battle rifle book 14

BATTLE RIFLE BOOK 14

THE M-1 FAMILY

I’m not sure what the attrition rate of weapons on the battlefield is today, compared to seventy years ago.  From shrapnel to bullets, from bent barrels from bayonet fighting to the weapon falling prey to gravity and hard surfaces, no firearm is going to be so tough that it doesn’t get banged up.  So I can see where it would be in the governments interests to have weapons that are able to be made much more cheaply.  If you have to replace them anyway, why not make them cheaper to start with?  What started as wartime resource scarcity turned into better mass production.

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The Lee-Enfield no4 was far superior to the no1 in every way.  It was meant to save lots of money in production but it also gave the troops a better performing rifle.  The German assault carbine was exactly what the troops needed, AND was much easier to produce, but it was just too little too late as the inferior American and Russian weapons and tactics wore down Germany in cannon fodder fashion.  The AK-47 was just a continuation of old Russian designs, but the German round AND production methods they ripped off was the true innovation.

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The AK doesn’t get the respect it deserves from the American survivalist.  A large portion of this is the fault of the American manufactures, NOT the design of the weapon.  It is far too expensive for how cheap it SHOULD be to manufacture, but as American gun manufacturers have been paying off politicians for many decades to restrict imports as a competitive advantage, they get to charge as much as they desire.  Even the “bargain” G-3 here should be much cheaper as the rollerblock design is the cheapest to produce. 

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But at least with the AK, you get Old School reliability with the weapon.  It was cheaper to produce, and boy did they produce the heck out of them, but they also made them very rugged on the battlefield.  But after the AK, unfortunately, most other cheap to produce rifles were NOT anywhere close to as rugged.  The G-3, the FN-FAL and the M-16 are much more fragile even though they are relatively cheap to manufacture.  The frugality went too far.  Again, this is RELATIVE.  The G-3 has that receiver dent issue, the FAL had problems jamming with dirt and while the M-16 is accurate as hell, it is delicate and fragile.

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The M-1 family of weapons is manufactured like hundred year old guns were.  They were far sturdier because they were pre-Nazi design produced.  The Garand was a huge beast, but it was built like a tank.  The M-14 was essentially nothing more than a Garand with a detachable magazine.  And the Mini-14 was the same design but with the changes needed to produce them much cheaper.  An Every Man’s M-1 for the mass market.

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( fun filled fact-the same guy who redesigned the AR-10 to chamber a 5.56 rather than 308 also designed the Mini-14 from the M-14. He was an industrial production efficiency expert, not a gun designer per se ).  The reason that M-14’s are so much more expensive is because they are much more expensive to manufacture.  They are designed and manufactured as if they were a 1890’s bolt action but in semi-automatic.  You are getting, by design, a weapon far less fragile for its end user.  So, yes, an M-14 is a hurtful $1500.  And the Mini cost twice as much as an AR-15.  And it is insane what they want for a NON-Century Arms AK-47. 

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But they all deliver something for their price.  Battlefield reliability ( the problems a Mini is associated with are from the manufacturer, NOT the design ).  This is why I’m no where near as happy with the FN-FAL as I should be.  Just as with the Galil, for what it costs to make, you are spending WAY too much for it ( even if American manufacturers spend a lot more to make the AK’s and FAL’s, that is, again, a problem of leadership and incompetence, not that of the guns design ), and hence NOT a contender here.

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Is an AK worth seven or eight hundred bucks?  A M-14 worth twice that?  Personally I do not think so.  But at least you get SOME compensation for that price with dependability ( again, RELATIVELY ).  You are buying pre-1950’s design ruggedness ( the M-14 is 1930’s design ).  I’d even say that the M-16 is compensated for its frailness by its accuracy.  You are getting SOMETHING in the trade-off.  But the Galil, FAL and even the G3 are all overpriced for what they deliver.  They are Nike shoe prices on a Converse pair of sneakers.

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If you are going to accept a battle rifle that is fragile, just go with the cheap AR-10.  One half to one third the price.  Or go with a bolt action.  Don’t JUST pay for semi-auto, which is what you are really doing on the overpriced fragile gun choices.  I won’t depart on a tangent over semi verses manual actions.  Here I am trying to focus on value.  ANYTHING semi-auto is going to cost a metric butt ton more money.  That is a given.  But don’t get ripped off.  Get the most for your money.  The Galil and the FAL are NOT it.

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The M-16 is an inherently VERY accurate weapon, and THAT pays for its fragility ( along with really low prices ).  The M-14 is VERY expensive but no where near as fragile in the field ( it IS expensive to maintain if you are going for accuracy, due to its production design ) because it is blocks of metal, NOT sheet metal ( the AK uses sheet metal to its advantage, not deterrent ).  The G3 BARELY passes muster, as it is overpriced for what it SHOULD cost to make and was poorly designed for field use, but at least it is relatively affordable in comparison and the rest of its parts are bomb proof.

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The Galil is just a better fitted and better feeling AK.  No way is it worth its price.  The FAL would be a superior weapon to almost anything else on the list ( superior to the AK because of its cartridge ) if the damn thing came down at least half its price.  But it isn’t going to happen, and for its price you’re much better off with the M-14.  And, it wasn’t as near jam-proof as the G3 or the AK.

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Ruger seems to make either really good, or really crap weapons.  From everything I’ve heard, you still must be wary of the Mini, even if they are improved, or LESS evil than they were.  At this point I can’t say they are a better AR replacement, and you all know my reservations of the AR.  ONLY the AR’s cheap price keeps them in the running.  We all need to have a very cheap option, as we all deserve to be armed, even those of us rather poor or loath to use credit. 

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The AR’s are fragile and the Mini’s have a superior design that is executed poorly.  The AK’s have gotten into the G3 price range, but only have a 200 yard REAL effective range, EXCEPT they are THE most rugged and dependable.  The G3 would be as dependable as an AK, having figured out how to be much more accurate while still not jamming or breaking, yet STILL have that pesky receiver dent issue ( and, are overpriced.  But so is the AK, so I call that a wash ).  The M-14 is only suitable for the upper middle class, but you get your monies worth.  With a FAL, you do NOT.

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That covers all the different weapons.  There is certainly no clear winner.  Every single one has flaws and strong points ( except the M1-overpriced for severely overused and not so accurate.  Really, OVER powerful for its slop-factory pass was 4 MOA.  And the Galil, a Yuppie luxury.  And the FAL, simply too overpriced for what you get, which is nostalgia.  Pass on all three ).  From here on I’ll be covering the less sexy aspects.  Scope verses iron.  How many rounds.  How many magazines.  And the immediacy of procurement.  Same bat channel.

( .Y. )

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