Статья про работу с предохранителем АК

Originally posted by Л.Х.Освальд:
Хорошо, если это официально войдет в правила. Пока вроде только Золотое Кольцо отстреляли с таким допущением, не более того.

Ну так это вообще-то есть в правилах.
8.5.1 Все передвижения должны осуществляться, когда палец находится вне предохранительной скобы спускового крючка, за исключением тех случаев, когда стрелок видит мишени и держит их на прицеле с целью поразить их. Карабин всегда должен всегда быть направлен в безопасном направлении и предпочтительно поставить его на предохранитель

То есть предпочтительно, не обязательно, на усмотрение стрелка.
Так что пользуйтесь

А у меня п. 8.5.1 звучит так:
8.5.1 Все перемещения должны осуществляться, когда пальцы находится вне предохранительной скобы спускового крючка, за исключением тех случаев, когда стрелок видит мишени и держит их на прицеле с целью поразить. Карабин должен всегда быть направлен в безопасном направлении и стоять на предохранителе. ПРАВИЛА ПРАКТИЧЕСКОЙ СТРЕЛЬБЫ ИЗ КАРАБИНА Новая редакция. г. Магнитогорск 2003г.

Походу я пользовался старыми правилами от 2003 года. Сейчас скачал с сайта www.ipsc.ru редакцию от декабря 2004 - там действительно "предпочтительно".

ОГРОМНОЕ СПАСИБО ЗА ССЫЛКУ!!!

Originally posted by WILD:
Ага, ссылка то хороша, но DQ всеравно впаять могут... слишком уж часто палец к этой самой скобе прилипает

не понял. поясни

Вкратце предлагается менять магазин левой рукой, удерживая оружие правой, при этом пустой(полупустой) магазин убирается в подсумок, а только после этого левая рука берет полный магазин и присоединяет его к оружию. Передергивание затворной рамы делается левой рукой, но снизу оружия, а не сверху, как это делаем мы.

Мотивировка следущая (на сайте не нашел, поэтому выкладываю текстом):

One of the biggest mistakes I see in many rifle courses today is that the trainer is always trying to run the rifle as if it was just a big pistol. Fueled in part by competitive rifle pursuits, gunhandling and tactics of deployment mimic the pistol.ЁT A weapon better understood (presumably) by those at the helm.ЁT I must point out that the rifle is not an IPSC pistol and excluding some universal concepts, the handling of the weapon in a true fight to the death will not have much in common with a rifle atch.ЁT This is not said to hurt anyone's feelings, but rather to maintain our "Truth In Training" focus.ЁT

In this short discussion we will focus on reloading the weapon.ЁT Often we see rifle students dropping their empty or slightly empty magazines and executing an IPSC-type "speed load" for the rifles.ЁT Some guys have concocted all manner of clever methods to accomplish this dubious task with FALs, AKs, and of course, america's darling, the AR-15.ЁT A match is not combat.ЁT After a 3-gun stage you can go pick up your magazines as they score your targets, clean them, oil them, and reload them at your leisure for the next stage. In a fight, if you drop a magazine, that magazine is gone.

"Not so", you cry in befuddlement.ЁT Quite so, I reply.ЁT Unless you are behind cover (in which case you best be looking to move to the next cover, lest you get flanked), you will be moving or you will be getting hit by incoming rounds.ЁT The idea of standing calmly pressing the trigger as you execute a perfect speed reload is only possible on the nice safe square range.ЁT In the real world those whom you are shooting at will be shooting right back.ЁT Stand still in the open and you get hit.ЁT Don't believe me?ЁT Ask anyone who has actually been in gunfights and not just at rifle school. Now back to reloading.ЁT Lets draw a little picture for you.

You mount your custom M4 to the shoulder and shoot. realizing you are getting low in the ammo capacity, you execute a speed load, firing your next shot before the almost-empty 30 round magazine hits the deck.ЁT You do so again and again as you move to cover to keep from getting shot, or flanked by the evil forces facing you.ЁT You reach safety and take a breath.ЁT The bad guys are dead, but the fight will no doubt start again very soon.ЁT You reach for your empty magazines to refill them before it starts again.ЁT Surprise turns to despair as you realize your magazines are all down range in the kill zone, and you now have a single shot, manually loaded, self-ejecting carbine.

Don't let this happen to you!ЁT The preferred process is to remove spent magazine, stow it in a bag (or somewhere), replace it with a fresh fully loaded magazine. It doesn't take very long to do once you practice it.ЁT I do not teach dropping rifle magazines. If you are close enough to need a "speed" reload, drawing the pistol will be faster. If you are out of pistol range when you need a reload, you are usually behind cover or going there.ЁT So get there first and THEN reload.ЁT Saving the spent magazine for later refilling is easy to do.

