What Do You Want in a Combat Rifle

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CmdrSlander

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What features, must haves and luxuries alike, would you want on an automatic, military combat rifle? The rifle would of course see hard use in sand, mud, snow, water and a variety of other conditions. If you were heading into a warzone, what gun would you bring and how would it be set up? This isn't meant to be a fantasy thread, I'm interested in reading what Vets and Active Duty service members want on their rifles and what rifle/variant they would carry given unlimited choice, though anyone can reply, if you do have military experience please say so.
 
M14's, and M16's worked fine for me.

Although I must admit.
Given a choice between me or my rifle falling & landing in mud, sand, snow, or water first.

It would always be me.

You protect your weapon at all costs from abuse like that.

rc
 
I've used the M2 Carbine, M1 rifle and the Browning Automatic Rifle (as an adviser to the ARVN), the M16A1 and the accurized M14 (pre-M21) in combat. I pick the accurized M14.
 
#1 - Every time I pull the trigger, it goes bang. No if's, ands or buts.
#2 - If it fails to fire, it has to be field serviceable by me, barring a major catastrophe.
#3 - If I run out of ammo, it has to be heavy enough to be a good club.
 
a piston AR-15 will solve alot of those problems...
Click to expand...
You don't know much about GI's do you?

They can break a brand new ball bearing.
And then lose the steel balls playing marbles with them.

There is nothing at all wrong with the DI M-16/M4 if you take case of it like you should be taking care of any weapon.

rc
 
You don't know much about GI's do you?

They can break a brand new ball bearing.
And then lose the steel balls playing marbles with them.

There is nothing at all wrong with the DI M-16/M4 if you take case of it like you should be taking care of any weapon.
Click to expand...

As old Colonel Brumbach used to say, "You can put the average GI in the middle of the desert with an anvil and a case of C-rations. When you come back, you'll find a broken anvil and a pile of <removed>.":p
 
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I'd take a flat top AR with an ACOG. Rifle if I was not piling in and out of vehicles, carbine if I must. I'd want a good comp like a Cooley on the end. Auto fire is not needed so I'd leave that to the gunners. Decent float tubes and only the little extras that would make my life easier. No lasers or lights unless the mission required it. But then again I will never see combat...
 
In order my criteria are: 100% reliability. Good enough ballistics. Good enough accuracy. Good enough ergonomics.

BSW
 
I want a percission 8 lbs (or less) 308 piston driven AR with an 18" barrel. Flat top rail, telescoping stock with a 50+rd drum and dual pistol grips. Sadly I don't know anyone that makes anything like that.
 
If I'd my druthers, my combat rifle would come with a battalion of Marines to run it. :) Not having that option, and being an old ex-squid who used the M-14 for many duties, I wouldn't mind one like that, but a little bit lighter. Since I'm not exactly a fire breathing combat vet, (one day of combat that I barely saw), I'll stick with the easy stuff;
Goes bang every time I pull the trigger,
keeps working every time I pull the trigegr,
hits what I aim at,
puts down what I hit,
doesn't weigh a ton after 20 miles.
My Army JROTC senior Army instructor used to wave the 1903A3s we had, and say, "This rifle weighs eight point six nine pounds combat loaded. After twenty miles the decimal point disappears!" he was very disappointed when I went Navy. :)
Guess my vz-58 does all of that and then some.
 
Plenty happy with M-16, really liked the M-14, as well. The M-60 was great when mounted on a vehicle.
 
Kachok said:
I want a percission 8 lbs (or less) 308 piston driven AR with an 18" barrel. Flat top rail, telescoping stock with a 50+rd drum and dual pistol grips. Sadly I don't know anyone that makes anything like that.
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that's the beauty of an AR, you can build them your self any way you want...

i myself would be good to go with a Piston AR in .300 ACC Blackout with an EOTech holo with one of those little 3x magnifiers that i can just flip to the side for close quarters, and hell might as well put a baynet on it, would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it...
 
For me - best was M-16 A-2, collapsable stock (had to switch back for IG inspections), 4 power "Blitz" scopes, SS109 and cherry picked mags. I never found a fault in accuracy, reliability, terminal performance or portability. Absolutely loved those set-ups and have a semi in the same now. We hated giving these up when the M-4s came around.

I also became enamored with the pencil barreled, 1/7 CARS just before the M-4s. The A-2 with a fixed stock was just a touch too long for motorcycles in general and in a "get off" in particular.
 
My Army JROTC senior Army instructor used to wave the 1903A3s we had, and say, "This rifle weighs eight point six nine pounds combat loaded. After twenty miles the decimal point disappears!"
Click to expand...

Now that's funny. :)
 
Dorkfish88 said:
that's the beauty of an AR, you can build them your self any way you want...

i myself would be good to go with a Piston AR in .300 ACC Blackout with an EOTech holo with one of those little 3x magnifiers that i can just flip to the side for close quarters, and hell might as well put a baynet on it, would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it...
Click to expand...
I want the 308 for the large hogs around here, a 300 blackout might do OK on them but a 308 carries alot more punch, I want to shoot them back to back without worrying about if the last one dropped or not.
 
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