Ideal Assault Rifle

[Regig]

Hi, first post, I've been studying guns for about a year now, got to shoot an AR-15 but most of my knowledge comes from reading stuff in books and websites, and looking at manufacturing blueprints.

I've looked at a lot of comparisions of the AK and Ar type rifles and I made this list of things the perfect rifle i think should have. I have dubbed it the
M68. Its lengthy, but please tell me what you think about it.

M68 Specifications:

•Field stripped without tools
•Waterproof to 20 meters so maintenance isn’t needed after surfacing
•Corrosion-resistant, high impact, heat treated stainless steel components (Chrome/moly)
Wide Clearances between moving parts for reliability
•Few, large, and robust moving parts for durability and reliabilty
•Thick Breech to prevent chamber explosion
•Oversized gas piston, tube, and port
•The top of the magazine is machined from a single steel billet, making it practically impossible to damage the feed-lips causing jams or Failures-To-Feed
•Bolt that over-recoils backwards (to reduce chances of short stroke)
•Long-stroke gas operation, rotating bolt
•Synthetic furniture
•Sheet metal receiver with spot-welded joints
•Cold-hammer forged barrel
•Disassembles in push-pin hinge open fashion for speed and simplicity
•Cannot begin disassembly with magazine inserted
•Cleaning kit stored in a trapdoor in the buttstock, with a cleaning rod running under the barrel, in the same style as the AK-47.
•Breech and gas tube are accessible for cleaning from the back
Cannot be disassembled past parts that need maintenance
•Parts that are removed during regular maintenance are sprayed with white phosphorescent paint (also known as “glow in the dark” paint) to prevent loss
•Fires the 6.8x45mm SPC intermediate round
•Folding “Ghost Ring” style night sights are both attached to the upper receiver so they are not misaligned after reassembly, and don’t block mounted optics
•Sideways mounted knife bayonet increases lethality, since an organ stabbed horizontally is more injured than one stabbed vertically. Knife serves non-combat functions, such as opening ammo cans, cutting wire, roots, wood, and digging trenches.
•Removable Sling
•"Pull-through" trigger system disengages safety when pulled a quarter way back, fires semi-automatic when pulled halfway, 2-round burst at ¾ of the way, and fully automatic at 600rpm when pulled back completely, eliminating the need for a selector switch and providing instinctive shooting, since the operator will instinctively pull back all the way at short range, and less forcefully at longer range. Each stage of fire will pass a clearly felt point. Immediately pulling back to ¾ will fire 1+2 rounds, effectively a 3-round burst. The system on the M68 resets to three-round burst each time the trigger is released, even if only one or two rounds were fired. A small insert to prevent full automatic fire can be installed during maintenance.
•Completely smooth and streamlined matte black synthetic exterior to prevent the weapon from shining, rusting, catching on vegetation or clothing (or knobs and selectors from breaking off), or the user from burning or freezing his hands to the metal in extreme temperatures.
•Hand-guard never overheats since it doesn’t contact the barrel. It is also cylindrical and angled to be smaller at the muzzle, since people naturally connect their thumb and index while holding something, and being round makes it fit all hand sizes. It extends all the way to the muzzle, making it comfortable for different arm lengths. Grooves in either side give something for the fingers to dig into.
•Bolt catch is released by inserting a fresh magazine, simplifying reloading.
•Thick, ambidextrous non-reciprocating charging handle can be safely released, instead of eased back into position, making reloading faster
•Deep, beveled and flared magazine well to assist reloading under stress
•Magazine lugs prevent operator from jamming magazine too far in under stress.
•Spring-loaded firing pin prevents slam-fires
•Trigger and charging handle faces are wide and rounded to prevent discomfort while operating them, since muscle memory will subconsciously make operate them more slowly to avoid thin parts cutting into their fingers
•Textured pistol grip, hand guard and magazine sides improve grip
•There is a small protrusion underneath the trigger to protect it, instead of a full trigger guard, since the finger rests upon the magazine well anyways with modern assault rifles. This allows comfortable use by people with large or gloved fingers
•Serial # on outside of lower receiver for quick, easy identification
•Buttstock folds and locks securely to the left from 800mm to 500mm overall length
•RIS (Rail Integration System) allow attachment of various accessories.
•Hand guard can be removed to be replaced with a handguard with built in accessories, such as bipods, vertical foregrips, grenade launchers, to save weight and space.
•Trapdoor in buttstock allows spare parts or small weights to be inserted to help maintain balance of rifle when accessories are added.
•QCB(Quick Change Barrel) can be quickly unscrewed for replacement or maintenance
•Bull Barrel absorbs heat generated during automatic fire
•Translucent double-stack magazines have strengthening ribs running lengthwise down the sides, and red numbered graduations letting operator check remaining ammunition quickly. Capacities are 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 round magazines. Can be quickly reloaded from 15-round stripper clips.
•In-line buttstock directs recoil energy into shoulder, reducing muzzle climb
•Threaded for use with a suppressor, multifunction muzzle device which reduces recoil and obscures flash by directing it downwards or a blank firing adaptor colored bright red for visibility to avoid loading incorrect ammo, causing a catastrophic failure.
•B.A.R.S. (Balanced Automatic Recoil System) eliminates the recoil of the reciprocating bolt, like in the AK-107/8.
•Rubber shock-padding at the rear of the bolt, and contact points for the forward-moving counterweight, further reduce felt recoil.
•The shoulder pad is rubber with serrations for increased traction, as well as curved to fit the shape of the shoulder.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Sheesh.....

