Musket evolutionThis section describes how today's firearms are connected to the musket and longrifle of the 18th century. Time and space don't permit covering every detail and development, so this section is a brief overview of small arms development from approximately 1785 — 2005. Battlefield tactics are determined almost exclusively by the technology level of the weapons, technology influences ammunition design and ammunition characteristics determine the weapon design. The significance of four ingredients (lead, sulfur, charcoal, potassium nitrate) can't be understated. No other ingredients have made significant impact on world history, with the possible exception of gold and silver. These four ingredients formed early ammunition, which was the beginning point of firearm design. As long as this combination remained in use, firearm design would remain limited to a simple tube of metal. The residue from this simple chemical compound makes a heavy residue which quickly renders the firearm unuseable until it's cleaned. It wasn't until the French invented smokeless powder in the 1880s that rapid firing guns became a possibility. As any arms designer will tell you, the starting point is the ammunition. It is the keystone from which everything else is designed around. Ammunition changed very little between 1600 — 1800, and by 1850 the biggest change was the ignition. The basic propellant remained nearly unchanged since Francis Bacon was credited with discovering it in the 14th century. After the discovery of smokeless powder in the late 19th century, it caused a complete redesign of small arms. It also mandated much higher grade steel, and had dazzling performance compared to the older, slower and dirtier black powder arms. As warfare moved away from linear tactics, the ammunition requirement per soldier meant carrying more ammunition and a rifle that could hold a little ammunition itelf. From this, the magazine was invented. Smoothbore flintlock muskets disappeared from production around 1840, but some armies continued using them long afterwards. The US-Mexican war in 1846 was the last recorded war where flintlock muskets saw widespread use. A few flintlock muskets saw service in the US Civil War (1861-65) in the early days.
In 1807 Alexander Forsyth patented the percussion ignition system, which is very similar to the classic children's cap gun. The percussion system was a major improvement in two respects: it reduced the lock time to almost nothing, and it was more moisture - resistant than the flintlock design. From the 1820s onward, the percussion system was in general use. Owners of older flintlocks eagerly sought to have their flintlock guns converted to percussion, and many surviving examples of these conversions exist today. Aside from the ignition system, these early percussion guns were little different than the earlier flintlock firearms.
By the 1850's, specialty firearms began to emerge from the musket and longrifle. A separate and distinct derivative of the musket appeared-the shotgun. While it was common to fire muskets with multiple projectiles (typically many smaller balls rather than a single larger ball), this was regarded as an alternate mode rather than a need for a new gun. By the mid 19th century, rifling was mainstay on long arms. Rifling in a barrel caused shot clusters to spin inside the barrel, making shot patterns open up wildly and making the rifle unsuitable for firing shot. From this, the shot-gun was born, a more ornate musket without a bayonet lug or other military features. US Civil WarThe US Civil War caused rapid development of the rifled musket, and by the end of the Civil War the rifle was standard issue. It was called the "rifled musket", since the rifle wasn't thought of as a separate, distinct arm at that time. Also, the flintlock firing mechanism was all but gone from small arms.
During the US Civil War, sharpshooting (sniping) was rediscovered as a separate effort to neutralize specific targets. During the Boer War, the British were once again subjected to sniping without a counterpart. By World War I, sniping was rediscovered by most of the world's armies and by World War II, snipers were a part of every major army. Early 20th CenturyFrom the US Civil War to the first half of World War II, the trend among small arms designers was emphasizing accuracy while maintaining a modest rate of fire. Further, switching from black powder to the newer high pressure smokeless powder meant reducing bore diameter. The bore sizes common in the 19th century were somewhere between 50 to 69 caliber. After the introduction of smokeless powder, the rifle bore diamters shrank to about 30 caliber or 0.030 inches. The pinnacle of this design was the German Mauser 98 platform, and the US Springfield M1903 rifles. Both were bolt action, and both were capable of astounding accuracy in the hands of a competent rifleman. Millions of Mauser 98s and Springfields are in civilian hands as sporter arms. From our experiences in W.W.I and W.W.II, the US Government distributes Springfield rifles in the Civilian Marksmanship Program to promote and preserve civilian marksmanship skills.