See Our Preferred Method To Reload A Rifle suarezinternational.com

If your goal is to win games, do what you must, but remember that habits ingrained will be habits you will see again.

SHOTGUN GUNFIGHTING

Let's look again at the shotgun. Particularly in the wake of natural disasters, where private citizens are largely on their own, weapons such as the shotgun can add a great edge to the concealed handgun already in place.

I was asked by a number of readers to update them about the shotgun. I must say there is a great deal of 'bad information' out there with regards to the shotgun. I want to set that aside and get to the true application of this weapon. Let me begin by saying that I have seen these fine implements of combat used against live aggressive adversaries several times. These real-life experiences had very little to do with what is presented as 'cutting edge' shotgun stuff today. Remember as well that what a Breacher on a Special Weapons Team needs is not the same as what you will need to protect your home or business.

I have three shotguns at home. One is a Remington 870. Another is a Remington 11-87. A third one, a vintage side-by-side exposed hammer shotgun, reportedly with many "rustlers" to its credit.

None of them have special sights, ammo sidesaddles, special stocks, specially ported or choked barrels of ANY kind. They are light, simple, fast into action, and all of them are more than sufficient for any anti-personnel duties within the intervals of conflict a where a shotgun will be used. Let me discuss a few points -

Things You Need On Your Shotgun:

You need a fast handling lightweight weapon that you can get into action very quickly, and that has at least 5 shots available. That is all.

Things That Are Nice To Have - But Not Essential:

A Light: Many fights happen in low light. Having a flashlight mount makes sense. Its not essential as in most situations, there will be sufficient ambient light to tell what is going on and who is doing it at realistic distances. Understand that in a real-world private citizen gunfight, identifying the threat is not as hard as some trainers will tell you. That notwithstanding, a light will not hurt.

A Magazine Extension: Some guys like these so they can download it by a couple of rounds to transition to slugs. I disagree with that concept. Who wants to go to a gunfight with a weapon not loaded to full capacity. Not me. The load/switch to slug concept may have merit, but its use is so limited that I would much rather have an extra couple rounds of buckshot.

A Sling: For training in class its essential. For fighting its a nice-to-have item in the event you need to transition to pistol (much more likely than transitioning to slug).

Things That You Do Not Need On Your Shotgun:

Ghost Ring Sights: In my opinion, the shotgun is NOT a rifle, nor should it be turned into one. The idea that you must somehow be able to reach out past CQB distances with a shotgun is a bad idea. Even the much discussed North Hollywood Bank Robbery (often used as an argument for special sights and slugs) involved shots within pistol range, and not way out there in rifle land.

If the only weapon you have is a shotgun and you expect to need a long shot, then fine, add standard rifle sights to the weapon. I prefer them to ghost ring sights because they offer the same type of sight picture as your pistol. It makes sense to have the same sight picture for all Close Range Gunfighting purposes..

On-Weapon Ammo Carry (Sidesaddles/Butt Cuffs): Many use these for slug switching. We've discussed that already. If your gun holds 7 or 8 shots and you need more than that, running to get another gun might be better.

How many shots are fired in pistol fights? It will be the same in shotgun fights. On-weapon ammo carry makes the gun heavy. Add a butt cuff in addition to the sidesaddle and it become heavier yet. Will you have lots of ammo? Sure. Will you be able to shoot and hit as accurately with an overweight gun as a light fast gun? I think you know the light fast gun will allow you better likelihood of not needing a reload.

Want extra ammo? Ok, get a 'fanny pack' bag with two compartments. Fill one with buck shot and the other with slugs. Keep that with the shotgun and take it when you grab the shotgun.

Ports/Choking, Special Barrels: Close Range shooting boys. Any shotgun barrel with any ammo will do just fine inside of 10 yards. At 15 yards it will open up slightly, but 15 yard shots are rare. Expect you'll need to reach out past that? Leave the shotgun in the rack and grab your rifle.

Other Points -

If you need a rifle, the shotgun is a poor substitute. A Marlin 30-30 will outshoot a slug loaded shotgun every time. So grabbing a shotgun to do rifle duty is not a wise thing unless all you have and will ever have is a shotgun.

Slug loading has its place in a special situation, such as when you anticipate "contacts" in a car. I have a group of friends in another country who routinely have such contacts and they load with slugs to penetrate through vehicles at close range. Same goes for those who frequent bear country. A shotgun with slugs is good bear medicine... or so I'm told. Both situations are rather close range deals.

As far as switching to slugs to make that long shot? I think the fight will likely be over before the thought even occurs to you. I conducted a select slug maneuver once in an actual gunfight but by the time I was done (a matter of seconds) the target was no longer there.

What can a slug loaded shotgun do? It can reach a little farther and penetrate a little more than a buckshot loaded gun, or a pistol can do. But a rifle will do better every time.

