15th May : The Ross Rifle

Name     :   Ross Rifle


AKA       :   The Canadian Straight Pull

Caliber     :     .303 British


Capacity   :     5 Rounds


Weight     :     9.87lbs or 4.48kg


Length     :     50.6in or 1285mm


Action      :     Straight Pull, Manually Operated Repeater


Origin      :     Canada


Sir Charles Ross was a wealthy Scottish landowner, not content with simply maintaining the wealth he had inherited from his family, he set out to make his own fortunes he studied engineering and agriculture and had a keen interest in having his own businesses.  Ross had a passion for firearms and had taken out patents on an automatic pistol and even an automatic rifle in 1896.  While at Cambridge he took out a patent for a straight pull bolt action rifle but it was an overly complex rifle and thus it was the stepping stone to the rifle for which he would become famous or perhaps infamous.  through 1896 and 1897 Ross produced in London and improved on his new straight pull bolt action design also Ross traveled to Canada that same year to develop and improve the design again which would then become the model 1900 sporter.  


Ross was then called up for military duty to fight in the Second Boer War.  Upon his return he pushed the British Army to consider adopting his rifle as a replacement for the Lee Metford / Lee Enfield Rifles, though it was rejected. It was found to be unreliable, though accuracy was exceptional, it was deemed unsuitable for the hard knocks and conditions that other contemporary service rifles could handle.  During an unfortunate political clash between Britain and Canada, the designs and licencing for the Lee-Enfield rifle to arm Canada were denied.  Ross who was a small arms adviser to the Canadian Government put forward his rifle.  Cautiously the Canadians decided to evaluate the rifle in the hands of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, who found in excess of one hundred faults with the rifle.  Instruction was then given to Ross to improve the rifle and in 1907 the Ross Rifle MKII, after it was adopted for official military issue in 1905.  Improvements continued and the Ross model 1910 become widely accepted as reasonable weapon and was the primary weapon of the Canadian forces in France during the First World War.


Then the storm hit, in France Canadian troops found that the rifles straight pull action became clogged easily and jammed to the point it was common for troops to discard their Ross Rifle and try to acquire a Lee Enfield from the battlefield.  Another major issue was the bolt, incidents were reported that it was possible to reassemble the bolt after cleaning with parts inserted the wrong way and still fire the rifle, causing the bolt to come flying backward at the user.  Douglas Haig submitted orders in 1916 to have the rifle offically removed from service, though some were retained for sniping, as accuracy was  one of the few great features of the rifle.  It would go on to be a popular target rifle after the war, this perhaps is the realm where the Ross truly belonged.


INTERESTING FACT :  At one point the British refused to allow Canada to make the Lee Enfield to arm their troops, but in the early stages of World War Two it was the British who were desperate to acquire anything to equip the home guard and many Ross Rifles were sent by the Canadian Government.


PRO's :   Collectable, Accurate, Many variants, Good hunting rifle


CON's :   Awful military rifle, hard to maintain in combat, no real advantage to straight pull.

3rd of May : SKS Rifle

Name     :     Samozaryadnyi Karabin Simonova Obrazets 1945g


AKA       :     The SKS, Poor-Mans Deer Rifle, 

Caliber     :     7.62x39mm M43 Cartridge


Capacity   :     10 Round non removable magazine


Weight     :     8.49lbs or 3.85kg


Length     :     40.2in or 1021mm


Action      :     Tipping Bolt Locking, Semi Automatic Rifle 


Origin      :     Russia (U.S.S.R.)


Designed during World War Two the SKS Rifle came too late to be used during that conflict but would go on to arm a large number of soldiers, gorilla fighters and civilian shooters and as of 2012 the interest from the later has not waned.


Designed by Sergei Simonov a well respected Russian arms designer, the rifle was far from innovative but very solid and reliable, making use of existing  principals and concepts of the time.  The rifle was developed around the 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge developed for the RPD machinegun, a project that Simonov was a part of. The value of the 7.62x39mm is that unlike the cartridge it replaced, it was only effective to the maximum range the average soldier could hit anything at, it was lighter meaning the soldier could carry more ammunition and lastly the significantly lighter recoil meant that in a fully automatic weapon, during firing the weapon was far more controllable.  Sergei Simonov's SKS is the pinnacle of the lineage of Simonov's designs, it clearly finds it's origins in the AVS-36 a pre-war tipping bolt semi automatic rifle firing the 7.62x54mmR and the PTRS-41 anti-armor rifle, also with a tipping bolt.


