Poll: Firearms F.A.Q. IRL Edition (read first post if you are entering thread for the first time)

[Stickyreiss]

Assault rifle design: which do you feel is better, bullpup (action and magazine behind the trigger, examples would be the Steyr AUG or P90) or traditional (action and magazine ahead of the trigger, examples would be the M4 and AK-47)?

Personally, I feel that the bullpup design is much better, albeit you're sacrificing some range accuracy. But a full size, traditional assault rifle is so useless in modern warfare (heh...pun not intended), which is generally based around urban areas. You have long-range accuracy, but what's the point? You're gonna be fighting close quarters anyway.

I really don't know enough to give you an expert opinion, but I had the opportunity to fire a Civvie model Styer AUG and I was a little apprehensive knowing that if there was an explosive malfunction, the receiver was right below my jaw, also, bullpup triggers are pretty weird, because of the distance between the striking pin and the trigger housing.

 

[Stickyreiss]

Speaking as a fellow gun nut, good job on a thread.

I've got a collection of old and new rifles, many of which I use for hunting. I mostly hunt deer, but also get paid by municipalities to take out dangerous wildlife, such as wolves or bears that endanger humans/cattle. (it's under the table, but the police chief is the one doing the paying).

Just curious, what calibre/gun do you prefer for what kind of shooting, in case you have a variety of firearms at your disposal. IE what do you use for general target practise, hunting and such.

I've got my .22 range rifle for sport shooting, a Sako .22 "bird gun", SIG SHR970 in .300 win mag for range shooting and hunting, An Enfield L42A1 .308 for hunting, a Tikka T3 Varmint Stainless in .308 for big game hunting and my favourite, SAKO TRG 42 in .338 Lapua for big game. Also a bunch of old military rifles including a Lee-Enfield, an FN made Mauser k98k designated sniper rifle and an M 1944 carbine.

for plinking at the range, .22 most of the time because of the price, don't hunt, I have the colt anaconda and a Yugoslavian K98 with matching numbers, and a generic .22 LR break breach rifle. and I'm jealous and skeptical about your SAKO, but anyways have fun loading it with $5 bills *ba dum tis*

 

[Pyro Paul]

just as a general question.
what ranges do you try to reach out to?

 

[Stickyreiss]

the FN S.C.A.R. is my favorite for the Standard issue rifle it can be chambered in 5.56 and 7.62, and the H&K 416 is being looked at to phase out the SAW due to weight issues. the XM8 has problems with melting polymer, and has no rail system for attachments. the M4 and M16-A4 will remain the workhorse of the majority of our forces for some time.

the FN Special forces Combat Assault Rifle is not a standard issue weapon. it is deployed by US-SOCOM in an attempt to create a modular combat weapon which can be altered on field to better accomidate the task at hand.

the XM8 was a poorly designed weapon which was built purely on an idea that had trouble being realized on the end. however that doesn't stop it from it being the 'future rifle' every one looks for because of its sleek smooth design.

the M249 is going to stay in service for a rather long time. the weapon is so useful that many military forces are continually investing in refurbishment programs to extend the lives of their existing weapons while also purchasing newly produced ones.

for the USMC the M249 is going to be phased out with the newly introduced IAR, an M4 varient, and the US Army plans to simply replace the old M249s with newer SAWs (Mk. 46/48)

the M16 is going to remain a primary force weapon for a very long time simply because it is one of the best weapons designed for professional armies. its high velocity round, supurb accuracy, and rate of fire make it a weapon of choice for professional armies everywhere. this is no more apparent with weapons like the M416 which take the entire weapon and simply change one facet or function to improve upon it rather than redesigning a weapon from the ground up.

when I said that the SCAR was my favorite for standard issue, I was talking about when they phase out the current Rifles. and the H&K 416 is one of the leading contenders for the IAR.
the M16 does have many jamming issues, with many documented cases in the battlefield during firefights.

 

[Stickyreiss]

Should I get a Remington 1100 12 bore shotgun for £410, or save up a bit more money and get a slightly more posh over and under shotgun like all the people I go shooting with. I'm fairly aware of the pro's and con's of each, I'd just like an educated second opinion. Bearing in mind I'll be mainly using it for clays, and most sporting shooters in the UK use O&A guns...

Also, what is your opinion of the .17HMR round? Is it as good as everyone says for small game/ varmint hunting. Its just I heard some guy at the range saying he could headshot rabbits with it at 200 yards. Pretty good for a rimfire.

My personal preference is towards sexy O/U style, and .17 HMR is great for small game.

Sexy O&A it is then


Goodbye hard earned moneys...

