My WASR AK-47

[Cirrus N210MS]

Here is a photo of my Wasr ak47 Its The same Age as me 25

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr258/hotshotmike1001/photos013.jpg

[OBIO]

Nice looking rifle!

[Cirrus N210MS]

works great

just finished cleaning it up in that photo it was dirty as can be ill take a new one here in a bit now that its been cleaned up no dirt on its wood

i take it when i go off roading do to its good to have somthing to scare off them hill billys that live in the desert so they dont get ideas like doing somthing stupid when they see i have an Kalashnikov they go the other way :salute: some one took a pot shot at my brothers friend one time so i am just goto make sure i am ready for return fire if that ever happends you know what i am talking about you can take targets down 4400 Yards with a AK47

[Cirrus N210MS]

better photo plus now its been cleaned

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr258/hotshotmike1001/guns003.jpg

[tigisfat]

nice!! I've got an original romanian. Mine isn't as fancy as yours, but I like it because it is original and came with the original 'start your own revolution' kit. Two stocks, oil canisters, cleaning stuff, all fitting neatly into the stock.

It's nice to see someone else here that's into collecting pieces of our military history.

[Cirrus N210MS]

yeah i am big into military guns i love russian Military weapons Very much :salute:


http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr258/hotshotmike1001/guns009.jpg
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr258/hotshotmike1001/guns008.jpg
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr258/hotshotmike1001/guns007.jpg


and yes that Pistol is a russian TT-33 And it was Built in 1953

[tigisfat]

Russian weapons are my favorite too, mainly because of the big dark cloud associated with anything Russian while I was growing up. That, and they're affordable.

[Piglet]

I like the TT-33.
As for AK type weapons, I'll stick to my Valmet M-76.
I also like the older historical stuff. How many modern Glocks do you need? (Already got my Glock 19).

[tigisfat]

I like the TT-33.
As for AK type weapons, I'll stick to my Valmet M-76.
I also like the older historical stuff. How many modern Glocks do you need? (Already got my Glock 19).


Ah, yes. The Glock model 19 is one of the finest pistols out there.

[Roadburner440]

I can definately give a thumbs up for the love of russian weapons. While I do not own a rifle, I have a russian Soviet made Makarov PM 9X18MM pistol. That gun is simple to take apart, a breeze to clean, and put back together. Need absolutely 0 tools unless I want to take the firing pin out, at which rate the cleaning tool doubles for that purpose. Never had 1 ounce of trouble out of it.. Now my Springfield Armory 1911, or Ruger .22 MkIII target shooter now those are a whole other story. That Ruger especially has what seems like a million pieces to it. I will have to join the photo fun and put up some when I get home.

[Moparmike]

Nice looking WASR there cirrus!

I'm not too big on the modern semis though...I've had a few SKS carbines over the years, but now that the surplus import ammo isn't as cheap as it was 15-20 years ago they're just not as much fun to take to the range anymore.
Probably won't be in the market for another surplus semi until I find me another AG42 Ljungmann or an FN49. I have seen a few SVT-40s on the market too and I wouldn't mind that model either.


(Moved down to the Other Hobbies forum)

[wombat666]

works great

just finished cleaning it up in that photo it was dirty as can be ill take a new one here in a bit now that its been cleaned up no dirt on its wood

i take it when i go off roading do to its good to have somthing to scare off them hill billys that live in the desert so they dont get ideas like doing somthing stupid when they see i have an Kalashnikov they go the other way :salute: some one took a pot shot at my brothers friend one time so i am just goto make sure i am ready for return fire if that ever happends you know what i am talking about you can take targets down 4400 Yards with a AK47

Make that 440 yards if you are an exceptional shot with exceptionally good conditions .....:173go1:

[Matt Wynn]

I don't own a Rifle... the military lets me use them.... but my Rifles i use are the AW50F for Anti-Materiel and the L96A1 for Anti-Personnel, both will engage and take out/down a target at 2112yds (And yes i've made that kind of shot on the range before). i opt to carry a sidearm, a Sig Sauer P226 if it's available and all other time i'm to be found with an SA80A2 with the UGL... gotta love my job at times...

