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.
JOIN THE FR GUN CLUB PING LIST HERE!!!
I love Israel
Is the first one a Knight’s Armament rifle?
no clue.. just a pic i picked up off the internet. i’ve seena bunch of those done, thinking about doing one for my wife, maybe she’d shoot more with me that way :)
I’ll make it as difficult as I can by attempting to stay legal.
In your opinion is the cost difference substantiated?
The prices I am looking at are $900-925 for the Bushmaster and RRA, and $700 for the DS, so the the price difference is about $200. I think RRA uses Continental receivers while BM & DS use LAR. The "advantages" for the more expensive rifles are chrome lined barrels (DS has unlined moly) and the RRA has a 2-stage trigger (BM & DS have single). The BM and RRA also come with hard cases and carry handles. I've got cases and don't plan to use the handle. Beyond that, it's really boils down to the quality of the three since I'm not sure the lined barrel or 2-stage trigger are necessities to me. The quality of BM and RRA are fairly well defined, but I'm not sure about DS.
For precision shooting, these days I almost need a 2-stage trigger. It is so nice to be able to adjust the creep on the second stage.
The same is true of the combination of the AR pistol upper with the AR rifle lower. If you have both of them apart, you are in constructive possession of a short barreled rifle, even though you had no intention to illegally assemble one. So clean them at different times, or leave the forward pin in place so the receivers stay together.
Far fetched? I was the E.M.T. at a fire standby years ago. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the firefighters sent in a team to break down the area and make sure the fire was out. They found a quarter pound of pot. The homeowners were arrested and charged with intent to distribute.
Stranger things have happened. A friend was on a fire standby when they found a very active World War II trophy in the homeowner’s attic. It was either an MP-40 or the aforementioned StG-44. I never found out which one. Fortunately, the guy was old enough, and tired enough, that the cops just took it and declined to prosecute. Unfortunately, the cops just took it and since it was in New Jersey, I'm sure the thing was destroyed.
Thanks. I appreciate the confirmation of what I was told.
I getting one but it will be a 308.
Sweet - nice project. I do think I the gas piston looks cleaner as a pistol tho’. The tube sticking out the back of the gas impingement design just cries out for a stock.
I’ll give him your props & I agree about the gas piston.
It is a Remington 7400 in .30-06 and a real nice shooter.
I built up a flattop M4gery J&T kit (same company as Doublestar) on a DPMS lower. There was one part missing from the kit, the company apologized and replaced the part with no hassle at all.
Three years and at least a couple thousand rounds and so far no problems. Good company to deal with. If you call them, there’s a good chance you’ll get the owner on the phone.
I have a Doublestar lower. Color match and finish quality seem as good as the DPMS and a Rock River. Still need to decide what it should look like when it grows up :)
You get two extra points if you can identify the sling on the chen cuties M16A1. Those who were in Vietnam or the first Iraqi desert war would likely know.
To a sociologist, technically it'd be a subculture. But I personally prefer to reserve that term for those whose interest is in submarines.
This one's right up there on the list.
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