M14
M14
Type: Semi or Fully Automatic Rifle
Caliber: 7.62 x 51 mm (.30 inch)
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 2,799 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 700-750 rounds per minute
By the end of World War II, with
an American infantry platoon carrying as many as four different weapons -- and
four types of ammo -- the U.S. Army decided to develop a single weapon that
could fulfill multiple roles. The result was the M14. First fielded in 1957,
the rugged, accurate new rifle had plenty of stopping power with the standard
NATO 7.62 mm round. It first saw major action in Vietnam, where soldiers liked its performance but struggled
with the weight of both gun and ammunition. Before long it was phased out in
favor of the lighter M16, but a few frontline units still use the classic
weapon, primarily as a sniper rifle.
Caliber:
7.62x51 mm NATO (.308 Winchester)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Length: 1120 mm
Barrel Length: 559 mm
Weight loaded: 5,1 kg (6.6 kg M14A1)
Magazine: 20 rounds, detachable box
Rate of fire: 700 -750 rounds per minute
The experience gained by
US troops during the Second World war showed that the M1 Garand rifle
has a lot of things to be improved. The first was the feeding system with
8-rounds en-bloc clips that does not allowed the refilling of the partially
full magazine. Others were excessive length and weight of the rifle. The
cartridge used in M1 Garand and known as .30-06 (7.62x63mm) was too long and
too heavy, effectively limiting the load of ammunition carried by each soldier.
First attempts to improve M1 were made during the war, and numerous
experimental modifications in .30-06 were built, mostly using the 20-rounds
detachable magazines from Browning BAR M1918 automatic rifle. One of such
prototypes was the T20 ("T" means "test") of 1944. T20 was
basically the M1 Garand rifle fitted with 20 rounds BAR magazine and with
selective fire capability. This prototype latter evolved into the T37 rifle,
which had gas cylinder moved back a little and was chambered for newest
American prototype cartridge - T65. The T65 was no more than .30-06 case,
shortened by 1/2 inch (12 mm), but retaining the original ballistic properties
due to modern propellants used. It was slightly lighter and cheaper to made
than .30-06, and has long effective range and good potential for accuracy, both
desired by US Army. The idea of truly intermediate round was not acceptable to
the US Military at that period. In the early 1950s T37 evolved into the T44
experimental rifle, which featured redesigned, self-regulated gas system with
short stroke gas piston. Further development and tests lead to the slightly
modified T44E4 and T44E5 (heavy barreled squad automatic weapon) prototypes,
which were finally adopted by US Army as M14 and M15 rifles in the 1957. The
M15, a heavy barreled weapon, however, was never brought into production. It
must be noted that T44E4 was extensively tested against the only other entree
in the US trials, the T48 rifle (Belgian FN FAL rifle made under
license in USA by H&R Inc.). Both rifles passed the trials with equally
high results, but US finally settled on the T44 because it was slightly
lighter, similar to M1 Garand in manufacturing and operation, and, above all, a
"Native American" design.
The contracts to
produce M1 rifles were issued to some US companies, such as
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge (TRW Inc), Harrington and Richardson Arms Co
(H&R), Winchester-Western Arms Division of Olin Mathieson (Winchester) and
Springfield Armory Inc (Springfield). Production was ceased by US Government in
1964, with some 1 380 000 weapons made. The termination of the production was
the result of combat experience in the SE Asia, particularly in Vietnam. The
M14 was too long and too heavy to be carried all day long in hot and wet
climate. The 7.62mm NATO ammunition was too heavy, limiting the amount of
ammunition carried by soldiers on patrols. The selective fire capability was
mostly useless, since the M14 was way too light for powerful cartridge it
fired, and climbed excessively when fired in bursts. In fact, most of the M14s
were issued to troops with fire selectors locked to semi-automatic mode, to
avoid useless waste of ammunition in automatic fire. The squad automatic
version, known as M14E2, also was not too successful in its intended role. As
soon as those deficiencies of the M14 became obvious for US Army Command, they
started the search for lighter rifle, and finally settled on the Colt/Armalite
AR-15 5.56mm assault rifle, adopting it as the M16A1. M14 was replaced as a
first line weapon in the late 1960s, but is still used in small numbers by US
Navy. It also served as a platform to build M21 Sniper rifles.
Semi-automatic only versions of the M14 rifle are commercially manufactured for
civilian and police markets by the Springfield Armory Inc since 1974 under the
name of M1A. Some other US companies are assembling the M14-type semi-automatic
rifles using military surplus M14 parts kits. Beginning in the early 1970s
thousands of M14 rifles were given to several nations under military aid
programs. In the 1990s alone, over 100,000 of these rifles have been given away
to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan,
and Turkey. In USA, for some time M14 was mostly relegated to Honor Guard and
similar duties, but during recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan many old
M14 rifles were withdrawn from warehouses, dusted off and issued to troops in
the field to improve range and lethality of troops armed with 5.56mm
weapons. Some M14 rifles are issued as is, some are fitted with new telscope
sights to serve as a para-sniper / designated marksman rifles
(concept similar to Russian SVD rifle). US Marine Corps also
re-issued M14 rifles for use in Designated Marksman role (DMR), and those
rifles are fitted with newly made polymer stocks with adjustable buttstocks and
pistol grips, and other accessories such as detachable bipods or sound moderators
(silencers). Recently US Special Forces, operating under the US Navy
flag, stepped forward with the Mk.14 Mod.0 Enchanced Battle rifle, which
is an M14 fitted with many new commercially available parts, new stock with
adjustable butt and plenty of Picatinny rails, and new accessories such as
noise suppressors and optical equipment. The Mk.14 Mod.0 EBR is currently being
used by US Navy SEAL's and possibly some other special operation forces within
US Military.
In general, the M14 was
a comtroversial weapon. It had the accuracy and range of the "old
time" military rifles, but was too long, heavy and lacked the automatic
fire firepower of a true assault rifle, often required in the modern close
combat. Nevertheless, it was a reliable and powerful weapon, often favored by
users for high lethality, long range and good penetration - features much
appreciated by US soldiers during recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The M14 is a gas
operated, magazine fed, selective fire (originally) design. The gas system is
located under the barrel, and has a short stroke (about 1 1/2 inch - 37 mm) gas
piston which operates the M1 Garand style action rod. The gas system features
an automatic gas cutoff feature, which limits the amount of gases used to
operate the weapon. The rotating bolt is quite similar to one found in M1
Garand but it has a roller instead of the simple lug, which connects the bolt
to the operating rod. The fire mode selector is located at the right side of
the receiver, above the trigger, and could be removed if rifle should not be
fired in bursts, or re-installed if required. The rear receiver bridge features
the stripper clips guides, so the detachable magazine could be refilled in
place by using standard stripper clips. The bolt stop device is incorporated
into the left wall of the receiver and holds the bolt open when last round from
the magazine is fired. The safety switch is similar to M1 Garand and is located
at the front of the triggerguard. Standard sights consist of the blade front
sight with two protective "ears" and diopter-type adjustable rear
sight, mounted on the rear of the receiver. Barrel is equipped with long flash
suppressor. To be used in selective fire mode, M14 can be equipped with light
detachable bipod. The M14A1 Squad Automatic rifle differs from M14 in the
following: the fire selector is always installed. The standard wooden single-piece
stock with semi-pistol grip is replaced by the "straight line" wooden
stock with separate pistol grip and with folding front grip under the forearm.
The hinged shoulder rest is attached to the buttplate. Special removable muzzle
jump compensator is fitted to the barrel, as well as lightweight bipod.
STURMGEWEHR 44
Type: Semi or Fully Automatic Assault Rifle
Country of Origin: Germany
Caliber: 7.92 x 33 mm
Cartridge Capacity: 30 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 2,133 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 500 rounds per minute
The Wehrmacht hadn't been at war
with the Soviet Union for long when it became clear that German infantry with
their bolt-action Mausers were often at a disadvantage in firefights with
Russian automatic weapons. In response, German armament developers came up with
a revolutionary new weapon: the first "assault rifle" (the literal
translation of the German Sturmgewehr). The key to its success was a shorter
7.92 mm round that allowed for effective automatic fire and permitted soldiers
to carry sufficient ammunition. The Sturmgewehr came too late to play a
significant role in World War II, but it wins high marks for innovation.
The
German Army was the final product of almost a century devoted
continuously to a nation wide study of all aspects of the science of war.
The German weapons were the best that its accomplished scientific and military
minds could devise and which the country’s economy could produce.
One of the finest examples of success is the Sturmgewehr 44 - StG44 assault
rifle. After the war the StG44 served as the model and inspiration for all
assault gun designs including the Russian Kalashnikov AK-47. By
the end of the war, over 400,000 StG44 variants of all types were
produced.
The German Army determine that most firefights took place at short ranges,
around 400 meters. This conclusion resulted from a detail analysis of
engagements during the years of 1939 and 1940. The primary German weapon
of the time, the bolt-action Kar98K rifle, was ill-suited for the
mission. It was designed for longer-range precision fire between
the ranges of 800 -1000 meters. On the other side, the existing
sub-machine guns like the MP40 lacked the range or stopping
power with the 9mm ammunition. The solution: first design compact
ammunition, ideal for a new automatic weapon, with the proper balance between
range and power. The cartridge designed was the 7.92x33
Kurtz cartridges, which provided an excellent balance between hitting power
and control.
Next came the rifle design. Carbine submachine gun specifications were issued
to the firms of Haenel and Walther in 1942. Limited numbers of trail
weapons were produced and tested on the Eastern Front. The
Maschinkarabiner 42 (H) or MKb42(H) came from Haenel while the Walther weapon
designation was Maschinkarabiner 42 (W) or MKb42(W). Trials for
both proved quite successful. Troops embraced these first ever assault
guns. Yet Hitler decided that these development programs should be
stopped. Haenel did not comply with the order and resorted to
subterfuge to be able to continue development. The Haenel weapon was
renamed to hide its true identity, now the carbine designation changed to a
sub-machine gun, the Maschinenpistole 43 or sub-machine gun 43, or MP43.