The roll out in significant numbers for SKS took place in 1949, now the official standard rifle of Russia, but it was to be short lived, at least in front line service.  The AK-47 was in 1947 a large scale experiment, with the SKS waiting in the wings as a back-up weapon in the event the AK-47 proved to be too troublesome; unfortunately for Simonov's design the AK proved itself an excellent weapon leaving the SKS remain in front line service only until the AK could be delivered, when it would put into the hands of second line units.  The SKS was widely distributed to nations associated and part of the Soviet Union and was built in almost as many countries as it served with.  It remains a parade weapon even to this day, furnished with chrome and a light wooden stock.


In civilian hands the SKS has become a major phenomenon as a surplus curiosity, survival and hunting rifle, with large number of manufacturers producing aftermarket components, in some cases turning the SKS into the battle rifle it perhaps should have been, but hindsight is 20/20.  Copy-Cat manufacturer Norinco has flooded the civilian shooter's marketplace with an never ending variety of SKS copies known as the Type 56, these rifles are very affordable and are solid and reliable.  The SKS always compared favourably with the AK-47 in the respect that the same cartridge has a higher muzzle velocity and inherent accuracy due to the longer barrel.  Popular use SKS is for plinking and hunting, being especially well suited for hunting of wild boar and goats with the inexpensive soft nose ammunition available in large numbers seemingly everywhere.


The loading of the SKS is very straight forward, firstly the user pulls the bolt carrier handle to the rear, the follower pushes up on the bolt lock holding it in place, the user may then either load individual rounds down directly into the internal magazine or by inserting a stripper clip into guides on the bold head and pushing them down into the magazine.  After charging the rifle the user pulls the bolt carrier handle to the rear about 5mm and releases it, and it will now move forward stripping a new round out of the magazine and chamber it.

SKS Stripper Clips loaded with hunting ammunition

INTERESTING FACT : More than 15 Million SKS's have been made, with a few known as the SKK being able to accept the 30 round magazine of the AK-47 series of rifles.


PRO's   :   Surprisingly Accurate, Easy to maintain, low recoil, overall simplicity
CON's   :   Some Norinco rifles are sensitive to some hunting ammunition 


COOL FACTOR : 6/10

30th April : Heckler & Koch G36

Name     :     Heckler & Koch G36


AKA       :     The Bundeswehr Rifle

Caliber     :     5.56x45mm NATO


Capacity   :     30 Rounds or 100 round Beta C Magazine  


Weight     :     7.94lbs or 3.6kg (Standard Model)


Length     :     39.3in or 998mm (Standard Model)


Action      :     Gas operated rotating bolt locking, semi, burst or Fully Automatic


Origin      :     Germany


Since the late 1960's the West German Army looked to replace the G3 from standard service for a easier to handle weapon which could maximize the accuracy potential of its troops.  Heckler and Koch through a long and extensive development period produced the G11 caseless ammunition rifle, a rifle that performed very well through testing, that 1000 prototypes were manufactured.  The Germans were however well aware that the financial implications if they decided to arm everyone with the G11, thus consideration was given to procuring a 5.56mm standard type rifle for second-line or rear echelon troops in the form of the Heckler and Koch G41 Rifle.  Unfortunately for the Germans NATO standardization and the economic situation at the time called the end of the G11 rifle, but the need to replace the G3 was ever present.


The G36 was born out of the HK-50 project of the 1990's, this project moved away from the roller locking mechanism of Heckler and Koch fame toward the popular piston based, rotating bolt gas system.  This project was met with high praise from the German Military after testing had proved the rifle very handy and modular and an order was placed for the new Rifle to placed into service as the G36 in 1997, followed later by the Spanish Armed Forces in 1999.


The Standard G36 rifle has a steel reinforced polymer receiver, and makes extensive use of polymer throughout the rest of the rifle.  As standard the German Army rifle comes fitted with with an 3x optical sight.  The magazine is of interest as it is semi transparent allowing the user to inspect at a glance how many rounds are remaining in the magazine, also the magazine has clips on the side of it that allow other magazines to be connected to it to allow fast magazine changes should it be required.  The stock is of a folding type which also has small holes in it that allow the insertion of the disassembly pins so they are somewhere safe when dismantling the rifle.


One of the appeals of the G36 is its large assortment of variants and optional accessories, without a doubt this has greatly contributed to the large procurement of the rifle from the international law enforcement community. The models are as follows :

G36A1 - Standard German Service rifle
G36A2 - Updated A1, New scope, G36C Stock, 
G36K - Carbine version of the Standard G36 the barrel is 160mm shorter than standard.
G36V - Standard G36 with NATO bayonet fitting, Export model differing sight setup
G36KV - Carbine export model with NATO bayonet fitting, 
G36C - Compact commando model
MG36 - Heavy barreled light machinegun version.

