So, tell us something we don't already know.
Posted on 01/19/2011 2:17:17 PM PST by Pan_Yan
Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has caused quite a controversy in the country with his remarks about Russian small arms, particularly the legendary Kalashkikovs and the Dragunov SVD sniper rifles. Mr. Serdyukov stated that the Russian small arms had become outdated, and added that Russia could purchase small arms from abroad after it was decided to acquire Mistral helicopter carriers from France. What do Russian professions think on the subject?
"Foreigners admit that Russian small arms are one of the best in the world. Just show me a foreign rifle which would compete with a Russian one on all specifications, including the integrity level. How would a soldier feel in combat action if his rifle, which is widely, albeit unreasonably advertised as "more accurate," would unexpectedly malfunction? The main problem here is that Russia does not have anyone to work in the gun-making industry because of low salaries. Purchasing small arms from abroad can entirely destroy the industry in Russia," gun designer Dmitry Shirayev told Pravda.Ru.
"These arms are not likely to be become outdated ever. I am no stranger to either AK-74 or SVD, and I can say this for sure. I have not heard any bad comments about these rifles from any of my comrades-in-arms," Sergei Glussky, a former member of Rosich special task force unit, a participant of the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya said.
"Terrorists from the Caucasus always use Kalashnikovs and SVDs. The funding, which they receive from abroad, gives them a very good opportunity to receive American and French small arms. They often use foreign-made communication systems at times, but they most frequently, if not always, use Russian-made rifles. All their snipers use SVD sniper rifles. This rifle stands out of criticism in all respects. What made Serdyukov think that Russian assault and sniper rifles are no good? What is good then? He did not say. Let him clarify the point, we will conduct the range practice and see what works better.
"The sitting Russian defense minister is not a military man - this is the problem. How can he judge the advantages and disadvantages of this or that type of weapon? The people who do not have an expert opinion in such questions should not make such important decisions, because they may lead to lamentable consequences in the future. Why does he think that Russia has no good sniper rifles? It brings up a story about Klim Voroshilov, which happened when he visited a field firing range. A Red Army soldier complained of Mosin's rifle to him saying that the rifle was bad. Voroshilov took the rifle and hit all the targets with it. I think we are now having a similar situation," the former military man said.
Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis: "There is a share of truth in what the minister said. It does not mean, though, that we should purchase arms from abroad. What is good about Kalashnikovs? They are simple and easy to use. This is an unrivaled rifle from this point of view. These rifles were designed for mass production, for large classic wars. However, Russia has other, more modern types of small arms, such as Nikonov assault rifle. However, unlike the Kalashnikov, the Nikonov does not have the advantages of the legendary AK-74 - its easy use, for example. Its flaws include insufficient accuracy and a high rate of the consumption of cartridges. Their accuracy range of 400 meters is not enough for present-day warfare realias.
"As for the Dragunov sniper rifle (SVD), this is a very good sniper rifle. However, this fine sniper rifle begins to go out of date too. It uses optical sights, while electronic sights are needed to increase the strike accuracy. It also needs a larger caliber.
"Before Serdyukov, Russia used to sell limited batches of sniper rifles to Britain and Austria. We still have many types of small arms that meet all modern requirements, but they are not in mass production yet. Russia needs competition with foreign arms, because competition is the driving force of progress - it will help us get rid of stagnation. It does not mean, though, that we must fully proceed to using foreign weapons," the expert said.
Viktor Litovkin of Independent Defense Review: "AK-74 is an old assault rifle indeed, not to mention other, earlier versions like AK-47, AKM, etc. One may set serious claims to this rifle today: when being used in action, this rifle gets diverted, no matter how solid you might be holding it. It has one big advantage, though: anyone can shoot from this rifle. If you drop it in the sand or in the dirt - nothing will happen to the rifle. Russia has another rifle that does not have such serious flaws. However, it does not have the advantages of AK-74 either. If it falls in the dirt, it will not operate, and it will take a lot of time to clean the rifle.
"There are claims to Russian sniper weapons. All our rifles are automatic. They lose precision after a first shot in gun action. Some Russian experts say that the nation's best sniper rifle is the old Mosin optical rifle. Another sniper rifle, known as Val, also receives a lot of appraisal.