I'm completely dumbfounded by your mechanical expertise and prowess!

 

[Regig]

Thanks

Yeah, ive been studying guns for about a year now. I built a 8-shot pump action crossbow a few years ago, my level of interest in improving a machine is directly proportional to my ability to understand it well. At first, i was befuddled as to how an automatic worked, until I saw an animation of a tommy gun on the internet, then it all clicked. Oh, by the way, I designed a silent supersonic bullet a few days ago, but the picture is large to upload on here. Basically, it's a normal bullet but with a hole drilled right down the middle, so the sonic boom resulting from the air collapsing into the vacuum created behind the bullet is gone, since theres no vacuum any more.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Amazing!

 

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Regig]

Did this picture come through?
View attachment 87787

 

[97guns]

nope

 

[MachIVshooter]

Sounds heavy.

 

[Blacksmoke]

Are you related to the Garand, Kalishnakov or Browning families by any chance?

 

[Kind of Blued]

Almost every single attribute of that rifle has a direct negative aspect, which is to be expected, but a lot of them have the same negative aspect. It sounds like a good portion of them mean that it will either be heavy or recoil badly. It's also kind of odd that you have high-grade steel parts, a bull barrel, rails, an expensive state-of-the-art trigger system on a cheap stamped receiver. I'm not sure that your idea for the trigger system would be very friendly to operate in battle conditions either.

It sounds like a really heavy, intricate, expensive to build gun on a stamped receiver, essentially the worst of both worlds.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Very impressive - budding engineering genius mind there...


Tradeoffs, tradeoffs, tradeoffs!! While there are some nice innovations you mention which I think could and should be looked at and incorporated, the BASIC tradeoffs that you have to deal with involving:

-Weight
-Expense
-Durability
-Weight
-Reliability
-Weight
-Ease of maintenance/corrosion-resistance
-Weight
-Ergonomics
-oh, and Weight & Expense

have already been addressed ad nauseum and then some for years and years by many many different firms with some pretty savvy engineers. While that is definitely not to say that there can't be improvements, we are not too terribly very far from the pinnacle of the best overall balances of the various tradeoffs (given current technology) - and here it is - this should be your starting point for improvements, IMO:

http://www.robarm.com/

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=xcr+robinson&search_type=&aq=f

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T2oJta2YLc

The system of the Kriss Super V directing recoil downward is certainly innovative, and something like this could possibly be designed with an intermediate cartridge (as opposed to a pistol round), but again, it brings up WEIGHT vs. "just how much muzzle climb reduction do you really need?", given the fact that recoil/muzzle climb in full auto is already controlled pretty darned well with current designs.

I think your trigger system, or a variant of it, eliminating the selector (other than safe) and providing instinctive shooting as you put it, may have some merit - interesting.

 

[Owen]

Regig,

I thought you did a nice job of writing a specification.

Point by point...

• Field stripped without tools

Good, and common for at least 100 years.

•Waterproof to 20 meters so maintenance isn’t needed after surfacing

Generally there is nothing on a gun that isn't fairly waterproof, except attached electronics. There are two real problems with submerging guns. The first is that things like firing pin channels tend to fill with water, and parts don't move as fast as they should. A classic example is the Glock striker. In the case of the Glock, the solution is to create ways for the water to get out, namely channels in the strikers. Another problem is water trapped in the bore. It is a considerable problem with small caibers, because capillary forces will cause a sealed bore to stay full of water. The bolt must be eased back to let the water out of the bore and the gas system. Failure to do so results in a trashed rifle. The problem here isn't waterproofing, but providing a place for the water to get out of the gun, and fast. I don't know if 6.8mm is big enough for the bore to self-evacuate.

•Corrosion-resistant, high impact, heat treated stainless steel components (Chrome/moly)

Chrome-moly and stainless are not the same thing. Chrome-moly steels are in the 41 series. i.e. 4140, 4130, etc. They are excellent barrel steels because they have a very flat Jominy Curve. That is, the end hardness of the steel is fairly insensitive to the cooling rate. This is very good feature. Alas, they are are not particuarly corrosion resistant. They are much better than, say carbon steel (1018-1090), but they don't hold a candle to true stainless steels.