With further modification and improvement, came the first production version,
the Maschinenpistole 44 or MP44. Limited numbers reached the
troops. His generals raved about its capabilities and boldly demanded
more. Hitler decided to support the weapon, giving it the new
designation, the Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44) or Storm Assault Rifle 44.
First deployed in 1944, it proved to be a revolutionary weapon. A StG44
equipped solider had a greatly improved tactical repertoire, in that he could
effectively engage targets at long range across open terrain, or in close
range urban fighting, as well as provide cover fire in all situations as a
machine gun role. Most gun parts were constructed from steel
stampings, but the weapon was very serviceable with reliable operation and
accuracy.
German weapons innovated extended itself into the design of StG 44
accessories. One was the first night small-arms infra-red sight,
called the Vampir. In the realm of the bizarre came the infamous
'Krummlauf.' This 'curved barrel' attachment was intended to allow
the StG packing soldier to shoot around corners at angles between 30 to 45
degrees. Even a special mirrored sight provided an aiming
point. The 'Krummlauf' never worked correctly.
The Sturmgewehr was, at first, distributed almost exclusivly to the German
elite forces. Units like the Waffen SS formations Leibstandarte,
SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich, 3rd Totenkopf, 5th "Wiking", the
12th "Hitler Jugend" and Grossdeutschland held priority in all
matters including access to the new war potential winning weapons like the
StG44. When production volumes improved around December 1944, the StG44
saw widespread distribution in all types of units in the German military
including the newly formed Volksgrenadier divisions.
1903 SPRINGFIELD
Type: Bolt-Action Rifle
Country of Origin: United States
Caliber: 7.62 x 63 mm (.30-06 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 5 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 2,700 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 10 rounds per minute
The relatively poor performance of
the Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen rifle used by U.S. troops in the Spanish-American
War led American planners to look elsewhere for a standard infantry weapon.
They "borrowed" the more effective action found on the German 7mm Mauser,
added a few modifications, and produced a magazine-fed rifle that boasted
phenomenal accuracy. The 1903 quickly gained a reputation as an outstandingly
accurate and powerful firearm -- at the Battle of
Belleau Wood in 1918, U.S. Marines
armed with Springfields cut down enemy counterattacks from 700 to 800 yards
away. The rifle continued in service through World War II and Korea and even saw combat as a sniper rifle in Vietnam.
The 1903 adoption of the
Springfield Bolt Action was preceded by nearly 30 years of struggle and
politics, using lessons learned from the recently adopted U.S. versions of
the Krag-Jørgensen rifle and contemporary German Mauser G98 bolt-action
rifles. The M1903 not only replaced the various versions of the U.S. Army's
Krag, but also the Lee Model 1895 and M1885 Remington-Lee used
by the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps, as well as all
remaining single shot trap-door Springfield Model 1873's. While the Krag had
been issued in both a long rifle and carbine, the Springfield was issued only
as a short 24 in. barrel rifle in keeping with current trends in Switzerland
and Great Britain to eliminate the need for both long rifles and carbines.
The two main problems
usually cited with the Krag were its slow-to-load magazine and its inability to
handle higher chamber pressures for high-velocity rounds. The United States
Army attempted to introduce a higher-velocity cartridge in 1899 for the
existing Krags, but its single locking lug on the bolt could not withstand the
extra chamber pressure. Though a stripper-clip or charger loading modification
to the Krag was designed, it was clear to Army authorities that a new rifle was
required. After the U.S. military's experience with the Mauser rifle in the
1898 Spanish American War, authorities decided to adopt a stronger
Mauser-derived design equipped with a charger- or stripper clip-loaded box
magazine.
STEYR AUG
Type: Semi or Fully Automatic Bull-Pup
Assault Rifle
Country of Origin: Austria
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm (.22 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 30 and 42 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 3,084 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 650 rounds per minute
Looking more like a weapon from a
science-fiction movie, the Steyr's only serious "flaw" is the
advanced design that seemed to scare away potential customers after its
introduction in 1977. In this radically new "bull-pup" configuration
most of the barrel, receiver and action, instead of being in front of the
operator's firing hand, is all moved back in the stock, resulting in a
remarkably compact weapon that is light and easy to handle. The Steyr also
features an interchangeable barrel system, a transparent magazine, and optional
left or right shell ejection capability.
Caliber:
5.56mm NATO (.223rem)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Overall length: 805 mm (with standard 508 mm barrel)
Barrel length: 508 mm (also 350 mm SMG, 407 mm Carbine or 621 mm LMG
heavy barrel)
Weight: 3.8 kg unloaded (with standard 508 mm barrel)
Magazines: 30 or 42 rounds box magazines
Rate of fire: 650 rounds per minute
Effective range of fire: 450-500 meters with standard assault rifle
barrel
The Steyr AUG (Armee
Universal Gewehr - Universal Army Rifle) had been indevelopment since the late
1960s, as a replacement for venerable but obsolete Stg.58 (FN FAL) battle
rifles for Austrian army. It was developed by the Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch
company (now the Steyr-Mannlicher AG & Co KG) in close conjunction with
Austrian Army. The major design is attributed to the three men - Horst Wesp,
Karl Wagner and Karl Möser, who developed most of the rifle features. From the
Austrian Office of Military Technology the project was supervised by the
Colonel Walter Stoll. The new rifle has been adopted by the Austrian Army in
1977, as the Stg.77 (Assault rifle, model of 1977), and production began in
1978. Since then, the AUG gained serious popularity, being adopted by the armed
forces of Australia, Austria, New Zealand, Oman, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia,
Ireland and some others. It also was widely purchased by various security and
law enforcement agencies worldwide, including the US Coastal Guard. The Steyr
AUG can be considered as the most commercially successful bullpup assault rifle
to date. Since the 1997, the Steyr-Mannlicher produced an updated version of
the AUG, the AUG A2.
In around 2005, Steyr-Mannlicher introduced the most recent version of AUG, the
AUG A3. This version is characterized by addition of four Picatinny-type
accessory rails - one at the top of the receiver, and three around the barrel,
in front of the receiver - at both sides and below it. Therefore there AUG A3
has no standard / integral sighting equipment; instead, any open, telescope or
night vision sights can be installed on the upper rail, using appropriate
mountings. Lower rail can be used to mount various attachments like tactical
front grips, flash-lights, and a specially designed 40mm grenade launcher. Side
rails can be used for equipment like laser-aiming devices.
Some said that the AUG rifle was revolutionary in many respects when it first
appeared, but this is not true. In fact, the AUG is a clever combination of the
various previously known ideas, assembled into one sound, reliable and
aesthetically attractive package. Let's look at this a little closer. Bullpup
configuration: The Steyr AUG is not a first military bullpup ever devised. In
fact, British Enfield EM-2 and Soviet Korobov TKB-408 bullpup assault
rifles precede the AUG by some 25-30 years. The French FAMAS bullpup
also appeared on the scene at the very same time, as the AUG did.
Plasticfirearm housing: Another Soviet experimental bullpup design, Korobov
TKB-022, had the plastic housing as early as in 1962, and the FAMAS rifle,
again, has this same feature at the same time as AUG did. Telescope sight as a
standard: The British EM-2 bullpup rifle of late 1940s, as well
as the experimental Canadian FN FAL prototypes of early 1950s, also
featured a low-magnification telescope sights as their prime sighting
equipment. A modular design: First systems, consisting of various firearms
based on the same receiver and action (automatic rifle, light machine gun,
carbine) were originally developed in 1920s in France by Rossignol and in
Soviet Russia by Fedorov. Considering all said above, one must agree that the
AUG was a logical development of various well known ideas,and a really
successful one.
In general, the AUG is
known for good ergonomics,decent accuracy and a good reliability.
Technical description.
The Steyr AUG is a gas operated, magazine fed, selective fire rifle of bullpup
layout.
AUG is built around the aluminium casting receiver, with steel reinforcement
inserts. One such insert is used to provide the locking to the removable
barrels and the rotating bolt, thus relieving the receiver from most of the
firing stress. Other inserts are used as a bearings for the bolt carrier guide
rods.
The AUG uses a short piston stroke, gas operated action, with the gas piston
mounted inside the compact gas block, which is fixed to the barrel. The gas
cylinder is offset to the right from the barrel. Gas piston has its own return
spring, contained inside the gas block. The gas system features a three
positions gas regulator, which allows for two open positions (for normal and
fouled conditions) and one closed position (for launching the rifle grenades).
The gas block also contains a barrel fix / release lock and a front grip hinge.
Each barrel has eight lugs, that lock into the steel insert in the receiver,
and there's four basic barrel patterns for the AUG: standard rifle barrel is
508 mm (~20 in) long. "Compact" or "Submachine gun" barrel
is 350 mm (13.8 in) long, "Carbine" barrel is 407 mm (16 in) long,
and the heavy / LMG (light machine gun) barrel is 621 mm (24.4 in) long. On
each rifle barrels can be exchanged in the matter of seconds. Each barrel is
fitted with the flash hider, and the heavy 621 mm barrel also is fitted with
lightweight folding bipods. There's no bayonet lug on Austrian service rifles,
but it can be installed if required.
Barrel replacement procedure, as noted above, takes only few seconds (assuming
that the shooter has
the spare barrel handy). To remove the barrel, one must take off the magazine,
and clear the rifle by operating the cocking handle. Then, grasp the barrel by
the front grip, push the barrel retaining button at the gas block, and rotate
the barrel and pull it out of the rifle. To install a new barrel, simply push
the barrel down into the front of the receiver all the way and then rotate it
until it locks. The rifle now is ready to be loaded and fired.
