Other Post Best Cold War military rifle?

[Braith-Wafer]

I was thinking who had the best rifles during 1945-1990, NATO or the Warsaw Pact?.

The NATO rifles used more powerful rounds but were bulkier and usually had 20 round magazines while Warsaw Pact weapons used the same calibre rounds but less powerful and used 30 round mags, alongside the rifles being lighter and slightly more compact.

NATO rifles were usually FN FALs, CETME/G3's, M14s

Warsaw Pact rifles, Mostly AK's, Simonovs etc.

Remember, This thread also covers the Vietnam War, Soviet-Afghan war etc.

 

[PanzerBob]

m_gun;Well, even though I'm a better shot with the C7. I'll still go with the hitting power of my ol' FN because when I put a bullet in my old nemesis Figure 11 with a FN I knew he was going down, body armour or wall in front of him or not. rbo;

C7 I was only sure I could keep his head down because of my rate of fire. uzi,

 

[PanzerBob]

BW - Speaking of rifles which seems to be your speciality, do you have any good shots of a Canadian FN. sal;

 

[Matzos]

BW - Speaking of rifles which seems to be your speciality, do you have any good shots of a Canadian FN. sal;

Have a look here - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Canadian_soldier_with_C2_DA-SC-84-02213.JPEG

and

http://world.guns.ru/assault/as24f-e.htm

 

[Advisor]

I was thinking who had the best rifles during 1945-1990, NATO or the Warsaw Pact?.

The NATO rifles used more powerful rounds but were bulkier and usually had 20 round magazines while Warsaw Pact weapons used the same calibre rounds but less powerful and used 30 round mags, alongside the rifles being lighter and slightly more compact.

NATO rifles were usually FN FALs, CETME/G3's, M14s

Warsaw Pact rifles, Mostly AK's, Simonovs etc.

Remember, This thread also covers the Vietnam War, Soviet-Afghan war etc.

You forgot Matel's contribution: The awesome M-16. blah,

 

[PanzerBob]

solthum Thanks for the links, in like the C2 Pix, only fired that on a famil shoot, she packs a punch! uzi,

 

[Braith-Wafer]

I take it the FN FAL was the best NATO rifle:

* Cheap, easy to produce and maintain being also reliable

* Accurate

* Powerful

And was issued to most NATO countries, It was nearly the standard US service rifle until the M14 was chosen.

Was also chosen over the M16 in the vietnam war amongst the SASR, Popular in South America and Africa to this day.

Most people compare the M16 with the AK, I understand being assault rifles but in the case of NATO vs Warsaw Pact, The FN FAL vs the AK's.

I know the CETME, G3 and Sturmgewehr 57s are badass but were too expensive and too good they were rarely chosen.

 

[JP Vieira]

perhaps the AK-47uzi,

 

[Stoats]

I know the CETME, G3 and Sturmgewehr 57s are badass but were too expensive and too good they were rarely chosen.

What nonsense. The first two are significantly cheaper and easier to produce them the FAL, but they are decidedly inferior designs, both mechanically and ergonomically . The G3 was even Germany's second choice rifle, after the Belgians would not let them licence build the FAL. It was largely sold to NATO aligned second and Third World countries who couldn't afford the FAL.

The Stgw 57 is a peculiarly Swiss design, quite accurate but extremely heavy and with questionable ergonomics. It is certainly an interesting combination of pressed steel and machined steel design, and it is the only delayed blowback rifle with moderate extraction and ejection. And just so you know, I fired one in competition last week, standing (of all things) at 300 m, so I know what I'm talking about. it is almost heavy enough to be a very light LMG on the BAR model

 

[Braith-Wafer]

What nonsense. The first two are significantly cheaper and easier to produce them the FAL, but they are decidedly inferior designs, both mechanically and ergonomically . The G3 was even Germany's second choice rifle, after the Belgians would not let them licence build the FAL. It was largely sold to NATO aligned second and Third World countries who couldn't afford the FAL.

The Stgw 57 is a peculiarly Swiss design, quite accurate but extremely heavy and with questionable ergonomics. It is certainly an interesting combination of pressed steel and machined steel design, and it is the only delayed blowback rifle with moderate extraction and ejection. And just so you know, I fired one in competition last week, standing (of all things) at 300 m, so I know what I'm talking about. it is almost heavy enough to be a very light LMG on the BAR model

I always thought the CETME, especially the G3 was always a more expensive quality piece of kit, alongside being the choice of SWAT teams, SF teams etc(and the basis of the MP5). Besides, i found out on the wiki that there are well more countries that used the G3 than the FAL.

I have held FN FAL/G3 'de-acs' at a militaria fair/recruitment stalls and noticed the FAL has a better reciever/tmh etc than the G3, The G3 reciever was more like an overgrown tin can with the bolt/barrel packed into it, The cocking handle too foreward and the whole rear (The stock, Buffer etc) is held to the reciever by two weird push pins.

 

[Stoats]

So despite having held the G3 in your hands such that you could ascertain that it was second rate gash, you still thought it was somehow a quality product?

I am also not aware of the G3 being "the choice of SWAT teams, SF teams etc", simply because it isn't.
One serious mechanical flaw is that the receiver walls are not quite strong enough for long-term use with 7.62 NATO, and tend to bulge where the delaying rollers act. When this occurs, the receiver needs to be junked or completely rebuilt.

 

[Braith-Wafer]

Thanx for the advice on the G3 Stoatman, Im starting to understand the cons of RD Blowback. I can imagine the strain on the breech block splitting the lugs apart after extensive use, With the gas/twisting bolt, the strain against the bolt face is equalled out.