AK47 is a good weapon, easy to maintain, you could bury it in a swamp for years, dig it up and pull the trigger, it'd still go bang, although now surpassed by the AK-101 and partially by the AK-2000, it is still a formidable weapon, but i still say full auto you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from 20 paces.. TT-33 is a great sidearm, rugged, robust and packs a punch, gotta admire the Tokarevs, Makharovs... in fact all Russian weapons, they're built to last... and built to blast... SKS being another prime example of a good cheap reliable rifle...

[Ferry_vO]

Make that 440 yards if you are an exceptional shot with exceptionally good conditions .....:173go1:

And only on semi-automatic..

The punch of that 7.62mm round is great though, and it was built to last.

[Matt Wynn]

The punch of that 7.62mm round is great though

I can confirm that and i only caught a ricochet off a wall as i was darting across a T-Junction... dropped me in my stride... as i said they're rugged and go bang when you need them to... good weapons last thing any soldier wants it to be downrange from one in the aim and his weapon jams... "Stoppage" usually being shouted followed by several obscenities :icon_lol:

the NATO standard 7.62mm round is longer and more aerodynamically stable, designed for penetration over longer ranges... the Russian or AK Standard has a nice habit of hitting the target then tumbling causing greater internal trauma, shorter round when compared... means it isn't as stable after the hit... still great Kit there Cirrus... anyone who's never fired an Accuracy International Arctic Warfare/L96A1 I urge them to try it, chambered for .338 Lapua it is my weapon of choice these days, i fired 1 shot on the range and i was hooked... what is the maximum accurate range of an AK47? about 350yds?

[redriver6]

heres a little project i recently completed...except for the lower i ordered all the parts on the net..and its 7.62x39
http://www.boomspeed.com/redriver6/ar762.jpg

[jim]

GUARANTEED You'l never take down a target @ 4400 yds. with any rifle, never mind an AK47 (piece of junk is only accurate out to 200 Yds. Use an M14.:salute::salute:

[jim]

Fellows; Listen to smoothie, he sounds like he's been there & done that. Never try to fool a soldier. Whats better Smoothie USGI M14 or L1A1? I'll take my M4A1.

[Matt Wynn]

I'd have to stick with the L1A1 (SLR) here, it's a bit hefty and useless for room clearing, just like every other 'long' out there, plus it's not Automatic, Lets remember the Falklands War, Argentina with the FN-FAL and the British with the L1A1/SLR, Brits were erm 'liberating' FAL's to use instead of their SLR's. M14 is good, has a good kick... and a good reach for such a dated design, what M14's max reach (Effective) about 800m with optics? thats still pretty good goin'... i always say a good rifle is a rifle you point towards your enemy and it goes Bang when you need it to...

i'll show you some of the weapons i'm familiar with (No cameras allowed in the armoury or range sadly but at least i can tell you...)

Accuracy International Artic Warfare 50 (12.7*99)/(.50), Effective range 1.5km
http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr120/forty2_2008/AIG2402.jpg

Accuracy International L96A1/Super Magnum (7.62*51)/(.338 Lapua)/(7mm Rem), Effective range 0.8km (7.62)
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/ai-awp762.jpg

BAe Systems/H&K SA80/L85/L98 (5.56*45), Effective Range 450m with iron sight & 650m with SUSAT
http://www.famous-guns.com/wp-content/uploads/sa-80-rifle-stripped-1996.jpg

Those are my main familiar weapons (Not including the Sig Sauer P226, which I have used as a sidearm), other knowledge includes M249/M240, M-16 series (Incl. M4, C7 & C8), HK53, HK G3 and various other nasties...



Redriver thats a good looking Long there buddy, looks like a 15 or 20 round Mag also... i never can get on with dot sights/Projection sights myself, i'm used to the SUSAT ( Sight Unit Small Arms Trilux) and some of the Trijcon Scopes...