The bolt system consists of the bolt carrier, which has two large hollow guide
rods, attached to its forward part. The left rod also serves as a link to the
charging handle, and the right rod serves as the action rod, which transmits
the impulse from the gas piston to the bolt carrier. The rotating bolt has 7
locking lugs, claw extractor and a plunger-type spring loaded ejector. Standard
bolt has its extractor on the right side, to facilitate right-side ejection,
but the left-side bolts (with mirrored positions of extractor and ejector) are
available for those who need left-side ejection. The two return springs are
located behind the bolt carrier, around the two string guide rods, that are
located inside the bolt carrier guide rods. The cocking handle is located at
the left side of the gun and normally does not reciprocate when gun is fired,
but it can be solidly engaged to the bolt group if required by depressing the
small button on the charging handle. On the latest AUG A2 variant, the charging
handle was made folding up and of slightly different shape. The AUG action features
a bolt stop device, that holds the bolt group open after the last round of
ammunition from the magazine is fired. To release the bolt after the magazine
replacement, one must pull the charging handle.
The hammer unit is made as a separate assembly and almost entirely of plastic
(including the hammer itself). Only springs and pins are steel. The hammer unit
is located in the butt and is linked to the sliding trigger by the dual trigger
bars. The safety is of the cross-bolt, push-button type and located above the
pistol grip. There's no separate fire mode selector on the AUG rifles. Instead,
the trigger itself is used to control the mode of fire. Pulling it half the way
back will produce single shots, while the full pull will produce automatic
fire. The enlarged triggerguard encloses the whole hand and allows the gun to
be fired in winter gloves or mittens.
The standard sighting equipment of the Steyr AUG rifle is the 1.5X telescope
sight, with aiming reticle made as a circle. This circle is so dimensioned so
its visible inner diameter is equal to the visible height of the standing man
at 300 meters range. The adjustment knobs on the sight are used only for
zeroing. The sight housing, which is integral to the receiver on the AUG A1
models, also features an emergency backup iron sights at the top of the
telescope sight housing. Some early production AUG rifles of A1 pattern were
fitted with receivers that had an integral scope mounts. On the AUG A2 models,
the standard scope mount can be quickly removed and replaced by the
Picatinny-type mounting rail.
The housing of the AUG rifles, integral with the pistol handle and
triggerguard, is made from the high impact-resistant polymer, and is usually of
green (military) or black (police) colour. The housing has two symmetrical
ejection ports, one of which is always covered by the plastic cover. The
rubber-coated buttplate is detachable and, when removed, opens the access to
the rifle internals, including the hammer unit and the bolt group. The
buttplate is held in position by the cross-pin, which also serves a s a rear
sling swivel attachment point.
The AUG is fed from the detachable box magazines, that hold 30
(standard rifle) or 42 (light machine gun) rounds. The magazines are made from
semi-translucent, strong polymer. The magazine release button is located behind
the magazine port and is completely ambidextrous (some said that it is equally
NOT comfortable for either hand use).
MAUSER K98k CARBINE
Type: Bolt-Action Rifle
Country of Origin: Germany
Caliber: 7.92 x 57 mm (.30 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 5 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: approximately 2,822 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 10-15 rounds per minute
First produced at the end of the
19th century, the Mauser 98 was the perfect synthesis of the many innovations
that rifles had undergone during the late 19th century: smokeless powder, clips
that could be fed into magazines and, most of all, its superb bolt action that
is still the basis for most modern hunting rifles. The original model 98 was
used during World War I to great effect, but when Germany started rearming in
the 1930s the rifle received upgrades that made it lighter and easier to sight
and shoot. Inevitably outgunned by automatic weapons, the Mauser nevertheless
stands as one of the legendary rifles of the modern age.
The Mauser company,
established by the two Mauser brothers, established its reputation in firearms
making in the last decades of the XIX century, and continued to build a very
well thought-out and skillfully built firearms until the end of the World War
2. Some years after the WW2, the Mauser company was restored in the West
Germany and continued to build firearms, but mostly a larger-caliber ones, like
the aircraft cannons etc. But some of earlier Mauser works became the standards
against which all others designs are judged, even after some 100 years after
its introduction. One of such designs, is undoubtfully a Mauser model 1898
rifle, also known as Gew. 98 or simply G98 (G = Gewehr, rifle in German). This
rifle was designed from the experience, gained on previous Mauser designs, and
was first appeared in 1898 as a standard German army infantry rifle. It was
carried by Germans through the First World war, along with carbine shortened
version, known as K98 (or Kar-98, from Karbiner = carbine). In the 1904 Germans
were first to introduce the new, "spitzer" bullet (with pointed tip,
instead of the older blunt, round-shaped tip). New bullet had much better
long-range ballistic, so all sights were regraduated for new ammunition.
During the interwar
period this fine design was slightly altered to became the K98k - Karbiner
Kurz, or short carbine - a somewhat shorter, lighter and handier version of the
original one. This version appeared in 1935 and was manufactured until the 1945
in large numbers not only by Germans, but also in numerous countries, occupied
by Germans. Many versions of this design also were licensed to other countries,
which also used to build their own versions of the G98. Most famous of those
"foreign Mausers" are Persian Mausers, Turkish Mausers, Czech VZ-24
Mausers, Yugoslavian Mausers and some others. The list of the vast variety of
the Mauser-type versions could easily cover a number of pages, but, for the
sake of compactness, I will describe only the basic, German model.
The model 98 rifle is a
manually operated, magazine fed, bolt action rifle. The magazine and the bolt
action are the two most famous features of the model 98. Magazine is a two-row,
integral box, with quickly detachable floorplate. Magazine could be topped
either with single rounds, by pushing rounds into the receiver top opening, or
via the stripper clips. Each clip can hold 5 rounds, enough to fill the
magazine, and is inserted into the clip guides, machined into the rear receiver
bridge. After the loading, empty clip is ejected automatically when bolt is
closed. Magazine could be unloaded by operating the bolt (safety must be in the
middle position!) or by removing the magazine floorplate (not recommended).
Mauser bolt is a simple,
extremely strong and well thought out design. The bolt has three locking lugs,
two at the bolt head and one at the rear part of the bolt. The bolt handle is
rigidly attached to the bolt body. On the original Gew 98 rifles it was
straight and located horizontally when bolt was in the closed position. On the
K98k the bolt handle was bent down, which allowed for more comfortable carrying
and bolt operations. Bolt has a gas vent holes that are designed to move the
hot gases away from the shooters face and into the magazine opening in the case
of the cartridge case or primer rupture. Next famous feature of the model 98
bolt is a "controlled feed" extractor. Massive, non-rotating claw
extractor was designed to engage the cartridge rim as soon as cartridge left
the magazine, and held the cartridge case firmly until it was ejected by the
ejector, fixed inside the receiver. Combined with a slight bolt retraction at
the last stage of the bolt turn-open rotation, caused by the cammed surface on
the rear receiver bridge, this resulted in very positive primary extraction.
Model 98 is a striker-fired weapon. Striker is cocked when bolt is rotated to
open, allowing for smoother forward bolt pull. The rear part of the striker is
protruded from within the bolt, so state of the action (cocked or not) can be
checked visually or even manually. The bolt group can be easily removed from
the receiver simply by pulling out the bolt stop, located at the left wall of
the receiver, and then by rotating and pulling the bolt out. The safety switch
is located at the rear of the bolt and has three positions: in the left
position (when looking from behind the rifle) it locks the sear and also locks
the bolt in place, so it could not be rotated and opened. in the middle
(raised) position it still locks the sear, but bolt is unlocked and could be
operated, to load and unload the rifle; and in the right position, the rifle is
ready to fire. Safety could be easily operated by the right thumb finger.
Model 98 rifle featured
a one-piece wooden stock with semi-pistol grip. Gew 98 and Kar 98K differ not
only in the length of the barrel and the front part of the stock - they also
have different sling mountings. While Gew 98 has two sling swivels, the K98k
has only one, forward swivel. Instead of the rear swivel there's a through cut
in the buttstock, through which the sling is passed. Those rifles also have
different rear sights: Gew 98 have a curved, tangent sight, while K98k has more
modern, leaf type rear sight. Front sights are of open, barleycorn type, on
some carbines with removable semi-circular front sight hoods.
FN FAL
Type: Semi or Fully Automatic Rifle
Country of Origin: Belgium
Caliber: 7.62 x 51 mm (.30 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 20 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 2,700 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 650-700 rounds per minute
Inspired by the Sturmgewehr 44,
the Belgian manufacturer Fabrique Nationale (FN) originally developed the FAL
around the same intermediate round used by the German gun, but when NATO issued
the requirement for the longer 7.62 mm, FN altered the design and created a
heavy hitter that packs a punch -- and a potent kick. The FAL soon became one
of the classic weapons of the Cold War, used by over 50 countries, even if it
proved tough to handle in full auto mode. The rifle gave good service to the
Australian army in the jungles of Vietnam, to Israeli troops during the Six-Day War and was
used by both sides in the fight for the Falkland Islands.
The Fusil Automatique Leger (FAL) or Light
Automatic Rifle (LAR) manufactured by Fabrique National, was originally
designed to fire the 7.92mm Kurz cartridge developed by the Germans in World
War II. However, post-war pressure for a more powerful cartridge produced the
compromise 7.62mm x 51 (.308 Winchester), which could easily be manufactured on
machines producing the .30 caliber service cartridge. The new more powerful
round was selected as the NATO standard.
FN rebuilt their rifle to fit the new cartridge and created what is possibly
the classic post-war battle rifle. Tough, reliable, and accurate, the new
design promptly cornered the market, selling to armed forces in more than 90
countries around the world including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada,
India, Israel, Libya, Peru, Singapore and the UK. All FALs share the
reliability that solid construction and attention to detail creates. Most are
also capable of automatic fire.
he FAL operates by means
of a gas-operated action very similar to that of the Russian SVT-40.