U.S. DevelopmentsThe US started the twentieth century with a foreign-designed Krag rifle, and from our experiences fighting in the Spanish - American War, the shortcomings of the Krag rifle could no longer be ignored. By 1906 the US switched over to a US-designed bolt action rifle, the Springfield model 1906. It was basically a Mauser 98 action,.and to avoid infringing the Mauser patent, the Springfield designers made minor changes sufficient to declare it a unique design. As well-designed as the Springfield 1906 was, it had a troubled beginning. The early models weren't properly heat-treated, and this process deficiency wasn't discovered until after a few accidents and unexpected receiver failures. Coupled with low production, the US didn't have enough Springfield 1906 rifles for general issue by the time the US entered World War I. Commercial arms makers had been making rifles for the British for some time, and there were large quantities of Enfield Pattern 14 and Pattern 17 (P-14 & P-17) rifles on hand. Some quantities of P-17 rifles were issued to US troops, few received the M1906 Springfield. The basic difference between the P-14 and P-17 was ammuntion: the P-14 used British .303 caliber ammuntion, the P-17 used US 30 caliber ammunition, the same type as the M1906 Springfield. Some Enfield P-17's were made locally in the Eddystone, PA plant. Between W.W.I and W.W.II, the US military studied ways to improve the now-plentiful M1906 Springfield, and at the same time pondered the possibility of a self-loading rifle for general issue. John Cantius Garand, a Canadian engineer, developed a rifle that reliably reloaded itself in the 1920s, and by the late 1930s the Army had begun the process of making Garand's rifle general issue. The US military's decision to standardize on this rifle saved countless thousands of lives in the global war that would follow. The glowing performance reports, combined with the near-perfect timing resulted in the M1 rifle emerging as an American icon even to this day. Shooters born generations after the end of W.W.II still seek this rifle for both collecting and shooting.
World War IIIn the later days of World War II, many innovations appeared that would have a profound impact on our lives to this day. Every one of us is affected today by W.W.II. If you've eaten M&M's, used a sport-utility vehicle, watched shuttle flights, you've been exposed to the fruits of W.W.II innovations. A few more examples:
One innovation that appeared was a short, angular rifle the Germans reluctantly fielded to appease the desperate pleas from overwhelmed German soldiers fighting in Russia. This new MP-44 fired a reduced power cartridge, had a revolutionary grip design and a very large capacity magazine. The Germans had invented the assault rifle, and it didn't take long before these handy rifles were a highly sought-after battlefield prize. Many nations studied the MP-44 at length after the war and a few adopted it unchanged. Yugoslavia used original German-made MP-44's until the 1980's.
The MP-44 signalled a change in military thought away from precision accuracy, and back towards rate of fire. This was a milestone development that would affect small arms for generations to come. The real secret in plain view was the reduced power cartridge. The significance of this feature was lost on nearly everyone, except the Soviets. It woould be decades before the west understood it's real advantage. U.S. Post war DevelopmentsAfter the end of World War II, the US military took a detailed look at the M-1 Garand rifle's stengths and weaknesses. Soldiers reported three details that immediately got the attention of the review team:
There were other details, too many to cover in the scope of this article, but the Garand rifle was about to become a worldbeater. One of the lessons of small arms design from World War II was reducing the power of infantry cartridges, this seemed to be subject to interpretation. The Russians copied the German model almost verbatim, while the US interpretation was making a cartridge with less powder but almost exactly the same power level. The new cartridge, designated "T-65" (it would later be redesignated 7.62mmx51, or somtimes incorrectly ".308 Winchester"), was to be the new standard issue round for all US infantry rifles and light machine guns. The 7.62x51's recoil defeated the concept of easy control when firing in full-automatic mode, a lesson that continued to evade the US military until the Viet Nam conflict. By virtue of the NATO treaty, the US forced most of the allied nations to subsequently adopt the 7.62x51 cartridge. The fate of the intermediate cartridge was sealed until well into the 1960s. In the immediate postwar years, the US military tested numerous prototype designs, one designated prototype "T-44" seemed promising. The military was given the mandate that if no suitable domestic 7.62mm design was available, a foreign design would be chosen as standard issue irrespective of their protests. Two European designs succeeded in entering the Aberdeen Proving Grounds test range — the German Heckler & Koch (pronounced like "Coke") G3 and the Belgian FN-FAL. The H&K rifle was eliminated early on, but the Belgian FAL (US prototype designation T-48) was beating the T-44 in many respects. The US military, like many, had a touch of "not-invented-here" syndrome. Eschewing the foreign FAL, the T-44 was sent back to the armory for improvements and re-tested against the FAL. If it failed the comparison in any respect, it was sent back again. This benchmarking cycle continued for several years and nearly 5 billion dollars later, the T-44 could beat all competitors. The T-44 was finally accepted by the US Military around 1955, and received the designation US rifle, M-14. The M-14 slowly replaced the aging M-1 Garands, the Garands still lingered in some reserve and National Guard units well into the 1960s and perhaps later. By about 1964 the M-14 was the main front line rifle of the US ground forces, and was the primary infantry rifle when the US marines arrived in Viet Nam.
