Posted on 05/28/2022 9:06:39 AM PDT by Impala64ssa
“...he Russians created the SKS, and then the AK-47. Both “assault rifles” in 7.62x39mm...” [Doc91678, post 60]
The Soviets adopted the 7.62x39mm obrazets 1943g cartridge in 1943. Some authorities attribute this move to encounters the Red Army endured with Germans armed with early assault rifles chambering 7.92x33mm Kurz.
The SKS-45 was designed by Sergei Simonov in 1945 and adopted by the Soviet military in 1949. It fires semiautomatic only. Not an assault rifle.
The AK-47 was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov during 1945-47 and adopted by the Soviet military in 1949. It does fit the definition of “assault rifle” better, because it is selective fire. Serious re-equippage of Soviet forces began only in the 1950s. The basic design has been modified several times, but still is the principle issue small arm of the Russian military.
The USSR adopted its own smallbore cartridge, 5.45x39mm, in 1974. Lower velocity and less kinetic energy than 5.56x45mm.
BKMK
Thank You
“It would be much more accurate to say the M-60 was a design based on the MG-42...” [pfflier, post 68]
A bit of a stretch.
Both the M-60 and the MG42 were in concept general-purpose machine guns. But the M-60 is gas operated while the MG42 operated by short recoil. The M-60 uses a rotating bolt, but the MG42 uses a roller-locked bolt somewhat similar to HK’s G-3.
Both machine guns use push-through belt feeds. The M-60 uses a disintegrating link belt; the original MG42 used non-disintegrating link belts but later versions were adapted to us the American disintegrating links, when newer versions were adopted by the Bundeswehr.
“Looks like 32 caliber is the closest analog to 7.92mm (.311 caliber)...” [kiryandil, post 76]
Original bullet diameter for 7.92x57 (aka 7.92mm Mauser, 8mm Mauser in US parlance) was 0.318 inch. The Gew-88 Commission Rifle (NOT a Mauser) and the Gew-98 were initially barreled for this diameter, firing a bullet of some 220 gr.
In 1905, the Imperial German military adopted a spitzer (pointed) bullet of 198 gr, later cut down to 154 gr in WW2 ammunition. Bullet diameter was increased to 0.323 inch; military rifles were supposed to be re-barreled. Many sporting rifles were never modified for the larger bullet; for many years, both sizes were available. One cannot count on every surplus military rifle to be equipped with the larger bore.
Never heard why the diameter was increased in military loadings.
I always learn something new when I go there, and it's always a pleasure.
“I believe the AK was developed by the soviets to wound more soldiers than kill...” [teeman8r, post 45]
No small arms cartridge has ever been developed to meet this criterion. Any bullet delivering sufficient energy to cause a disabling wound is capable of killing the human it might hit. There is no threshold below which wounding happens but killing cannot.
It’s worth noting that “stopping power” has never been a criterion for evaluating military small arms effectiveness. It cannot be quantified. Congressional legislation and DOD policy require quantifiable criteria to be used in weapon system evaluation & selection.
I am thinking the Stg. was the first one with a clip.
“...Trace it to the BAR...” [jeffersondem, post 35]
John M Browning’s automatic rifle - sometimes termed the “machine rifle” - played no part in assault rifle development.
It was a finished design, on the shelf in 1910 (see _The Devil’s Paintbrush_ by Dolf L Goldsmith). The American military wasn’t interested.
Though dubbed a rifle, the BAR was much closer to a light machine gun. It was employed as a crew served weapon.
After they were defeated in the First World War, the German military establishment sat down and rethought many fundamental concepts of ground combat.
Extensive study of Western Front engagements revealed that infantry rarely engaged adversaries beyond 300 meters (330 yards); they may have fired, but by that distance chances of scoring hits shrank to a few percent.
Pondering the data, ordnance engineers reasoned that the infantry rifles of the day were overbuilt and overpowered for any missions infantry could be called on to do: most of them could cause lethal wounds at ranges beyond 2000 yards (1850 meters). They recommended that a cartridge with an effective range of 400-500 meters would do an adequate job. Great savings in cost, materiel, and weight could be realized. Individual troops could carry more ammunition.