The gas system is driven by a short-stroke, spring-loaded piston housed above
the barrel, and the locking mechanism is what is known as a tilting
breechblock. To lock, it drops down into a solid shoulder of metal in the
heavy receiver much like the bolts of the Russian SKS carbine and
French MAS-49 series of semi-automatic
rifles. The gas system is fitted with a gas regulator behind the front sight
base, allowing adjustment of the gas system in response to environmental
conditions, and a separate gas plug can be closed completely to allow for the firing
of rifle grenades and manual loading. The FAL's magazine capacity
ranges from 5 to 30 rounds, with most magazines holding 20 rounds. In fixed stock versions
of the FAL, the recoilspring is housed in the stock, while in
folding-stock versions it is housed in the receiver cover, necessitating a
slightly different receiver cover, recoil spring, and bolt carrier, and a
modified lower receiver for the stock.
FAL rifles have also
been manufactured in both light and heavy-barrel configurations, with the heavy
barrel intended for automatic fire as a section or squad light support weapon.
Most heavy barrel FALs are equipped with bipods, although some light
barrel models were equipped with bipods, such as the Austrian StG58 and the
German G1, and a bipod was later made available as an accessory.
Among other 7.62x51mm
NATO battle rifles at the time, the FN FAL had relatively light recoil, due to
the gas system being able to be tuned via regulator in fore-end of the rifle,
which allowed for excess gas which would simply increase recoil to bleed off.
In fully automatic mode, however, the shooter receives considerable abuse from
recoil, and the weapon climbs off-target quickly, making automatic fire only of
marginal effectiveness. Many military forces using the FAL eventually
eliminated full-automatic firearms training in the light-barrel FAL.
The Fusil
Automatique Léger ("Light Automatic Rifle") or FAL is
a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the
Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN).
During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) countries, with the notable exception of the United
States. It is one of the most widely used rifles in history, having been used
by over 90
M1 GARAND
Type: Semiautomatic
Rifle Country of Origin: United States
Caliber: 7.62 x 63 mm (.30-06 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 8 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 2,838 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 30 rounds per minute
Adopted by the U.S. Army in 1936,
the M1 Garand proved to be a tough, heavy battle rifle when it entered combat
five years later. General Patton remarked at the end of World War II that the
M1 may have been the greatest battle implement ever devised. A bit of a stretch
perhaps, but there's no doubt that the M1 was the first successful
semiautomatic rifle issued in any quantity that had the ruggedness and accuracy
to dominate the battlefield. Over 6.25 million Garands had been manufactured by
the time it was taken out of service in the early 1960s.
Type: Semiautomatic
Rifle Country of Origin: United States
Caliber: 7.62 x 63 mm (.30-06 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 8 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 2,838 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 30 rounds per minute
Adopted by the U.S. Army in 1936,
the M1 Garand proved to be a tough, heavy battle rifle when it entered combat
five years later. General Patton remarked at the end of World War II that the
M1 may have been the greatest battle implement ever devised. A bit of a stretch
perhaps, but there's no doubt that the M1 was the first successful
semiautomatic rifle issued in any quantity that had the ruggedness and accuracy
to dominate the battlefield. Over 6.25 million Garands had been manufactured by
the time it was taken out of service in the early 1960s.
Caliber:
.30-06 (7.62x63 mm)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Overall length: 1103 mm
Barrel length: 610 mm
Weight: 4.32 kg
Feeding: non-detachable, clip-fed only magazine, 8 rounds
The story of the first
semi-automatic rifle ever widely-adopted as a standard military arm began after
the start of the First World War, when the inventor John C. Garand (Canadian,
then living in USA) began to develop a semi-automatic (or self-loading) rifles.
He worked at the government-owned Springfield armory and during the 1920s and
early 1930 developed a number of design. Early rifles were built using somewhat
rare system of the cartridge primer blowback, but due to some reasons this
system was unsuitable for a military rifle, so he switched to the more common
gas-operated system. He filed a patent for his semiautomatic, gas operated,
clip-fed rifle in 1930, and received an US patent for his design late in 1932.
This rifle was built around then-experimental .276 caliber (7mm) cartridge. At
the same time, his rifle was tested by the US Military against its main
competitor, a .276 caliber Pedersen rifle, and was eventually recommended for
adoption by US Army early in the 1932. But a little bit later an US general
MacArthur stated that the US Military should stick to the old .30-06 cartridge.
Foreseeing that, Garand already had a variation of his design chambered for
30-06. Finally, at the 6th January, 1936, the Garands' rifle was adopted by the
US Army as an "rifle, .30 caliber, M1". Early issue rifles, however,
showed a quite poor characteristics, jamming way too often for a decent
military arm, so a lot of noise was raised that eventually reached the US
Congress. In the 1939, the major redesign was ordered, and Garand quickly
redesigned a gas port system, which greatly improved the reliability. Almost
all M1 rifles of the early issue were quickly rebuilt to adopt a new gas
system, so very few "original" M1 Garand rifles survived to present
days, and those are extremely expensive collectors items. When the USA entered
the World War 2, the mass production of the M1 rifles was set at the
Springfield armory and at the Winchester. During the war, both companies
developed about 4 millions of M1 rifles, so M1 Garand is a most widely used
semi-automatic rifle of the World War 2. During the war, M1 Garand proved
itself as a reliable and powerful weapon. There were minor attempts to improve
it during the war, but these did not left experimental stages, except for two sniper
modifications, M1C and M1D. Both were approved for service in the 1945 and bothfeatured a
telescope sight which was off-set to the left due to the top-loading feature of
the M1. After the end of the WW2 the production of the M1 in the USA was
stopped, and some rifles and also licenses to built it were sold to other
countries, such as Italy and Denmark. With the outbreak of the Korean war in
1950 the production of theM1 for US forces was resumed early in 1952. Rifles
were manufactured at Springfield armory, and also at Harrington &
Richardson Company (H&R) and International Harvester Company. Those
companies manufactured M1s until the 1955, and Springfield Armory produced the
Garands until 1956. With the official adoption of the new rifle and ammunition
in 1957, M14 and 7.62x51mm NATO, respectively, for US service, the M1 rifle
became obsolete. It was still used during the later years, however, due to the
lack of M14 and M16 rifles, and saw some service during the early period of
the Vietnam war. Later, many M1s were transferred to the US National Guard,
used as a training weapons by US Army or sold to civilians as a
military surplus. Few M1 are still used by all branches of the US Military as a
ceremonial weapons. Other than USA, M1s were used by Italy (where these rifles
were lately redesigned and rebuilt into 7.62mm BM-59 rifles). Denmark, France
and some other countries. There also were attempts to rebarrel the M1 for
7.62mm cartridge in the USA and to adopt a detachable 20-rounds magazines from
Browning BAR rifles, but these were less than successful and haven't seen any
significant service.
M1 is a gas operated,
magazine fed, semiautomatic rifle. Original M1 were using the gas, that was
tapped from muzzle by the special muzzle extension, but this was provenunreliable,
and since the 1939, M1 rifles were built with gas system that used a gas port,
drilled in the barrel near the muzzle. The tapped gas was directed into the gas
cylinder, located under the barrel, where it operated a long-stroke gas piston,
integral with the operating rod. Long operating rod housed inside it
a return spring, and ended with the extension, that carried a bolt operating
groove at the left and a charging handle at the right. The groove was connected
with the rotating bolt, located inside the receiver. Bolt had two locking lugs
that locked into the receiver walls. When gun was fired, hot powder gases
were led to the gas chamber and to the gas piston, that drove back the
operating rod. The bolt operating grove, interacting with the stud on the bolt,
rotated bolt to unlock it and then retracted it to commence the reloading
cycle.
M1 was fed from the
integral box magazine, which was probably the weakest point of the whole
design. The magazine was fed using only the 8-rounds clips, which stayed inside
the magazine until all 8 rounds were shot. As soon as the magazine (and clip)
became empty, bolt was stopped at its rearward position by the bolt catch, and
the empty clip was automatically ejected from the magazine with the distinctive
sound. The main drawback of the system was that the clips could not be easily
reloaded during the action. However, there still was the possibility to refill
the clip in the rifle, but this was not the fastest procedure.
M1 featured a wooden
stock with separate handguards and a steel buttplate. The forwardmost part of
the muzzle served as a bayonet mounting point. Sights of the M1 consisted of
the front sight with dual protecting "wings", dovetailed into the gas
block at the muzzle, and the adjustable peephole rear sights, built into the
rear part of the receiver. Sniper versions (M1C and M1D) also featured scope
mounts on the receiver, offset to the left from the axis of the rifle, so it
was possible to load it with clips and also to use its iron sights with scope
installed (in the case of the scope damage, for example).
There were some attempts
to make a handier and more compact version of the M1 by shortening the barrel
by some 6 inches (152 mm), with standard wooden or skeleton metallic
buttstocks, but these attempts never left the experimental stages. Some short
barreled "tankers" M1 rifles, appeared in the post-war period, are
not the genuine designs, but the "sawed-off" variations of the
standard "long" rifles.
LEE-ENFIELD SMLE
Type: Bolt-Action Rifle
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Caliber: 7.7 x 56 mm (.30 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 10 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: approximately 2,438 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 15-20 rounds per minute
The standard infantry weapon of
British troops from World War I to the 1956 Suez crisis, the Lee-Enfield SMLE
(pronounced "smelly") built its reputation on reliability, accuracy
and a phenomenal rate of fire. Its magazine carried 10 bullets, the largest
capacity of any rifle on the battlefield during the first half of the 20th
century. Its short bolt action cocked on closing, and its muzzle cap prevented
dirt from clogging the weapon. In the hands of a well-trained infantryman, the
Lee-Enfield could perform what was called the "mad minute," i.e.,
thirty rounds hitting a target 200 meters distant in one minute, a volume of
fire that rivals modern semiautomatic weapons.
|
Lee-Enfield Mk .1
|
SMLE Mk. III (No.1
Mk.3)
|
SMLE No.4 Mk.1
|
SMLE No.5 Jungle
carbine
|
Caliber
|
.303 British (7.7x56mm R)
|
Action
|
manually operated, rotating bolt
|
Overall length
|
1260 mm
|
1132 mm
|
1129 mm
|
1003 mm
|
Barrel length
|
767 mm
|
640 mm
|
640 mm
|
478 mm
|
Weight
|
4.19 kg
|
3.96 kg
|
4.11 kg
|
3.24 kg
|
Magazine capacity
|
10 rounds in detachable box magazine
|
The Lee-Enfield series
of rifles was born in 1895 as a marriage between the magazine and bolt action,
designed by the J. P. Lee, and the new pattern of barrel rifling, designed at
the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) at Enfield. Originally known as Lee-Metford,
this design was adopted by British army in 1888 and used a Metford pattern
rifling with shallow groves, intended to be used with ammunition loaded with
black powder. Introduction of the smokeless powders in the form of the Cordite
showed that the Metford rifling was very short-living, so it was soon replaced
with Enfield rifling, with 5 traditional land and grooves and left hand pitch.
