The current 100 series kalashnikovs can all be chambered to 5.56mm
http://www.world.guns.ru/assault/as04-e.htm
I would imagine they perform fairly the same, though i havent fired either so i maybe completely wrong

well id have to say the best wepon is the c7-a1 is one of the best because its met for cold and warm climates and its got a few things the m-16 dosent

C7A1 is essentially an M16A2 w/ full auto and flattop receiver w/ elcan. Not all that different.

I've used both myself, and I am hard-pressed to find major apparent differences between the C7/M16.

P90

Originally Posted by USMC Johnny

In my opionion(being a Marine, which we pride ourselfs on long distance shooting)

The M-16A2(.223 Cal Rifle) is the worst gun issued to the military, and the M4 is a close second(.223 sucks!)

M-16
[url]http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m-16-dvic534.jpg[url]

M-4
[url]http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m4carb.jpg[url]

All weapons can jam. I've seen brand new AKs' jam. An M16 is actually a fairly good rifle. The ONLY rifle I'd prefer is a M-8 or G36 (both based on the AR18 design) with diferent sights. As a standard rifle the ugly M16/4 is actually one of the best weapons currently available.

VERY Acurate
Light
Modular
lethal
easy to learn
fast recovery with little recoil
fairly weatherfast
lots of options in optics, handles, lights, etc.
fairly reliable
ambidextros in design (fairly well)
operates well in hot or cold climates

Make this weapon actually pretty good.

The only REAL design flaw the weapon once had was the lack of a cromed chamber which would rust the rounds in it especially in hot humid places. That was fixed within one year of the M16s introduction. The gas operating system does blow the gas into the bolt housing group, but this is not really a problem if you shoot actual military ammo and just even occationally clean your weapon.

Yeah it's called fraternization and it violates the UCMJ.ooooopsey.

Automatic fire is great for machine guns and SAW's you have a weapon made for sustained fire.And as was mentioned 4 to 6 round bursts are what is taught.
For the basic rifleman semi is the best bet.Sherman in the Corps you aim every round. I also started out humpin an M16A1 never fired it on auto M16A2 never fired it on burst.The mission of the rifleman is to make dead bad guys you do that better with aimmed fire.

In Iraq they shouldn't use beretta, its a disgrace for a soldier, what you really need in is a desert eagle .50 cal or at least a .44 . 3 shots from a beretta couldn't bring an idiot down,but 3 shot from either of desert eagles can. Also at least one man in a squad should have a backpack-fed
Xm-314 minigun, it takes a while to fire but his squad mates can defend him while it starts to fire and then he'll unleash hell.

Remember guys, bigger bullet doesn't neccessarily mean absolutely better performance in all areas, nor does it mean the gun that fires it is better. But what it definately means is that it's going to be very heavy for you.
While the .308 is bigger, the .223 flies faster. And if you know anything about physics... The .308 is better for long ranges, but we all know most firefights happen at distances under 200m. For that you want something light and easy to handle. And when you need the extra punch, you have the M203.

Originally Posted by JEA

The SA80 A1 family of weapons, of whish the L85 is one variant (there's also a Light Support Weapon variant and a new carbine version), was a quite bad rifle. I say quite bad because it was blown out of proportion by the press wanting to take a dig at our government. It is an accurate rifle, especially with the SUSAT optical sight. I've never heard of one falling apart when fired, but the problem with the magazine falling off was rectified very early on. However, it was very unreliable. This was mainly because it required a high level of maintenance, which was just unpractical on exercise never mind operations.

There was also a problem with the feed of blank ammunition, due to the fact that the blanks we use have a crimped tip. This coupled with the fact that the rifle required even more maintenance when firing blanks (they throw out a lot more carbon than ball), lead to the troops having little faith in it. And rightly so.

The SA80 A2 is the new version which has undergone extensive modification. It is now an extremely reliable weapon. The initial tests in Oman, Norway, Belize and UK put it among the best assault rifles as far as reliability goes. Once the stats of how it performed in Iraq filter through the army and eventually to the public, I believe it will become a very highly regarded weapon. The problem with the feed of blank ammunition has also been rectified with a new magazine specifically for blank rounds, which will give British soldiers confidence in the weapon.

Hear! Hear!

Originally Posted by USMC Johnny

Ever shot someone with a 9mm?? If the distance is great than 10meters(30ft) it takes more than one shot to knock someone down.

If Afghanistan I had to fire 3 shots at one guy, and I still didn't see him fall.(and I know you will be like "you missed him") I'm a pistol expert, I didn't miss. I hit him 3 times in the chest, but he didn't fall.

9mm is weak, but great for amount of ammo in the clip.

Yep! Heard this about the old Sterling Sub-machinegun as issued to the British forces previously - "had a job stopping a rabbit" is what I was told - its calibre? 9mm - the same round as used in the Browning 9 Milly pistol also issued to the Brit Forces.

Originally Posted by c/LtCdr

5.56 is fine, as long as its military issue ammo...cant hit jack with cheap civilian ammunition. The burst doesnt give you the opportunity to aim the second two shots, with full auto you can aim as you fire. Yes, it wastes ammo, but as long as I don't have to pay for it...

Blimey! The British Army are taught 'ammunition conservation', in other words, use as few rounds as is required to do the job. Are Americans not taught the same? Is this coz we are a poor nation nowadays?