Posted on 09/26/2003 1:38:23 PM PDT by 45Auto
If I could have just one rifle to last me the rest of my life it would be one I foolishly traded off. It was a 1903A3 Springfield. It was made by Remington and appeared unfired when I picked it up in Garden City, Kansas back around 1985. The barrel was stamped 1943 and that rifle would shoot like a house on fire.
I recall reading many years ago when some writer, (it might have been Cooper) said he liked the M14 better than the M16, but then recalled that his old sargeant thought the 1903 Springfield was better than the Garand. He figured military men always like the old ones better.
Now that I think about it, one of the reasons the Germans didn't go to automatic's earlier was that Hitler was very fond of the 98 Mauser he used in WWI.
I have a WWII binocular made in 1943 by Westinghouse that can compare in every way with my Swarovski except perhaps brightness. If it had multicoating and was new it might even be better.
I sure hope that guy was OK.
No obvious blood on that shattered stock.
If we can drop 80 Million a piece on a Raptor then keeping a Mountain/Desert/Artic rifle (M1A/M14)in 30 caliber range AND a Jungle/Forest region rifle in a kinetic caliber....... should not be a problem.
If we have to have one service rifle, 6.5 is my choice for new and improved and 7.62 nato for tried and true. As to the action and material. I am a fan of titanium and scandium for calibers with low recoil. I am of the opinion that if a basic service rifle is built in the 4 pound range unloaded without accessories and 7 pound range with grenade launcher, optical sights and two (2) 30 round magazines "snapped" togeather ala new HK mags or maybe a redi-mag setup that IDF devised topped off with a web/neoprene sling.
I would like to see modern versions of the 40MM low velocity grenades revamped into a 20 or 25MM dual purpose round using exotic explosives, a crow frag warhead and capability to punch 4 inches of steel plate.
As to the magazines. I'd like a shorter magazine so the rifle could be properly fired from a prone position. A wider mag and mag well would still allow at least 30 rounds but I personally would really like to see 40 per magazine.
Also a magazine should be "disposable". With modern materials, phenolics and spring set myths busted a pre-packaged and loaded magazine packed and issued in crates with seven mags to a bandoleer and 18 bandoleers to a crate. Thus a crate would resupply a basic 9 man squad.
As to durability, jamming and cleaning/servicing a standard service rifle. Make all moving parts and bearing surfaces in the receiver stainless steel witrh a ceramic coating to preclude the need to keep lube or other CLP-POL product on a weapon. I currently have a 1911A1 that was "coated " by a company in Houston TX that does race engine parts. I talked one of the employees into taking my detail stripped 1911A1 and coating every single part.
After reassembly (a real big itch as the tolerances were a bit less with added thickness of the coating) I use it in IDPA once a month, fire about 50 rounds thru it in competition and about 400 a week thru it in training and maintaing proficiency . It has never jammed, stove piped or failed to feed. My detail cleaning of that handgun is semi annual. Weekly range sessions call for just a wipe down from a canook "rusteprufe" rag and a dry clean rag. Ceramics is the sh*t I tell ya. Very kewl as I have experienced it.
Stay Safe , Just some of my wish list for a service rifle.........:o) .
...can't afford the top, but the common folk variant is my next choice of handgun. gotta have a Wilson myself :o)
Other than this, I was fine.
My chest looked about the same. I had to have surgery to have a piece of the cartridge removed from my breast bone.
To preserve the fact that Eakers are tough, here is a pic of me an hour later shooting left handed.
Tough enough indeed!
People would be shocked if I revealed yer true identity Madaonna.
Crap...... I meant to hit preview, not post!!!!
Seriously, I am amazed that ya'll know so much. I'll never catch up. I will continue to try.
One rifle for all is like trying to fit all Marines in an Xtra Small set of utilities.
There should be a general issue rifle, but there is room for more.
The ceramic plating is a novel idea. Is it anything like chromium bore lining>
I just love my M1A. I have had it worked on by ROBAR out in Arizona and a buddy of mine a fmr SEAL sniper gave me a "dream list" of upgrades he would suggest that ROBAR perform all of which I had them do. Then I topped it with a 3X10 Shepherd range finding scope. I can fire a three round group that you can cover with a dime at 100 meters. I have hit man/deer sized targets with the group about the size of a coffee saucer at 800 meters. For sure the gun is capable of doing better than I can shoot.
The proprietary coating from ROBAR known as NP3 allows me to shoot the piece filthy and it just stays smooth as butter and able to clean it with but a wipedown of a gun cloth and no additional lube. When the bearing surfaces rub against each other, the NP3 sheds molecules and this makes the gun effectively "self lubricating." WOW!
After the M1A/M14 I'd say the nod goes to the FN/FAL. For a belt fed critter, the M60 E3 is good, but I'd rather mount a MK 19 40mm on a vehicle for sheer firepower, range and versatility.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
And replace the gas system and he knows what he's talking about. Whoever this guy is, I believe everything he says.
You found a good article, 45.
Another home run. The M1 had disposable "magazines". They were called clips.
The principle is the same. If a nation can arm men it should be able to make reloads convenient.
If it can't, well maybe a foreign army of occupation can straighten out their industrial capablilities.
Madonna out !...........Stay Safe !
All a person has to do in order to screw up a Mini even worse that it is, tighten the 10-32 screws on the gas block. You will find out that is the reason some Mini's can't hit a pie plate at 50 yards. If Ruger had only copied the M14's gas system and used a barrel band, this wouldn't have been a problem.
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