Kalashnikov says Iraq shows his gun is still best

The 7.62x39 in Iraq and Afghan is coming from Wolf in Russia. The Billions of rounds the Iraqs had stock piled are pretty much shit from what I have been hearing. Kinda like Indian 7.62NATO.

 

BAQOUBA, Iraq - An American soldier stands at the side of an Iraqi
highway, puts his AK-47 on fully automatic and pulls the trigger.

Within seconds the assault rifle has blasted out 30 rounds. Puffs of
dust dance in the air as the bullets smack into the scrubland
dirt. Test fire complete.

U.S. troops in Iraq (news - web sites) may not have found weapons of
mass destruction, but they're certainly getting their hands on the
country's stock of Kalashnikovs ? and, they say, they need them.

The soldiers based around Baqouba are from an armor battalion, which
means they have tanks, Humvees and armored personnel carriers. But
they are short on rifles.

A four-man tank crew is issued two M4 assault rifles and four 9mm
pistols, relying mostly on the tank's firepower for protection.

But now they are engaged in guerrilla warfare, patrolling narrow roads
and goat trails where tanks are less effective. Troops often find
themselves dismounting to patrol in smaller vehicles, making rifles
essential.

"We just do not have enough rifles to equip all of our soldiers. So in
certain circumstances we allow soldiers to have an AK-47. They have to
demonstrate some proficiency with the weapon ... demonstrate an
ability to use it," said Lt. Col. Mark Young, commander of the 3rd
Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.

"Normally an armor battalion is fighting from its tanks. Well, we are
not fighting from our tanks right now," Young said. "We are certainly
capable of performing the missions that we have been assigned, there's
no issue with that, but we do find ourselves somewhat challenged."

In Humvees, on tanks ? but never openly on base ? U.S. soldiers are
carrying the Cold War-era weapon, first developed in the Soviet Union
but now mass produced around the world.

The AK is favored by many of the world's fighters, from child soldiers
in Africa to rebel movements around the world, because it is light,
durable and known to jam less frequently.

Now U.S. troops who have picked up AKs on raids or confiscated them at
checkpoints are putting the rifles to use ? and they like what they
see.

Some complain that standard U.S. military M16 and M4 rifles jam too
easily in Iraq's dusty environment. Many say the AK has better
"knockdown" power and can kill with fewer shots.

"The kind of war we are in now ... you want to be able to stop the
enemy quick," said Sgt. 1st Class Tracy S. McCarson of Newport News,
Va., an army scout, who carries an AK in his Humvee.

Some troops say the AK is easier to maintain and a better
close-quarters weapon. Also, it has "some psychological affect on the
enemy when you fire back on them with their own weapons," McCarson
said.

Most U.S. soldiers agree the M16 and the M4 ? a newer, shorter version
of the M16 that has been used by American troops since the 1960s ? is
better for long distance, precision shooting.

But around Baqouba, troops are finding themselves attacked by
assailants hidden deep in date palm groves. Or they are raiding
houses, taking on enemies at close-quarters.

Two weeks ago, Sgt. Sam Bailey of Cedar Falls, Iowa, was in a Humvee
when a patrol came under rocket-propelled grenade and heavy machine
gun fire. It was dark, the road narrow. On one side, there was a mud
wall and palms trees, on the other a canal surrounded by tall grass.

Bailey, who couldn't see who was firing, had an AK-47 on his lap and
his M4 up front. The choice was simple.

"I put the AK on auto and started spraying," Bailey said.

Some soldiers also say it's easier to get ammo for the AK ? they can
pick it up on any raid or from any confiscated weapon.

"It's plentiful," said Sgt. Eric Harmon, a tanker who has a full
75-round drum, five 30-round magazines, plus 200-300 rounds in boxes
for his AK. He has about 120 rounds for his M16.

Young doesn't carry an AK but has fired one. He's considered banning
his troops from carrying AKs, but hasn't yet because "if I take the AK
away from some of the soldiers, then they will not have a rifle to
carry with them."

Staff Sgt. Michael Perez, a tanker, said he would take anything over
his standard issue 9mm pistol when he's out of his tank.

And the AK's durability has impressed him.

"They say you can probably drop this in the water and leave it
overnight, pull it out in the morning, put in a magazine and it will
work," Perez said.

www.boston.com/dailynews/...d_I:.shtml

Sorry, but I think the link is dead. It is old. I am almost positive that the origin of the interview it came out of a back issue of SOF, as I remember reading it there.

 

I had an AK stashed in the Brad...Ready to rock and roll...I was a Cav Scout at the time and the AK was one I picked up out of a bunker we had f***ed up with the 25mm on the Bradley.The folks who had owned it and a damaged SVD in the bunker didn`t have any further use for it..
I preferred a SAW myself,the M16A2 is a better point target longrange rifle than the AK.The AK up close is deadly but it is by no means the perfect battle rifle..This is just my opinion .I have seen what both cartridges do the 5.56 and the 7.62x39 do on live targets.The 7.62x39 wins that match as for damge inflicted on a human body,naturally given the difference in projectile weight.
Neither is a match for the 7.62x51,AKA 308 Win aka...7.62 NATO.
That cartridge out of a coaxial machine gun,sniper rifle..etc is in my opinion the balance of power,recoil and acceptable ballistics..
It is the cats meow for a short action cartridge..
again ...just my thoughts

 

Hey Quig..I hear ya bro.I did OSUT at Knox, D Troop 5/15 Cav.We did our training on Bradleys then but there were still some Scouts using 113`s in line units at that time...
I rode a Brad in Germany and Desert Storm.
I was on one for a little while in 2/8 CAV in 1st CAV Division until we transitioned to the 10 vehicle configuration of HMMWV`s with MK 19 grenade launchers and M2 50 CALs.I liked the HMMWV platoon a lot.The Platoon Leader beleived in being on our feet a lot as light Scouts and I loved it.
By the way, glad to meet another Cav Scout bud... CAV TO YA!!! I`ll send ya a link here soon to our online home.
Ghozt

 

Great stuff! Any pics from Iraq that you can share with us ? Especially of the battlefield pickups and other arms.

I agree with you and Quig, you just can't beat that 7.62x51, it turns cover into concealment. After having a FAL, a M1A, and a G-3 clone, the G-3 Clone is just more comfortable for me. That's just me though.

 

Hey E.L. Yep I have a few old pics from Desert Storm stashed somewhere.I will dig through my stuff and see what I can find.

 

SWEET!