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Top 10 Combat Rifles on the Military Channel

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M14Robert

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Just saw the show on the Military Channel ( I like this channel by the way ).

10. M14
9. STG44
8. M1903
7. Steyr AUG
6. K98
5. FN FAL
4. M1
3. SMLE
2. M16
1. AK47

I didn't always agree with how they graded by accuracy, combat effectiveness, innovation, handling, and service length, but it was a fun show to watch.
 
I've read a few things saying that the FAL is often considered the best, so I was a little surprised to see it that low. I'm a huge fan of the AUG myself, though I'm not sure how it fares in true combat.

As for the M16/AK in the top slots, that's no real big surprise. Why did they put the AK ahead? Just curious.
 
 
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After watching the piece on the AUG, I'm surprised we don't have a bullpup design. Would solve the problem of having stopping power issues using heavier bullets in the M4. With the bullpup you get to use a standard rifle length barrel and it sure looks handy.
 
Pilgrim said:
100's of millions of them all over the world. Still being made and still going strong after 60 years.
Click to expand...

I would also add that they are durable and reliable in combat under the worst of conditions. This cannot be said for some of the others in the list, especially the M16. Ever see the footage of the guy who picks up a couple of fists full of dirt, drops it into the receiver of an AK, locks a mag in and blasts away?
No M16 could ever do that.

I also thought the FAL would have been higher on the list but I'm sure weight had something to do with it.
 
Also why put the M1 Garand and M14 both on when they are basically the same gun, one just has a removable mag??? Also why put the 1903 on there when all they are are a mauser variant never used much in war. They were supposed to be used in WWI but most troops used the 1917. In WWII it saw limited use but the M1 greatly surpassed it.
 
+ 4

As an owner of 5 Mosins, I do see why the rifle didn't make the list. Come on Mosin fans, let's see if you agree with me here.

1) Trigger - my #1 complaint with the rifle. My sniper replica has a Huber Concepts anti-friction trigger on it and the M44's was just ordered. I've messed with a true sniper and it has a good trigger, althought still single stage. The trigger on the M44 carbine I just got is the worst of the Mosin triggers I own - very heavy. The base Mosin trigger sucks and to me is the biggest detriment to good shooting with one.

2) Bolt handle - My almost tied for first complaint with the rifle is that damn too short bolt handle. If you have a sticky round in the chamber, using your right hand to beat the bolt open is a painful experience. There just isn't enough handle to get on for leverage to unlock the bolt. Fix that by using the sniper bolt handle.

Yes, Mother Russia had millions of these rifles but the general handling feel of the Mosin leaves it out of the running. That being said, if the only rifle I had to grab was my M39 Finnish Mosin, I WOULD NOT FEEL UNDERGUNNED!!!

Joe R. ( owner of 5 Mosin peasent rifles! )
 
that was horrible, dumbed down and far too brief per rifle.
i cant believe how low of an intellignece level those descriptions cater to..
 
Joe R. said:
2) Bolt handle - My almost tied for first complaint with the rifle is that damn too short bolt handle. If you have a sticky round in the chamber, using your right hand to beat the bolt open is a painful experience. There just isn't enough handle to get on for leverage to unlock the bolt. Fix that by using the sniper bolt handle.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that if every Mosin had been issued to the troops with a 2X4, it would have made the list[wink]
 
They left out the Remington 700.
The M-14 and the 700 may weigh more, but that .308 coming from either of those weapons have the ability to Reach Out and Touch someone at a greater distance than any of the top 5, and with GREATER accuracy.
The M-14 had a rather short military life span, due to weight, but I'll take a 14 over the black gun, any day. I love the Black Gun and am quite qualified with it, but am MORE qualified with the ole Fence Post.
 
Joe R. said:
2) Bolt handle - My almost tied for first complaint with the rifle is that damn too short bolt handle. If you have a sticky round in the chamber, using your right hand to beat the bolt open is a painful experience.
Click to expand...

The Bruise on my hand is just clearing up today from this weekend.

Still my smile is ear-to-ear!

Love these guns!
 
Wingwiper said:
They left out the Remington 700.
Click to expand...

I think their list was of actual main-line battle rifles issued en-masse. The Remington 700 is very limited-issue.




Their criteria for what makes a rifle "best" seems to change with every rifle they review. AK's are generally viewed as the best just because they usually go bang when you pull the trigger and any termite-eating peasant can figure out how to make it shoot. Good luck hitting anything beyond 200yds.
Personally, I think the M16A2 is probably the best of all time. EXTREMELY reliable, despite what others say. Been in service for over 20 years now. Very accurate, and very adaptable.

I don't see how the AUG can be on the list.

Mosin fans: what makes your choice so great? Not a challenge, just an honest question about a rifle I know nothing about.
 