Early Lee-Enfield rifles, officially known as a ".303 caliber, Rifle,
Magazine, Lee-Enfield", were carried by the British army through the Boer
war (South Africa) of 1899-1902, and Boers, armed with their Mausers, taught to
the Brits some hard lessons. And, unlike some other Empires, Brits were quick
lo learn. In 1903, they introduced a new design, which improved over the older
Lee-Metfords and Lee-Enfields in some important respects. The main improvements
was the introduction of the "universal" rifle idea. The common
thinking of the period was to issue the long rifle for infantry and the carbine
for cavalry, artillery and other such troops. The Brits decided to replace this
variety of sizes with one, "intermediate" size, that will fit all
niches. This "one size fits all" rifle was called ".303 caliber,
Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, Mark 1", or, in short SMLE Mk.I, where
"short" referred to the length of the rifle. This rifle passed some
improvements during the following pre-WW1 years, finalizing in the 1907 as a
SMLE Mk.III. Development and introduction into service of this rifle was
accompanied with constant complaints of some "theorists", which
stated that this rifle would be no good neither for infantry, nor for cavalry,
so RSAF was set do design another rifle, patterned after the German Mauser,
which also should be more suitable for mass production, than the SMLE. This
rifle finally appeared in 1914 as an ".303 caliber Enfield Pattern 1914
rifle", or simply a P-14. With the outbreak of the Great war British
troops were still armed with the "poor" SMLE Mk.III rifles, which
soon turned far from any "poor", giving some hard time to the
Germans. In fact, the SMLE Mk.III was a really good rifle, quite accurate,
reliable and suitable for rapid and accurate firing. British soldiers were
rigorously trained for both individual and volley fire marksmanship, and were
routinely capable of firing 30 aimed shots per minute,
which was quite a rate of fire for any non-automatic rifle. There were times
when advancing Germans were impressed that they were under the machine gun
fire, when Tommie used their salvo-firing techniques. During the war time the
basic Mk.III design was slightly simplified to better suit the mass production
needs, with omission of "volley" sights and magazine cutoffs, and
with some production shortcuts. When the World War One was over, there were no
questions of quality of basic SMLE design, but some improvements were suggested
and introduced in later patterns, such as peep-hole, receiver mounted sights.
These "interwar" patterns were not issued in any significant quantities
until the 1941. In 1926, Britains, quite confused with numerous 'Marks' and
'Marks with stars' of their weaponry, decided to adopt a new numbering system,
so the SMLE Mark III became the "Rifle, No. 1 Mark 3". The
"Rifle No.2" was a training version of the SMLE No.1 but chambered to
.22LR ammunition. The "No.3" was assigned to the P-14 rifle, which
was used in limited numbers. And the "Rifle No.4 Mark 1", widely
known as a SMLE No.4 Mk.1, appeared in 1941. This was an improved and
strengthened SMLE design, with heavier and stronger receiver, which also was
faster and easier to machine, and with heavier barrel. The stock shape was
shortened at the front part, giving away with the characteristic Mark III
snub-nosed appearance. The barrel-mounted open rear sights were replaced with
the receiver-mounted peep-hole sights, which were micrometer-adjustable. The
latter feature was substituted by the simplified flip-up rear sights for
wartime production, and this version became the No.4 Mk.1* rifle. By the end of
the World War 2, when British and Commonwealth troops (also armed with SMLEs)
started to fight in jungles of the South-East Asia, it was soon discovered that
a "short" SMLE was still not short enough for the jungle combat, so a
carbine version was adopted late in the 1944 in the form of the No.5
"jungle carbine". This gun was somewhat lighter and handier than
No.4, but suffered from the "wandering zero" problems, which meant
that the point of impact wandered during the time. The muzzle flash and recoil
were also too strong, despite the flash-hider and rubber buttpad. The last, and
by some opinions the finest "general issue" version of the SMLE was
the No.4 Mk.2 rifle, which appeared in 1949. It was made by higher peacetime
standards of fit and finish, than a wartime No.1 Mk.3s and No.4 Mk.1s, and
served with British army until the mid-1950s, when the self-loading L1 SLR
(semi-auto copy of the Belgian FN FAL) rifle in 7.62mm NATO was introduced
into general service. But some SMLEs were left in military service, as a
training, target and, especially, sniper rifles, known as Enfield L39 and L41,
rechambered to the new standard 7.62mm NATO ammunition, and served well until
the late 1980s, when there were replaced by the L96 sniper rifles. It should be
noted, that SMLE rifles were produced and used not only in the UK. Australian,
Canadian and Indian factories turned out more than million of the No.1 rifles
with various improvements, which were used during both World wars and
thereafter. During the WW2, Britain also acquired quantities of SMLE
No.4 (marked No.4 Mk.1*) made under contract at the Savage Arms company in USA.
In the 1950s, Indian Isaphore arsenal turned out some SMLEs rechambered to the
7.62mm NATO (.308 win) ammunition. These are distinguishable from .303 caliber
rifles by the more squared outline of the magazine. Total numbers of all
'Marks' and 'Numbers' of the SMLE made during the 60 years in various countries
is not less than 5 000 000 (yes, five millions) rifles.
The SMLE is a manually
operated, rotating bolt action magazine fed rifle. The Lee-designed SMLE
magazine is a first easily distinguishable feature. It holds 10 rounds of
ammunition in staggered column form, and while the magazine itself is
detachable, it is not intended to be reloaded when detached from rifle. Early
Lee-Enfields (Long Lee-Enfields and SMLEs prior to Mark III) were loaded only
by single rounds via the top receiver opening. Latter, the clip (charger)
loading was introduced, and a rear receiver bridge with charger clip guides was
added to the design. Some of the earlier marks were then retrofitted with
charger loading ability during the 1907 - 1910. To load the magazine,
one must use two standard 5-rounds clips. Loading by loose rounds was still
available, but some care must be taken when loading cartridges into clips or in
the magazine, due to the rimmed ammunition cases. Prior to the 1916, all SMLEs
(and earlier Long Lee-Enfields) were issued with so called "magazine
cut-off" - a simple device, located at the right side of the receiver and
intended to cut off the cartridge supply from magazine to the action when
engaged, so rifle could be used as a single-loader, and ammunition in the
magazine could be saved for the hottest moments of combat. This was an outdated
idea even when it was first introduced, so it was easily discarded when the
need to speed up production arose. The magazine itself should be detached only
for cleaning, maintenance and repair, and every rifle was issued with only one
magazine. The magazine catch is located inside the triggerguard.
The bolt action, another
invention of the James Paris Lee (along with magazine), is the other most
famous feature of the SMLE. The rotating bolt has two lugs that lock into the
receiver walls at the rear part of the bolt, thus saving some part of the bolt
length and bolt pull, when comparing to the forward lugs locking. This shorter
bolt pull, along with charging handle, located at the rear part of the bolt and
bent down, lent itself to quick reloading. Add a relatively high capacity
magazine with fast clip reloading and here you have one of the fastest
practical rates of fire along with contemporary designs. The SMLE was a striker
fired gun, with cocking on the bolt close action and a dual-stage trigger. The
bolt head with the extractor was a separate, non-rotating unit, screwed into
the bolt body. The safety was located at the rear left side of the receiver and
was easily operated by the firing hands' thumb finger. One notable feature of
the Lee bolt action was that the bolts were not interchangeable between
different rifles of the same mark Each bolt must have been fitted to its
respective action, thus making the production and in-field bolt replacement
more complicated. The insufficient headspace problem on the pre-No.4 SMLEs was
solved my manual sandpapering the respective bolt-head, and since the No.4
rifle, there were 4 standard sizes of the bolt heads, from which armourer could
select one, most suitable for the particular action.
The sights of the Mark
III / No.1 Mk.3 SMLEs were a combination of the barleycorn front (an inverted
V-shape) and V-notch adjustable rear sights, mounted on the barrel. The front
sights were protected by the two "ears" on the stock nose-cap. Latter
the front sight were changed to post type, and the rear - to the U-notch type,
and since the introduction of the No.4 rifle the barrel-mounted open rear sight
was replaced with peep-hole one, mounted on the receiver, which made the
sighting line much longer and improved the long-range accuracy. Sniper No.4
Mk.1(T) rifles, made during the WW2, were equipped with detachable optical
scope mounts at the left side of the receiver. The scope was carried in the
separate box when not in use. No.4 Mk1* rifles, made during the WW2, were
equipped with the simplified, two position aperture (peep-hole) sights, marked
for 300 and 600 yards ranges only. Pre-1916 Lee-Enfields were also equipped
with interesting device, called the "volley" sights. This device was
mounted at the left side of the stock, ahead of the magazine, and was used to
provide an indirect fire capability at the ranges from 2 000 and up
to outstanding 3 900 yards (1800 - 3550 meters). While the individual
marksmanship at such ranges with rifle was a nonsense, the salvo firing by
large squads at the distant and large targets (such as tight infantry or
cavalry formations) can do some damage to the enemy. This was, obviously, an
idea of the pre - machine gun and pre - light artillery period, and it was
happily dropped during the WW1.
