AK-47 inventor: U.S. troops in Iraq prefer my rifle to theirs

[blaire576]

Last update - 13:25 17/04/2006
AK-47 inventor: U.S. troops in Iraq prefer my rifle to theirs
By Reuters

Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the world's most popular assault rifle, says that U.S. soldiers in Iraq are using his invention in
preference to their own weapons, proving that his gun is still the best.

"Even after lying in a swamp you can pick up this rifle, aim it and shoot. That's the best job description there is for a gun. Real soldiers know that and understand it," the 86-year-old gunmaker told a weekend news conference in Moscow.

"In Vietnam, American soldiers threw away their M-16 rifles and used [Kalashnikov] AK-47s from dead Vietnamese soldiers, with bullets they captured. That was because the climate is different to America, where M-16s may work properly," he said.

"Look what's happening now: every day on television we see that the Americans in Iraq have my machine guns and assault rifles in their armored vehicles. Even there American rifles don't work properly."

Some U.S. troops in Iraq have reportedly taken to using AK-47s in preference to the standard-issue M-16. The Cold War-era gun, renowned for its durability and easy handling, is plentiful in Iraq.

Kalashnikov designed his first weapon in 1947 and is still chief constructor at Izhmash arms factory in Izhevsk in the Urals mountains.

The factory's director Vladimir Grodetsky told the news conference that around a billion rifles had been produced around the world using parts of Kalashnikovs or based on the same design, only 10-12 percent of which were made in Russia.

 

[Pengwuino]

I can see with all the sand over there the AK-47 being more reliable. That thing can take some serious crap and still kill.

 

[J77]

If someone uses their enemy's gun, I guess the '`friendly fire statistic drops quite a bit...

 

[Physics is Phun]

You'd think that in the last 50 years SOMEONE would be able to invent a better gun.

 

[BryanP]

Yeah. I remember my friend who was in the US marines telling me about how the M-16 jams so much, even during training. The AK-47 is a far more durable weapon when it comes to using it in different conditions.

 

[J77]

I think the UK guys use AKs - I remember the SA-80s jamming a lot in cold conditions...

 

[Echo 6 Sierra]

As long as you keep the M16A* clean it works just fine. A locking bolt, carbon deposits, oil, and sand have been the bane of American Service members since Colt started production. That being said, there are parts of the day where it's just not practical to clean your weapon. As far as using an AK-47 is concerned, pray and spray is your best bet. Like the M16* there are some that in the hands of the right user are extremely accurate. FYI, Mattel only made the handgrips but did have a toy version of the M16* on the market.

 

[SizarieldoR]

Hahaha, sounded funny at first. And in the games the M16 is always better than the AK - 47.

Anyway - russkaya tehnika.

 

[Raven1972]

You'd think that in the last 50 years SOMEONE would be able to invent a better gun.

There is an old joke that says: NASA spent 50 million Dollars trying to develop an ink pen that worked in Zero gravity for use by astronauts. After many years of testing and some remarkable advances they finally had fulfilled their objective and created a pen that works in space... The Russians just used a pencil...

 

[Pythagorean]

You'd think that in the last 50 years SOMEONE would be able to invent a better gun.

To the military industrial complex, better means more economical and/or efficient; not necessarily better quality :P

 

[Borek]

To the military industrial complex, better means more economical and/or efficient; not necessarily better quality :P

I always thought for military industrial complex better means "one that makes us more money". Quality & efficiency are not parts of the equation.

 

[ibnsos]

The M4 is better than the M16. The main problem lies with the round. Nato 5.56 range and power just doesn't compare to the 7.63. Unless Nato switches rounds I seriously doubt we will either.

 

[Mgt3]

You'd think that in the last 50 years SOMEONE would be able to invent a better gun.

There are better guns. Lots of them. Just not cheaper - to goverments around the world, that's what counts. You have to factor in the power of the weapon too. Guns chambered for more powerful rounds to not lend themselves to easy handling/carrying/round capacity needed in heavy combat.

 

[Pianoman14]

There is an old joke that says: NASA spent 50 million Dollars trying to develop an ink pen that worked in Zero gravity for use by astronauts. After many years of testing and some remarkable advances they finally had fulfilled their objective and created a pen that works in space... The Russians just used a pencil...

Just for the sake of being pedantic, the Space Pen was developed by a private company (Fisher) and was contracted by NASA after its development. The reason NASA didn't want to use pencils in space is because the leads could break off and float around and do all sorts of damage (electrical shorts, jammed parts, etc.)

On the original topic, the M16 is far more accurate than the AK. In slow motion videos, you can actually see the AK's barrel flexing as it fires (primarily because of the recoil and the weight of the bolt). So I don't think that the AK is better then the M4/16, just different. They have different purposes.