The first impression the Marines got from the M-14 was it's unusually high accuracy and it's ability to punch through dense foilage and hit hiding enemy. It was very effective under conditions where penetration was a deciding factor. When it was fired in full automatic, the recoil from the high-powered 7.62x51 (30 caliber) cartridge destroyed any chance of accurate automatic fire. From these experiences, most M-14s were converted to fire in self-loading mode only ("semi-automatic"). By 1966-67 a new rifle was emerging that seemed better suited to jungle use. For the time being, the M-14 was used for exactly what it was designed for-precision shooting. A few were futher modified for even more accuracy and were subsequently designated M-21. Following the Viet Nam conflict, the M-14s were placed in storage, a few were given to friendly nations and at least one nation made direct copies of the M-14 for their own use. Except for domestic long range shooting enthusiasts, the M-14 was nearly forgotten until the first Gulf War when long range shooting returned to the battlefield. US defense planners immediately returned the M-14 to front line status as medium to extended range gun battles broke out at longer ranges. The M-14 performed flawlessly again, and gained a reputation as a very reliable rifle even in dirty and dusty conditions. Around 1960, Eugene Stoner, an engineer for Fairchild Corporation introduced a rifle made from lightweight materials. The barrel and bolt were still high grade steel, but parts that did not contain cumbustion pressure were made from either aluminum or plastic. The rifle fired a new, small cartridge that featured a 5.56mm (22 caliber) bullet 1/3 the weight of the M-14's 7.62mm (30 caliber) bullet, although at a substantially higher velocity. The reasoning was that the very high velocity would offset the bullet's size, resulting in a cartridge nearly as effective as the older 7.62mm but smaller, lighter and more controllable in automatic fire. Initially tests seemed to support this view. Initially the US Air Force accepted the lighweight rifle, the Army soon followed. By 1966-67 the rifle now known as the M-16 was official issue. The rifle's popularity spread fast, especially with smaller stature soldiers common in southeast asia. One design feature of this rifle bears mentioning - the barrel pressure under the front sight is carried back to the receiver area to power the reloading mechanism. While a functional design, it would be a contributing cause to an early highly publicized failure, the residue stigma still lingers today. Shortly after the M16s acceptance, one of the ammunition manufacturers made an unannounced change in the powder composition, causing more residue to collect in the rifle than it was designed to handle. Many of the M-16 rifles weren't being cleaned, and coupled with the powder residue caused the rifles to malfunction. Making matters worse, many of these newer generation of soldiers didn't come from a background that included shooting skills. From this, the Armalite rifle's first impression in Viet Nam earned it numerous monikers: "Jammin' Jenny", "Matty Mattel" and others. The powder type was quickly switched back to the cleaner burning type originally specified, and rifle's original reliability returned.
The North Vietnamese had a heathly repect for the "black rifle", as the high speed bullet performed as expected when it found it's mark. What wasn't anticipated was using this rifle in a jungle environment where the bullet might be deflected by vegetation before arriving at its target. The US M-14 and the Kalashikov rifles fired heavier 7.62mm bullets that were less prone to deflection, and thus gained a reputation as battlefield winners. Because of these two factors, the rifle initially received a reputation as unreliable. As the war progressed, and the nagging details were addressed the M-16 proved itself battlefield capable. By approximately 1970, the M-16 was fully accepted by the US military and was performing admirably. The M-16 continues on today with millions in worldwide use, mostly in friendly countries. The M-16 continues to evolve, and became the M-16A2 sometime in the 1980s. The primary change was replacing the automatic mode with a 3-shot "burst" function after military studies indicated that longer bursts wasted ammuntion. The M-16 was also made for many other specialized applications including submachinegun, carbine, sharpshooting and other variants.
The M-16s in Iraq and Afghanistan are either aging M-16A2s or the newer M-4 carbine, a shortened M-16 with improved sights, accessories and fire control. The first generation Armalite rifle continued into a civilian model, now known as the AR-15. This rifle is immensly popular with shooters and dominates competitive rifle shoots. Due to the light weight and low recoil, it's also very popular with smaller stature shooters, such as women and younger shooters. The range and nature of accessories available for this rifle are well beyond the scope of this article.
Russia and Eastern countriesWhile muskets disappeared hundreds of years ago, the idea of a loose-fitting firearm that traded some accuracy for very high reliability reappeared about 60 years ago. A Russian engineer designed a rifle so reliable that it was almost unbreakable. It worked so well it's unchanged today and still in production. Unfortunately, some highly publicized bad events leave many with a negative impression. So you might recognize Mr. Kalashnikov's rifle as the AK-47, or AKM. It's important to understand the context and need for the Kalashnikov rifle, as it was a very necessary invention. When World War II began, the Russians (then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) were using mostly three service cartridges.
To avoid additional supply issues, no small arms were considered for field issue unless they were chambered for one of these existing cartridges. The 7.62mmx39R was specially made for the aging Nagant revolver, and wasn't suitable for use in self-loading arms. This narrowed the choice down to the 7.62mmx54R and the 7.62mmx25.