And yeah, I'm really keen on getting a .17HMR to rid the garden of rabbits and pigeons, as well as a bit of plinking and target shooting. Getting hold of one will be a ***** though. UK shotgun laws are pretty reasonable, but rifles are a whole different story...

Hope u dont mind me answering that guys question a few posts ago

have fun, and no worries about earlier

So you quoted me and you erm... wrote nothing?

wrote it in the wrong place, i fixed it above.

 

[Spitfire175]

I really don't know enough to give you an expert opinion, but I had the opportunity to fire a Civvie model Styer AUG and I was a little apprehensive knowing that if there was an explosive malfunction, the receiver was right below my jaw, also, bullpup triggers are pretty weird, because of the distance between the striking pin and the trigger housing.[/quote]
I second that weirdness, I've tried a TAR-21 and it was, let's say, strange, at least compared to an M4. However, having been through actual military training, I have to say the bullpup really does have a point. Not sure if it's groundbreaking, though. And, the "traditional system" is IMO much easier to operate and more reliable.

 

[MercenaryCanary]

...

That thing is just too damn huge.

OT: Justify the right to bear arms in the USA when the firearms murder rate is substantialy lower in countries where the average citizen cannot own a gun, and specifically handguns.

Finland's got a pretty low rate of violent crime, yet the highest rate of gun ownership in Europe. It's not as simple as ban guns and crime will go down, there's all sorts of other factors.

Switzerland is pretty much the same as Finland.

 

[murphy7801]

...

That thing is just too damn huge.

OT: Justify the right to bear arms in the USA when the firearms murder rate is substantialy lower in countries where the average citizen cannot own a gun, and specifically handguns.

Finland's got a pretty low rate of violent crime, yet the highest rate of gun ownership in Europe. It's not as simple as ban guns and crime will go down, there's all sorts of other factors.

Though need to take into account to fact in that statement Finland has low population and low population density and highest in europe still is not that high say compared to some places(you know who you are).

 

[Wadders]

have fun, and no worries about earlier

Haha, dont worry, all these quotes can get pretty damn confusin' With regards to the guns, fun will be had in the near future I hope, once I sort my license out, thanks for the advice

 

[Spitfire175]

for plinking at the range, .22 most of the time because of the price, don't hunt, I have the colt anaconda and a Yugoslavian K98 with matching numbers, and I'm jealous and skeptical about your SAKO, but anyways have fun loading it with $5 bills *ba dum tis*

Heh, indeed, the SAKO is for special occasions only. I had it with me in Germany in a convention where I went sort of "hit-a-maniac" on the long range test range. I got shots up to 850 metres, but at the end of the day I realised I had banged away 600 euros. Ouchies. It is, however, in my mind an unparalleled weapon.

 

[Stickyreiss]

I have a question. Well, a set of questions, anyway.

Could you briefly discuss the anatomy and functional characteristics of a sniper rifle (of your choice, I'm just thinking medium- to long-range precision shooting of some sort) and talk a little bit about one or two such rifles? I've always been captivated by the one-shot-needed tool, but never really had any sort of introduction to what they actually are and do and look like.

.388 lapua is easily my favorite (i would say best) extreme range pinpoint accuracy round. too bad its 5 bucks a pop, and my dream rifle is a Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Super Magnum (L96) chambered in .388
the mechanism is a basic bolt action Mag fed rifle, feeds from a 5 round box magazine.
here is the wiki on bolt actions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_action

 

[Stickyreiss]

just as a general question.
what ranges do you try to reach out to?

25-100m with my .22
25-250m(longest shot by me) with my Yugo K98
10-40m with the anaconda
i made a 600m shot with my buddy's scoped Remington M700

 

[Spitfire175]

...

That thing is just too damn huge.

OT: Justify the right to bear arms in the USA when the firearms murder rate is substantialy lower in countries where the average citizen cannot own a gun, and specifically handguns.

Finland's got a pretty low rate of violent crime, yet the highest rate of gun ownership in Europe. It's not as simple as ban guns and crime will go down, there's all sorts of other factors.

Switzerland is pretty much the same as Finland.

No it isn't. The Swiss keep their army service rifles at home. Finns have loads of old weapons just laying in the attics and basements, just rusting away, plus about one million unregistered firearms, once taken into hiding from the Russians. The violence rates in Finland is actually quite high, but guns are not a part of it, it's mostly baseball bats and kitchen knives.
/nitpick
PS. A Finn here.

 

[Spitfire175]

just as a general question.
what ranges do you try to reach out to?

I'm gonna answer too.