Rather than specifying the material, specify the performance specification. Material follows function. Don't force folks into a material that may not be the best for the specific application. Guns have lots of parts. sometimes a case hardened carbon steel is the best material for the job.

•Wide Clearances between moving parts for reliability

Be smart about it. sometimes close clearances do a better job of keeping dirt out. I'm thinking specifically of pistons and piston rings.

•Few, large, and robust moving parts for durability and reliabilty

A good design goal. Just be aware that sometimes trying to get one part to do three things is more difficult and less reliable than have two or three parts doing the same thing. Also, one massive part with many funtions will be expensive to replace everytime some little edge, cam surface or impact area gets messed up enough to require replacement. I can easily carry a spare bolt in my pocket. I can't stick an entire gas system/operating rod in my pocket.

•Thick Breech to prevent chamber explosion


•Oversized gas piston, tube, and port

Big ports are bad. The bigger the port, the faster it erodes. The faster it erodes, the sooner you start throwing bullets out the side of the barrel. If you have a big (large diameter) piston, you don't need a very big port, as long as there is enough time between the port and the muzzle.

•The top of the magazine is machined from a single steel billet, making it practically impossible to damage the feed-lips causing jams or Failures-To-Feed

Expensive and heavy.

•Bolt that over-recoils backwards (to reduce chances of short stroke)

They all do, to give the rounds in the magazine enough time to pop up into to place.

•Long-stroke gas operation, rotating bolt

ok. why not short stroke?

•Synthetic furniture

I don't think there will ever be another military rifle with a wooden stock

•Sheet metal receiver with spot-welded joints

Why?

•Cold-hammer forged barrel

Why?

•Disassembles in push-pin hinge open fashion for speed and simplicity

I'd just stick with tool free, minimum number of assemblies. Have you seen how the SCAR/MK16/MK17 comes apart? its pretty simple, and its not a hinging type breakdown.

•Cannot begin disassembly with magazine inserted

I understand where your coming from, but you're adding complexity. How would you implement this with a hinged takedown?

•Cleaning kit stored in a trapdoor in the buttstock, with a cleaning rod running under the barrel, in the same style as the AK-47.

ok

•Breech and gas tube are accessible for cleaning from the back

Why do you need to clean the gas system from the back?

•Cannot be disassembled past parts that need maintenance

Cannot be, or tools required to? All parts need maitenence at some point. I'd hate to have to throw away a perfectly good operating group because or a worn out captive spring.

•Parts that are removed during regular maintenance are sprayed with white phosphorescent paint (also known as “glow in the dark” paint) to prevent loss

Bad idea. NV gear is everywhere. a little glow in the dark will illuminate an entire platoon.

•Fires the 6.8x45mm SPC intermediate round

OK

•Folding “Ghost Ring” style night sights are both attached to the upper
receiver so they are not misaligned after reassembly, and don’t block mounted optics

Same comment as the glow in the dark paint. The way they fold must completely hide the tritium, or whatever.

•Sideways mounted knife bayonet increases lethality, since an organ stabbed horizontally is more injured than one stabbed vertically. Knife serves non-combat functions, such as opening ammo cans, cutting wire, roots, wood, and digging trenches.

What?

•Removable Sling

ok

•"Pull-through" trigger system disengages safety when pulled a quarter way back, fires semi-automatic when pulled halfway, 2-round burst at ¾ of the way, and fully automatic at 600rpm when pulled back completely, eliminating the need for a selector switch and providing instinctive shooting, since the operator will instinctively pull back all the way at short range, and less forcefully at longer range. Each stage of fire will pass a clearly felt point. Immediately pulling back to ¾ will fire 1+2 rounds, effectively a 3-round burst. The system on the M68 resets to three-round burst each time the trigger is released, even if only one or two rounds were fired. A small insert to prevent full automatic fire can be installed during maintenance.

the AUG is kinda like this, but it your implementation defeats the purpose of a safety. I also feel that Auto needs to be specifically selected. It has a purpose in a rifle, but its not really common use. An unexpected burst could be a real problem. Believe me, when troops are running on adrenaline, caffiene, and 2 hours of sleep 2 days ago, they'll pull right through.

•Completely smooth and streamlined matte black synthetic exterior to prevent the weapon from shining, rusting, catching on vegetation or clothing (or knobs and selectors from breaking off), or the user from burning or freezing his hands to the metal in extreme temperatures.

Black is a poor color. it gets too hot to touch when laying in the sun, and it is very visible. very few things in nature are black. On the other hand, other colors show dirt more, and make it hider to disguise a dirty gun from the Sarge.

•Hand-guard never overheats since it doesn’t contact the barrel. It is also cylindrical and angled to be smaller at the muzzle, since people naturally connect their thumb and index while holding something, and being round makes it fit all hand sizes. It extends all the way to the muzzle, making it comfortable for different arm lengths. Grooves in either side give something for the fingers to dig into.