The only self-loading rifle the Soviets fielded during World War II were the Tokarev series: The SVT-38, SVT-40 and AVT-40. They all were self-loading from a ten round magazine, and the AVT-40 could fire in machinegun mode. Unfortunately the Tokarev platform was forced into full production immediately after the initial trials, so no blueprints or plans ever existed. The only reference were the surviving prototype rifles designer Feder Tokarev built for testing and acceptance. The result of this accelerated program meant that Tokarev rifles built in one factory would not interchange many parts from a Tokarev rifle from another factory. Further, Tokarev rifles built from the same factory but separated by a significant amount of time might not interchange parts, either. An unintended consequence of this meant that it was not practical to reload the Tokarev rifles by changing the magazines. The Tokarev rifle rounds were loaded either singly or with 5 round charger slips, the same one used with the Mosin rifle.
While the SVT-40 rifle was a disappointment to the Soviets, they gained a new lease on life when Russia sold thousands of the to the US surplus market in the 1990s. US shooters quickly absorbed them, having none of the problems probably because US shooters are more educated and proficient, and ammunition quality within the past 20 years is substantially better than wartime Soviet ammunition. During the W.W.II German invasion of Russia, the Germans were quickly overwhelmed by swarms of Soviet troops, and the fighting style led to the invention of the assault rifle. The Russians applied the same lesson but weren't able to field an assault rifle before the end of World War II. The Russians did make the ammunition, called the M43 before the end of World War II. No Russian small arms were used in the field that were chambered in the M43 cartridge. By the end of World War II, the Russian infantry weapons were either chambered for the 7.62mmx25 pistol cartridge or the full-size 7.62mmx54R rifle round. The policy enforcing this also created a certain range where the existing submachine guns couldn't accurately reach, and the 7.62mmx54R rifles lacked firepower. Rifles chambered in the old 7.62mmx54R were best suited for medium to long distance applications, but the blast and recoil prevented automatic fire from anything less than a fixed machine gun. At the end of World War II, the Russian fielded the first rifle chambered for the new M43 cartridge. The SKS-45 was simply replacement for the SVT-40, and the tactical equivalent to the US M-1 Garand rifle. Although the SKS rifle suffered from the selective fit problems like the older Tokarev rifle, the SKSs were built in the millions. Communist satellite countries built SKS, sometimes with a minor local variation. The Chinese built unrecorded millions, perhaps more. Millions came into the US in the 1990s, and yet more were sprinkled globally anywhere it was advantageous. SKS rifles are still in widespread use, unchanged from the original 1945 pattern.
The Kalashnikov rifle was Russia's first serious venture into the true "assault rifle" arena, and went through many improvements before it was type-accepted by the Soviet forces in 1947. It reflects many of the lessons learned in W.W.II, namely placing the gas reloading system on top of the barrel, and raising the sights to reduce heat "shimmer" from a hot barrel. Also, most of the parts are made by press-forming or "stamping", greatly reducing assembly time and cost. It gives this rifle a cheap "feel", but is sturdy nonetheless. The cartridge is a true reduced-power rifle cartridge designated the 7.62mmx39, having roughly 2/3 the power level of the old Russian 7.62mmx54R service cartridge it replaced. The reduced power level allows reasonable controllability in automatic fire while still retaining adequate power for general infantry use. During the Cold War years (approximately 1946 — 1990) the Soviet Union and China traded, sold or gave away countless millions of Kalashnikov rifles to nearly any nation that desired them. Other Communist Bloc nations like Romania, Hungary and Poland made their own rifles. Kalashnikovs are the most common rifle found in war zones all over the globe, and because of this they are an icon of combat itself. No one knows how many Kalashnikov rifles exist on the earth, best estimates are in excess of 100 million.
US Forces first encountered the Kalashnikov in the Viet Nam conflict, and the Kalashnikov was a prized battlefield pickup. It was sturdy, required little maintenance, simple and could operate under extremely poor conditions. Thus, the Kalashnikov was well-suited to uneducated peasant armies. Part of the secret to the Kalashnikov's reliability are increased internal clearances. The Kalashnikov rifle has almost a "klunky" feel from what appear to be loose fitting parts, the bolt and bolt carrier in particular. This extra room makes it very resistant to stoppages, but also decreases accuracy. This means Kalashnikov users must get closer to targets than soldiers using Western rifles. More to follow on this detail.
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Several other details make this rifle almost 100 percent reliable: steep cartridge draft angle, forward-mounted gas piston (keeps powder residue in the moving parts to a minimum) and the fewest possible moving parts with loose tolerances. Parts placement is one of the subtlest features. Mounting the gas recoil & reloading system on top of the barrel makes it necessary to raise the sights to see over top these parts; it also minimizes the effect of heat "shimmer" caused by hot air rising off of the barrel. Locating the gas port further back on the barrel creates a longer power impulse on the bolt carrier, alowing a smaller pressure bleed effect along with a longer power impulse. This greatly enhances reliability.