 

[Mgt3]

Just for the sake of being pedantic, the Space Pen was developed by a private company (Fisher) and was contracted by NASA after its development. The reason NASA didn't want to use pencils in space is because the leads could break off and float around and do all sorts of damage (electrical shorts, jammed parts, etc.)

On the original topic, the M16 is far more accurate than the AK. In slow motion videos, you can actually see the AK's barrel flexing as it fires (primarily because of the recoil and the weight of the bolt). So I don't think that the AK is better then the M4/16, just different. They have different purposes.

Do you know how deeply the 5.56 round can be made to penetrate?

 

[rolerbe]

The AK is certainly reliable. It will always throw the lead. Generally somewhere in front of you. Accuracy? That's another matter...

 

[turbo]

Actually, the 7.62 NATO round (equivalent to a .308) is powerful and accurate and is short enough to be used in automatic rifles without requiring very long bolt-throws. H&K and FN both make fully-automatic assault rifles chambered for 7.62. I am unsure why the US military has settled for the 5.56 NATO in the Mideast. The round is small and rather light so infantrymen can carry about twice as many rounds as the 7.62, BUT (especially in Afghanistan) our troops get into situations in which the ability to place heavier bullets at long range is very valuable. Simply spraying 5.56 bullets around at targets beyond the effective range of that round, doesn't get the job done.

 

[Danger]

Do you know how deeply the 5.56 round can be made to penetrate?

There are lots of different types of rounds, from frangibles that go in only an inch or two before disintegrating up to tungsten penetrators that will go through your front body armour, your body, your back body armour, and two or three guys standing behind you.

The reason NASA didn't want to use pencils in space is because the leads could break off and float around and do all sorts of damage (electrical shorts, jammed parts, etc.)

The AK is certainly reliable. It will always throw the lead.

Maybe we should design a gun that fires pencils, for the specific purpose of screwing up the enemy's computers.

 

[Pianoman14]

Maybe we should design a gun that fires pencils, for the specific purpose of screwing up the enemy's computers.

Just make sure they are >4B--more graphite = more conductivity = more computers being messed up.

 

[Danger]

Just make sure they are >4B--more graphite = more conductivity = more computers being messed up.

Quite right, not to mention better penetration. Those ridiculous HB's are pretty much useless.

 

[daniel_i_l]

Each gun has it's advantages.
It's true that the AK-47 shoots more powerful rounds but that's not always a good thing. Sometimes wounding is more effective that killing during a firefight because it keeps the enemy busy giving medical assistance. And standard [lead filled] M-16 rounds may inflict a greater wound because even though the bullet is smaller, it gets squished into a disc on impact and can rip quite a hole in the body.

In addition, the AK-47 isn't as safe or as accurate. Because of the fact that it fires a bullet whenever the bolt carrier slides forwards, jolting the gun can cause a round to be fired. And if the pin that stops the bolt carrier comes loose, the gun will keep on firing until the amo is removed. This also makes the AK-47 less accurate because the bolt jolts the gun right after it fires.

But as was mentioned above, the AK-47 doesn't jam as frequently which is a huge advantage in sandy or wet environments.

 

[Pythagorean]

I always thought for military industrial complex better means "one that makes us more money". Quality & efficiency are not parts of the equation.

Well, yes, but outfitting your troops with the top of the line equipment doesn't help the bottom line (too much expenses). Outfitting your troops with equipment that doesn't work at all doesn't help either (no way to get income). So you have to find the in-between that optimizes your gain, i.e. the efficient choice.

 

[turbo]

H&K makes automatic and semi-auto 7.62s that are very comfortable to fire. Instead of the shooter absorbing the recoil in one jolt as is the case with gas-operated actions, the recoil is absorbed by the inertial bolt which travels back and bounces off a rubber-like bumper in the rear of the receiver while ejecting the casing, cocking the action, and loading the next round. Those guns feel like they are rocking forward and backward, instead of climbing and making you lose your sight-picture. Very comfortable to shoot. Their sporterized 7.62 (hunting model) is the most comfortable .308 rifle I have ever shot - bar none. And probably the most accurate. H&K uses polygonal bores (like the old British Whitworth rifles) instead of machined lands and grooves.

 

[loseyourname]

The DOD started looking into outfitting infantry platoons with longer-range direct fire weapons for deployment to Afghanistan, because you're right, the longer range and heavier rounds are needed there. Traditionally, the smaller infantry units were only meant to engage at very close quarters and are built for speed. In Iraq, they were kicking down doors like SWAT teams. Precision is more important than power in extremely close quarters, especially with civilians all over the place in an urban setting. MP platoons would brag about their own use on combat patrols because of their heavier organic firepower.

And the reason the M16 never fires in training is because they train with blanks.

And lol at this thread being 4 years old and randomly resurrected like this.

 

[Jamma]

Hahaha, sounded funny at first. And in the games the M16 is always better than the AK - 47.

Anyway - russkaya tehnika.

Not in counter-strike.