[Ivan]

Your average stock M14 / M1A isn't a particularly accurate rifle. Roughly 2-3 MOA or so which isn't all that different from a FN FAL. FALs I have fired tend to do a little better than an untuned M14 type. AK-47 types I have fired tend to be more around 4-6 MOA guns. There really isn't all that much that can be done to help a FN FAL for accuracy except perhaps a heavy barrel and improving the HORRIBLE trigger. The sling swivel on the barrel is just plain stupid. On the other hand, a M14 / M1A can be glass bedded, fitted with a heavy barrel and have the trigger weight lightened to about 4.75 pounds (You don't want it lighter because it may double). For ballistics, a FAL and a M14 are pretty much equivalent. Both have barrels around 22 inch which is not really enough to get the best out of a .308W. The HK91 / G3 has an even shorter barrel, seems to kick worse, sends the spent cases into low earth orbit, and has a noticeably worse muzzle blast. Accuracy isn't any better even though the barrels are ENTIRELY free floated (no gas cylinder).

After the "Match Conditioning", you can generally get 0.75 to 1 MOA accuracy for 10 shot goups with a M14 / M1A unless you did something wrong. For 5 shot groups, expect perhaps 5/8 inch to 3/4 inch or so with good reloads or Winchester or Federal Match ammunition. M852 Special Ball does about as well. These loads with 168 grain bullets get around 2620-2650 fps average. If all you have is NATO ball ammunition, expect 2-3 inch groups.

FWIW, a 7.62x39 round isn't all that powerful. Just walk by the berms after a good rain. You will find a whole bunch of 7.62x39 bullets because they don't dig all that deep. In general you won't find any other kind of modern rifle bullets because they tend to dig much deeper or disintegrate. It is kinda funny to see AK bullets mostly just laying there, and big ole black powder rifle bullets sitting on little columns of dirt.

As for lethality, consider that Patrick Purdy in Stockton California shot a bunch of school children with a AK a couple decades ago and didn't kill most of them. John Muhammed (sp?) shot a few adults with a M16 clone and killed most of them.

Just a few thoughts.
- Ivan.

[redriver6]

Redriver thats a good looking Long there buddy, looks like a 15 or 20 round Mag also... i never can get on with dot sights/Projection sights myself, i'm used to the SUSAT ( Sight Unit Small Arms Trilux) and some of the Trijcon Scopes...

thanks...actually i took the dot sight off (pos BSA) and put a standard M2 style iron sight on it.
that is a ten round magazine...magazines seem to be the main problem with the 7.62 in the AR style rifles...because of the taper of the brass the mags have to have a big curve in em to be relieable...and AR's aren't really designed to use curved mags....i really don't need much more than ten rounds tho since i built it for mid range deer and hog gun.

i have since put together a 6.8spc AR...with a M4 contour barrel..but i haven't had time to really shoot it yet.

[Matt Wynn]

thanks...actually i took the dot sight off (pos BSA) and put a standard M2 style iron sight on it.
that is a ten round magazine...magazines seem to be the main problem with the 7.62 in the AR style rifles...because of the taper of the brass the mags have to have a big curve in em to be relieable...and AR's aren't really designed to use curved mags....i really don't need much more than ten rounds tho since i built it for mid range deer and hog gun.

i have since put together a 6.8spc AR...with a M4 contour barrel..but i haven't had time to really shoot it yet.

M4 is a good weapon, one i'd be proud to own, a friend of mine in Utah has an M4RAS and an M4CQB, having had the privilege of firing them, i can attest that it's a very stable design, not your average fire and correct weapon, where you want that first round is usually where it goes... As a hunting rifle that makes it good, you want that shot that equals an instant drop not that shot that injures and you have to spend hours tracking... (I know that one all too well)

[safn1949]

The AK will shoot very nicely out to 300 yards,my cheap Chinese copy did that all day long.The problem is the sights.Put a good scope mount (one that is mounted with screws and a back up plate thru the receiver) and a quality red dot site and you are there.