The famous by its
distinguishable shape stock of the SMLE featured a semi-pistol grip, a steel
buttplate with a trapdoor and a compartment in the butt for tools and cleaningequipment.
The "flat-nosed" forend covered the barrel up to the muzzle, and has
a small stud, protruding forward under the muzzle for bayonet mounting. Most
SMLEs have a small brass disc inset into the right side of the butt, which was
used for regimental markings (unlike the German Mausers, where the similar
steel disc was used as a bolt unit disassembly tool). The conventional sling
swivels were mounted on the frond handguard band and under the butt.
Mk.4 No1.(T) sniper rifles also featured an additionalwooden cheek rest on
the top of the butt for more comfortable sighting while using the scope.
In general the SMLE were
ones of the best bolt action battle rifles, fast-firing, powerful and reliable.
While being less suitable for "sporterizing" than Mausers, they are
still popular among civilians as a hunting and plinking weapons, and also as a
part of the history. The key deficiencies of the SMLE were probably the rimmed
ammunition and non-interchangeability of bolts, but the advantages of this
design were mush bigger and Lee-Enfields in all its guises served the Britain and
the British Commonwealth for more than 60 years in the front line service and
much longer as a specialized weapon (training and sniper).
M16
Type: Semi or Fully Automatic Assault Rifle
Country of Origin: United States
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm (.223 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 20-30 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: Approximately 3,281 feet per
second
Rate of Fire: 700-950 rounds per minute
Although it took a little time to
work out the gun's jamming problems during its combat trials in the early
1960s, the M16 has proven to be an outstanding performer with superb accuracy,
handling, service length and combat effectiveness. The rifle fulfilled the U.S.
military's desire to develop a lightweight modern assault rifle that could
replace the semiautomatic M1 and its selective-fire counterpart, the M14. Its
innovative features include lighter metal alloy and plastic construction, a
simple gas reload system and the use of 5.56 mm ammunition, allowing soldiers
to carry twice the amount of ammunition for the same weight of 7.62 mm rounds.
The M16 is an
American assault rifle designed by The Armalite Corporation in 1957. It was
first put into service in 1963, becoming the standard US assault rifle by 1969,
replacing theM14 rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56x45mm NATO round, and,
with its long barrel, can be very accurate at medium to long ranges. The M16
has a rate of fire of around 700-950 rounds per minute, depending on the model
of AR15. The M16A1, A2 and A4 variants fire in three-round, while the original
M16 and A3 variants can fire fully-automatic. Variants of the M16 rifles have
been featured throughout the Battlefield series.
The M16 is a
lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault
rifle, with a rotating bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas
operation. The rifle is made of steel, 7075 aluminum alloy, composite
plastics and polymer materials.
In the early 1960s,
the U.S. Air Force's rifle, the M16, and the Army's XM16E1, were the first
versions of the M16 rifle fielded. Soon the U.S. Army standardized an upgrade
of the XM16E1 as the M16A1 rifle, an M16 with a forward assist feature
and other improvements requested by the Army. All of the early versions were
chambered to fire the M193/M196 cartridge in the semi-automatic and
the automatic firing modes. This occurred in the early 1960s, with
the Army issuing it in late 1964.Commercial AR-15s were first issued to Special
Forces troops in spring of 1964.
A U.S. soldier on NBC exercise, holding an M16A1
rifle and wearing an M40 Field Protective Mask. Note the receiver,forward
assist and the barrel flash suppressor.
The M16A2 rifle entered
service in the 1980s, being ordered in large scale by 1987, chambered to fire
the standard NATO cartridge, the Belgian-designed M855/M856
cartridge.The M16A2 is a select-fire rifle (semi-automatic fire,
three-round-burst fire) incorporating design elements requested by the Marine
Corps: an adjustable, windage rear-sight; a stock 5⁄8 inches
(16 mm) longer; heavier barrel; case deflector for left-hand shooters; and
cylindrical handguards.The fire mode selector is on the receiver's left side.
The M16A3 rifle is an
M16A2 rifle with an M16A1's fire control group (semi-automatic fire, automatic
fire) that is used only by the U.S. Navy.
The M16A4 rifle was
standard issue for the United States Marine Corps in Operation
Iraqi Freedom since 2004; it replaced the M16A2 in front line units. In
the U.S. Army the M16A2 rifle is being supplemented with two rifle models, the
M16A4 and the M4 carbine as the standard issue assault rifle. The
M16A4 has a flat-top receiver developed for the M4 carbine, a handguard with
four Picatinny rails for mounting a sight, laser, night
vision device, forward handgrip, removable handle, or a flashlight.
The M16 rifle is
principally manufactured by Colt and Fabrique Nationale de
Herstal (under a U.S. military contract since 1988 by FNH-USA; currently
in production since 1991, primarily M16A2, A3, and A4), with variants made
elsewhere in the world. Versions for the U.S. military have also been made
by H & R Firearms. General Motors Hydramatic Division and most
recently by Sabre Defence. Semi-automatic versions of the AR-15 are
popular recreational shooting rifles, with versions manufactured by other small
and large manufacturers in the U.S.
AK-47
Type: Semi or Fully Automatic Assault Rifle
Country of Origin: Soviet Union
Caliber: 7.62 x 39 mm (.30 inch)
Cartridge Capacity: 30 rounds
Muzzle Velocity: 2,329 feet per second
Rate of Fire: 600 rounds per minute
With over 75 million built worldwide,
the AK-47 (a.k.a., "Kalashnikov") is a firearms legend that has
probably inflicted more lethal results than any other single weapon system ever
produced. Built on the same basic design as the German Sturmgewehr, it
chambered an intermediate round and was built from stamped parts. The AK-47 was
not only easy to produce and relatively cheap, is also proved remarkably easy
to maintain and virtually immune to conditions that could easily take out other
guns. Accuracy is average, but the
The Kalashnikov assault
rifle, also known to the West as the AK-47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova - 47,
Kalashnikov automatic rifle, model of 1947), and its derivatives, also known
under the common name of AK, is the most prolific small arm of the 2nd half of
the XX century. It had been and still is (in more or less modified form)
manufactured in dozens of countries, and used in hundreds of countries and
conflicts since its introduction. The total number of the AK-type rifles made
worldwide during the last 60 years is estimated at 90+ millions. This is a true
legendary weapon, known for its extreme ruggedness, simplicity of operation and
maintenance, and unsurpassed reliability even in worst conditions possible. It
is used not only as a military weapon, but also as a platform for numerous
sporting civilian rifles and shotguns (see Saiga semiautomatic shotguns, for example).
The AK is an amalgam of previously known features and solutions, combined in
the most effective way. The effectiveness, however, depends on the criteria
used to measure it, and the key criteria for any and every Soviet and Russian
military arm are: Reliability, Simplicity of operation and maintenance,
Suitability for mass production. There never was any significant demand for
good ergonomics or superb accuracy, though.
The true story of AK began late in 1942, when Soviet troops captured several
specimen of the very new German MKb.42(H) machine carbine(assault
rifle), along with some 7.92 Kurz ammunition. By mid-1943 the MKb.42(H) along
with US-supplied M1carbine were evaluated by Soviet experts, and it
was decided on top level that similar weapons, firing the intermediate power
cartridge, must be developed for Soviet army as soon as possible. The task of
initial development of new ammunition was accomplished in rather short time. By
November 1943 technical specifications for the 7.62x41mm cartridge, having
bottlenecked, rimless case and firing 8-gram pointed bullet, were sent out to
all Soviet small arms design bureaus and organizations. By the spring of 1944,
there were at least ten designs of automatic weapons in the works (not counting
semi-automatic carbines that resulted in adoption of SKS and
bolt-action carbines that went nowhere). In mid-1944, trials commission
selected the AS-44 assault rifle, designed by Sudaev, as the over all best, and
ordered a limited production run for troops trials. Some AS-44 rifles were
manufactured in spring of 1945, and these were evaluated by troops in summer of
1945, just after the Victory in Europe. Troops generally liked the AS-44, as it
has longer effective range compared to PPSh-41 submachine gun, and
provided better accuracy in semi-automatic fire. The problem was that AS-44 was
overly heavy (more than 5 kg empty), and trials commission ordered next round
of development and trials, which started early in 1946.
Enter Mikhail
Kalashnikov, the young sergeant ofSoviet tank forces, who, after being wounded
in combat in 1942,designed a prototype submachine gun while on medical leave.
His first weapon was rejected on the grounds of complexity, but the designer
himself was assigned to the Red Army's Small Arms and Mortar Research &
Proving ground(NIPSMVO) near the Moscow to continue his education and work on
other weapons. Here Kalashnikov designed a semi-automatic carbine,heavily
influenced by American M1Garand rifle. This carbine, while not
successful by itself, served as a starting point for the first Kalashnikov's
assault rifle, provisionally known as AK No.1 or AK-46. In November of 1946 the
AK-46 project was chosen for prototype manufacture along with 5 other projects
(out of 16 submitted to commission), and Kalashnikov was sent to the city of
Kovrov (also not far from the Moscow), to manufacture his weapon at the small
arms factory there. The AK-46 was gas operated, rotary bolt weapon that
utilized short-stroke gas piston above the barrel, and two-part receiver with
separate trigger unit housing and dual controls (separate safety and fire
selector switches on the left side of the trigger unit).
