that being said here is happines
Posted on 05/26/2008 5:13:56 AM PDT by Flavius
ASHINGTON: As Sgt. Joe Higgins patrolled the streets of Saba al-Bor, a tough town north of Baghdad, he was armed with bullets that had a lot more firepower than those of his 4th Infantry Division buddies.
As an Army sniper, Higgins was one of the select few toting an M14. The long-barreled rifle, an imposing weapon built for wars long past, spits out bullets larger and more deadly than the rounds that fit into the M4 carbines and M16 rifles that most soldiers carry.
"Having a heavy cartridge in an urban environment like that was definitely a good choice," says Higgins, who did two tours in Iraq and left the service last year. "It just has more stopping power
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
i dont like media
Leave it to APee. In the right hands, a person can be killed with a phonograph needle.
that being said here is happines
It is especially ironic considering that WWI and WWII were, by and large, won with rifles chambered in .30-06 and .303, cartridges which are ballistically similar to the .308, and whose .30 caliber bullets are virtually the same.
—my tagline applies , again-—
Nor do I.
Perhaps the writer should carry 300 rounds of each for a day and then get back to us on which he prefers.
I thought the .308 was a "NATO" round, therefore considered a "standard" military option.
The piece ended where it should have begun.
"One of the things I've discovered in guns is that damned near everyone is an expert," he says. "And they all have opinions."
But the .30'06 is quite another breed of cat. It's bigger, more powerful, and will throw a much larger bullet out there at the same velocities as the .308 or .303. There's also no mistaking that it's a more powerful round when you pull the trigger!
The SMLE was a fine rifle (I have a couple of them) but the Springfield and then the Garand delivered more punch.
As I recall the switch (to the lighter bullet) was based upon (1) weight factors (2) a wounded soldier requires 2 more soldiers to carry him off the field so that it actually temporarily takes three people out of service (3)less recoil and muzzle rise for those less experienced marksmen.
During my first 2 months in Viet Nam I carried an M-14, then some fool gunnery guy made me give it back and replaced it with an M-16. Seven months later, that P.O.S. M-16 jammed on me during a fire fight. I always considered the M-16 a downgrade to a less accurate, poorly designed piece of crap, with less stopping power.
He said he didn't mind the extra weight of the ammo one bit. Just threw the joker out of his deck of cards (see Willie & Joe).
Compared to the M-14 the early M-16s were junk. I understand they've improved it somewhat since.
Also add that there was a philosophy going around of putting more lead out as opposed to training marksmen. This turned out to be a bad idea - "spray and pray" has never worked very well.
The SMLE had a knockdown advantage when using theMK7 loading.Ith Brits put an aluminun front core in the bullet,moving the center of balance to the rear.The bullet would tumble when hitting it’s target,the wounds were massive.
An M-14 is great for punch at a distance. It’s probably not what you want in your hands if you’re clearing a building.
One size does not fit all.
“Perhaps the writer should carry 300 rounds of each for a day and then get back to us on which he prefers.”............
But the 5.56 rounds require 3 hits to accomplish what 1 hit does with the 7.62 round (from the Army FM on the M16). The standard load for 30-06 was 80 rounds.
So what are we accomplishing by carrying more ammo, the ability to make more noise?
The idea was to wound (severely) the victim so their comrades would expend energy toting them for help.
Obvious Urban response. Give me the M-14 every day. I used one. I know what it will do. I know what that POS M-16 wont do. Once you have sprayed all your mosquito killer into the brush and you are out of ammo, because it wouldnt take the enemy down, you’ll be whining out the other side of your mouth and tryin to crawl back behind me to get some cover.
Solids are better for large game though.
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