Now like every other weapon ever made there are stinkers that you couldn't shoot yourself in the foot with.That is caused by a combination of things,the list is endless.My M1A was a serious shooter as was my SA-4800.My Mak-90 with that scope setup and a little trigger work to smooth things out would head shoot a steel target at 220 yards forever,I abused this rifle like no other shooting 1000's of rounds of cheap,corrosive ammo in it until it was smoking hot.
I would leave it in the corner and not clean it for months and it would still shoot like that.:d

[Ivan]

Hi SAFN1949,
As I see it, head shots at 200 meters really only need about 3 MOA accuracy. An average M1 Carbine can do that. The big issue with accuracy with AKs and guns based on that system are that the bolt carrier is WAY heavy and jars the heck out of everything when it closes. The gas port is HUGE and is typically way over powered. The gas piston is pinned to the bolt carrier and should be more isolated. The last issue is the worst I believe.

Note that in the SVD Dragunov and even the SVT-40 Tokarev the gas tap is pretty much isolated from anything but a straight back push by all the pieces between the bolt carrier and the gas port. I don't think the SVTs shoot all that accurately, but the Dragunov is very impressive if you feed it the right ammunition. Pity that Match grade .310 bullets are hard to find in this country.

- Ivan.

[tonybones2112]

yeah i am big into military guns i love russian Military weapons Very much :salute:

and yes that Pistol is a russian TT-33 And it was Built in 1953

You and me need to talk my friend.

I had a Maadi Ak-47 made in Egypt, had to seel it in 2001 to eat. It was wood stock, I always wanted a folding stock like yours. Some relatives at the machine gun shoot in Ky back in the 80s were gloating over their Fn-Fals and M-16s. I put a 600 dollar AK-47 down in a muddy puddle of water, stood on it, pulled it out, shook it and turned it over a few times, jacked a round, and emptied my magazine. I took two cousin's FNs and M-16s and jammed them with a cigarette ash. Victor Suvorov, the defector in the 1980s who wrote INSIDE THE SOVIET ARMY said, "I hate Communism, I love Communist weapons." He speaks for me.

I have a Norinco Tok, with a barrel conversion kit it will fire 9mm Parabellum from the 7.62 magazines(the wide .30 Tok mags, not the short dedicated 9mm mags). The .30 Tok/7.63Mauser round is a necked down 9mm, it feeds like a dream. So I have two ammo selections.

I had to sell my 3 Mosin-Nagant 7-shot revolvers with the Ak, I have one now, a 1940 Tula Arsenal. It fires 8 types of .32 revolver ammo.

When street fighting breaks out in America I have my Romanian SKS with a Russian barrel, it's one of the 30 rounders. If I get a chance and can find one I want the AK with folding stock like yours, but as a battle rifle the SKS is just a bit more oomph in the range department.

I have a Finn M39 M/N. The Soviet 91/30 is a good weapon, but the Finn 28 and 39 are a bit beefier in the barrel and your groups won't open up so much after repeated fire. I'm making a Dragunov style stock for the Finn.

It's refreshing to find another Commie weapons lover. Za Rodina, tovarisch!

Bonesky

[safn1949]

Hi SAFN1949,
As I see it, head shots at 200 meters really only need about 3 MOA accuracy. An average M1 Carbine can do that. The big issue with accuracy with AKs and guns based on that system are that the bolt carrier is WAY heavy and jars the heck out of everything when it closes. The gas port is HUGE and is typically way over powered. The gas piston is pinned to the bolt carrier and should be more isolated. The last issue is the worst I believe.

Note that in the SVD Dragunov and even the SVT-40 Tokarev the gas tap is pretty much isolated from anything but a straight back push by all the pieces between the bolt carrier and the gas port. I don't think the SVTs shoot all that accurately, but the Dragunov is very impressive if you feed it the right ammunition. Pity that Match grade .310 bullets are hard to find in this country.

