World's deadliest firearm?

My information regarding the 303 was for the young Canadian, as I am sure that 99.9999% of people on here know how a bullet is constructed.

Sad to say he never came back, which is a pity as there is a wealth of information to be had from many members of the forum.

Ballistics, whether internal, external or wound ballistics, are not an exact science, as there are too many variables beyond our control. Both internal and external ballistics can have a bearing on wound ballistics, such as ambient temperature, height above sea level, if ammunition is left in the sun, chamber pressures will climb. Then there is the state of mind of the target, one can kill with a 22 short rim fire if the target is asleep, what the target is wearing or state of mind. Someone high on PCP or adrenalin takes quite a bit of knocking over unless shot placement causes such a shock to the system the body shuts down. There are recorded cases where a soldier has had an arm blown off and still carried on until blood loss put him down.

While I was working at my gun shop I did a little bit of work for the South African Police Ballistics Unit, nothing exciting, just identifying cartridge head stamps, cartridges or firearms found at the scene of a crime. Only once did I give evidence in a court of law for the state regarding a double murder of a 18 year old girl and her lover. If the suspects defence lawyer had been worth her salt she would have done her research and torn my evidence apart.
 
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The deadliest firearm, is whichever one is being fired at you at that particular moment in time.
 
I think a more clear topic for this thread could have made it easier to convey what the author was asking.

What weapon type is most effective at?

What weapon platform or series is most reliable/effective in ect.

What is your favorite (insert category) of weapon?

What weapon is easiest to adapt to or use/ has the best service record.

The list is almost endless. I am sure the author here had a clear idea of what they were asking in mind but maybe just inexperienced with discusion on a forum.



Also if you need an extreme measure of really bad posting, scroll through my thread list on my profile back to 2006, now there is some horrible forum skills!:p
 
Not only do you need a first rate fire arm, but you also need a person that can use it well and will stand his ground. All three go towards making any firearm great. Then there is the production, millions upon millions of AK47 Rifles have been produced and is the most widely used weapon in the world. You can't far in the world with out falling over one. Now there may be more accurate rifles, or better looking ones, but there are no where near as many as the AK47
 
LeEnfield said:
Not only do you need a first rate fire arm, but you also need a person that can use it well and will stand his ground. All three go towards making any firearm great. Then there is the production, millions upon millions of AK47 Rifles have been produced and is the most widely used weapon in the world. You can't far in the world with out falling over one. Now there may be more accurate rifles, or better looking ones, but there are no where near as many as the AK47
Click to expand...

The South African Police Ballistic Unit tried to destroy an AK47 by running over it with a truck, picked it up and it fired.

Then they tried dropping it into mud and running over it with a Land Rover, picked it up and it fired.

Left it soaking it salt water for a few weeks, picked it up and it fired

Hammered a bullet into the barrel, tied the rifle to a post with a full magazine, pulled the string. The blockage was pushed out and the rifle fired normally.

By this time they were scratching their collective heads. In the end, they stuffed C4 (or whatever they use) into the barrel, inserted a det, and blew the rifle to bits.

That's why the AK47 is so popular by terrorists, not only is it soldier proof, its idiot proof.
 
Operational and manufacturing trade off. The AK is more robust and its moving parts less prone to jamming. The rare downside to that equation is that if it DOES jam, it usually has to come off the line to fix. The AK-47s were designed with a looser fit of integral parts, by purpose. That fit allows the weapon to operate, clean or dirty. This comes at a cost of accuracy because things shake and recoil a little more. It was also made this way so it required less training and was meant to just be fired in mass by groups and close range. With the AK-47, you throw a "field of fire"

It´s popular among terrorists because it is cheap, easily accessible and it´s designed to be used by someone with no experience with machines.
 
We have a saying, if an AK47 doesn't rattle, its not an AK47.

I personally don't like the rifle, the recoil is spiteful, the wooden stock is too short (Ok I could get a longer stock made) and the metal folding stock can be painful to the firer. Of the ones I have used, the Soviet built were far better then the Chinese built, but they worked. What other versions are like, I have no idea, as we don't get them here. I did have a Soviet built 7.62x54R Dragunov sniper rifle in my vault at work, the quality was better, but the best anyone could do with it was 2 MOA.

Chinese firearms are built in different factories, the factory that builds the Norinco 213 (a copy of the Soviet TT33 Tokarev 7.62x25) in either 9mm Parabellum or 7.62x25 has very poor quality control, but can be worked on to some extent, while the factory that produces the 1911, the quality control is quite good, another reasonable pistol was the copy of the German Walther PP called the PPN in 9mm Short, or known in the US as .380, albeit a very heavy trigger pull.
 