What can a buckshot loaded shotgun do? It can hit the adversary with something, even under bad conditions where your marksmanship has not kept up with the tempo of events in the mid to outer close range gunfighting zone. It is a weapon to be used at handgun distances against rapidly moving adversaries while you yourself are moving, where you cannot obtain (or don't have time to obtain) a suitable sight picture, or index, and where the light is poor.

Partial patterns will give you a hit, slugs or overly choked patterns may allow you to miss. Will those pellets that don't hit the bad guy be a problem? Possibly. But if you miss with the slug because of the rapidly developing situation it won't make things any better.

For CQB/CRG distances (within 5 yards) buckshot will outperform slugs every day of the week. Knowing that IF I grab a shotgun and go fight with it, it will be used in this situation more often than not, my round of choice is buckshot. I relegate slugs to "special purpose" applications. And most importantly, if I need a rifle, I'll go get a rifle.

While on the topic of buckshot: There is a theory of 'scalloping' a target standing behind an "innocent". I suggest a long deep inhale to smell the coffee. Then grab your best most expensive Tactical Shotgun with all the cool attachments on it. Load it with the most expensive tactical plated buckshot you can find and then stand off at 7, 10, or even 15 yards.

Then place your daughter in front of that evil silhouette target. Still willing to take the shot? Some guys will answer in the affirmative. 'Then DO IT', I say. I would not do it. I doubt any one in their right mind would want to do that with a shotgun. Fantasy always loses out to reality.

Technical exercises devised by clever minds on the firing range often fail to emulate reality. We've learned a great deal about CQB pistol fighting in the last few years simply by allowing ourselves to leave the doctrinal box. Perhaps its time we slay the sacred cow shotgun myth as well. Prove everything you train to yourself in force on force. If a technique cannot be replicated against real people, get rid of it.

Train for skill and attribute development, question every theory that is presented to you, and keep your fighting system and fighting tools simple.

1). Know tactical advantage and Liabilities of Shotgun and their ammunition
2). Develop sound Firing Positions, Ready Positions as well as Ready Carry positions
3). Learn Reality based Marksmanship that takes advantage of the standard shotgun pattern
4). Learn tactically appropriate Gunhandling Drills & Transition to Pistol if suitable.
5). Learn CQB Responses to any point along a 360 arm's length to 7 yards.
6). Learn the ability to retain/recover/and fight with the weapon in body to body fight (including alternative force issues:just in case)
7). Learn Shooting in diminished light and the use of assisted lighting, as well as the use of Tactical Point Shooting.
8). Learn Shooting on the Move (in anything but firing from cover you must move or get hit).
9). Learn Reality based Multiple adversary responses (not simply shooting at five pepper poppers).
10). Learn YOUR natural body speed and shoot as fast as YOU can guarantee the hits

Develop these attributes and you will do well with your shotgun in any fight. Isn't progress wonderful?!