- Ivan.

Oh,I know all that.People make the AK series out to be so bad you can't hit a house with one.I was just trying to say that for what they are they shoot pretty good with a little effort.:d

I used to pull the .310 bullets from 7.62x54R and seat .308 soft tips in the brass,they shot fairly good.Also you can take the bullets from the .303 British at .311 and use them although I have never tried it.I don't shoot or reload anymore but you can get these and try them.
Sierra MatchKing Bullets 303 Caliber and 7.7mm Japanese (311 Diameter) 174 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail


Product #: 1482205247

[tonybones2112]

Safn. "people" made fun of the 6.5 Arisaka, as that "...little .25 caliber rifle..." till they got hit by one, the bullet is half a mile long, and the action on the Arisaka is the strongest yet measured on a bolt-action rifle. Don;t underestimate your enemy.

The AK round at street fighting range is a vicious one, and I hope our armed forces go back to the .308 for a main battle round rather than this groundhog round we've been cursed with, although the .223/5.56 mm NATO did a job on John Kennedy's head.

Bonesimoto

[Ivan]

Hi SAFN1949,

As you probably know, the only easily available .310 bullets on this side of the pond are 123-125 grain intended for the AK round. The .308 inch bullets are plentiful, but undersize for the groove diameter of a 7.62x54R. They will still work, but aren't terribly useful for best accuracy which is what I am after. The .311 bullets are just oversized enough so that full velocity of the cartridge cannot be safely achieved. One silly little thousandth of an inch makes life difficult.

Hi Bonesimoto,

Given a choice, I would go for something a bit smaller diameter than a .308 inch and a bit larger than a .224 inch. I figure a 6.5 mm to a 7 mm would be about right to have a reasonably heavy bullet with enough sectional density to stay accurate and lethal out to 1000 yards without having extremely high muzzle velocity. The .308 bullet in reasonable weights for use in a general issue battle rifle doesn't have enough sectional density to be a good long range cartridge. Yes, I know folks shoot it in Palma matches, and other competitions out to 1000 yards and further, but it isn't optimal for the purpose. Even the lowly 5.56 mm can be shot with accuracy out that far, but again it isn't optimal for the purpose.

- Ivan.

[Matt Wynn]

Ivan Reading about the ammunition type, the best round for reach is and will remain the 7.62*51 standard Nato 'long' rifle round, when deployed on the other hand my primary Kit is the L129A1, which fires the 7.62*51 and has a reach of 1000yds... the other rifles i carry (i carry 3 rifles and 1 sidearm usually) anre the Accuracy International Artic Warfare L96/L97 and the AI AW50F, the L96/97 i use is chambered for .338 lapua and the AW50 is for them .50cal rounds... image below is the L129A1 Sharpshooters Rifle..

http://gunsite.co.za/content/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/sharpshooter11.jpg

for balancing reach with accuraccy what you need is a stable round, a stable and lightweight rifle and practice... the stable (but resonably heavy round) carries more kinetic energy allowing it to travel further along it's arc of shot and the lightweight rifle means that you can control it much easier, i know from experience semi-automatic can be a nuisance, especially on the AK-47 as to get to semi you have to thumb it past auto on the fire mode selector which if you're in safety means the enemy/target might hear "Click-Click" and either run or in a few cases it has given away troop locations and they have opened fire in the direction of the clicking...

For hunting at long range i'd suggest a bolt fed rifle as it drills you into the routine of shot placement instead of just being able to point and squeeze on semi-automatic... another advantage of the bolt is maintenance and their reluctance to jam, if a round does jam 7 or 8 times out of 10 a simple recock will eject the 'duff' round and put a new one in chamber, without much time lost racking back and forth on the mechanism... another advantage of the bolt is that it makes you and your rifle one unit, when you become one with your kit you trust your rifle and it feels as if your rifle trusts you and puts the round where you want it, but this does apply to all rifles, it's all about them 7 P's i was taught "Proper Planning and Preperation Prevents P**s Poor Performance", another tip for hunting is to roughly gauge distances to visual markers on the range which will tell you how to correct for range, also keep an eye on the grass and trees at long range, gauge the wind... but if firing along a treeline be cautious as the bind reflects and might not be as bad as you corrected for... always here to help if you have questions :)

[redriver6]

although the .223/5.56 mm NATO did a job on John Kennedy's head.

what?:rolleyes:

[Ivan]

Look for the book "Mortal Error by Benoit Menninger.
This is about a theory by Howard Donahue.