It doesn't matterl if it touches the barrel or not. its going to get hot. you'll need some sort of heat shield, or provide forward pistol grip to isolate the operators hands from the heat. Studies have shown that a forward pistol grip increases hit probabilites 15% for experienced SF operators, and as much as 25% for small statured soldiers with only the standard training.

•Bolt catch is released by inserting a fresh magazine, simplifying reloading.

I like this, but alot of folks don't.

•Thick, ambidextrous non-reciprocating charging handle can be safely released, instead of eased back into position, making reloading faster

huh?

•Deep, beveled and flared magazine well to assist reloading under stress

ok

•Magazine lugs prevent operator from jamming magazine too far in under stress.

ok

•Spring-loaded firing pin prevents slam-fires


•Trigger and charging handle faces are wide and rounded to prevent discomfort while operating them, since muscle memory will subconsciously make operate them more slowly to avoid thin parts cutting into their fingers

hmm. tough. The problem is they need to be easily felt through Nomex gloves. I personally think the trigger should be have edges, to make finger location more indexable. Charging handle needs to be big enough to get a boot on.

•Textured pistol grip, hand guard and magazine sides improve grip

ok

•There is a small protrusion underneath the trigger to protect it, instead of a full trigger guard, since the finger rests upon the magazine well anyways with modern assault rifles. This allows comfortable use by people with large or gloved fingers

meh. the trigger guard is ther for a reason, and its not to protect from fingers. I wouldn't mess with it.

•Serial # on outside of lower receiver for quick, easy identification

In the US, its required by Law

•Buttstock folds and locks securely to the left from 800mm to 500mm overall length

OK

•RIS (Rail Integration System) allow attachment of various accessories.

•Hand guard can be removed to be replaced with a handguard with built in accessories, such as bipods, vertical foregrips, grenade launchers, to save weight and space.

•Trapdoor in buttstock allows spare parts or small weights to be inserted to help maintain balance of rifle when accessories are added.

ok

•QCB(Quick Change Barrel) can be quickly unscrewed for replacement or maintenance

ok

•Bull Barrel absorbs heat generated during automatic fire

I'd rather have fins to get rid of the heat faster. Bull barrels can absorb a lot of heat, but they also take a long time to get rid of it.

•Translucent double-stack magazines have strengthening ribs running lengthwise down the sides, and red numbered graduations letting operator check remaining ammunition quickly. Capacities are 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 round magazines. Can be quickly reloaded from 15-round stripper clips.

How do you intend to build those big mags? also, I'm not sure I want troops to be able to see how much they have in the gun. I want them to change the mag whenever they are in doubt. How about a single spot on near the bottom of the mag to verify full.

•In-line buttstock directs recoil energy into shoulder, reducing muzzle climb

•Threaded for use with a suppressor, multifunction muzzle device which reduces recoil and obscures flash by directing it downwards or a blank firing adaptor colored bright red for visibility to avoid loading incorrect ammo, causing a catastrophic failure.

ok

•B.A.R.S. (Balanced Automatic Recoil System) eliminates the recoil of the reciprocating bolt, like in the AK-107/8.

sounds complicated, and it contradicts with you minimum of moving parts goal.

•Rubber shock-padding at the rear of the bolt, and contact points for the forward-moving counterweight, further reduce felt recoil.

•The shoulder pad is rubber with serrations for increased traction, as well as curved to fit the shape of the shoulder.

Whose shoulder? Have you ever shot a gun with a concave buttplate? They can be quite uncomfortable.

 

[gvnwst]

Sheet metal receiver with spot-welded joints

Why? Just use milled reciever. Slightly heavier, but some of the things you mentioned (cold forged barrel) go aginst it. Wht is the use of a really good, expensive and heavy barrel in a cruddy reciever?

QCB(Quick Change Barrel) can be quickly unscrewed for replacement or maintenance

You may want to put down Quick Detach. They are different, qc is just get it off and on asap. QD will take longer but will have less POI shift.

The shoulder pad is rubber with serrations for increased traction, as well as curved to fit the shape of the shoulder.

Not good.

Long-stroke gas operation, rotating bolt

Short works better for less recoil, and is just as reliable.

Fires the 6.8x45mm SPC intermediate round

Okay, use it. Just don't use the 6.8x43. i don't like that round. The 6.5Grendel is better IMO. Personal preferance.

Bull Barrel absorbs heat generated during automatic fire

Have you noticed that most army guns don't have um? Too heavy to carry all day.