Гэбриэл Суарес. Боевая стрельба из ружья

Давайте снова поговорим о гладкоствольном ружье. В случаях стихийных бедствий, когда гражданские лица оказываются сами за себя, оружие типа гладкоствольного играет огромную роль, как дополнение к короткоствольному оружию скрытого ношения.
Многие читатели просят рассказать больше о ружье. Существует масса расхожих заблуждений об этом оружии. Хотелось бы избежать их, и понять реальную область применения гладкоствольного оружия. Начну с того, что мне в жизни неоднократно приходилось сталкиваться с боевым применением гладкоствольного оружия, и эти случаи из реальной жизни не имели ничего общего с новомодными фенечками, рекламируемыми для ружей. Помните, что потребности выбивающего двери оператора отряда спецназа, сильно отличаются от того, что понадобится вам для защиты вашего дома.
У меня дома есть три ружья. Первое - Ремингтон 870. Второе - Ремингтон 11-87. Третье - некогда популярная у ковбоев, старинная курковая горизонталка.
Ни одно из ружей не имеет специальных прицелов, креплений для патронов, тактических прикладов или каких-либо особенных компенсаторов и чоков. Все они легкие, простые, быстрые и самодостаточные для любой борьбы живой силой противника, в рамках возможностей применения гладкоствольного оружия. Разрешите привести несколько соображений -
Что Вам нужно на Вашем ружье:
Вам необходимо разворотистое легкое оружие, которое мгновенно применяется, и имеет, по крайней мере пять готовых к действию патронов. Вот и все.
Что Вам желательно, но не обязательно иметь на Вашем ружье:
Фонарь. Многие столкновения происходят при недостаточной освещенности. Наличие крепления для фонаря имеет смысл. Но это не обязательно, поскольку в большинстве ситуаций будет достаточная естественная освещенность, чтобы понять что происходит, и кто находится на практической дальности. Нужно понимать, что в гражданском огневом контакте из реальной жизни, идентифицировать угрозу не так сложно, как заявляют некоторые инструкторы. Тем не менее, фонарь не повредит.
Удлиненный магазин. Некоторым нравится эта опция за возможность иметь свободное место для дозарядки, если понадобится, пары пулевых патронов. Я не разделяю этой концепции. Кто-то хочет оказаться в боестолкновении с не полностью заряженным ружьем. Я не хочу. Смена боеприпаса на пулевой имеет свое место, но это действо настолько редко применимо, что я всегда предпочту иметь в магазине пару лишних патронов с картечью.
Ремень. Для тренировок он просто необходим. Для боя, ремень неплохо иметь, на случай смены оружия на пистолет (что, кстати, более вероятно, чем смена боеприпаса на пулевой).
Что Вам не нужно на Вашем ружье:
Кольцевой прицел. Я считаю, что ружье это не винтовка, и не стоит из него ее делать. Идея обязательно иметь возможность поражать противника из ружья на дистанциях больших, чем дистанция ближнего боя (CQB), это плохая мысль. Даже в ходе известного ограбления банка в Северном Голливуде (часто приводимом в качестве довода для использования пулевых патронов и специальных прицелов), столкновение происходило на пистолетной дистанции, а не на дистанции применения винтовки.
Если ружье является единственным оружием, которым вы обладаете, и вы ожидаете появления необходимости в дальнем выстреле, хорошо, используйте ружье с винтовочными прицельными приспособлениями. Я предпочитаю открытый прицел кольцевому, за счет того, что картина прицеливания получается такая же, как и при стрельбе из пистолета. Разумно иметь одинаковую картинку при прицеливании из всего оружия, применяемого в ближнем бою.
Крепления для доп.патронов (патронташи на ствольную коробку/приклад). Многие используют их для смены боеприпаса на пулевой. Уже говорил об этом выше: если ваше оружие вмещает только 7 или 8 патронов, и этого не хватает для боя, лучше взять другое оружие.
Сколько выстрелов делается в пистолетном бою? Тоже самое происходит при применении ружья. Крепление для доп.патронов делает оружие более тяжелым. Патронташ на приклад в дополнение к креплению патронов на ствольной коробке утяжеляет ружье еще больше. Много получилось патронов? Да. Получится ли выпустить их из перетяжеленного ружья также точно, как из легкого быстрого ружья? Полагаю, вы сами понимаете, что более легкое и быстрое ружье позволит вообще обойтись без перезарядки.
Нужны дополнительные патроны? Хорошо, купите поясную сумку с двумя отделениями - под картечь и под пули. Держите эту сумку рядом с ружьем, и взяв ружье, берите и ее.
Компенсаторы/чоки, специальные стволы. Дорогие стрелки ближнего боя! Любой ружейный ствол с любыми патронами прекрасно работает на дистанции до 10 метров. На 15 метрах, дробовой сноп немного раскроется, но выстрелы на 15 метров случаются реже. Ожидаете, что стрелять придется на большую дистанцию? Оставьте ружье в сейфе и хватайте винтовку!
Другие соображения -
Если нужно использовать винтовку, ружье станет очень слабой заменой для последней. Старинный Марлин 30-30 всегда стреляет лучше любого ружья с пулями. Поэтому использовать ружье для винтовочных задач глупо, за исключением случаев, когда у вас нет ничего кроме ружья.