And controllable full-auto fire from a rifle-size weapon might be possible - something no designer had achieved so far, utilizing only “full power” (30-06, 303 British, 7.92 Mauser, 7.62x54R Russian) cartridges fired from weapons the size and weight of standard rifles.
So the Germans developed the 7.92x33mm Kurz cartridge, weighing 1/3 less than 7.92x57mm Mauser, firing a bullet of 124 gr to about 2250 ft/sec, generating some 1390 foot-pounds of kinetic energy (less than half that of the full power 7.92x57mm Mauser, several times that of the 9x19mm Parabellum pistol and submachine gun cartridge).
Several prototype selective fire rifles were developed to fire the new round. Haenel’s design (from Hugo Schmeisser’s design team) was selected for mass production - over Adolf Hitler’s initial objections.
Much ink has been spilled, speculating over the choice of caliber. Simplest explanation was proposed by the late John Weeks: German gunmakers were already making many rifles of 7.92mm bore size, and ammunition manufacturers were set up to make millions of 7.92mm (0.323 inch) diameter bullets.
The same rationale has been attributed to the USSR, in adopting the 7.62x39mm cartridge. It uses bullets of 0.310 inch diameter. These have long been common in Russian (and later Soviet) military small arms, fired from many cartridges: 7.62x54R o1891g, 7.62x38mmR Nagant Revolver, 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Millions upon millions of rounds.
“The nomenclature of small-arms ammunition is a rich playground.
I always learn something new when I go there, and it’s always a pleasure.” [kiryandil, post 85]
Sometimes, it seems there are no standards and no commonality.
I am repeatedly surprised that more shooters don’t blow themselves to pieces. Several international organizations have attempted to deal with the chaos, but they’ve enjoyed only limited success.
NATO initially tried to adopt a common rifle cartridge and rifle design. They failed at the second task and just barely succeeded at the first - in part because of the intransigence of US Ordnance officials.
An AK-47, generically speaking, is capable of firing rifle caliber rounds fully automatic, hence it is an assault rifle.
Those sold to the public in the U.S. are semi- auto only. Just as the AR-15 is semi-auto only. They are not considered assault rifles.
YUP; Eisenhower wanted it as an interstate “STRATEGIC HIGHWAY SYSTEM”, and it worked out pretty well until recently with a gazillion cars and trucks on the highways.
One thing a lot of people don’t know is that under the 1944 highway act Congress also authorized that a number of runways for aircraft be built close enough to the highways (NOT PART OF THE HIGHWAY) to be serviced in case of emergency landings.
Pilots back then could use the highways as a navigational aid and in the event of an emergency they could use the adjacent air strips to land close enough for help.
Just an interesting factoid.
“John M Browning’s automatic rifle - sometimes termed the “machine rifle” - played no part in assault rifle development.”
My post (”Trace it to the BAR. But that was WWI so that won’t do.) was said somewhat tongue in cheek and aimed at the suggestion that the AR15 was invented for Nazi infantrymen.
It could be argued that those that developed shoulder fired automatic rifles after the BAR found the BAR too heavy, too long, and too powerful.
With that BAR foundational knowledge, the Nazi’s developed an automatic rifle that was lighter, more compact and fired a smaller round; same as the BAR just a lot different.
That’s the way liberals think; if they could think.
The area was shut down so fast, and the object whisked away so quickly, it was clearly expected to land in the area, mitigating in favor of terrestrial origin.
https://www.space.com/7589-case-finally-closed-1965-pennsylvania-ufo-mystery.html
General Electric Mark 2 Re-entry Vehicle
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/science/2015/12/06/50-years-later-the-Kecksburg-Westmoreland-County-UFO-is-identified-probably/stories/201512060146
OTOH, “Pictured here are the Zond 5 and Soyuz 3 descent modules.”
https://lintel.typepad.com/plentyofnothing/2008/04/energia-museum.html
Give me a shout AFTER you’ve watched the video! We’ve been lied to by what is alleged to be OUR government forever!
Hint: “Our” government is owned by the internationalists/bankers, most of whom are________(Fill in the blank)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.