Pull-through" trigger system disengages safety when pulled a quarter way back, fires semi-automatic when pulled halfway, 2-round burst at ¾ of the way, and fully automatic at 600rpm when pulled back completely, eliminating the need for a selector switch and providing instinctive shooting, since the operator will instinctively pull back all the way at short range, and less forcefully at longer range. Each stage of fire will pass a clearly felt point. Immediately pulling back to ¾ will fire 1+2 rounds, effectively a 3-round burst. The system on the M68 resets to three-round burst each time the trigger is released, even if only one or two rounds were fired. A small insert to prevent full automatic fire can be installed during maintenance.

Do this and no one will buy it. Not good enough. Not safe enough.

Bolt catch is released by inserting a fresh magazine, simplifying reloading.

May not be the best of ideas.

Hand-guard never overheats since it doesn’t contact the barrel. It is also cylindrical and angled to be smaller at the muzzle, since people naturally connect their thumb and index while holding something, and being round makes it fit all hand sizes. It extends all the way to the muzzle, making it comfortable for different arm lengths. Grooves in either side give something for the fingers to dig into.

Too heavy,(too long) heat will go through the air and heat the handguards. Basically, free float. These get hot too.

Trigger and charging handle faces are wide and rounded to prevent discomfort while operating them, since muscle memory will subconsciously make operate them more slowly to avoid thin parts cutting into their fingers

You have never fired a wide trigger firearm have you? It is bad. Toatally and completly.

other than this, i agree with Premium and Owen.

 

[General Geoff]

If you want to build a revolutionary assault rifle, find a way for it to weigh 6lbs, fire 5.56mm (or 6.8) ammunition, accept STANAG magazines, and come apart without pin punches. Bonus points for every extra part you can make out of plastic or polymer.


edit; or perfect a feeding, firing and extraction system for caseless ammunition, without it overheating after a 20 round burst of automatic fire.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Capacities are 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 round magazines. Can be quickly reloaded from 15-round stripper clips.

Keep in mind that 30 round 6.8mm magazines are going to be incompatible with a whole lot of existing mag pouches out there and related kit (though I suppose the point of the exercise is not to outline an "ideal, but logistically backwards compatible, assault rifle").

Also, though, 45, 60, and 90 round magazines are very cumbersome and awkward on smaller calibers like 5.45 or 5.56. That's only going to be worse with a larger and heavier intermediate round like 6.8 Rem SPC.

Sideways mounted knife bayonet increases lethality, since an organ stabbed horizontally is more injured than one stabbed vertically. Knife serves non-combat functions, such as opening ammo cans, cutting wire, roots, wood, and digging trenches.

I've never encountered the increased lethality/tissue damage claim before.

Not sure if it's worth sweating on a design spec since bayonet usage for anything but show is so utterly rare -- getting some psychologist and industrial designer to make your bayonet look extra menacing is probably a better use of design funds, since the bayonet is more likely to see usage for crowd control or herding prisoners than in real close combat.

For that (since it rarely happens when people have time to fix bayonets anyway), I'd say something like the Yankee Hill "aggressive" comps and brakes is more likely to see some utility and actual combat use than a bayonet. Muzzle striking has a lot to recommend it in terms of super close range use of the rifle or carbine.

 

[Walkalong]

Interesting. Complete conjecture, but interesting.

 

[Glockman17366]

You must remember...these are not..repeat, NOT Assault Rifles!
These are semi-automatice sporting rifles wi detachable magazines.

Don't play into the anti-rights racists' (like Obama) hands by using their erroneous terminology.

 

[woodybrighton]

we still use bayonets and we issue a bullpup rifle.
also the british have a blank only magazine that will only take blank ammo and a blank firing adaptor that is tested to take 3 live rounds before breaking
some good ideas some pump ones

 

[Owen]

No Glockman, we are actually talking about assault rifles. Note the whole section on select fire?

But then, i'm guessing your PC knee jerked so high, it obscured the monitor before you had a chance to read anything.

 

[mljdeckard]

When I was a younger single man, I had friends who were total nerds who made lists of the attributes of their ideal woman. They had requirements like; "Her first name can't sound silly in front of my last name", "must love sweet pickles but not dill pickles", "Must have the same level of faith in the same religion as me", and so on.

I laughed out loud at them. I told them, "You know who your ideal woman is? The one who knows you speak fluent Klingon and still is willing to spend time with you. When you find THAT woman, you shouldn't ask the dealer for another hit." Life showed me to be correct. The women they wound up marrying were far short of filling everything on the list, but they were better than these guys deserved.

You sound like Homer, when he met his long lost brother who works for a car manufacturer, and let him take full control of a new car project. He added a seperate compartment for children so that the adults wouldn't be disturbed, seven horn buttons because you can never find it when you need it. An engine that lets EVERYONE know you are coming. The monstrosity was so big and bad it bankrupted the company.

It's not like arms designers have ever quit trying to design the perfect rifle. But the more specific you get, the more you narrow your target market. The more little trinkets and details you add, the less you will be able to adjust the same platform for changing times, technology, and mission.