Пулевые патроны используются в особых случаях, например, когда вы ожидаете, что противник будет находиться внутри автомобиля. У меня есть несколько друзей из другой страны, которым приходится постоянно сталкиваться с противниками в автомашинах, и они пользуются пулевыми патронами, чтобы пробивать кузов транспортного средства на близкой дистанции. Тоже самое важно для местностей, где обитают медведи. Ружье с пулевыми патронами помогает от мишек: по крайней мере так мне говорили. Но в обоих случаях речь идет только про ближний бой.
Так, а что насчет смены боеприпаса на пулевой для производства дальнего выстрела? Я полагаю, что бой кончится к тому моменту, как мысль сделать это придет к вам в голову. Лишь однажды я применял этот прием - смену боеприпаса на пулевой - в ходе реального боестолкновения, но к тому моменту как я заменил патрон (всего пара секунд), противника больше не было там, куда я планировал стрелять.
На что способно заряженное пулей ружье? Поразить цель чуть дальше и пробить цель чуть глубже, чем картечью, или чем пистолет. Но винтовка всегда будет стрелять еще дальше, и пробивать еще больше.
На что способно заряженное картечью ружье? Поразить цель, даже при неблагоприятных условиях и ошибках в прицеливании на средних и дальних дистанциях ближнего боя. Это оружие используется в движении, на дистанции применения пистолета против быстро передвигающихся противников, когда невозможно получить стабильную картину прицеливания (либо на это нет времени), а также в условиях недостаточной освещенности.
Широкий разброс картечи позволит поразить цель, в то время как пуля или излишне кучный из за чока картечный выстрел приведет к промаху. Возникнут ли проблемы по вине тех картечин, которые не попадут в злодея? Возможно. Но если по вине быстро развивающейся ситуации, вы промахнетесь пулей, то делу это явно поможет еще меньше.
В ближнем бою (на дистанциях до 5 метров) картечь всегда действует эффективнее пули. Если я беру ружье, зная, что я скорее воспользуюсь им для боя, чем не воспользуюсь, я выбираю картечь. Я оставляю пулевым патронам только 'специальные задачи'. И что важнее всего, если мне понадобится винтовка, я буду использовать винтовку.
Кстати о картечи. Существует теория, о снайперском поражении 'в правый глазик' 'террориста', прячущегося за 'заложником'. Я предлагаю глубоко выдохнуть, потом взять ваше самое лучшее тактическое ружье со всеми его наворотами, зарядить его дорогущей 'тактической' омедненной картечью, а потом отойти от мишени на 7, 10 или даже 15 метров.
Затем попросите свою маленькую дочку встать перед огромной грудной мишенью 'злодея'. Все еще готовы рискнуть и выстрелить? Некоторые ответят утвердительно. 'Ну так, блин, стреляйте!', скажу я вам. Я бы не рискнул. И я сомневаюсь, что кто-либо в здравом уме захочет стрелять в такой ситуации из ружья. Теория всегда проигрывает практике.
Придуманные умниками на стрельбищах тактические упражнения, часто очень плохо отображают реальность. Техника использования пистолета в ближнем бою очень сильно развилась за последние пару лет, за счет того, что мы отказались от ограничений устаревших доктрин. Возможно, настало время принести в жертву священную корову мифа о тактическом ружье. Проверяйте все, что вы отрабатываете на тренировках, упражнениями с живыми противникам (имеется в виду симьюнишн, пейнтбол или страйк, как более доступно перевести термин 'force on force' я не в курсе - примечание переводчика). Если методику нельзя применить против живой мишени - выкиньте эту методику.
Отрабатывайте базовые навыки, ставьте под сомнение любую предлагаемую вам теорию, и стремитесь, чтобы ваша система боевой подготовки была максимально простой.
1). Узнайте тактическое преимущество и юридические последствия применения гладкоствольного ружья и его боеприпасов.
2). Отрабатывайте вскидку оружия, удержание в готовности к выстрелу и способы ношения оружия при сохранении готовности к выстрелу.
3). Изучите основы точной для реальной жизни стрельбы, с учетом разброса картечи из гладкоствольного ружья.
4). Изучите применимые в бою способы устранения задержек в оружии и способы переключения на пистолет, если он есть.
5). Изучите способы перехода на цели, расположенные на 360 градусов вокруг вас, на расстоянии от вытянутой руки до 7 метров.
6). Изучите возможность блокирования и атаки противника оружием в рукопашном бою (в том числе без стрельбы - просто на всякий случай).
7). Научитесь стрелять при недостаточной освещенности и при использовании фонаря, а также методики тактической интуитивной стрельбы.
8). Научитесь стрелять в движении (во всех случаях, кроме стрельбы из за укрытия, вы либо двигаетесь, либо получаете пулю).
9). Научитесь реальной методике противодействия нескольким противникам, а не просто стрельбе по пяти пеппер-попперам.
10). Узнайте Вашу природную скорость реакции, и стреляйте с той скоростью, с которой Вы гарантированно поражаете цель.
Разрабатывайте указанные навыки, и вы победите с ружьем в любом бою. Разве прогресс это не прекрасно?!

