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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This one still has some black parts
Hope she's got the right flag to go with her truck and rifle.
They're making a semi-auto version now, which sort of misses the point, but which should be soon available for anyone who really wants one. And though a little hard to find, factory loaded 7,92 x 33mm MP44/Sturmgewehr ammo is now available, a bit more reliable than the 60-year old WWII German fodder or the French and Syrian surplus that showed up from time to time, and less labor intensive than turning the stuff out of former 7.62 NATO blanks.
At, 5 grand or so each, a semi-auto MP44 would not be my first choice. But there's an outfit in Washington state turning out semiauto copies of the WWII German paratroopers' FG42 rifle in the 7,92 x 57mm r5ifle cartridge. At 11K each, they're not exactly disposable, but there are worse weapons around with higher price tags. And if you really, REALLY need one, they're priceless. And at least you get a nice case with it.
It's the carry strap from one of the 2-quart plastic bladder canteens, found in both olive drab and desert tan.
FYI, my sweetie was a USAF avionics tech for the Pave Penny laser targeting pod in the A10, now made hopelessly obsolete by the LANTIRN laser designator and targeting pods. She too is fond of *things that go bang* that come from the sky, are too big for slings, and which you don't want to drop on your big toe.
I almost guessed that. I carried one of those in my helmet bag on the chopper. I still have it stashed in my pickup along with 4 MREs in case of snow, etc.
I got to handle the Sturm at the First Army Division Museum. They used to have it on display, but it's been removed from public view.
I brought it to the attention of the Curator that fully automatic weapons are completely forbidden in my fine State even if one had a Class III Federal License.
She asked "What's that?"
So I filled her in on the current state of Federal and State laws regarding the ownership of machine guns including the fact that if this particular weapon wasn't registered prior to 1968 it could never be registered.
I don't think she quite believed me initially, but the item in question was removed from public viewing shortly thereafter.
That's the same day I pointed up a mistake in the labelling of some of the personal firearms owned by the good Colonel, but that's a story for another day....
L
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