In December 1946 new assault rifles were tested at NIPSMVO range, with AS-44
being used as a control (its development has ceased earlier in 1946 due to
untimely death of the Sudaev, who was severely ill by the 1945). As an initial
result of these tests, the AK-46 was selected for further development by trials
commission, with two more weapons selected for further evolution being rifles
from designers Dementiev and Bulkin. The second round of trials, which included
three weapons (AK-46 by Kalashnikov, AB-46 by Bulkin and AD by Dementiev),
resulted in rejection of the improved AK-46, which was inferior to other rivals
in many aspects. Despite that failure, Kalashnikov, using his contacts and
support from some member of trials commission (whom he knew from his earlier
work at NIPSMVO in 1943-46) pursued the head of the trials commission to review
the results, and finally got a green light to continue his development for next
round of trials. Following the technical failure of the AK-46, Kalashnikov and
his companion designer Zaitsev (who was a staff weapons designer at Kovrov
plant) decided to completely rework the design, using successful technical
solutions borrowed from various weapons, including direct competitors. For
example, the long-stroke gas piston, attached to the bolt carrier, along with
captive return spring assembly and receiver cover were apparently inspired by
Bulkin's AB-46 rifle; the idea of large clearances between bolt group and
receiver walls, with minimum friction surfaces, was inspired by the Sudaev's
AS-44, the safety / dust cover lever was copied from Browning designed Remington model8 hunting rifle etc.
It must be noted here, that such copying and borrowing of ideas was actually
encouraged by the trials commission (and the whole Soviet ideology), as all
intellectual property in USSR was considered to be property of 'the people', or
the state. Thus, any state-owned intellectual property could (and must) have
been used to the benefit of the people / the state by anyone. And creating a
new, most effective assault rifle for the victorious Soviet army was certainly
on the top of the list of things, beneficial for the Soviet state at the time.
After extensive tests, conducted in December 1947 - January 1948, which
included slightly improved Dementiev KB-P-410, Bulkin TKB-415 and all-new
Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles, results were somewhat inconclusive. The AK-47 was found
to be most durable and reliable out of three contestants, but it also dragged
behind the other two in the accuracy department, especially in full automatic
(which was, and still is considered the primary mode of fire for assault rifle
in Russia). In fact, the only weapon that fulfilled accuracy requirements was
the Bulkin AB-47 / TKB-415, but it had certain problems with parts durability.
After lengthy discussion, trials commission finally decided that the better is
the enemy of the good, and it is advisable to have not-so accurate but reliable
weapon now, rather than to wait indefinitely for accurate-and -reliable weapon
in the future. This decision ultimately lead commission to recommend AK-47 for
troops trials in November, 1947. It was decided that the production of the new
weapon must be commenced at Izhevsk arms plant (now Izhevsk Machine building
Plant or IzhMash in short). Kalashnikov has moved from Kovrov to Izhevsk to
help with production of the new weapon, which commenced in mid-1948. Official
adoption followed late in 1949, with standard nomenclature being '7.62mm
avtomat Kalashnikova AK' (7.62mm automatic carbine Kalashnikov). At the same
time, a folding buttstock version was adopted for airborne units use, as
'7.62mm avtomat Kalashnikova skladnoy AKS'.
It must be noted that the original design of the receiver,
which was assembled from stamped steel 'box' with large machined steel insert
pinned at the front, caused a lot of troubles at factory. The technology
(equipment and labor) level of the time resulted in extremely high percentage
of rejected receivers due to misformed walls, improper pinning of parts, bad
geometry etc. After critical revision of the process at the factory it was
calculated that it will be more economically feasible to return to the
'old-school' machined receivers. New, machined receiver was designed by one of
factory's staff designers, and after approval by military, it was put into
production at IzhMash in 1951, under the same basic designation.
Through the following years, design of AK incorporated many minor changes and
updates, but it was the experimental Korobov TKB-517 assault
rifle(tested by Soviet army in mid-fifties) that spurred further development of
AK. The Korobov TKB-517 assault rifle was a great deal lighter than
AK, about 1/3 cheaper to manufacture, and significantly more accurate in full
automatic fire. This lead the Soviet army to issue new requirements for a
lighter and more effective assault rifle, which were formulated in 1955. These
requirements were also complemented by requirement for a companion squad
automatic / light support weapon (light machine gun in Russian nomenclature).
Trials for new weapons were held in 1957-58. Kalashnikov team from Izhevsk
submitted an improved AK with new type of stamped receiver and other minor
improvements, which competed against a number of weapons from other design
teams from the Kovrov and Tula. In technical terms, the Kalashnikov entry fared
about average in these trials, with certain rival weapons proving to be more
combat-effective and less expensive to make. The trials commission, however,
decided again that the better is the enemy of the good, and recommended the
improved AK for adoption due to its proven performance and familiarity to the
industry and troops. It was officially adopted in 1959 as the AKM ( Avtomat
Kalashnikova Modernizirovannyj - Kalashnikov Automatic rifle, Modified) along
with companion RPK squad automatic
weapon light machine gun.
The key changes in AKM, as compared to AK, were the introduction of the stamped
steel receiver instead of the milled one, and improved trigger/hammer unit,
with added hammer release delay device (often incorrectly referred as a rate
reducer). Other changes were the redesigned, slightly raised buttstock and the
pistol grip, and the addition of the removable muzzle flip compensator. This
spoon-like compensator is screwed onto the muzzle and utilized the muzzle blast
to reduce muzzle climb during the automatic fire. The compensator could be
replaced by the screw-on "PBS-1 noiseless firing device", generally
known as a silencer. This silencer requires a special, sub-sonic ammunition
with heavier bullets to be used. Another change from AK to AKM was a slightly
improved rear sight, with settings from 100 to 1000 (instead of the 800 on AK)
meters. Both 800 and 1000 meters, however, are way too optimistic for any
practical use, since the effective fire is limited roughly to 300-400 meters, if
not less.
In the 1974, Soviet Army officially adopted the 5.45mm ammunition and the
appropriately chambered AK-74 assault
rifle as its new standard shoulder arm. The AKM, however, was never officially
declared obsolete and removed from service, and is still in Russian army
stocks. Some non-infantry units of the Russian Army are still armed with 1960s
vintage AKM assault rifles. There's also an increasing interest in the 7.62mm
weapons since many troops were disappointed by the effectiveness of the 5.45mm
ammo during the local conflicts in the 1990s. Some Russian special forces
troops (mostly police and Internal Affairs Ministry), currently operating in
Chechnya, are using the venerable 7.62mm AKM rifles.
The AK and AKM rifles were widely exported to the pro-Soviet countries and
regimes all around the world. Manufacturing licenses along with all necessary
technical data packages were transferred (for free or at nominal fee) to many
Warsaw Pact countries (Albania, Bulgaria, China, East Germany, Hungary, North
Korea, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia). Certain 'non-communist', but friendly
countries, such as Egypt, Finland and Iraq, also received manufacturing
licenses.
At the present time, despite the world-wide proliferation of the small-bore
(5.56 / 5.45mm) weapons, many companies still manufacture 7.62mm assault rifles
for military or police use (for example, there's an AK-103,
made in limited numbers by the IZHMASHin Russia). Also, production of the
semi-automatic only civilian AK derivatives is continued in many countries,
including Russia, Bulgaria,Romania,China and others.
The
AKM is a gas operated, selective fire assault rifle.
The gas operated action has a massive bolt carrier with a permanently attached
long stroke gas piston. The gas chamber is located above the barrel. The bolt
carrier rides on the two rails, formed on the receiver walls, with the
significant clearances between the moving and stationary parts, which allows
the gun to operate even when its interior is severely fouled with sand or mud.
The rotating bolt has two massive lugs that lock into the receiver. Bolt is so
designed that on the unlocking rotation it also makes a primary extraction
movement to the fired case. This results in very positive and reliable
extraction even with dirty chamber and cases. The rotation of the bolt is
ensured by the curved cam track, machined in the bolt carrier, and by the
appropriate stud on the bolt itself. The return spring and a spring guide are
located behind the gas piston and are partially hidden in its hollow rear part
when bolt is in battery. The return spring base also serves as a receiver cover
lock. The cocking handle is permanently attached to the bolt carrier and
does reciprocate when gun is fired.
The receiver of the AKM is made from the stamped sheet steel, with machined
steel inserts riveted into the place where required. Earliest AK-47 receivers
were also made from the stamped and machined parts, riveted together, but this
soon proved to be unsatisfactory, and most of the AK (made between 1951 and
1959) rifles were made with completely machined receivers. The receiver cover
is a stamped sheet metal part, with stamped strengthening ribs found on the AKM
covers.
The relatively simple trigger/hammer mechanism is loosely based on the 1900's
period Browning deigns (much like the most other modern assault rifles), and
features a hammer with two sears - one main, mounted on the trigger extension,
and one for the semi-automatic fire, that intercepts the hammer in the cocking
position after the shot is fired and until the trigger is released. Additional
auto sear is used to release the hammer in full auto mode. The AKM trigger unit
also featured a hammer release delay device, which is served to delay the
hammer release in the full auto fire by few microseconds. This does not affects
the cyclic rate of fire, but allows the bolt group to settle in the forwardmost
position after returning into the battery. The combined safety - fire selector
switch of distinctive shape is located on the right side of the receiver. In
the "Safe" position (topmost) it locks the bolt group and the
trigger, and also served as a dust cover. The middle position is for automatic
fire, and the bottom position is for single shots. The safety / fire selector
switch is considered by many as the main drawback of the whole AK design, which
is not cured in the most of derivatives until now. It is slow, uncomfortable
and sometimes stiff to operate (especially when wearing gloves or mittens),
and, when actuated, produces a loud and distinctive click. There's no bolt stop
device, and the bolt always goes forward when the last shot from the magazine
is fired.
AKM is fed from the 30 rounds, stamped steel magazines of heavy, but robust
design. Early AK magazines were of slab-sided design, but the more common AKM
magazines featured additional stamped ribs on the sides. Positive magazine
catch is located just ahead of the trigger guard and solidly locks the magazine
into the place. Insertion and the removal of the magazine requires slight
rotation of the magazine around its front top corner, that has a solid locking
lug. If available and required, a 40 round box magazines of similar design, or
the 75 rounds drums (both from the RPK light machine gun) can be
used. Late in production plastic magazines of the distinctive reddish color
were introduced.