One of the things we often hear about is that the AK-47 is not "user friendly".ЁT Certainly not as "user friendly as the AR".ЁT Well, I think that the AK is very user friendly.ЁT It is almost "fool-proof".ЁT The problem is that critics of the Kalashnikov may tend to have a very weapon-specific skill set (for the AR-15 system) that does not translate well to other systems.ЁT (Sort of like the 1911/Glock issues seen at some shooting institutions).ЁT If they'd have never developed weapon-specific skills, the AK would seem just fine.ЁT But regardless. let's address some of those issues.ЁT Beginning at the front.

Sights - Well, the AK sights can be improved... but the same can be said of the AR.ЁT There is argument over the open sights system versus the aperture sight system.ЁT We know that the majority of rifle fights in urban areas will rarely exceed 100 yards. Most of those will be well inside 25 yards.ЁT The way I look at it (no pun intended) a sight system that is consistent with other weapons (pistol for example) for CQB disdtances is an advantage.ЁT How to improve the AK sights?ЁT Add an XS front sight and open up the rear notch a little bit.ЁT Simple.

Sharp edges - So do nearly every stock military rifle from the CETME to the M-4.ЁT A small file will get rid of them.ЁT And a small spray can of black paint will keep it pretty.

The Safety - Well, sure the AR system makes it very easy to put on and take off.ЁT But is that an issue?ЁT Personally I think not.ЁT Running around engaging and disenaging safeties is simply not necessary. In he old days of MP5 usage, we set the things on full auto and ran around the bad guy's houses that way.ЁT Finger discipline is essential.ЁT This is not for Lowest Comon Denominator shooters.ЁT Consider that maybe American shooting schools are making too much of this.ЁT The AK has seen use in the hands of ignorant peasants with no training.ЁT If they didn't shoot themselves due to the inability to play easily with the safety, then I'm sure we highly trained ninjas will do fine.

Charging handle - Now this is where the AR is bad.ЁT The charging handle is placed as almost an after thought.ЁT Why was there ever a need for a Bolt-Forward Assist?ЁT Due to a poorly designed charging handle!ЁT The AK is simple and once you look at it in the same light as the M1 garand, M1 carbine, and M14, it makes sense.

Bolt-Hold Open - Is this an issue?ЁT The CETME never had one.ЁT The HK weapons of past and present never had them.ЁT The AK bolt does not
stay open when the last shot is fired.ЁT Is this a liability?ЁT My research has shown that even when a weapon's bolt stays open on the last shot it will take a shooter a moment to realize it has stopped working.ЁT Then another moment to realize what has happened and to begin fixing it.ЁT It is very easy to "read the gun" and execute IPSC-inspired speed loads on the shooting range. Yet even folks so-trained exhibit such lapses as I described when we do force on force. That is why I teach immediate transition to pistol any time the gun stops working.

But for sake of arguement, lets say no pistol is available.ЁT The gun has stopped working.ЁT How do you know it is due to needing a reload?ЁT It may have malfunctioned.ЁT Reloading a malfunctioned rifle will simply lead to more problems.ЁT I will humbly submit that the AR can exhibit fine reliability and accuracy, but when it malfunctions, it can do so very badly.

No need to Tap Rack Bang on an AK.ЁT You simply Tug and rack.ЁT Those who know the way the magazine works on an AK know what I mean.ЁT If the Tug/Rack fails, you reload.ЁT No need to examine the bolt area to verify anything, nor any need to assume it is a reload and hope you are right.ЁT The bolt-hold-open is not as essential a device as we think.

Triggers -ЁT Both can be very good or very bad.ЁT I have had AKs with horrible triggers and with excellent triggers.ЁT Same for the AR.

Stocks -ЁT This is where the AK is far better.ЁT There are no operating systems in an AK stock.ЁT Break the thing off and you have an AK pistol.

How to run the thing - Insert a loaded magazine, work the bolt (loading a round) and engage the safety.ЁT Done.ЁT On contact disengage safety (with index/middle fingers) and shoot. Keep safety off during the engagement. To keep the rifle running, remove the magazine and stash it in the dump pouch, insert a fresh magazine and work the bolt.ЁT If the rifle stops, transition to pistol.... or tug-rack.ЁT If the tug-rack does not work, reload the rifle and keep shooting.ЁT When you are done reach up and administratively engage the safety.

So simple that 80 million ignorant peasants can make it work just fine with little or no maintenance and with the worst quality ammo the world has ever produced.ЁT So do not think the AK has poor ergonomics.ЁT It does only when you try to handle it like something else.ЁT You do not run a Glock like it was a 1911, and likewise you do not run an AK like it was a custom AR-15.ЁT When you set aside pre-conceived ideas and begin looking at it with fresh eyes, it looks very nice indeed.

SLINGWORK -
And Why I Prefer Simple 2 Point Slings

Look through any news stand gun magazine and you'll invariably see, either in an article or an ad, a photo of some Spec-ops guy wearing a long gun. I say "wearing" because he will probably be using some sort of multi-strap like device harnessing the rifle to his body.

You might ask if this is a bad thing. For some it may not be, but it depends on your mission. My mission and that of my clients is to wring the greatest utility out of an implement, by a single individual, in what are called 'in extremis' situations. Specifically operating with the weapon in unfriendly environments in the civilian, or civilian police context.

One may be tempted to raise eyebrows at the notion of a lowly civilian using a rifle, but I hardly need to remind anyone in the Gulf states about what happens during a breakdown in public services. And let's not forget that we are at war with Islamic Terrorists bent on our destruction, and regardless of how well a reactive force we have, it is simply a matter of time until they succeed with their evil plans. The aftermath of such a man-caused disaster, or a natural disaster will place the single individual in the unenviable position of fending for himself for several weeks.

