Watchlords

There's a good analogy between these rifles and watches.

I own several AK-47 watches; M-16 watch above my paygrade. Perhaps my PADI Seiko is more like my M-14 (well, Springfield Armory M-1).

Yes, I own and have cleaned and disassembled both rifles. One is rather easy, the other not so much.

bbattle wrote: ↑

September 24th 2020, 8:57am

There's a good analogy between these rifles and watches.

I own several AK-47 watches; M-16 watch above my paygrade. Perhaps my PADI Seiko is more like my M-14 (well, Springfield Armory M-1).

Yes, I own and have cleaned and disassembled both rifles. One is rather easy, the other not so much.

I do not own either one but I have on many occasions done the above in bold.

Meh. Why bother? There was absolutely nothing wrong with the .30 M1 Carbine - no-hassle serviceable, hard to jack up, reasonably light - a super straight-shooter that’s easy to manage...

Nuvolari wrote: ↑

September 24th 2020, 6:25pm

Meh. Why bother? There was absolutely nothing wrong with the .30 M1 Carbine - no-hassle serviceable, hard to jack up, reasonably light - a super straight-shooter that’s easy to manage...

Two words...government contracts.

The M-14 would be my choice, served the Marines well for quite a while in Vietnam. 5.56 has essentially no recoil but the 7.62 has some serious reach.

The M-14 was widely requested for use in Afghanistan for its long range capabilities. My Springfield version has a fiberglass stock to save weight. My AK-47 is a folding stock paratrooper version made in Shanghai.

I remember when the Soviets got the AK-74; it also went with smaller, lighter ammunition to save weight and allow soldiers to carry more rounds. Then the various AK-100s; including one chambered to fire NATO 5.56 rounds.

I've got a couple of Garands. Besides the more traditional reasons I like having them around so I can say "clip" without getting a spoonful of strife for doing so. There's about 2K rounds of Korean surplus non-corrosive in en-blocs to keep it company. Both could stand to be re-barreled.

My one AR-15 has been molested to the point even rabid gun controllers would accept it if I painted it a more agreeable color. Mostly because it weighs about 12 pounds with the Wilson barrel and mostly uses 5 round magazines to suit the short and squat bipod. It's a 300 meter paper puncher contraption ill-suited to 3-gun. My supply of surplus Swiss 5.56 is gone with no replacements in sight - much like their watches their NATO round was pretty much match grade. Come to think of it the K-31 looked more like surgical equipment than a normal bolt.

I'm mildly puzzled as to why the AK-74 never seemed to catch on. The media, when encountering the term, generally assumes it to be the product of dyslexic typing more than anything real.

It's my impression the M1 .30 carbine has mostly not been repatriated in Garand-type numbers due to angst over the magazine capacity of 30 rounds (of arguably anemic ammo).

[youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9b-EJOcUVw[/youtube]

Wow... so that’s what happens to gun enthusiasts when they aren’t distracted by cars or watches?

That’s some interesting and nerdy-ass information... To me, 300 yards is more than sufficient range outside of a combat setting.

But, that dude addressed one of the major issues I had simply forgotten about: the cost of ammunition. I do remember cringing, at the thought of .50 cents per round - and that was decades ago!

I also had also considered them to be an “affordable alternative” to a more modern AK - but it looks like time and nostalgia have put the kibosh on that!

Nuvolari wrote: ↑

September 25th 2020, 12:08pm

Wow... so that’s what happens to gun enthusiasts when they aren’t distracted by cars or watches?

That’s some interesting and nerdy-ass information... To me, 300 yards is more than sufficient range outside of a combat setting.

But, that dude addressed one of the major issues I had simply forgotten about: the cost of ammunition. I do remember cringing, at the thought of .50 cents per round - and that was decades ago!

I also had also considered them to be an “affordable alternative” to a more modern AK - but it looks like time and nostalgia have put the kibosh on that!

Not to mention that most of the 30 rnd. M1 carbine mags I've ever owned have been problematic - regardless of mfr. I think a fully loaded 30 rounder is just too heavy to stay seated properly considering the mag retention was designed for the 15 rnd stick. I stay with the 15 rounders. That said, it is plenty of fun to shoot.

I love the AK 47. Fearsome.
Prefer to the AR.
Fave is the Sig Sauer 556 Russian that combines the best of the AK with range/fit and finish of the AR.

A guy on the range last weekend was shooting a Garand. Pretty impressive blast. They were three young men, all equipped with "vintage military guns", another one was a K98, third one I didn't recognize. One was shooting ammo from '43, had a couple of duds also.

Full-Autos are prohibited, both in Denmark and in Germany, so the (legal) AK's or other assault rifles that You may found have all been turned into semi-automatic. In Germany they are even pretty restrictive with magazine sizes.