Me - circa 1986...

[Woodlouse2002]

Second best, and just what might we be considering the first?

Lee Enfield MkIII SMLE.

[Wing Nut]

[quote]Greetings from one tanker to another!

[ATI_7500]

Second best, and just what might we be considering the first?

Nothing can beat the AK47/74 family. Favoured by every commie and terrorist in the world. And they've got their reasons...

[Woodlouse2002]

Assult Rifle wise nothing can touch the AK47. It just works and works and works. A true case of just getting it right.

Normal riflewise though, you cannot beat an SMLE.

[ATI_7500]

It just works and works and works. A true case of just getting it right.

..because it was based on the german StG44. *Cough*

[Woodlouse2002]

..because it was based on the german StG44. *Cough*

Yup. They opened it up, took out everything that wasn't absolutely necessary and closed it back up again with everthing but trigger, breech and firing pin removed.

[ATI_7500]

One time, during my dad's military service in the east german army back in the seventies, the first seargeant said to a comerade of his: "Rifle not clean, do that again". Well, and since the term "Kalashnikov" and "cleaning" are not necissarily compulsory, that guy just went back to the dormatory, threw his rifle on his bed, waited ten minutes and took the rifle back to the seargeant. The seargeant took a look at the rifle and just said "Clean, you can go".  ;D

[USMC_BEANS]

The AK series is a nice weapon when fired one round at a time, but remember, its the person firing the weapon that makes it great.  Take it from me, I have had thousands of rounds fired at me from AKs, RPKs, SVDs, RPGs, etc. and I am still here.  However I saw Marine Infantry making head shots at long range with their new M-16A4s on a regular basis.  So if you ask me, its the person behind the weapon that makes it great, sometimes it just helps not to have a piece of crap in your hands.

[Woodlouse2002]

Sure, you can give someone the best equipment in the world but if they havn't been trained to use it then it's not going to perform well. Almost everyone I've spoken to who was in the armed forces says that the AK47 is the best assault rifle out there. And I'm afraid to say that most of them seem to think the M16 is really rather poor in comparison.

[ATI_7500]

And US soldiers fighting in 'Nam very often swapped their M-16A1 for AK-47s taken from dead Vietcong. Another point for the AK.

[Ivan]

Its said the russians use their guns to hammer the nails for their tents... Spares a few thousand hammers