[blackout]

Hey

I have a question. What is the best combat rifel ever made, who is legal.

And I have heard stories about snipers whit M107 who shud have shooten people in a range of 4km in afghanistan, is this true, I havewatch the rifle in action and I belive this is the most powerfull gun I ever have seen.

[RL357Mag]

The M1 Garrand was hailed by General George S. Patton as "the greatest battle implement ever devised"...

[c3shooter]

The greatest battle rifle- Man, if that does not start a fight, I don't know what will! The Garand is definitely in the running, as would be the 03 Springfield- the AK 47 has been around, well, since 1947, and still going- but I'll throw my vote to an ugly duckling- the SMLE- British 303 Enfield.

[RL357Mag]

Originally Posted by c3shooter

The greatest battle rifle- Man, if that does not start a fight, I don't know what will! The Garand is definitely in the running, as would be the 03 Springfield- the AK 47 has been around, well, since 1947, and still going- but I'll throw my vote to an ugly duckling- the SMLE- British 303 Enfield.

LOL - Didn't mean to start a fight - I have a #1 MKIII SMLE which I love - I put a fixed 4x scope on it and with handloads will group wonderfully, and is no doubt the fastest loading bolt rifle ever made, but if I could find an unissued Springfield '03 I would trade the SMLE in a heartbeat. My Dad had an unissued Smith Corona, the quality far surpassed any Enfield ever made with the exception of maybe the Eddystone or Remington P-14. Incidentally, the "Greatest Battle Implement" quote is from Patton, not me...I prefer my AR-15 for a variety of reasons like ammo volume, ease of use, fieldstripping, and accuracy.

[blackout]

I mean the best combat rifel ever made is Ak 47, it`s one of the most powerfull, have a huge ways of use. and have been in service in the last decades in many eastern contries and is still one of the moste used gun in tha world.
But M4 is a good weapon. In the MJK I tryed one of this gun.

[c3shooter]

Would agree that the Avtomat Kalishnikov is ONE of the great battle rifles- but NOT from a "power" standpoint. The 7.62x39 cartridge is in the same class as the 30-30 deer rifle. It was intended as a RELATIVELY short range cartridge- when compared to the 30-06, 8mm Mauser, .303 Enfield, etc- The AK really made its reputation in (1) reliability, (2) simplicity of manufacture/ maintenance.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by RL357Mag

The M1 Garrand was hailed by General George S. Patton as "the greatest battle implement ever devised"...

I remember reading I think in 'Guns and Ammo' a number of years ago on the subject of the venerable M1 Garand, which was written I believe by a veteran, who said that all that was written about it, was done by people who had never humped it about. He said that he had humped it, fought with it half way across Europe, and had to be honest he was much relieved when he was promoted to a rank that allowed him to be issued with an M1 carbine, which he was happier with in all respects.

But to the point in question, I think you have to take the view over the centuries and decades that have past there have been a number of popular and notable weapons that stand above others. For instance the 39 Land Patern Brown Bess musket was the standard British service weapon for over 70 years! The SMLE Mk 111 during the Great War was indeed, in my view anyway, was superior to the Gew 98 (a fine rifle in it's own way notwithstanding).

In our time I think the AKM, simply on the volume of production, simplicity and reliability......it's not a matter of what out personal preference, but it's iconic status, I doubt it will ever be surpassed.......A few years ago in the '90's, Stoner visited Kalashnikov in his Dasher outside Moscow. Over a glass of tea these two famous weapons designers discussed various topics of their trade, and on leaving Kalashnikov turned to Stoner and said, "You know Eugene it is ironic, your designs made you a millionaire! For me designs I was awarded 'Hero of the Soviet Union'!" ...........

[RL357Mag]

My Dad dragged an M1 Garrand all through europe during WWII. He was glad he had it, paricularly in the Battle of the Bulge. He trained with Springfields and P-14 Enfields, but was glad to have the Garrand. When my brother bought one from the CMP several years back, my Dad grabbed it and field stripped it in seconds flat! He was 75 at the time - some things you never forget I guess! He did like the firepower of the BAR also because he was a platoon Sgt. and he carried one- something he didn't enjoy at all!

[pioneer461]

The Military Channel presented one of their "Top 10" shows a couple of years ago. Using certain, measurable criteria, their list is;

1. AK-47
2. M16
3. Lee-Enfield SMLE
4. M1 Garand
5. FN FAL
6. Mauser M98
7. Steyr AUG;
8. 1903 Springfield
9. Sturmgewehr 44
10. M14

Here's a video presentation on the list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvrG4T2K4sE

I don't own any of these, but have shot #1, #2, #4, #8 and #10.

[ScottG]

The subject is best, right? No real way of knowing.

Longevity of service doesn't mean it's good. It means in certain cases that the troops may have been ill trained and unreliable, therefore they needed a hardy, easy to use, easy to service and easily made weapon.

Hence the AK's length of service. The M1917 was supposed to be an improvement on the '03 but it never really replaced it did it? The Brown Bess lasted so long because it was good, but technology really wasn't changing fast during that time. The Enfield's were the same way. Until semi-auto firearms replaced the bolt action, the LEs didn't need to change much. Doesn't mean they are any better than the Springfields or Mausers.

The AR system works, it can't be denied. However, the issues with so-called poodle shooters are known although some dismiss it. It certainly is easy on recoil.

All battle or assault rifles are a compromise anyway. One rifle can't do it all. That's why there are different weapons in the military. We'll never answer this kind of question because we all have favorites for one reason or another. It's fun to compare them though, and I guess that's part of the reason for boards like this.




Oh, and the best rifle is the M1....