Because the Kalashnikov was almost always present in the hands of adversaries, or at least fighting factions, it quickly became associated with hostile forces or at least strife. Interestingly, the Kalashnikov was never used in warfare in the western hemisphere with one exception in 1990. Oka, a small Canadian town experienced a controversial gunfight with Mohawk indians in the summer of 1990. The dispute centered around the construction of a golf course on revered burial grounds, one Mohawk was pictured with a Kalashnikov during the standoff. Unfortunately three people died before the Canadian government overcame the Mohawks. Russia changed the Kalashnikov design in 1973 by following the US example towards a smaller, high velocity bullet. The re-chambered was type-accepted in 1974, and thus is known as the "AK-74". The Russian cartridge fires a long 5.45mm (22 caliber, or just under a quarter of an inch diameter) bullet that's just barely balanced upon firing. The center of gravity in the bullet is set to the rear, making it unstable on impact. The lethality of this new small bullet remains controversial. Some reports credit this with enhanced tumbling or "see-saw" effect on impact. Coupled with the high velocity, it produces large, cratering wounds that were initially thought to be explosive bullets. Another report downplays the wounding potential of the 5.45mm cartridge. Despite this controversy, the ballistic performance is very similar to the US AR-15, M16 and Kalashnikov AK-101. The Kalashnikov AK-74 saw service during the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan (1979-1989), and many AK-74s remained in Afghanistan after the Soviets left. The Russians have what they perceive as a viable replacement for the Kalashnikov, but high production cost and complexity prevent the AN-94 "Akaban" (more) rifle from widespread deployment. So, the AK-74 is the standard front line service rifle in Russia and a few other Eastern European nations. Transition & Realignment (1990 - 2000)The beginning of the end of the Cold War was first detected by a satellite photograph analyst. Evidence of desperate strip mining for gold in the mid 1980s bore silent witness that the former Soviet Union was desperate for revenue. A fwe years later, Soviet troops withdrew from East Germany. Following this, the Berlin Wall fell, followed by a brief struggle for power as communism fell in Russia. The Cold War was over. From decades of excess spending on defence, the cash-starved eastern european nations (including Russia) had shortages of everything except weapons and related equipment. Around 1984, President Reagan allowed foreign military arms imports to resume into the US provided those arms met existing US laws. This arrangement provided a means for the eastern european nations to peacefully convert arms into revenue, and an opportunity for US sportsmen & collectors to purchase arms that were previously unavailable. In this time period, Russian small arms and ammunition went from extremely rare to the most popular used small arm in the US. The majority were either current or former military arms. Since the imported arms must be compliant with US firearm laws, some features required revision or removal. For instance, military issue Kalashnikov rifles have a fire control setting that allows operation as a machinegun. This feature must be not just disabled, but none of the parts that facilitated automatic operation can be reused. So, these imported Kalashnikovs have newly-designed receivers and fire control parts made just for US civilians. Previously rare W.W.II era Mosin-Nagant bolt-action infantry rifles went from rare & arcane to virtually flooding the US small arms market. Since they are already manually operated, they do not require any modification for civilian ownership. See section "Russia and Eastern countries" for more information. During the years between approximately 1984 and 1989, the foreign arms entring the US were the closest to the original military pattern and the most desirable to collectors. The only discernable difference was deleting the automatic fire feature on the rifles that originally had it. SKS and similar rifles can into the US unchanged, an unprecedented windfall for collectors. In the years following 1989, the imported semi-automatic rifles underwent a number of changes to maintain import compliance, please see section titled "Civil Market" for details.
While small arms flooded into the US in the immediate post Cold War era, another transition was slowly occurring. The US public was being introduced to the Kalashnikov, or "AK-47" as it's commonly known. This rifle inherited a strong symbolic stigma from it's prolific use overseas, often in the hands of guerillas and other nefarious purposes. Initially, the US shooting community showed lukewarm interest outside of collectors and 20th century historians. As reports filtered back echoing the Kalashnikov's reliability, the Kalashnikov gained a loyal following in the US. Quickly two schools of thought formed: one holding this dubios rifle in high esteem for low cost and reliability, the other symbolizing it as the icon of domestic terrorism and the schoolyard shooter's weapon of choice. The Kalashnikov is actually becoming an icon of fundamental freedom itself. It represents power in the hands of the individual rather than an elected representative or official. It removes the first and second degree of separation between an individual and implementation. This concept is unnerving to many politicos, and several states have banned them outright. 21st Century and forewardOur erstwhile enemies now struggle against terrorism as we do, and in some cases they have a taller task. The Russians have been fighting in Chechnya since the early 1990's. To translate Chechnya into Western geography, this would be similar to Texas declaring itself an independent Islamic republic, and hostile to the remaining 49 states. Many nations mull over bullpup designs, China has been quietly developing a new 5.8mmx42 round (development) and has adopted their QBZ-95 rifle. It's presently used by the Chinese special forces and the Hong Kong Police, and is expected to replace the Kalashnikov copies currently in use by the bulk of the Chinese military.. The two War Wars are occasionally referred to in these oblique terms: the First World War was the chemist's war, the Second World War was the physicist's war. That said, the Cold War will likely be added to this description as the financier's war. The essence of the struggle between the East and the West in the 1946-1990 time frame was competing for global economic dominance without the unrestricted warfare like World War II. When China & Russia opened their markets, they struggled to adapt their old weapons platforms to appeal to Western buyers.