"As for foreign small arms, let's take, for instance, American and Israeli arms. They are high precision weapons, but they are designed for very accurate and responsible soldiers, who do not forget to clean them. I believe that it is unrealistic and unnecessary for Russia to purchase small arms from other countries," the expert said.
“compete with the Russian weapon in one or all categories...’.
How ‘bout accuracy?
Translation problem or bluster. Your choice.
“As for foreign small arms, let’s take, for instance, American and Israeli arms. They are high precision weapons, but they are designed for very accurate and responsible soldiers, who do not forget to clean them. I believe that it is unrealistic and unnecessary for Russia to purchase small arms from other countries,” the expert said.”
There is a lot of information in this statement.
There sure is.
that is exactly what I was thinking, the Russian small arms are better than Western arms for the untrained conscripts but not for a professional fighting force.
AK’s weren’t made for sharpshooters. They were easy to mass produce and cheap. The break down was simple and over all it was rugged enough for the members of the third world to handle. Load the magazine give it to a revolutionary and let him spray away.
Yup... and Russian military thinking is outdated and does not correspond to the requirements of a professional volunteer army. Russia is moving in this direction to replace the old Soviet conscript force with one that is better paid, better equipped and better trained. The criticism of Serdyukov is simply unfair. Russia should buy arms abroad when they are of better quality and do the job at less cost. The old Soviet thinking will take time to change.
I guess moving toward a more accurate rifle is an attempt to show that Russia is becoming more modern. But the AK-47 is, in its own way, a Russian icon. I don’t think they can just scrap it. I suspect they’ll come up with some kind of upgraded version that allows them to retain the AK-47 image.
Let me help you with your reading comprehension:
The German K98 Mauser is not a Russian rifle.
Yeah, that "expert" is saying that even if Russia goes to a smaller professional army, they will continue to be equipped as if they were expendable peasants. A professional soldier would no more purposely mistreat his most important piece of equipment (rifle) than a cavalry trooper would mistreat his horse. Both are their primary means of survival.
The legendary reliability of the AK series comes from the large amount of combustion gas it bleeds off to really "kick" the action hard, in case it's dirty, muddy, etc. This tends to eventually crack milled receivers, and loosen rivets on the stamped versions. Add in lousy ergonomics (miserable sights, sharp, clumsy, and noisy safety), and western battle rifles look positively luxurious, especially with good optics on them.
The only exception is the Swiss Sig 550-series of 5.56mm rifles. It uses the Kalashnikov bolt and gas system, but otherwise it was redesigned and built like a Rolex.
I was introduced to the M16A1 in 1970, when our training cycle in Basic used the M16 for the entire course. It was fun and easy to shoot, preventing flinching and other bad habits. I had no trouble hitting targets at 300m, which is over twice the average range that the Army has engaged the enemy in all battles since 1776.
Once you convince yourself that you and your rifle have the ability to overcome the enemy at any reasonable (and a few unreasonable) ranges, then concern and uncertainty vanishes, letting you concentrate on other skills.
It's one thing when the commies flooded the third world with 40-50 million AKs, but that market is pretty much saturated now. You can buy as many as you want at $5-10 in any hellhole in the world. But if you're a pro, you need and demand something much better.
You started by you post with “Wrong” then refuted a claim that neither the article nor any poster made. I’m happy that you like German sniper rifles, but they weren’t being discussed. We can talk about them if you’d like.
Sorry for the poor brain/thumbs/BlackBerry interface.
The AK-47 is one of the best assault rifles available; but, like any other tool, it isn’t perfectly suitable for every job. The good carpenter keeps more than one tool in his tool bag. I generally prefer the M16A2 because the M16A2 is capable of extreme accuracy. The only thing that holds it back is the M855 ball round which is a high quality round but not match grade. I have shot AR15s (using match grade ammo) that will empty their 30 round magazine into a dime at 100 meters. There’s something to be said for that.
Fact: The K98 and Col. Koenig Lost to Vasily with his Moisin on the Eastern Front and to the American GIs with their 03’s and Garands on the Western Front.
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