylinder apart. The answer is usually "yes". The next question I ask them is if they remembered to reinstall their Gas Block Bushing. That's when the blank look on their faces appears. Without the bushing, they increased the amount of gas to the piston.
I prefer to shoot .223 from my Savage 12FP bolt gun. 5 under a dime at 100 yards. The Colt HBAR gives 1/2 inch groups with iron sights at 100 yards...on a bag of course.
btw, Don't get mad at me because you didn't know that there's such a thing as a .30 cal Carbine round and that the M-1 Carbine isn't chambered in 30-06.
It doesn't sound like you should continue shooting as it is. You might consider sending it back or checking to see if the bushing is in there. I think Brownell's sells bushings.
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