The Chinese manufactured low cost military pattern arms, the most popular being the Kalashnikov pattern and the SKS Simonov carbine. Beyond a few adaptations of existing military arms, China did not make any serious developments in the commercial sporting arms industry. Russia quickly adapted the Kalashnikov design to sporting markets, and enjoyed considerable market penetration (no pun intended). Some of the Russian commercial rifles (example) have an excellent reputation for fit and finish. Civil MarketSocial impactThe civil market has an interest level that waxes and wanes, this tendency is unique in the civil arms market. During wartime, interest in weapons peaks to it's highest and tends to remain there, but only with the weapons in use at that time. It's common to see common names associated with various aspects of the period weapons. The image of the Pennsylvania rifle or musket over the fireplace is timeless in the American psyche, reinforced by our turbulent entry into the 21st century. Compare the next two pictures as an example.
For instance, we still see a "Flintlock Lane", "Powder Horn Lane" and "Musket Drive" in the Valley Forge area. Many other examples about in the Northeast region where fighting occurred. This doesn't appear to be a uniquely American experience. In Afghanistan, the Kalashnikov rifle is viewed much the same nostalgia Americans view the Colonial musket, or the blunderbuss. Many Afghan villages make rugs featuring contemporary weapons plainly visible, the Kalashnikov rifle is a frequent theme. The boys name "Kalash" is gaining popularity in some african countries. The national flag of Mozambique features a Kalashnikov. In the United States, the Kalashnikov rifle is slowly making the transition from being perceived as the "enemy's weapon" to a symbol of individual freedom and independence. T shirts are beginning to appear espousing liberty with persons holding a Kalashnkov rifle. The Pavlov effectAmericans view the Kalashnikov more by association with pro-Communist and more recently, terrorists. Today, untold thousands of Americans are more familiar with the Kalashnikov, and it has gained a permanent peacetime home in the United States. One group adopted it as one of their political icons:
A single horrific event in the dawn of the 21st century reminded America that the age of the gun isn't over. From the description of the performance and use, it's easy to associate the modern battle rifle with destruction, war and suffering. This point has been brought up many times, and few correctly note that it's a reverse relationship — warfare is the necessary inspiration for these weapons. In Pennsylvania, untold thousands of Kalashnikov rifles are used for target and sporting use, and contrary to media claims are seldom used in crime. Regulatory overviewFirearms made before 1898 do not fall under US gun laws, and may bought, sold and shipped like any other property. However, state and local laws may address these aging relics. Most rifles used up to World War II are available on the surplus market, many at bargain prices. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (description - link) provides a low price source of US W.W.II rifles, but collectible examples command premium prices often exceeding $800 or more. In contrast, Russian W.W.II service rifles in near-mint condition seldon exceed $100 unless they have special collector interest, or are a sharpshooters rifle. Military arms that have certain features may not be imported into the US. A few examples: full-automatic fire, bayonet lugs, flash hiders and high-capacity (more than 10 cartridges) magazines. Domestic-made rifles are permitted to have most of these features except for automatic fire capability. An interesting feature of US law is the so-called "grandfather" provision, allowing continued use or possession if the item in question existed before the law took effect. This allows owners of some rifles with now-illegal features to continue owning them. This includes lawful ownership of transferrable machineguns made prior to May 1986. These specimens often command five digit price tags, as they are in strong demand from the wealthiest of collectors. Postwar arms are popular among collectors and provide a lost cost entry point for new shooters. Kalashnikov and SKS (Simonov) rifles are among the least expensive self-loading rifles that fire the cheapest ammunition presently on the surplus market. Former Communist Bloc firearms also provide a means of extensive range practice at a substantial savings. For those who are able to get past the stigma of the Kalashnikov's image, a very useful "sport utility" rifle awaits. World War II left us with many fruits (Jeeps & sport utility vehicles, M&M candies, the space program and more), among them are these erstwhile military rifles well suited to general range duty. For those inclined towards US designs, copies of the M-14 and M-16 are plentiful. The only two differences between the military versions and civil models are lack of automatic fire and minimum barrel length restrictions. Both AR-15s (civil version of M-16) and M1A (civil M-14 version) will fire in self-loading mode. Since the military permanently altered the M-14s to semi-automatic (self-loading), the differences between civil & military versions are almost identical. There are coutless millions of AR-15 rifles in civilian hands in the US alone. From this, a flourishing market developed selling replacement parts and accessories ranging from the smallest pin to designer grips & stocks in any color. World War II rifles are plentiful and provide the historically inclined with a bountiful supply of US, British, Russian and now German rifles. The import rifles also make a good investment since the supplies will eventually be exhausted, causing the price of existing rifles to rise dramatically as collectors scramble to aquire remaining