- Ivan.

[Ivan]

Hi Smoothie,

I don't disagree with you that the 7.62 NATO is a fine cartridge. I reload and shoot quite a few .308 Winchester rounds which are very comparable.

The problem with this cartridge as a long range round (1000 yards) is that with typical bullet weights: 147 - 175 grain, Overall Length, Case Capacity, Pressure, Practical Barrel Lengths and Ballistic Coefficient combine to limit the maximum effective range. Yes, it can be done as Palma Match shooters prove every few years, but THEY do it with a 30 inch barrel. The same load (155 grain HPBT) out of a shorter barrel won't stay reliably above the transonic range out to 1000 yards as I understand it from talking to the folks out at Sierra Bullets. I am guessing that gun in your picture has a 20 inch barrel.

No doubt one can use bullets with a different shape such as the old 173 grain M118 Match, but the accuracy isn't quite as good and the recoil is noticeably greater. You really can't use the lighter weight VLD (Very Low Drag) bullets without exceeding the maximum OAL at 2.800 inch which means those rounds won't fit in a typical magazine.

What I am arguing for in this case is a cartridge that can shoot a high Ballistic Coefficient bullet that weighs 150 grains or less. Such a cartridge would be able to keep a bullet above the transonic range out past 1000 yards but do it with a reasonably low recoil impulse.

BTW, That sounds like an awfully heavy load with three rifles.

- Ivan.

[Matt Wynn]

it can be heavy but you get used to it, once 'on the job' you put these things behind you, and i agree what is needed to be developed would be what i call a LRRR (Long Range Rifle Round) i've looked at a few methods on my own research thinking and sketching out ideas like a fin stabilised round...

best round i've fired is the .338 Lapua, co-incidentally this is the round that put the longest confirmed sniper kills back in British hands...

"The longest range recorded for a sniper kill currently stands at 2,475 m (2,707 yd) and was achieved by CoH Craig Harrison, a sniper from the Household Cavalry of the British Army. It was accomplished in an engagement in November 2009 in which two stationary Taliban machine gunners were killed south of Musa Qala in Helmand Province in Afghanistan with two consecutive shots by CoH Harrison using an Accuracy International L115A3 Long Range Rifle chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. According to JBM Ballistics, using drag coefficients (Cd) provided by Lapua, the L115A3 has an approximate sub-sonic range (speed of sound = 329.3 m/s) of 1,375 m (1,504 yd) under International Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3) and 1,548 m (1,693 yd) at the 1,043 m (3,422 ft) altitude or elevation (air density ρ = 1.1069 kg/m3) of Musa Qala. This illustrates how environmental condition differences can significantly affect bullet flight.

so if you see an Ai L115 (Or L96) i urge you to try it i guarantee you'll love her the way i do, plus she makes a beautiful 'double crack' noise in the right conditions...

[Ivan]

Hi Smoothie,

I heard about that one. Those are definitely nice toys (.338 Lapua). I don't have a great wish to own such a caliber though because barrel life is pretty short. When I shoot, I tend to shoot a lot. The .300 Winchester Magnum is about as much recoil as I can tolerate when firing a bunch of rounds. I also shoot a .45-70 with fairly heavy bullets but the recoil there doesn't hurt as much. (460 grain bullet at 1450 fps or 535 grain bullet at 1300 fps) Powder is typically IMR 3031. I also shoot a 500 grain bullet but haven't chronographed it.