25-75 metres with my .22
25-75-200 with older rifles that were made before the Soviet Union existed
25-75-250 for military rifles used in WW2
23-75-500 for my big hitters on a range. When hunting, the average range is 100-200 metres.
100-900 metres for my SAKO TRG. The longest shot I've taken is 902 metres, I did hit the target, but that was quite a lucky shot. The average for TRG in my hands in 300 or so.

 

[Reep]

This is probably a stupid question, but how far can a bullet travel upwards? You see people firing guns into the air and i keep wondering where it lands.

One story i heard was of a person who stayed up late instead of going to bed early, the person heard a loud crash and went into their bedroom to find a bullet hole in their pillow from a falling bullet.

Im not sure if this is a myth but damn.

 

[Del-Toro]

...

That thing is just too damn huge.

OT: Justify the right to bear arms in the USA when the firearms murder rate is substantialy lower in countries where the average citizen cannot own a gun, and specifically handguns.

I'm a little curious as to where you draw the line, do you mean that you want handguns and other easily body concealable weapons are banned but you would be ok with rifles for hunting purposes which have to be registered and licensed or do you just want a straight out ban on anything with a trigger, a muzzle and a barrel?

I only really want to know so I understand where you are coming from, because around here (Canada) there is a priviledge to bear arms but not a right, and that priviledge can be easily revoked. We do have gun crime here, but it's mainly from illegal guns.

 

[Stickyreiss]

This is probably a stupid question, but how far can a bullet travel upwards? You see people firing guns into the air and i keep wondering where it lands.

One story i heard was of a person who stayed up late instead of going to bed early, the person heard a loud crash and went into their bedroom to find a bullet hole in their pillow from a falling bullet.

Im not sure if this is a myth but damn.

the height of the bullet is determined by height=[(initial vertical velocity)(time)]x[(1/2)(-9.81)(time squared)] so you can see that the initial velocity determines the height.
and the terminal velocity of the bullet on the way down isn't enough to pierce a roof

 

[Stickyreiss]

just as a general question.
what ranges do you try to reach out to?

I'm gonna answer too.

25-75 metres with my .22
25-75-200 with older rifles that were made before the Soviet Union existed
25-75-250 for military rifles used in WW2
23-75-500 for my big hitters on a range. When hunting, the average range is 100-200 metres.
100-900 metres for my SAKO TRG. The longest shot I've taken is 902 metres, I did hit the target, but that was quite a lucky shot. The average for TRG in my hands in 300 or so.

place your fist on the screen so I can bro fist you through the internet

 

[LGC Pominator]

Le snip

Thanks man, you have given a lot more information than I have been able to get anywhere else, granted I dare not go to gun enthusiast forums for obvious reasons =] But you have definitely cleared up a lot of my understanding issues with guns.
As for point 2, I just REALLY want a gun like that, however I also want an FGX nightshade series pushblade and a skull headed sword-cane from cold-steel, so I know you can't always get what you want... until you move to america!
3 guesses where Im going once I am done with my university degree? (bloody hell I will be 23 by then! Old bastard I am getting to be!)

Anyway, cheers for all of your help, Im going to do the responsible thing now and raid the chemistry department for the necessary materials to make one of those .950 JDJ rounds and hopefully get around to designing a rudimentary weapon with which to fire it, so if you start hearing reports of a large group of chavs getting simultaneously murdered euthanised in leeds, then you know I have succeeded in developing my 360-controller, arm mounted, car battery powered, radiator steam operated HAND gun (as in that will become my hand after some extensive modification!)
ah a boy can dream can he not?

 

[Stickyreiss]

Le snip

Thanks man, you have given a lot more information than I have been able to get anywhere else, granted I dare not go to gun enthusiast forums for obvious reasons =] But you have definitely cleared up a lot of my understanding issues with guns.
As for point 2, I just REALLY want a gun like that, however I also want an FGX nightshade series pushblade and a skull headed sword-cane from cold-steel, so I know you can't always get what you want... until you move to america!
3 guesses where Im going once I am done with my university degree? (bloody hell I will be 23 by then! Old bastard I am getting to be!)

Anyway, cheers for all of your help, Im going to do the responsible thing now and raid the chemistry department for the necessary materials to make one of those .950 JDJ rounds and hopefully get around to designing a rudimentary weapon with which to fire it, so if you start hearing reports of a large group of chavs getting simultaneously murdered euthanised in leeds, then you know I have succeeded in developing my 360-controller, arm mounted, car battery powered, radiator steam operated HAND gun (as in that will become my hand after some extensive modification!)
ah a boy can dream can he not?

1. make a rifle chambered in .950 JDJ
2. Give it to chavs and watch it explode when they use it
3. ?????
4. Profit!
and I'm always glad to teach people new things =)