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Dallas Sniper Rifle Controversy: Who Knows the Rifle?
Ammoland ^ | 11 July, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

Posted on 07/11/2016 10:34:52 AM PDT by marktwain

Dallas Shooting Rifle Controversy


There is considerable controversy and confusion about the firearms used in the Dallas sniper attack against police officers.  Early in the aftermath, numerous disarmist pundits proclaimed that it was an AR15 rifle, without any substantive verification of any kind.  One of them was the “gun guy” on the Huffington Post.  Another was Dallas Mayor (D) Mike Rawlings.  From newswest9.com:

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says the suspect in the sniper slayings of five officers used an AR-15 rifle. Rawlings said that’s the type of weapon 25-year-old Micah Johnson used in the attack Thursday night in downtown Dallas. A similar assault weapon was used in the attacks at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people.

Early reports are often wrong.  It is common for politically motivated individuals to put out false reports in an attempt to hijack the narrative. A couple of days later, many major news outlets were citing sources that the rifle used was an SKS. Some were from authoritative sources. From nytimes.com:

 “It’s talking not only about how to kill but how to keep from being killed,” said Clay Jenkins, Dallas County’s chief executive and director of homeland security and emergency management, who said he had not read the original journal but had reviewed summaries of it. “It shows that he’s well prepared.”

(snip)

Mr. Jenkins said Mr. Johnson had used a semiautomatic SKS rifle and a high-capacity handgun. He drove his vehicle to the demonstration and parked it, Mr. Jenkins said, but was on foot at many points throughout the attack.

Another statement from Chief Executive Officer and Judge Clay Jenkins throws a bit more information into the mix. From sunny1015.com:

(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: banglist; dallas; dallasmassacre; rifle; saiga; sks; texas
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To: cpdiii

“Looks like a Saiga to me.”

With a 150 round clipazine...


61 posted on 07/11/2016 12:56:15 PM PDT by ltc8k6
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To: marktwain
There may be good reasons for holding the information close to the chest for a while.

A Gunwalker or Fast-n-Furious serial number?

62 posted on 07/11/2016 1:00:27 PM PDT by Spirochete (GOP: Give Obama Power)
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To: marktwain
Saiga AK-74:


63 posted on 07/11/2016 1:10:29 PM PDT by PLMerite (Compromise is Surrender: The Revolution...will not be kind.)
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To: Jed Eckert

The rifle in the rubble pic is a Saiga in 5.45x39 or 5.56. The piece in question is a cheek riser for the Magpul Zhukov folding stock. I have the same stock on my VEPR 54.


64 posted on 07/11/2016 1:12:26 PM PDT by Azeem (There are four boxes to be used in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo.)
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To: fightin kentuckian

In the photo of the dead guy, there’s a white strap of some kind and on it you can make out “62 MADE” which would work with 7.62. Or not.


65 posted on 07/11/2016 1:14:52 PM PDT by PLMerite (Compromise is Surrender: The Revolution...will not be kind.)
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To: Azeem

What we do not know is if the rifle in the rubble was found with the Dallas sniper.

No provenance on the photo. Anonymous source.


66 posted on 07/11/2016 1:34:15 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: Myrddin

Yes it’s a Saiga 5.45.
The stock is called the Magpul Zhukov folding stock. It’s one hell of a stock.
The pistol grip has been converted with the trigger group. The gas block and handguard were not converted.

He has a Zenitco DTK muzzle brake from Russia on it.
The scope is a Primary Arms 5X prism.
The magazine looks NOTHING like an AR-15 mag and is actually a Tapco rip off of an AK-74. They are ok for plinking. Would never use one for SD.


67 posted on 07/11/2016 1:42:54 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (If you want to live, you'd best repent and ask Christ for Salvation. John 14:6)
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To: fightin kentuckian

No it’s not a Vepr.
He could not mount that stock with the Vepr trunion.


