Posted on 08/07/2008 5:23:44 AM PDT by Pistolshot
Free Republic Gun Club – Thursday Edition – Sturmgewehr
They are called “Black Guns”. They have been maligned since they have become a mainstay of the gun culture. They have had bans, parts restrictions, and some of the most advanced have been forbidden from import into this country. They have been given the name to make them sound evil, to make them sound more deadly than other weapons.
They are called ‘Assault Rifles’
The very first, the MP44, named Sturmgewehr by Hitler, fired an intermediate cartridge based on the 8mm Mauser. Some say the AK and Kalishnikov used the MP44 as it’s blueprint, however the MP44 is more related to the HK family than the AK.
Today, one of the most popular cartridges is the 5.56x45 or the .223 Remington. A variety of platforms use this cartridge from the Ruger Mini-14 to the Colt AR15 and relative clones. Improvements over the last decade have brought the AR system and its clones to almost peak development.
So what’s missing from the AR?
A better cartridge for one. As accurate as the 223 is, it has downrange limitations, as we have found in Iraq and Afghanistan, where incident ranges are better than the 300 meter effectiveness of the cartridge. The 6.8 SPC has been in evaluation as has the 6.5 Grendel. Both are accurate and carry excellent ballistics.
Next item. Gas piston.
This one thing will improve performance over the present gas impingement system. Stoner was an excellent engineer and he solved a complex problem simply and efficiently. What he didn’t count on was the interference of the military bureaucracy in helping the AR system to fail.
There are many AR clones in 223. One of the best, IMHO is the SIG 556.
This little number is gas-piston, rounded corners everywhere, and all the advantages of the AR system in a truly compact reliable package.
I know we all have our favorites. My AR has been used on prarie dogs, eliminated Coyotes and made me extra cash.
Next up. 308 rifles.
Mine as you can see is the Springfield Armory M1A Scout.
Accurate, reliable, and it is as compact as I would like to get in a 308. It is LOUD and the flash is bright even in broad daylight. I can ring the 600 yard gong all day with this little number, and it hasn’t malfunctioned once, with anything I have run through it.
Other 308’s? Armalite
Based on Eugen Stoner’s original design the AR-10 is one of the best of the breed. The flat-top design is especially good for longer range optics and really makes the 308 stand out from its little brother.
These are just a few of the multitude of assault rifles available. I didn’t forget the venerable AK47 systems, they have a good following and probably are the most produced clone in the world to talk about. I hope we have some real contributions in this area.
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H&K 91 7.62mm 20 round magazines. Got one of these babies sitting in the safe. Shoots real niiiiiice.
Working on the upgrades, though (i.e. optics, flip-up BUIS, and, possibly, this). I may also pick up a 6.8 upper...
My militia weapon is also a M1A1, although I have others. Mine is old fashioned wood ... :-)
I’ve got an M1A1 as well.
SKS and AR-15.
If I knew how to post pictures on here, I would gladly post one of my Armalite AR-10. She’s a beaut and packs one helluva’ whollop! Funny thing is, the anti-gun nuts think it is more lethal than my 8mm Mauser or Mosin Nagant just because it has a larger magazine...anti-gun morons! A shot from ANY of them would be EQUALLY lethal...
We're damned lucky the Germans weren't able to crank out 500,000 of them. If Hitler hadn't been so recalcitrant and allowed full production of them earlier, the outcome of WWII might have been a bit different.
L
I have two ARs (an Anvil Arms/Global Tactical Operator and a Cav Arms/Armalite), a Chinese and a Yugo SKS, a couple AKs (but several yet-to-be-completed kits), and a 1919A1 kit that I haven’t started on yet.
A primary use of the MP44/StG44 was to counter the Soviet PPS and PPSh submachine guns, which used a 7.62x25mm Tokarev round. These cheap mass-produced weapons used a 71-round drum magazine or 35-round "box" magazine and though shorter-ranged than the Kar98k rifle were more effective weapons in close quarter combat. PPSh Submachine guns were extremely widespread, and issued on a far larger scale; some Soviet rifle companies were completely equipped with PPSh-41 submachine guns.
The StG44, while also lacking the range of the Kar98k, had a longer range than the PPS/PPSh submachine guns and a comparable rate of fire. Also, while they could fire fully automatic, they were designed to default to semi-auto fire. They were surprisingly accurate, and their slow rate of fire gave them controllability even on full-auto. While the design details are quite different, the concept of the StG44 was obviously carried on in the most famous and most numerously manufactured assault rifle, the AK-47.
By the end of the war, some 425,977 StG44 variants of all types were produced. The assault rifle proved a valuable weapon, especially on the Eastern front, where it was first deployed. A properly trained soldier with an StG44 had an improved tactical repertoire, in that he could effectively engage targets at longer ranges than with an MP40, but be much more useful than the Kar98k in close combat, as well as provide light cover fire like a light machine gun.
I want an M1A1
and a FN P90 
He said he had found it in a camp they had overrun somewhere in Germany but didn't know what it was for.
It appeared to be brand new with cosmoline traces in the grooved areas. Turns out is was a pristine MP44 lower. The gentleman said there were a number of other parts to go with it, but he didn't know what was missing. After checking all the parts later I found the gun was complete except for a pin to hold the extractor in place.
Unfortunately, it missed the amnesty and had to be destroyed.
For ‘mouse gun’ enthusiasts tired of the temperamental, even fastidious, maintenence requirements of direct impingement guns such as the AR15, I have a suggestion.
Consider the Daewoo DR200 in .223/5.56mm. It has the upper/lower construction of the AR and the gas system of the AK74.
For a reliable gun, suitable for enemies over three feet tall, consider the Daewoo DR300 in 7.62X39.
Unfortunately, the Pentagon didn’t.
Technically, not an assault rifle "clone", since it does not fire an "intermediate power" cartridge. Instead, it's a follow-on to Garand's 1920s design for a 1906 cartriddge.
It's more fun to shoot than the M-14 I remember from my Army days, although the ammo still weighs a ton. The 16-inch barrel and electronic sights make it fast, accurate, and pleasant to shoot, as long as you remember to bring hearing protection.
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