My typical .300 WM load is a fairly light one with a 168 grain bullet at around 3000 fps. I am using IMR 4064 powder, so unless I change powders, I really can't push them much faster. Accuracy is pretty consistent at around 1/2 MOA for 5 shots, so I don't really want to change the load. OAL is WAY over SAAMI specs.
My typical .308 Winchester load is a 168 grain bullet pushed somewhere between 2550 and 2650 fps depending on case capacity (case weight). Powders I have had the best luck with are IMR 4064, IMR 4895, and Winchester 748.

You might have noticed that I am hung up on keeping the bullets supersonic. This is because the typical medium weight HPBT match bullets in .30 caliber tend to behave badly when going transonic. They want to swap ends and go base first. In talking with the Sierra folks, the distances they suggested corresponded to where my ballistic programs were estimating about 1400 fps (probably a high estimate but still well above the actual speed of sound). Some bullets don't care if they go subsonic. The .45-70 bullets are barely above the speed of sound even at the muzzle especially in the military loadings.

I take it that one of the requirements of this LRRR would be that recoil be no greater than that of the 7.62 NATO so that it could be general issue in various forms rather that only a specialist's ammunition?

You're absolutely right. I would love to try out any of the British sniper guns. The Accuracy International AW would be my first choice. Next would be the guns based on the No.4 Lee Enfield. I have shot equivalents to the No.4 Mk.I(T), M1C/D, M21, M24, SVD Dragunov, and a few others I can't recall at the moment.

- Ivan.

[Matt Wynn]

the Accuraccy International Arctic Warfare 50 is an absolute peach, had to use it 4 or 5 times in anger when deployed, twice to immobilise a vehicle and the remainder to take bits of a wall down, the new British Army Marksman Rifle is pretty neat, if i recall off the top of my head Designation L129A1, based off a HK416 frame, fires 7.62mm out to the mile mark, and i believe has that supersonic stay in flight, but don't quote me on that... the Enfield No.4 is a great weapon to fire, has a nice kick and great accuraccy for such an old design... i'm going to go back to designing a fin stabilised round, advantage being in theory a round like that could reach further, and be guided by a Laser Designator...

[Ivan]

I have had a chance to fire the McMillan .50 cal BMG rifle. A fellow who was visiting our range wanted to see how fast his bullets were going. Since I owned the chronograph, he insisted that *I* shoot over the screens. If I missed, it was my chronograph.... ;-)
Gun weighed 40 pounds or so and had an anti-tank gun style muzzle brake. It was firing 650 grain all steel bullets at about 2650-2700 fps if I remember correctly. Funny thing was that it didn't kick noticeably harder than the 7.92 x 57 that I was also shooting though the muzzle blast was extreme. It felt like having someone throw a bucket of sand in your face with every shot.

With a fin stabilised round, I believe that has been tried before back in the 1960s by the US Army. As for laser guided, I believe that might just be putting a little too much stuff in too little space. Besides, I don't see how theoretical accuracy can be much improved. Under match conditions, I believe the current record for 5 shots out at 1000 yards is 2.7 inches or so center to center. Besides, a laser designator works fine on a vehicle sized target, but at the ranges at which this would be useful, I believe the laser would be too wide to be useful to designate a soldier sized target. It WOULD help greatly with compensating for distance or wind though.

Another subject worth reading about would be the old US Army experiments called Project Salvo. Personally, I prefer very accurate single rounds.

A few years back, I went to the range every Friday for rifle practice. I would set up a steel plate that was about 2x3 inches on the berm or on a post while I was hanging targets out at 200 meters on our silhouette range. (The steel plate was once the base of a metallic chicken silhouette.) The first shot for the session was fired with no sighters at that steel plate. I was making upwards of 90% hits (missed once). I quit doing this when I could not find the plate after I hit it one week.

I do enjoy shooting the Lee-Enfields as well. Two of the guns I would most like to try out would be the No.4 Mk.I(T) and the L42.

- Ivan.