PatMcD said:
Mosin fans: what makes your choice so great? Not a challenge, just an honest question about a rifle I know nothing about.
Click to expand...
A number of reasons. They are simple reliable and where used virtually unchanged for over 60 years.
They killed more Germans than any other gun there was.
They were used by numerous countries including russia, yugoslavia, finland, China and more. Some are capable of extreme accuracy. The only gun probably more widely used is the AK-47 and perhaps the enfield. The bolt is a little complicated in a very simple sense. It makes headspacing like the enfield, a breeze. I have never heard of any malfunctioning. The bolt is very durable and actually pretty strong. All in all I would have to say this is one of the most used battle rifles of all time. They were used by the Soviets and Fins to shoot as each other and the Soviets used theres to shoot at the Germans. Also although ugly this is probably the most simple durable battle rifle. I like mine much more than my enfield or Mauser. The Mauser is more of a hunting arm. The Enfield is a much quicker bolt and much nicer finished but the Mosin is a ton more durable.

Sure the sights and trigger suck and they have a short bolt handle- they are still the most widely used arm of WWII.

Also you should not have to hammer the bolt. A little bit of fine tuning with a arkansas stone and emery cloth will fix that.

Also there are probably close to 20,000,000 made according to some sources. And most saw combat.
 
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Probably part of the reason the FAL and M-14 didn't rate that high is that they're both selective fire rifles in 7.62 NATO. Fine rifles in semi-auto mode, but in full-auto can be difficult to control.

At least a few countries only supplied semi-auto versions of the FAL to their troops because of the difficulty in firing full-auto.
 
Most of the M-14's were eventually had the selectors removed for the same reason as the FAL's. The show never did get into the FALO squad automatic version of the FAL. Most worked fine and were okay but the FN guys never did figure out bang - bang - jam that would happen on some of the guns.

Mosins are like an acquired taste. If you have only seen some of the more worn examples of the gun, you might have dismissed it as rough compared to a Mauser or an Enfield. The Russian versions sights aren't the best but neither are some of the Mausers . Take a look at the rear sight on a Persian and you'll see what I mean. The Finnish Mosins tend to be at the highest of the food chain and for good reason - they fixed what was wrong ( except the bolt handle ) with the base Russian model. 2 of my peasent rifles are Finnish and the M91's sights are way better than the Russian guns. My M39 is the best of the peasent rifles - excellent sights, curved stock tang ( making it stronger ), and generally making the Mosin even more rugged than the originals. I should have grabbed one when they first came out - cost me $184 to correct that problem.

The only real jams that can happen with the Mosins are if you don't put the rims right in the mag. Get it wrong and the gun binds up. Enfields can have the same problems so it isn't just a Mosin problem. The only other problem I have with one is that it likes to loosen the action screws. You do have to make sure that they are tight or you'll have the rounds dropping on the target. Frustrating when you're trying to zero/shoot it and the round impact on the target keeps changing!

I'm not biased - I own 3 Enfields ( 2 Brit, 1 Ishapore 2A ) and 5 Mausers ( RC, YC K98's, Persian, Yugo M48, and a Polish WZ-98A) - I just like the Mosins a bit more.

Joe R>
 
Gads, I own six of the ten. I finally broke down and built an AR-15 HBAR this year, hated the A1's. I realize that the AK has numbers and anybody can use one but why drive a Volga when you can drive a Dodge? [iwojima]
 
IIRC, the criteria they used were innovation, handling, combat effectiveness (which included mag capacity, I think), accuracy and length of service (how long they were issued, which is why the Enfield scored so high, along with it's 10 round mag).

I was just a little bit surprised that they thought that the Enfield ranked higher than the Garand...
 
I love my Garand, I wonder if they will ever let the empty clip ping myth die. Must be a very quiet battlefield.

As much as I hate to admit it I have to agree with the Enfield choice. They served through two World Wars +, are accurate as all get out, and a trained shooter works the trigger with this left hand and works the bolt and reloads with his right. The Brits perfected this in WWI and could lay down fire almost as fast as an automatic. The first time the Germans ran into this they were shredded and thought the Brits were using machine guns. I have never met a Brit that can do this but I did have a chance to shoot an with an Indian who was trained with the Enfield.
 
I realize two things - today anyway: I need to pick up a Moisin and an Enfield. Never been much for bolt guns, but it seems I'm missing out.

I look at all of those top-ten shows, (from rifles to tanks to planes and beyond) with a grain of salt. They're interesting to watch, but I don't take them seriously. On my personal list, the AK would rank lower, (that's just because I dislike them in general) and the M-14 would rank higher, (opposite reasoning).
 
Cool, I got three of the top five.

Can't understand why the Remington 870 Wingmaster didn't make the list. I know, I know, it's not a rifle.
 
YES!!!! #1

Pictures1314.jpg


Pictures1310.jpg
 
Rshooter said:
and a trained shooter works the trigger with this left hand and works the bolt and reloads with his right.
Click to expand...


Actually, you hold the bolt with your thumb and forefinger of your right hand and hit the trigger with your middle finger when you close the bolt. the left hand remains on the forearm at all times, reloading is done with the right hand, too.
I was shooting my No.4 one day and had someone come down to the range and ask who was rapid firing a semi auto....no one, says I. It was me and my Smelly.... they can be wicked fast.......
 

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