There comes a point at which the USER must make the most of the rifle, and not expect the rifle design to do everything FOR HIM.

 

[maddog1775]

I can see you put a lot of thought into this. My two cents:

•Field stripped without tools

Hardly revolutionary, but good.

•Waterproof to 20 meters so maintenance isn’t needed after surfacing
•Corrosion-resistant, high impact, heat treated stainless steel components (Chrome/moly)

These are one in the same. A rifle won't stop working just because it got wet. As long as water can drain quickly the only problem you face is corrosion.

•Wide Clearances between moving parts for reliability
•Few, large, and robust moving parts for durability and reliabilty
•Thick Breech to prevent chamber explosion
•Oversized gas piston, tube, and port

Precise fitting of parts so that they undergo the same exact range of motion and lock up the same way every time will serve better from a reliability standpoint. Tolerances should not be too tight but they shouldn't rattle around either. Also, with modern materials, parts don't have to be big to be robust. Parts of the gas system should not be over- or undersized. They have to be the correct size for the operating system to ensure cycling.

•The top of the magazine is machined from a single steel billet, making it practically impossible to damage the feed-lips causing jams or Failures-To-Feed
•Translucent double-stack magazines have strengthening ribs running lengthwise down the sides, and red numbered graduations letting operator check remaining ammunition quickly. Capacities are 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 round magazines. Can be quickly reloaded from 15-round stripper clips.

I placed these together for obvious reasons. There are advantages and disadvantages to both steel and polymer magazines, but you have to choose one. BTW, the plastic in translucent mags is not known for durability, so a window will work better. Just save yourself the effort and have Magpul make them. Also, remember that the 6.8 is a wider round than the 5.56, so a magazine of equivalent size holds about 25 rounds. Magazines that are too long can be a liability.

•Bolt that over-recoils backwards (to reduce chances of short stroke)

OK, but not too far.

•Long-stroke gas operation, rotating bolt

OK, but a short stroke piston will reduce weight and also work reliably. Either way, different strokes for different folks.

•Synthetic furniture
•Sheet metal receiver with spot-welded joints

Why not a polymer receiver? Every ounce of weight saved on a rifle like this is beneficial and polymer will work just as well if not better for the lower receiver.

•Cold-hammer forged barrel
•Disassembles in push-pin hinge open fashion for speed and simplicity
•Cannot begin disassembly with magazine inserted

I fail to see how an inserted magazine could be made to lock the rifle together without adding more parts. Also, this feature could lend a false sense of security as there could still be a round in the chamber. Instead, the operator should be forced to develop the habit of clearing the rifle before maintenance. It is just an unnecessary feature.

•Cleaning kit stored in a trapdoor in the buttstock, with a cleaning rod running under the barrel, in the same style as the AK-47.
•Breech and gas tube are accessible for cleaning from the back
Cannot be disassembled past parts that need maintenance
•Parts that are removed during regular maintenance are sprayed with white phosphorescent paint (also known as “glow in the dark” paint) to prevent loss

This was addressed above. Its just not a good idea.

•Fires the 6.8x45mm SPC intermediate round

OK and it may be the direction some military units eventually go it, but the Grendel may be more "ideal." Maybe a multi-caliber weapon in same vein as the SCAR or XCR.

•Folding “Ghost Ring” style night sights are both attached to the upper receiver so they are not misaligned after reassembly, and don’t block mounted optics

Same argument as the posters above. Night sights are not required if optics are used and there is the problem of hiding the tritium lamp.

•Sideways mounted knife bayonet increases lethality, since an organ stabbed horizontally is more injured than one stabbed vertically. Knife serves non-combat functions, such as opening ammo cans, cutting wire, roots, wood, and digging trenches.

I guess its not a bad idea, but I have never heard this.

•Removable Sling

They make permanent ones?

•"Pull-through" trigger system disengages safety when pulled a quarter way back, fires semi-automatic when pulled halfway, 2-round burst at ¾ of the way, and fully automatic at 600rpm when pulled back completely, eliminating the need for a selector switch and providing instinctive shooting, since the operator will instinctively pull back all the way at short range, and less forcefully at longer range. Each stage of fire will pass a clearly felt point. Immediately pulling back to ¾ will fire 1+2 rounds, effectively a 3-round burst. The system on the M68 resets to three-round burst each time the trigger is released, even if only one or two rounds were fired. A small insert to prevent full automatic fire can be installed during maintenance.

Good idea on paper, terrible in practice. A hyped up soldier or Marine in combat will be pulling the trigger hard, no matter how well trained he is. Trust me on this one. Full auto in a rifle is also highly overrated. There are actually very few situations in which rapid semiautomatic fire will not serve you better. Switching the rifle to full-auto should be a rare and conscious decision.

