Posted on 03/27/2002 4:33:59 AM PST by Scutter
Report of American small arms performance from a friend currently assigned to an infantry unit in Afghanistan:
"The current-issue 62gr 5.56mm (223) round, especially when fired from the short-barreled, M-4 carbine, is proving itself (once again) to be woefully inadequate as man stopper. Engagements at all ranges are requiring multiple, solid hits to permanently bring down enemy soldiers. Penetration is also sadly deficient. Even light barriers are not perforated by this rifle/cartridge combination. Troopers all over are switching to the seventy-seven grain Sierra Matchking (loaded by Black Hills) whenever it can be found. Its performance on enemy soldiers is not much better, but it does penetrate barriers. We're fighting fanatics here, and they don't find wimpy ammunition particularly impressive!
Adding to our challenges, our issue M-9 pistol (Beretta M92F) is proving itself unreliable. They are constantly breaking. To make matters worse, the 9mm hardball round we use is a joke. It is categorically ineffective as a fight stopper, even at close range. Some troopers, after numerous, desperate requests, are now being reissued 1911s! However, the only ones available for issue are worn out. Magazines are hard to find, and 45ACP ammunition is scarce.
We are frustrated here that none of the forgoing seems to be of the slightest concern to people in Washington. It is a damn good thing that we have air superiority and are not yet heavily engaged on the ground. Inferior weapons and ammunition are making us all nervous."
Lesson: Here we go again! We're going into war with small arms and ammunition we know to be impotent and (in the case of the M-9 pistol) lacking in durability. What makes the iniquity even worse is that these inadequacies have all been common knowledge since the Gulf War ten years ago.
During WW1, American troopers were issued a French light, automatic rifle, as part of an economic sweetheart deal with the French. The gun, called the CSRG (Chauchat), was notoriously unreliable, and that fact was well known by Americans and French alike. But, it was issued anyway, and we will never know how many Americans were needlessly killed as a result. That this kind of casual nonchalance is apparently still standard procedure at the Pentagon, is disillusioning. We really haven't come very far in eighty-five years. Our young men, in the minds of politicians and military brass alike, are still cannon fodder!
/John Farnam
The thing works fairly well if I use the Colt ten-round mag (actually merley an AR 15 .223 mag with a modified follower), but I cannot load more than five rounds into it if I want it to feed reliably. I have heard from some law enforcement guys that they have had special mags made up in which they cut off the upper portion of a 5.56 mag and weld on the bottom of a 20 round AK mag.
This round uses the 122 FMJ or the 123 or 125 soft point bullet. I load my rounds with the Hornady 122 FMJ using the Finn powder, VN 120. If I use the book load, the recoil is substantially greater than the 5.56 round loaded with the 75 gr Hornady. I suspect the impact from the 30 Russian would make more of an impression on the ragheads than the 5.56, although we would have to ask the Russian troops that were there before..... The other solution is to gear up production of the AR 10, or to issue the M-14. As far as pistols go, gimme the 1911 in .45 ACP everytime.
I carried an issued M14, a personal .45 and a knife that could shave a monkey's ass without awakening him from a light nap.
I heard that, by weight, you can carry 2x/3x as much 5.xx as 7.62. That may be true... But, given what I've heard that it may take three hits from a 5.xx to put the bastard down for his dirt nap, what's the advantage?
The 7.62 would truly reach out and permanently impress the intended receiver... One correctly placed shot was ALWAYS sufficient... The AK47 is no slouch...it is crude, simple, reliable, and will make a mess of your day... Even in the hands of children. Their sound is so distinctive, it still raises the hair on my neck.
It has been said: That one used AK47 would get you a full case of Scotch and two boxes of FINE cigars from the gutsy sailors that brought supplies up the coast.
Semper Fi
The Ultra CDP will slip into the front pocket of Levis or into a lightweight jacket pocket. Light enough to carry all day --- heavy enough to do the job.
Semper Fi
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