In such events, Joe the stockbroker, graduate of the entire Suarez International curriculum, will not be storming a Hezbollah stronghold with another dozen deadly, similarly equipped operators. His mission-needs do not call for setting charges, or flex-cuffing anyone. Quite simply, he does not share the same requirements as the Spec-ops poster boy in the tactical sling ad



Administrative Transition from Ready to Sling

To the contrary, the private citizen, operating in extremis has one of two missions. He will either hold his ground and defend his home against the adversaries, or he will 'bug out' to safer locales. His problems are defending his survival equipment and supplies from the criminal looters that invariably will come, as well as hiding the fact that he is capable of doing so from any police forces that may decide that the US Constitution no longer applies. Again, don't laugh:remember the images of out-of-state cops dragging some grandmother away in irons because she refused to disarm.

Transition from rifle to pistol in the event of a stoppage is very quick with a two point slings for those who know how.

The civilian defender cannot go about looking like a Spec-ops guy. If he does, he will likely be forcibly disarmed and then have nothing with which to defend his home and his family. Thus stealth is king for him.

What does he need a sling for? What does he need the sling to do?

1). He needs the sling to be simple and stay out of the way. The rifle must be deployable without the need to 'strap in'
2). He needs it handy for when it is needed for a free hand.
3). He must be able to transition to the pistol

That is it. Period.

Now Suarez Intl runs a gear store as well, and I could try to convince my students they need a super-high tech multi-strand sling (like the SEALs use right?) to fill my Bahamian bank account with profits. But the truth of the matter is that once the mission is identified, and you equip for the actual mission, we find that the simple two point sling is the best option around.

From Fackler:

Soviet 7.62x39mm - The Soviet AK-47 Kalashnikov fires a full-metal-jacketed, boat-tail bullet that has a copper-plated steel jacket, a large steel core, and some lead between the two. In tissue, this bullet typically travels for about 26cm point-forward before beginning significant yaw. This author observed, on many occasions, the damage pattern shown in Fig. 2 while treating battle casualties in Da Nang, Vietnam (1968). The typical path through the abdomen caused minimal disruption; holes in organs were similar to those caused by a non-hollow-point handgun bullet. The average uncomplicated thigh wound was about what one would expect from a low-powered handgun: a small, punctate entrance and exit wound with minimal intervening muscle disruption.

Gabe's notes - Notice how this involves "steel core" bullets. These are not available today and are not the typical stuff from Wolf or Brown Bear.

Yugoslav 7.62x39mm - The Yugoslav copper-jacketed, lead-core, flat-base bullet, even when fired from the same Kalashnikov assault rifle, acts very differently in tissue. It typically travels point-forward for only about 9cm before yawing.Due to the lead core, this bullet flattens somewhat as it yaws, squeezing a few small lead fragments out at its open base, but this does not add significantly to its wounding potential. Referring to the wound profile of the Soviet AK-47 bullet (Fig. 2) and blotting out the first 17cm of the projectile path will leave a good approximation of what one might expect from this bullet.

Since this bullet would be travelling sideways through most of its path in an abdominal wound, it would be expected to cut a swath over three times the dimension made by the bullet travelling point forward. In addition to the larger hole in organs from the sideways-travelling bullet, the tissue surrounding the bullet path will be stretched considerably from temporary cavitation. Actual damage from the stretch of cavitation can vary from an almost explosive effect, widely splitting a solid organ such as the liver, or a hollow one such as the bladder if it is full at the time it is hit, to almost no observable effect if the hollow organs (such as intestines) when hit contain little liquid and/or air. The exit wound may be punctate or oblong, depending on the bullet's orientation as it struck the abdominal wall at the exit point. The exit wound could be stellate if sufficient wounding potential remains at this point on the bullet path.

Gabe's Notes: I pulled a few 7.62x39 bullets this morning from Brown Bear (all I had left over from the AK class) and it is fairly consistent with that description - Lead Core exposed at the base of the bullet.

Soviet 5.45x39mm - This is fired from the AK-74, which is the Soviet contribution to the new generation of smaller-calibre assault rifles and which produces the wound profile seen in Fig. 3. The full metal-jacketed bullet designed for this weapon has a copper-plated steel jacket and a largely steel core, as does the bullet of its predecessor, the AK-47. A unique design feature of the AK-74, however, is an air-space (about 5mm long) inside the jacket at the bullet's tip (Fig 1). The speculation that this air-space would cause bullet deformation and fragmentation on impact proved to be unfounded, but the air-space does serve to shift the builet's centre of mass toward the rear, possibly contributing to its very early yaw. In addition, on bullet impact with tissue, the lead just behind the air-space shifts forward into this space. This shift of lead occurs asymmetrically and may be one reason for the peculiar curvature of this bullet's path in the last half of its path through tissue (Fig 3). Only in a shot with a long tissue path, like an oblique shot through the torso, would this curved path be evident; it doesn't really add anything to wounding capacity, but might cause an occasional confusing path through tissue. This bullet yaws after only about 7cm of tissue penetration, assuring an increased temporary cavity stretch disruption in a higher percentage of extremity hits; other bullets need more tissue depth to yaw and in many cases cause only minimal disruption on extremity hits.