examples. Presently Russian Mosin 1891/30 rifles are bottomed out at about $75 in near new condition, these same rifles could easily top $200-$300 when the supplies finally run out. Russian SVT-40 rifles were once $150 in near new condition, the Russians quickly ran out of this rare and highly collectible rifle. Now these same rifles command prices often exceeding $500 — $600. Unfortunately, a small group of persons committed a string of high profile crimes where Kalashnikovs were used, and the result was a succession of ever-increasing restrictions on foreign small arms. The initial restriction in 1989 was an import restriction on any arm that had a combination of cosmetic features. The intent was to stop the imoprt of Kalshnikov rifles, but failed to address this rifle specifically. So, the law of unintended consequences takes effect. To counter this, the importers removed flash hiders, bayonet lugs and integrated the pistol-style grip into the buttstock to appease US import restrictions. in 1994, the Clinton administration imposed similar restrictions on US-made small arms. The domestic restriction had little effect because by this time, the market was heavily saturated with high capacity military surplus magazines, keeping prices down and supplied adequate. Equally important in the supply of ammunition. Prior to 1984-85, Soviet ammunition sizes were cost prohibitive. The two main sizes, 7.62mmx54R and 7.62mmx39 were usually four to five times the cost of the most expensive US size. Following the fall of the communist empire and subsequent market flooding, the cost of imported ammunition experienced a free fall, and military surplus ammunition remains the most inexpensive size. The extreme low cost make frequent target practice and recreational shooting very affordable. Millions of spent ammunition casings at ranges and other designated shooting areas provide mute testimony of the thousands of Kalashnikov rifles in Pennsylvania, providing their owners with lawful, safe entertainment. Pennsylvania game laws prohibit semi and automatic rifles for hunting large game, so Kalashnikovs are limited to collecting and recreation. Sharpshooting DevelopmentsThe quest for increased accuracy has continued unabated for over 200 years, resulting in rifles with impressive performance. Many nations and commercial arms makers produce enhanced accuracy rifles for competition, civil and military use. Long range shooting is a popular sport in Pennsylvania, with a strong following. These are purists among shooters, who are among the most detail-oriented. Many will experiment for months or years to find the right combination of casings, powder, primer and bullet to produce winning groups.
Section summaryIt's more important today than ever before to familiarize ourselves with the main weapon platform of our enemies. Since 2001, many Americans are no longer willing to blame inanimate objects for the failures or actions of irresponsible individuals, and laws in place of personal accountability. Understanding the capabilities and equipment of our enemies removes the stigma with certain weapons and fear of the unknown; it removes the "boogyman" element and blunts their advantage. It also exposes weaknesses in our system before Americans lose their lives. One point that should be apparent from this section: countries, companies and even individual gun designers have been struggling to find the one design that will do nearly everything with perfection. The opposite has happened - the trend is more towards specialized firearms that have outstanding performance in the field for which they were designed. The closest model to the "do-everything" design would be the AR-15, or perhaps one of the Kalashnikov designs. During the late 1970s, the author prepared several studies for the Pennsylvania National Guard. In the immediate post-Viet Nam era, returning veterans commented on the superior reliability of the Kalashnikov especially in dirty or muddy conditions. The US issued rifles often jammed or malfunctioned under the same conditions. After extensive hands-on range experience with Kalashnikovs, I discovered the Kalashnikov was reliable as claimed, but had a range discrepancy. The reliability was the result of larger internal clearances, which also caused accuracy to suffer. The apparent jamming of the M-16 was later traced to an ammunition deficiency, which was quickly corrected. After considerable testing, I found the Kalashnikovs had difficulty hitting a human sized target beyond 250 — 300 yards, an ordinary US-issued M-16 would easily hit the same target as far as 400 yards. This means there was a region where it would be possible for US soldiers to engage enemy soldiers equipped with Kalashnikovs, and the enemy would not be able to deliver accurate return fire. I asked many of the returning veterans if they were aware of this, few if any were. Many remarked wishing they had known about range discrepancy back then. Should we find ourselves in conflict with a force equipped with the Chinese QBZ-95, the range discrepancy factor could be tilted against us. The upcoming US 6.8mmx45 cartridge may provide the solution, if it's deployed by then. The 21st CenturyThe Pennsylvania rifle enjoys a strong following among enthusiasts and the historically-minded. Increasingly the term "Kentucky Rifle" is more often seen with a footnote commenting that it really originated in Pennsylvania. PA rifles are functional works of art like none found elsewhere in the world. The trade has spread to other states, but Pennsylvania will always be known as the birthplace for this fine rifle. While the origins are traceable to Pennsylvania, some opinions maintain the rifle is a "Kentucky" rifle. Today's Pennsylvania rifles are stronger and equally accurate as their predecessors, and more affordable. They drifted into obsolescence over one hundred years ago for military use, but