•Completely smooth and streamlined matte black synthetic exterior to prevent the weapon from shining, rusting, catching on vegetation or clothing (or knobs and selectors from breaking off), or the user from burning or freezing his hands to the metal in extreme temperatures.

Black is a target indicator. Coyote brown or gray are less conspicuous.

•Hand-guard never overheats since it doesn’t contact the barrel. It is also cylindrical and angled to be smaller at the muzzle, since people naturally connect their thumb and index while holding something, and being round makes it fit all hand sizes. It extends all the way to the muzzle, making it comfortable for different arm lengths. Grooves in either side give something for the fingers to dig into.

Free float handguards are nice, but will still heat up. An aluminum heat shield is still a must.

•Bolt catch is released by inserting a fresh magazine, simplifying reloading.

I don't like it. There is too much possibility of the bolt being released prematurely causing it to go home on an empty chamber, or for it to fail to release and the operator forget to do it manually (as he is no longer conditioned to do so). Closing the bolt should be a manual operation, the user must remain very conscious of what condition the weapon is in.

•Thick, ambidextrous non-reciprocating charging handle can be safely released, instead of eased back into position, making reloading faster

OK, but a reversible, reciprocating charging handle like in the SCAR would probably be more in keeping with your goal of simplicity and reliability. A reciprocating charging handle can be used as a forward assist if neccessary.

•Deep, beveled and flared magazine well to assist reloading under stress

Cool.

•Magazine lugs prevent operator from jamming magazine too far in under stress.

OK, but the main problem with reloading is the mag not being forced in far enough, I have never encountered a rifle in which loading too forcefully was an issue.

•Spring-loaded firing pin prevents slam-fires

I agree. A free-floating firing pin is a flaw in the AR design.

•Trigger and charging handle faces are wide and rounded to prevent discomfort while operating them, since muscle memory will subconsciously make operate them more slowly to avoid thin parts cutting into their fingers

Better to just avoid sharp edges. Rounded parts are more difficult to reliably index on. Not good for muscle memory.

•Textured pistol grip, hand guard and magazine sides improve grip

OK, but excessive texturing on mags could make them slower to remove from a pouch, especially with double mag pouches.

•There is a small protrusion underneath the trigger to protect it, instead of a full trigger guard, since the finger rests upon the magazine well anyways with modern assault rifles. This allows comfortable use by people with large or gloved fingers

Trigger guards are not there to protect your hands, they are there to keep the trigger from snagging on brush, clothing, etc. Don't mess with it. Any winter trigger guard will accomplish your goal.

•Serial # on outside of lower receiver for quick, easy identification
•Buttstock folds and locks securely to the left from 800mm to 500mm overall length
•RIS (Rail Integration System) allow attachment of various accessories.
•Hand guard can be removed to be replaced with a handguard with built in accessories, such as bipods, vertical foregrips, grenade launchers, to save weight and space.
•Trapdoor in buttstock allows spare parts or small weights to be inserted to help maintain balance of rifle when accessories are added.

All nice features.

•QCB(Quick Change Barrel) can be quickly unscrewed for replacement or maintenance

OK, but quick change barrels are not neccessary on rifles. You are not going to carry an extra barrel to swap out in combat like you would with a machine gun. Robinson actually has the right idea with their XCR. The barrel can easily be removed an replaced for maintenance or swapping calibers, but you need a tool to do it.

•Bull Barrel absorbs heat generated during automatic fire

The chief concern with a bull barrel is reducing vibration for increased accuracy. The trade off is weight. The best bet for reducing heat build up is a fluted barrel or one with cooling fins. Remember also, it is a rifle. A trained user will spend very little if any time using it for automatic fire.

•In-line buttstock directs recoil energy into shoulder, reducing muzzle climb
•Threaded for use with a suppressor, multifunction muzzle device which reduces recoil and obscures flash by directing it downwards or a blank firing adaptor colored bright red for visibility to avoid loading incorrect ammo, causing a catastrophic failure.

Good, but quite common features.

•B.A.R.S. (Balanced Automatic Recoil System) eliminates the recoil of the reciprocating bolt, like in the AK-107/8.

The Russians did not adopt the AK-107 in part because the system was overly complex and expensive. It also would have to pass rigorous tests to prove its reliability. It may be a good idea, it may not.

•Rubber shock-padding at the rear of the bolt, and contact points for the forward-moving counterweight, further reduce felt recoil.

Rubber also recoils, increasing cyclic rate, and will degrade over time. It may be good for some applications, but you can't coat the whole thing in rubber and expect it to recoil like a .22.

•The shoulder pad is rubber with serrations for increased traction, as well as curved to fit the shape of the shoulder.

OK except for the concave part. A flat buttstock will work just fine and accommodate a wider range of shooters and body armor.

By the way, regarding your silent projectile: If there is a big hole drilled through the center of the bullet, how does it fire? Has it been used in a suppressed weapon? Does the concept work in testing?