The abdomen and thigh wounds expected from this bullet would be essentially the same as those described above for the Yugoslav variation of the AK-47 bullet.

All pointed bullets that do not deform end their tissue path travelling base first, since this puts their centre of mass forward; this is their stable attitude. The rotation imparted to the bullet by the rifled gun barrel is sufficient to force the bullet to travel point-forward in air (in properly designed weapons), but not in tissue where such factors as bullet shape and the location of centre of mass far outweigh rotation effects. The bi-lobed yaw patterns shown in the profiles of the AK-47 and the AK-74 represent what is seen in most shots. Sometimes the bullet yaws to 180?, or the base-forward position, in one cycle. These variations, along with the curvature in bullet path at or near the end of tissue path, are of far less importance than the distance the bullet travels point-forward before significant yaw begins.

US M193 5.56x45mm - This bullet is fired from the US armed forces' first-generation smaller-calibre rifle, the M16A1. The large permanent cavity it produces, shown in the wound profile (Fig. 4), was observed by surgeons who served in Vietnam, but the tissue disruption mechanism responsible was not clear until the importance of bullet fragmentation as a cause of tissue disruption was worked out and described. As shown on the wound profile, this full-metal-jacketed bullet travels point-forward in tissue for about 12cm after which it yaws to 90?, flattens, and breaks at the cannelure (groove around bullet midsection into which the cartridge neck is crimped). The bullet point flattens but remains in one piece, retaining about 60 per cent of the original bullet weight. The rear portion breaks into many fragments that penetrate up to 7cm radially from the bullet path. The temporary cavity stretch, its effect increased by perforation and weakening of the tissue by fragments, then causes a much enlarged permanent cavity by detaching tissue pieces.

The degree of bullet fragmentation decreases with increased shooting distance (as striking velocity decreases), as shown in Fig. 5. At a shooting distance over about 100m the bullet breaks at the cannelure, forming two large fragments and, at over 200m, it no longer breaks, although it continues to flatten somewhat, until 400m. This consistent change in deformation/fragmentation pattern has an important forensic application. It can be used to estimate shooting distance if the bullet is recovered in the body and has penetrated only soft tissue.

The effects of this bullet in the abdomen shot will show the temporary cavity effects as described for the Yugoslav AK-47 and, in addition, there will be an increased tissue disruption from the synergistic effect of temporary cavitation acting on tissue that has been weakened by bullet fragmentation. Instead of finding a hole consistent with the size of the bullet in hollow organs such as the intestine, we typically find a hole left by missing tissue of up to 7cm in diameter (see permanent cavity in Fig. 4).

Gabe's Note: So according to Fackler's own studies, a lead core 7.62x39 bullet will yaw sooner than a 5.56x45 (9cm as opposed to 12cm).

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

According to the IWBA, 'the critical minimum velocity for obtaining maximum terminal performance from .223 Remington/5.56mm ammunition is approximately 2700 fps. Bullets that are propelled below this velocity do not provide optimal terminal performance, and thus are less capable of creating wound trauma that will produce rapid incapacitation of a criminal attacker.'

This is very interesting in that most rifles intended (or marketed) for CQB purposes have barrells shorter than 20'. The IWBA goes on to explain a great deal about performance under 100 yards, ':when fired from rifles fitted with a 20-inch or longer barrel.'

But then, 'Shooting the M193 or M855 from a rifle with a barrel length less than 14.5-inches produces insufficient muzzle velocity to achieve the terminal performance described above. A rifle fitted with a 14.5-inch barrel is adequate for close-quarters battle. For engagements anticipated at greater than room distance but less than 100 yards, a rifle fitted with a 16.5-inch barrel should be employed to ensure sufficient velocity.'

So in essence, these 14.5' and 16' barreled rifles are suitable for 100 yards and in. That is fine as we know much of the rifle action seen around the world centers on urban areas and 100 yards is likely the farther distances.

And having said that, we can agree that any 5.56 shot out of a 16" or less barrel is fairly a 100-150 yard rifle at best in terms of ballistic effect.

Hitting paper or stell at 400m is irrelevant to me. It is what the bullet will do once it hits that matters.

So if you have a bullet like the 7.62x39mm, that will yaw sooner than the 5.56 (9cm rather than 12cm), and penetrate hard cover and brush much better than the 5.56, why on earth would we choose the 5.56 over the lead core 7.62x39mm?

Ok..... this is going to be a hot one