AKM rifles were issued with wooden stocks and pistol handles. Late production
AKM rifles had a plastic pistol grip instead of wooden one. The wooden
buttstock has a steel buttplate with mousetrap cover, that covers the accessory
container in the butt. The AK buttstock are more swept-down than the AKM
ones. The folding stock version had been developed for the airborne troops and
its had an underfolding steel shoulder stock. These modifications of the AK and
AKM were designated the AKS and AKMS, respectively. AK were issued with the
detachable knife-bayonets, and the AKM introduced a new pattern of the shorter,
multipurpose knife-bayonet, which can be used in conjunction with its sheath to
form a wire-cutter. All AK and AKM rifles were issued with the canvas carrying
slings.
The sights of the AKM consist of the hooded front post and the U-notch open
rear. Sights are graduated from 100 to 1000 (800 on AK) meters, with an
additional "fixed" battle setting that can be used for all ranges up
to 300 meters.
AKM rifles also can be fitted with the 40mm GP-25 grenade launchers, that are
mounted under the forend and the barrel. Grenade launchers had its own sights
on the left side of the unit.
Shot gun
A pump-action Remington 870, two semi-automatic
Remington 1100 shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a clay trap, and three
boxes of clay pigeons
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun and
peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a firearm that is usually
designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell
to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile
called a slug. Shotguns come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from 5.5 mm
(.22 inch) bore up to 5 cm (2 inch) bore, and in a range of firearm operating
mechanisms, including breech loading, single-barreled, double or combination
gun, pump-action, bolt-, and lever-action, semi-automatic, and even fully
automatic variants.
A shotgun is generally a smoothbore firearm, which
means that the inside of the barrel is not rifled. Preceding smoothbore
firearms, such as the musket, were widely used by armies in the 18th century.
The direct ancestor to the shotgun, the blunderbuss, was also used in a similar
variety of roles from self defence to riot control. It was often used by
cavalry troops due to its generally shorter length and ease of use, as well as
by coachmen for its substantial power. However, in the 19th century, these
weapons were largely replaced on the battlefield with breechloading rifled
firearms, which were more accurate over longer ranges. The military value of
shotguns was rediscovered in the First World War, when American forces used
12-gauge pump action shotguns in close-quarters trench fighting to great
effect. Since then, it has been used in a variety of roles in civilian, law
enforcement, and military applications.
The shot pellets from a shotgun spread upon leaving
the barrel, and the power of the burning charge is divided among the pellets,
which means that the energy of any one ball of shot is fairly low. In a hunting
context, this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting birds and other small
game. However, in a military or law enforcement context, the large number of
projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close quarters combat weapon or a
defensive weapon. Shotguns are also used for target shooting sports such as
skeet, trap, and sporting clays. These involve shooting clay disks, known as
clay pigeons, thrown in various ways.
.
M2
The M2 Machine Gun, Browning .50 Caliber Machine
Gun, is a heavy machine gun designed towards the end of World War I by John
Browning. It is very similar in design to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning
machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. The M2 uses the
larger and more powerful .50 BMG cartridge, which was named for the gun itself
(BMG standing for Browning Machine Gun). The M2 has been referred to as
"Ma Deuce",[5] or "the fifty" in reference to its caliber.
The design has had many specific designations; the official designation for the
current infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It
is effective against infantry, unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and boats,
light fortifications and low-flying aircraft.
The Browning .50 caliber machine gun has been used
extensively as a vehicle weapon and for aircraft armament by the United States
from the 1920s to the present. It was heavily used during World War II, the
Korean War, the Vietnam War, and during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in
the 2000s (decade). It is the primary heavy machine gun of NATO countries, and
has been used by many other countries. The M2 has been in use longer than any
other small arm in U.S. inventory except the .45 ACP M1911 pistol, also
designed by John Browning.
The M2HB is manufactured in the United States by
General Dynamics[6] and U.S. Ordnance [7] for use by the United States
government, and for US Foreign Allies via FMS sales. FN Herstal has
manufactured the M2 machine gun since the 1930s.[8][verification needed] U.S.
Ordnance developed their M2 Quick Change Barrel system after years of
manufacturing machine guns for the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S.
allies.[9]
The M2 has varying cyclic rates of fire, depending
upon the model. The M2HB (heavy barrel) air-cooled ground gun has a cyclic rate
of 450-575 rounds per minute.[11] The early M2 water-cooled AA guns had a
cyclic rate of around 450–600 rpm.[12] The AN/M2 aircraft gun has a cyclic rate
of 750–850 rpm; this increases to 1,200 rpm or more for AN/M3 aircraft guns
fitted with electric or mechanical feed boost mechanisms.[4] These maximum
rates of fire are generally not achieved in use, as sustained fire at that rate
will wear out the bore within a few thousand rounds, necessitating replacement.
For the M2HB, slow fire is less than 40 rounds per minute and rapid fire more
than 40 rounds per minute.[13]
A U.S. Marine mans a .50 caliber machine gun as
part of a security force during an exercise
The M2 has a maximum range of 7.4 kilometers (4.55
miles), with a maximum effective range of 1.8 kilometers (1.2 miles) when fired
from the M3 tripod. In its ground-portable, crew-served role as the M2HB, the
gun itself weighs in at a hefty 84 pounds (38 kg), and the assembled M3 tripod
another 44 pounds (20 kg). In this configuration, the V-shaped "butterfly"
trigger is located at the very rear of the weapon, with a "spade
handle" hand-grip on either side of it and the bolt release the center.
The spade handles are gripped and the butterfly trigger is depressed with one
or both thumbs. Recently new rear buffer assemblies have used squeeze triggers
mounted to the hand grips, doing away with the butterfly triggers.
When the bolt release is locked down by the bolt
latch release lock on the buffer tube sleeve, the gun functions in fully
automatic mode. Conversely, the bolt release can be unlocked into the up
position resulting in single-shot firing (the gunner must press the bolt latch
release to send the bolt forward). Unlike virtually all other modern machine
guns, it has no safety (although a sliding safety switch has recently been
fielded to USMC armorers for installation on their weapons). Troops in the
field have been known to add an improvised safety measure against accidental
firing by slipping an expended shell casing under the butterfly trigger.[14]
Twin M2HB .50 caliber machine gun during a
Pre-aimed Calibration Fire (PACFIRE) exercise.
Because the M2 was intentionally designed to be fit
into many configurations, it can be adapted to feed from the left or right side
of the weapon by exchanging the belt-holding pawls, and the front and rear
cartridge stops (three-piece set to include link stripper), then reversing the
bolt switch. The operator must also convert the top-cover belt feed slide
assembly from left to right hand feed as well as the spring and plunger in the
feed arm. This will take a well trained individual less than two minutes to
perform.
The charging assembly may be changed from left to
right hand charge. A right hand charging handle spring, lock wire and a little
know how are all that are required to accomplish this. The weapon can be battle
ready and easily interchanged if the weapon is fitted with a retracting slide
assembly on both sides of the weapon system to eliminate the need to have the
weapon taken in to accomplish this task.
Ammunition
There are several different types of ammunition
used in the M2HB and AN aircraft guns. From World War II through the Vietnam
War, the big Browning was used with standard ball, armor-piercing (AP),
armor-piercing incendiary (API), and armor-piercing incendiary tracer (APIT)
rounds. All .50 ammunition designated "armor-piercing" was required
to completely perforate 0.875" (22.2 mm) of hardened steel armor plate at
a distance of 100 yards (91 m), and 0.75" (19 mm) at 547 yards (500 m).[15]
The API and APIT rounds left a flash, report, and smoke on contact, useful in
detecting strikes on enemy targets; they were primarily intended to
incapacitate thin-skinned and lightly armored vehicles and aircraft, while
igniting their fuel tanks.[16]
Current ammunition types include: M33 Ball (706.7
grain) for personnel and light material targets, M17 tracer, M8 API (622.5
grain), M20 API-T (619 grain), and M962 SLAP-T. The latter ammunition along
with the M903 SLAP (Saboted Light Armor Penetrator) round can perforate 1.34 in
(34 mm) of HHA (high hard armor, or face-hardened steel plate) at 500 meters,
0.91 in (23 mm) at 1,200 meters, and 0.75 in (19 mm) at 1,500 meters. This is
achieved by using a 0.30-inch-diameter (7.6 mm) tungsten penetrator. The SLAP-T
adds a tracer charge to the base of the ammunition. This ammunition was type
classified in 1993.
When firing blanks, a large blank-firing adapter
(BFA) must be used to keep the gas pressure high enough to allow the action to
cycle. The adapter is very distinctive, attaching to the muzzle with three rods
extending back to the base. The BFA can often be seen on M2s during peacetime
operations.
Specifications
Weight 38 kg
(83.78 lb)
58 kg (127.87 lb) with tripod and T&E
Length 1,656
mm (65.2 in)
Barrel length
1,143 mm (45.0 in)
________________________________________
Cartridge
.50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO)
Action
Short recoil-operated
Rate of fire
450–635 rounds/min (M2HB)[3][4]
750–850 rounds/min (AN/M2)
1,200 rounds/min (AN/M3)
Muzzle velocity
2,910 ft/s (890 m/s) for M33 ball
Effective range 1,800
m (2,000 yd)[3]
Maximum range 2,000
m (2,200 yd)
Feed system Belt-fed
(M2 or M9 links)
The M2 Machine Gun, Browning .50 Caliber Machine
Gun, is a heavy machine gun designed towards the end of World War I by John
Browning. It is very similar in design to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning
machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. The M2 uses the
larger and more powerful .50 BMG cartridge, which was named for the gun itself
(BMG standing for Browning Machine Gun). The M2 has been referred to as
"Ma Deuce",[5] or "the fifty" in reference to its caliber.
The design has had many specific designations; the official designation for the
current infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It
is effective against infantry, unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and boats,
light fortifications and low-flying aircraft.