If you can get an old East German AK, go for it. The East Germans increased the part tolerances. Also the Czechs made a pretty good version and I would imagine that a Finnish rifle made by Valmet would be among the better versions.
 
South Africa makes (or did until the ANC closed the factory) the R4 and R5 (military selective fire), or LM4, LM5 and LM6(semi auto civi versions) a version of the Galil built under licence, which is an improved version of the AK47.

I've got the civi version, to change to selective fire is not rocket science. Its a good robust rifle, but it has its faults, its a very heavy rifle for the calibre, if loaded magazines are not tapped against the sole of the boot, the top round will poke its nose over the lip of the magazine. Trying to rack round into the chamber will jam the rifle solid. Its not difficult to clear by removing the magazine, prod out the damaged top round and try again, its still a fault nonetheless. The breech block has a rubber firing pin retraction spring. Over time the rubber goes hard, resulting in a slam fire. Someone got the shock of his life when he racked a round up, the rifle went full auto, luckily he kept his head and managed to get the magazine off. I got over this by throwing out the rubber spring and fitting a coil spring.

Accuracy is not too wonderful either, but if push comes to shove it will do its job, especially alongside my son with his pristine Lee Enfield No1 Mk3 (with the magazine cut off).

Out of them all, I'd still prefer the British built L1A1 SLR.
 
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Have you heard of Metal Storm? Well worth a google.
It's a new firing method developed by an Aussie group that fires 4 bullets from a pistol faster than anything before it.
The barrel is the clip.
[YouTube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlUfJEwV9ZQ[/YouTube]
 
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The principle behind MetalStorm is not that new. Anyone familiar with the history of firearms will recognise it as a superimposed load system with the innovation of electrical ignition. The idea of superimposed loads dates back to at least 1580 and the idea have crept up again and again over the centuries. A traditional firework design that employs the same basic concep is the Roman candle. But it does have some interesting possibilities.
 
Hi, I'm also new to this forum and I hope that you learn much from it,

I sincerely think that it is the AS50. When somebody can drag this out of the water, piece if together with a screwdriver in under 3 minutes and pound a 50 caliber round through a wall more than a mile away to rip somebody to shreds on the other side, you ought to be scared. It is very different to the typical 50 caliber sniper rifles in the sense that it is reasonably easy to control. This allows one to fire more rapidly. I hope you enjoy this forum! :)

In your defense...there are weapons deadlier than others in the sense that a gun is better than a sword in most cases, however you may need to make your questions more specific.
 
MY OPPINION

ASSAULT.... I have had many a trip in the jungles of Africa. With supply issues, I would say the AK-47 is the best. I do think the AK has proven itself rather well. It has probably the highest body count post WWII. If I have good supply chain, and have a choice, my H&K 417 is my preferred choice. The 7.62 is by far the superior round in heavy vegetation. Until you light off a 556 and see the tracers zinging ALL OVER HELL, you may not get the appreciation for a 7.62

SNIPER.... I am not a "TRAINED" sniper, but have several friends that are. To a man, they hail the Barretts. M-95 & M-98. 50 & 338, respectively. They will both make one hell of a mess on a soft target. But they are both heavy as hell.
My father was an Army Sniper in Nam. He carried a M-40. I have used my 417 several times past 600 meters. I prefer to manage my weight over substance....

SHOTGUNS..... The Mossberg 500 is great. Priced nice too... I have several throughout the house. When ever I am over seas, I carry one with, as a supplemental weapon for those moments.

PISTOLS..... I have a H&K USP in 40S&W under my left arm as we speak. I have carried and used them for years. They have "NEVER" failed me. I have put them through hell; water (salt and fresh), mud, heat, cold, & sand.... "NEVER" had a problem. Thousands and thousands of rounds, with & w/o silencers, and they just keep working.

SUB M/G's...... We used the H&K MP-5 in the service. Great weapon. The company I work for now, we use H&K UMP's in 40 S&W. It is a toss up for me which is better. I like them both.

LIGHT M/G's..... The great oxymoron of all time. None of them are "LIGHT".... Again, I must defer to the 7.62 and say my favorite is the M-60 Mk 43.... It will send A LOT of lead down range in a hurry. The SAW is cool, but again, I prefer my ammo heading towards the target.....

In my home, in the field, and just in general.... these would be my preferences. My kids each have their own Mossberg 500, an assortment of AR-15's, each has a USP, and the oldest 3 sons all have their own H&K 417. My wife carries a USP everywhere and has a H&K 416. If I wouldn't outfit my family with something I would not carry into the field.
I hope my reply helps answer your questions.
 
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