Posted on 11/26/2006 2:55:42 PM PST by HoldFast
By Larry Kahaner Sunday, November 26, 2006; B01
In the grand narrative of World War II, the Battle of Bryansk is a minor conflict, barely deserving of a footnote. But Bryansk has another place in history. It was there that a then-unknown tank commander named Mikhail Kalashnikov decided that his Russian comrades would never again be defeated. In the years following the Great Patriotic War, as Soviet propagandists dubbed it, he was to conceive and fabricate a weapon so simple, and yet so revolutionary, that it would change the way wars were fought and won. It was the AK-47 assault rifle.
The AK-47 has become the world's most prolific and effective combat weapon, a device so cheap and simple that it can be bought in many countries for less than the cost of a live chicken. Depicted on the flag and currency of several countries, waved by guerrillas and rebels everywhere, the AK is responsible for about a quarter-million deaths every year. It is the firearm of choice for at least 50 legitimate standing armies and countless fighting forces from Africa and the Middle East to Central America and Los Angeles. It has become a cultural icon, its signature form -- that banana-shaped magazine -- defining in our consciousness the contours of a deadly weapon.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I agree. I've been buying 7.62 NATO like crazy. Tomorrow I'm picking up either a Romanian AK or Yugoslavian AK M70A
Of course, you're right, and that is why the weapon of choice for the "fighting forces" of Los Angeles are hold 'em sideways .25 autos.
Really? I thought to be responsible for something implied you made a choice and were accountable for it. Has a Russian firearms maker finally found the secret to artificial intelligence and married it to a weapon?
From Mirriam-Webster online:
Main Entry: re·spon·si·ble
Pronunciation: ri-'spän(t)-s&-b&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Anglo-French responsable, from respuns
1 a : liable to be called on to answer b (1) : liable to be
called to account as the primary cause, motive, or agent
{a committee responsible for the job} (2) : being the cause
or explanation {mechanical defects were responsible for the
accident} c : liable to legal review or in case of fault to
penalties
2 a : able to answer for one's conduct and obligations :
TRUSTWORTHY b : able to choose for oneself between right and
wrong
3 : marked by or involving responsibility or accountability
{responsible financial policies} {a responsible job}
4 : politically answerable; especially : required to submit
to the electorate if defeated by the legislature -- used
especially of the British cabinet
After reading that, tell me how an inanimate object could be responsible for anything. Just another case of some fuzzy headed anti-gun type trying to deny accountability and responsibility for themselves and their ilk, and put it on someone (or something) else.
Yep. Had this discussion before.
7.62 x 39 AK type
7.62 x 51 NATO
7.62 x 54 .308
7.62 x 63 30.06
Note: The .308 round is rated at a higher pressure than the 7.62 NATO so even though the will chamber in most rifles interchangeably care should be used when using .308 in an older rifle chambered for the NATO round.
See posts 85 and 86
I have a Ruger Mini-30 which shoots the same 7.62x39 ammo as the AK. Its accuracy is pretty disappointing to me. Can any of you make a comparison of the two, touching on reliability, cost,ease of maintenance, etc, as well as accuracy? I bought the Mini-30 as a hedge investment before the 2000 election - - maybe it's time to look over the portfolio again.
A friend of mine is a police instructor (unarmed combat). The first time he fired a full-auto M-16 on the range, the range instructor stood behind him, hands on the back of both shoulders.
Apparently, the -16 climbs for some folks, some of them even lose their balance and tip backward, and some of those don't have the presence of mind to release the trigger when that happens. It's not universal, and maybe not common, but it's a real enough possibility that they take the precaution.
I've never fired anything full-auto, so I have no first-hand experience to bring to the table. My dad tells me that there's a range around here with a full-auto M-16 available, so I might scratch that off my list next weekend.
The more common form is BUFF, for Big Ugly Fat ... erm, Fellow.
The 7.62 X 51 Nato is generally interchangeable with .308 Win.
That's typical of Russian engineering. We build rifles that are much better under ideal conditions, and jet fighters that can outperform anything in the air, but need a nice smooth runway. They build rifles you can wrap in an oilcloth and bury in mud, then dig up and fire, and fighters that can land on tundra.
I don't disagree. The AK is an obvious rip-off of the StG, but many self-proclaimed "experts" obsess over the trivial differences and claim the AK is totally original.
I was unaware that the cheap, inaccurate, intermediate-powered AK was posessed of magical powers that make it a superior weapon rivaling the A-bomb. I was also unaware that it is the "simplest automatic weapon ever designed". There are many simpler weapons, but the most famous would probably be the Sten gun. I seem to recall they cost about 8 bucks per unit.
As a matter of fact now that you mention it...yes. I have an Arsenal of Nevada SA M7, with a milled receiever, US made, NATO type stock (longer butt stock or length of pull than the original furniture), very high quality, paid about $750 used for it.
The company has stopped making the milled models in order to concentrate on the stamped models but will resume milled production sometime in '07 according to their website. I've heard the price will increase quite a bit too.
The milled receiver adds a little weight but it's better than a lot of the junk out there, stamped receivers with improper heat treating, badly welded rails inside the receiver, etc.
I like the Bulgarian waffle pattern polymer mags better than the various metal types, lighter, don't rust or dent and the lips don't bend (tho the lips on steel AK mags are pretty substantial).
Stamped receiver models are actually AKMs btw, sometime in the 50s they Soviets switched production methods, the "M" stands for modern or modernized. The milled types required something like 200 odd milling operations, more expensive and time consuming to produce.
Nothing wrong with a $300 Romanian WASR (if you can still find 'em at that price) if that's all one can afford. It's still a semi-auto .30 cal rifle that holds 30 rounds!
I owned a Davis .380 chrome plated Sat Night Special when I lived in the type of neighborhood they were named after.
Hint: the MSM media and anti-gunners no longer use the full term they originally coined to disparage the type of weapon poor people could afford. Terms that flew in '68 will get you sued by night club audiences nowadays. Ask Kramer.
All that said I prefer the AR design I learned to use in the Army, it's lighter, more accurate and ubiquitous, at least in this country. There's no appreciable recoil and I like the idea I can project high volume aimed fire at need. The need most likely will never come. Most likely I won't need the generator or big first aid kit either, but it's better to have and not need than the opposite.
Personally I think everyone should keep a rifle they know how to use and a 1000 rds minimum on hand along with a dozen or two mags (Israeli polymer Orlites for my ARs) per weapon.
My AR in .308 is due any day now, already have the ammo, mags and sights for that one. Grins.
You're going to find that an M16 has just about zero recoil. You can fire it one handed (it will climb some if you do that).
Seriously my 13 year old (60 lbs) could fire an M16 on full auto with no problem.
Couple that with mandatory 5-7 day waiting periods, crackdowns or suspensions of gun shows, and a host of other nuisance regulations intended to weed out the casual collector/enthusiast..... BTW, the G-21 45 ACP can use the 25 rd 2nd source mags..I've got some, works good....
Its only drawback that I can see is that it is not very accurate at longer ranges; but if you are using poorly trained, cannon fodder, you are working close in anyway.
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