still have a home and function in countless homes in the U.S. and elsewhere for centuries to come. Newer materials offer interesting choices-stainless steel for barrels, polymer coated laminated stocks are nearly impervous to the elements. Small arms technology continues to evolve. The general trend is more specialized firearms, while attempting to limit the number of unique variations. The general issue M-16 carried by US service personnel in Viet Nam has evolved into a family of small arms. The latest interest seems to be revising ammunition design to reflect experiences from Gulf Wars I and II at the behest of the US military. At persent the US military appears to be swinging back towards an emphasis on accuracy while maintaining existing firepower capability. The US military is mulling adding a new cartridge, the 6.8mm Special Purpose Cartridge (6.8mmx43 SPC - online article) for ground forces. Whether this will replace or supplant the existing 5.56mm platform isn't clear yet. Another school of thought is the continuation of existing designs. Many civilian AR-15 makers offer a dizzying array of iterations and variations of the AR-15 (example). While technology races ahead, a small community in Pakistan called Peshawar still makes guns the old way (details). They buy steel, or collect scrap steel and hand-make firearms. The interesting twist is the guns they made are modern, but the methods are 18th century at best. Unfortunately for this community, they are on the direct path of the porous Afghan-Pakistan border where Taliban & sympathizers travel. An excerpt from a Peshawar Travel Guide:
America's enemies of today are re-learning a nasty lesson. The Nazi Germans, Communist Vietnamese & Koreans and Imperial Japanese soldiers have paid with their lives a simple lesson - US soldiers are simply more accurate shooters. The enemy trainers and handlers often instruct their cadres that US shooters are lazy and inaccurate, a deadly lie. Journalists covering battlefields can tell where US troops are at night: US soldiers tend to fire single, accurate shots, enemy troops fire automatic volleys of fire often times without a serious effort to aim. An interesting footnote is another experimental program to re-aquaint US military personnel with the antiquated arms of yore. From the article:
The civilian market is driving the market for newer, lighter materials available in almost any color. Advanced polymer plastics first appeared with the Glock series handguns in the early 1980's and despite unfounded initial fears of undetectability, are mainstream handguns today. Glock handguns are appearing in green, some AR-15 rifles and other plastic parts are appearing in non-traditional colors like blue, pink and white. Magazines are frequently plastic, frequently in transparent colors allowing the user to view the actual remaining ammunition.
The Law of Unintended consequences probably applies to warfare as much, if not more that ordinary life. If you've ever seen, used or interacted with:
In the US military, lack of previous firearm experience has been blamed for numerous accidental shootings, most of them fatal. To counter this, the US Army is introducing a weapons immersion program (more details) apparently to recreate the second-nature handling, safety and behavior of persons with extended firearms experience. The goal isn't to make every soldier a gun nut, but to make safety second nature and automatic. The results were almost immediate: During the last half of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union and her satellite allies sowed arms lavishly to the wind in their effort to stimulate the growth of global communism. The unforseen consequence is the 21st century must reap the whirlwind from these shortsighted distribution practices. Unfortunately, this isn't a new situation. For readers familiar with scripture, Hosea 8:1-14 describes a similar situation. Due to uncontrolled manufacturing and distribution, the actual numbers of Kalashnikov rifles isn't known, but estimated to be over 100 million. They are in ample supply and are most often seen anywhere revolutions and worldwide violence exists. It's no wonder we associate the Kalashnkov with extreme violence and war. What the Kalashnkov really represents the the power of the individual, whether it be good or bad. Putting the application debate aside, nothing has normalized the firearm in the last 20 years like the attack on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania in 2001. More Americans are re-aquainting themselves with firearms, many are reintroducing shooting skills into their basic skills (example). Privately owning one or more firearms is more common than published accounts record, as many gun owners are reluctant to reveal their full inventory, and for very good reason. Firearms in civilian hands is a troubling topic to many ruling entities, even our own. Note the mood of the US government when the Second Amendement was ratified December 1791, and compare it to the verbage of the case transcripts United States v. Miller, 1939 (the National Guard didn't exist until around 1900). While the Federal Government and many states have declared no intent on mass confiscation, Events revealed the exact opposite. The mayor of New Orleans ordered mass firearm confiscations by force, even in areas not affected by Hurricane Katrina. Since the ACLU does not recognize firearm ownership as an individual right, these confiscations have gone unopposed except for a few non-government organizations and scattered protests. The consequence of these policies mean firearms are likely to be confiscated right at the moment when they're needed the most - during mob rule. Hurricane Katrina has vindicated much of the survival cult, one web page has posted suggestions for survival tips reflecting these new lessons. |
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