 

[grimjaw]

Regig, I'd be interested to see what you designed this rifle to do versus its actual utility. What does it do that the M16/M4 does not?

The 'heavy is bad' mantra is very important. Have you seen the US individual troop loadout lately? My back cries in agony from just looking at pictures of these guys. Not only do they have to haul that gear, they have to FIGHT in it. Humping a heavy barreled rifle that's arguably no more accurate than the one it replaced doesn't sound like an improvement.

I'm glad you put thought into these things, though. It makes for interesting discussion.

jm

 

[Anteater1717]

Improvements?

Mainly to save weight and make manufacturing simpler.

Field stripped without tools
•Waterproof to 20 meters so maintenance isn’t needed after surfacing
•Corrosion-resistant, high impact, heat treated stainless steel components (Chrome/moly)
Wide Clearances between moving parts for reliability
Wide Clearances between moving parts for reliability
•Few, large, and robust moving parts for durability and reliability
•Thick Breech to prevent chamber explosion
•Polymer magazine with stamped stainless feed lips
•Bolt that over-recoils backwards (to reduce chances of short stroke)
•short-stroke gas operation, rotating bolt similar to VZ-58
•Synthetic furniture
•Milled aluminum receiver
•Cold-hammer forged barrel
•Disassembles in push-pin hinge open fashion for speed and simplicity
•Cleaning kit stored in a trapdoor in the butt stock, collapsible cleaning rod, Like an AR-15
•Breech and gas tube are accessible for cleaning from the back
•Parts that are removed during regular maintenance are sprayed with white phosphorescent paint (also known as “glow in the dark” paint) to prevent loss
•Fires the 5.56x45mm with 70 grain bullets intermediate round
•Protected adjustable peep style night sights one attached to the upper receiver the other to the barrel so they are not misaligned after reassembly, and don’t block mounted optics
•Sideways mounted knife bayonet increases lethality, since an organ stabbed horizontally is more injured than one stabbed vertically. Knife serves non-combat functions, such as opening ammo cans, cutting wire, roots, wood, and digging trenches.
•Removable Sling
•Simple two stage trigger with Safe, Semi-Auto, and Full-Auto, ~4lb trigger pull With Ambidextrous safety. Similar to VZ-58 ergonomically.
•Completely smooth and streamlined Anodized receiver
•Ergonomic hand gaurd similar to Ar-15 with aluminum heat shield
•Bolt catch is released by inserting a fresh magazine, simplifying reloading.
•Thick, ambidextrous non-reciprocating charging handle can be safely released, instead of eased back into position, making reloading faster, with forward assist
•Deep, beveled and flared magazine well to assist reloading under stress
•Magazine lugs prevent operator from jamming magazine too far in under stress.
•Spring-loaded firing pin prevents slam-fires
•Trigger and charging handle faces are wide and rounded to prevent discomfort while operating them, since muscle memory will subconsciously make operate them more slowly to avoid thin parts cutting into their fingers
•Textured pistol grip and hand guards improve grip
•Larger rounded trigger guard
•Serial # on outside of lower receiver for quick, easy identification
•Butt stock folds and locks securely to the left from 800mm to 500mm overall length, with adjustable length of pull.
•RIS (Rail Integration System) allow attachment of various accessories.
•Hand guard can be removed to be replaced with a hand guard with built in accessories, such as bi pods, vertical fore grips, grenade launchers, to save weight and space.
•Trapdoor in butt stock allows spare parts or small weights to be inserted to help maintain balance of rifle when accessories are added.
•QCB(Quick Change Barrel) can be quickly unscrewed for replacement or maintenance
•Medium profile barrel to allow quick cooling and to save weight, 1:7 twist
•Translucent double-stack magazines have strengthening ribs running lengthwise down the sides, and red numbered graduations letting operator check remaining ammunition quickly. Capacities are 20, 30, 50, 120 round drums. Can be quickly reloaded from 10-round stripper clips. Constant curve design and anti-tilt folower.
•In-line butt stock directs recoil energy into shoulder, reducing muzzle climb
•Threaded for use with a suppressor, multifunction muzzle device which reduces recoil and obscures flash by directing it sideways or a blank firing adapter colored bright red for visibility to avoid loading incorrect ammo, causing a catastrophic failure.
•Flat serrated hard rubber Butt-pad, with steal liner.

 

[Kymasabe]

I'm still intrigued by the bullet idea. My question is...with a hole drilled completely thru the center of the bullet, how are the gasses in the chamber supposed to push the bullet out without simply blowing thru the hole in the middle? Or did you intend to shoot the thing from your pump action crossbow?

 

[gvnwst]

Only way it would work is with a sabot or a small piece "placed" on teh back of the bullet taht would stay in handleing, but fall off after firing. some kind of epoxy should do that.