Patrol Rifle

[Jaeger]

I recently attended a 3 day Patrol Rifle course. One of the attendees used a stock MAK90 (.223) with an advanced technologies stock. The heat was brutal throughout the entire course. I (as well as several others) experienced several malfunctions with my AR15 due to the rifle drying out. (malfunctions stopped with a few drops of CLP) The AK ran flawlessly throughout the course and the qualification scores with the AK were in the upper 1/4 of the class. VERY acceptable since the user had no prior experience with AKs. Interestingly enough, the best scores were shot by an ex Marine shooting a brand new Mini14 Ranch Rifle (iron sights). Unfortunately the rifle kept dropping it's trigger group at inconvenient times! Major complaint was the operation of the safety.

While the rifle was sneered at by many in the class (lots of rice jokes flying around) it aquitted itself very well and had earned a measure of respect by the courses end.

[Destroyer]

Goes to show the commies knew a little bit about what they were doing when they made the basic AK design. http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/wink.gif

[Necron99]

That's what the fellows who have "never had an AR jam" don't realize. Taking a gun out to the range doesn't come close to the rigors of actual combat use. The AR15/M16 system is a tempermental one, even in its latest versions. The ammo's got to be loaded hot enough with the right powder, lubrication has to be just right(too much causes additional fouling, too little and bolt carrier won't slide well). Never hit the dirt or go into muck or water with an AR with the dust flap open, even a little grit will cause problems. Cold temperatures cause sluggish cycling because the bolt carrier is steel and the upper housing is aluminum (they swell and shrink by different amounts due to temp cahnges). The gas return tube is fairly fragile, as is the recoil system which is housed in a fragile stock, meaning don't be surprised if you drop an AR from a decent height onto a hard surface and then it doesn't work. Having a design that blows bullet propellant directly back into the action is just plain stupid. The AR should have been designed using a piston like the AK or FAL, not a gas key that catches gas as it is blown into the action. And lastly when you get a jam, they are a bitch to clear in an AR. That's why I ditched them. If I want a tack driver (one of the AR's good points), I'll get a good bolt action in a full powered rifle round.