68 posted on 07/11/2016 1:46:07 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (If you want to live, you'd best repent and ask Christ for Salvation. John 14:6)
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To: PUGACHEV
The handle on an SKS slide (whatever that thing is called)

Bolt carrier.


69 posted on 07/11/2016 1:50:26 PM PDT by NorthMountain (Hillary Clinton: corrupt unreliable negligent traitor)
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To: Roman_War_Criminal

“No it’s not a Vepr.
He could not mount that stock with the Vepr trunion.”

I disagree with both. It is in fact a Vepr and you can fit just about anything to any AK now.

The standard AK, whether stamped or milled receivers, are becoming nearly as configurable as the AR15. There are tons of aftermarket parts, even adapters that will allow the user to adapt different stocks.


70 posted on 07/11/2016 1:55:20 PM PDT by fightin kentuckian
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To: nonsporting

Dude, I own several of that same mag. If you look on the Tapco site you’ll see that the Tapco AK74 mag had LESS of a curve than the Tapco AK47 mag.


71 posted on 07/11/2016 2:00:51 PM PDT by fightin kentuckian
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To: fightin kentuckian

Look closely at the two rivets next to the stock. That marking that looks like a stamp mark in between them is only found on Saiga’s.

The Zhukov Stock is incompatible with a Vepr. Even the pistol grip (Magpul) wouldn’t be able to fit.

Check it out. Vepr’s don’t use that marking.

https://www.slickguns.com/product/saiga-545x39-iz-240-16-barrel-sai-545-hccen-79999


72 posted on 07/11/2016 2:01:25 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (If you want to live, you'd best repent and ask Christ for Salvation. John 14:6)
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To: Revelation 911

..that lake must be filling up...


73 posted on 07/11/2016 2:16:51 PM PDT by Recon Dad (Force Recon Dad)
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To: Roman_War_Criminal

OK, Im starting to see but can someone explain the elongated dimple just above the mag well on the receiver. Is that simply to hold and align the mag?


74 posted on 07/11/2016 2:22:19 PM PDT by fightin kentuckian
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To: fightin kentuckian

I think it helps steady the mag.
Purists like the look of it for AK-74’s.
Not too many AKM’s (47’s) have that dimple IIRC. Unless it’s a 103 or 104 model.


75 posted on 07/11/2016 2:32:42 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal (If you want to live, you'd best repent and ask Christ for Salvation. John 14:6)
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To: marktwain

I could tell by the sound of the gunshots on the news feed that it wasn’t an AR-15.

Gunny Highway-Heartbreak Ridge: “this is an AK 47, it is the preferred weapon of our enemy and makes a very distinct sound when fired”


76 posted on 07/11/2016 2:38:48 PM PDT by shotgun
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To: Roman_War_Criminal

I believe it may be an Arsenal. Arsenal Inc. is the only company that I’ve seen that has a dimple above the mag well.


77 posted on 07/11/2016 2:44:58 PM PDT by fightin kentuckian
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To: marktwain

The M or D model SKS takes regular AK mags. With the number of rounds fired he could have done it with stripper clips and regular SKS 10 rd. stock magazine but that would require lots of practice. Putting a duck billed magazine on a regular SKS rifle is easy to do but they are a bitch to change quickly and not very reliable.


78 posted on 07/11/2016 3:07:31 PM PDT by sarge83
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To: marktwain

Correct. And if the info doesnt fit the Democrat agenda, the media will not pusue it.


79 posted on 07/11/2016 3:27:00 PM PDT by Azeem (There are four boxes to be used in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo.)
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To: Roman_War_Criminal; fightin kentuckian

Its a 5.56 or 5.45, likely a Saiga with Magpul furniture. The milled AK-47 doesnt have the dimple but the stamped AKM does for mag stabilization. Its not a 7.62x39mm because the magazine is not curved enough.


80 posted on 07/11/2016 3:34:10 PM PDT by Azeem (There are four boxes to be used in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo.)
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