problem i have with modern military rifles.. theyre intended to be just one rifle within a larger group of rifles..
This is a topic, outside the confines of this thread (maybe) that I think deserves a lot more attention, especially considering how so many people make "battle proven" or "currently fielded"
the factor for determining a design's worthiness or effectiveness. The issue of designing to statistics rather than individual needs not only results in what we consider deficiencies, but also gross excesses. Neither serves a savvy user very well, which is why I like to approach the topic of rifle design
objectively, from a components/design feature perspective. Bottom up design tailored to unique needs; not top down tailored to current tactics or best practices.
A case in point is favoring a particular rifle for its
sights; a feature which can be transplanted onto any and every other platform there is or ever has been. And yet it is the most frequently cited feature I hear when the M1 family is praised (but not the contraption of an op-rod, for some reason
)
all to be cheap, and managable by a variety of people which do include women...
Exactly the same thing can be said about the Mosin (well, now that we have women on the front lines
), and many people
love those guns for that fact. Granted, I've never understood the "simplicity" argument after looking at the MN bolt design, nor the "peasant-simple operability" when it comes to the various quirks and stuck bolts inherent in Mosin-dom. But for many folks, the fact a rifle was issued to all defines it as sufficient for all.
and as for semi automatics.. a lot of older designs work well, garand, M1a, FAL, FN49, and if youre not reloading the HK91 doesnt even have a gas system to worry about
And Madsen, don't forget the Madsen
. They're still use in Rio to this day
. (seriously; a semi-auto Martini-Henry that will feed
any profile of cartridge/bullet short enough, in a recoil operated platform that is among the shortest in receiver length and reciprocal travel I've yet come across --
probably deserves another look by designers now that CNC auto-milling makes complex shapes just as expensive as simple ones
)
Another platform that may be worth looking at, is the SIG 550 series guns; they are basically an AK bolt/carrier/piston/receiver stuck atop a FCG/magwell lower in the style of an AR with similar ergonomics. The best of both worlds, some might argue. The ARX/SCAR/BREN next-gen rifles coming out seem to be trending toward this direction, too (modular piston design).
"maybe a .30-06 saiga"
Wow, I can honestly say I learned something new today. Did not know there was another semi '06 on the block. More the merrier
TCB