G36C, Commando variant of the standard rifle.

INTERESTING FACT : The German military is investigating concerns regarding "wandering zero's" on the G36. After the rifle has fired enough rounds to get hot, soldiers are reporting difficulties attempting to hit targets beyond 200 meters.


PRO's : Great magazines, lots of accessories, easy to clean/maintain.


CON's : Possible wandering zero, 

COOL FACTOR : 7/10

April 17th : G33/40 (t) Alpine Carbine

Name     :     G33/40 (t)


AKA       :     VZ.33 Modified, VZ.16/33, Alpine Carbine

Caliber   :     7.92x57mm Mauser (sometimes called 8mm Mauser)


Capacity :     5 Rounds


Weight   :     7.4lbs or 3.35kg


Length   :     39in or 1000mm


Action    :     Bolt Action repeater of Mauser type


Origin    :     Czechoslovakia 


As the Austro-Hungarian Empire was crumbling the independent nation of Czechoslovakia came to be and with it a new national army had to be created.  Of course consideration had to be given to what to arm the troops with, the  Steyr Mannlicher M1895 was starting to show its age, one only had to look across the border to Germany to see what the future would hold.  A new factory was set up in BRNO to make Mauser type rifles for this new army, the result was a high quality rifle, not a specific Mauser model but a new variant known as the VZ.24.  A need for a shorter handier rifle emerged and the result was the vz.16/33 more commonly known as the VZ.33.  Export versions were also produced carrying the coat of arms of the purchaser.  Orders were made by Guatemala, with Iran ordering from BRNO and eventually making the rifle in their own imperial arsenal.


In 1939 Nazi Germany occupied Czechoslovakia and thus the Czech's great industries were folded into the Reich.  Priority number one became arming the Wehrmacht, at some point inspections were done at BRNO, and a decision was made to add the VZ.33 with a few modifications and the VZ.24 into the fray of official Wehrmacht rifles as the G33/40 (t) and G24(t) respectively.  The rifle was produced at BRNO (BRUNN as it was called during occupation) all rifles made at this factory received the production code of 945 on early models then it was changed to DOT followed by the year of production.  The rifles were eventually issued to the German Gebirgsjager (Mountain Troops) and to the Fallschirmjager (Paratroopers). 


The G33/40 differs from the standard Mauser K98K from which it is based upon.  The bolts are of the same length but are not interchangeable, the standard K98K Bayonet wont fit.  The cleaning rods are different due to the difference in barrel length and further down the stock you will see there is a metal shield on the left hand side of the stock . The G33/40 also differs for the fact that it is lighter, this was the key advantage to the G33/40 for Mountain troops, this is due to certain areas of the receiver being slimmed down.


INTERESTING FACT :  A prototype folding stock version of the G33/44(t) was made for paratroopers but it never ended up in full scale production


PRO's     :  Quality construction, Accurate, Collectable


CON's     :  Not compatible with other Mauser type rifles


COOL FACTOR : 6/10





    

April 16th : Steyr SSG-69

Name     :     Steyr SSG-69


AKA       :     The Green Gun, Scharfschutzen gewehr

Caliber   :     7.62x51mm NATO / .308 Winchester


Capacity :     5 or 10 Rounds


Weight   :     10.14lbs or 4.6Kg


Length   :     44.9in or 1140mm (25.6in barrel model)


Action    :     Rear Locking Bolt Action 


Origin     :     Austria


Adopted as the standard sniper rifle for the Austrian army in 1969 the Steyr SSG-69 has gone on to serve with fifteen armies and many more law enforcement agencies around the world.  The name SSG stands for ScharfSchutzen Gewehr  or sharpshooters rifle.  Unusual in a sniper rifle the SSG-69 uses rear locking lugs on its bolt instead of frontal locking made so popular by Mauser.  Inspiration for this rifle may have been drawn from the Steyr Model 1903 that was produced for the Greek army, that rifle had six rear locking lugs and a rotary magazine.


The spiral shaped barrel of this rifle screws into the receiver a considerable distance of 2.24in or 57mm making for a very sturdy action.  The teflon coating on the bolt and the quality construction of the rotary magazine makes for a very smooth cycling of the action.  A smooth action is quite often attributed to rear locking rifles, a similar complement is quite bestowed upon the Lee-Enfield series of rifles, those rifles in particular were able to achieve significantly higher rates of fire because of this feature.  Rear Locking bolts were considered unsafe because the locking was not taking place at the 'business end' of the action but in spite of this no major catastrophe has been reported on the Lee-Enfield series or the SSG-69, this can probably be attributed to the strength of the materials used in both of these rifles, as it as often said : There's no substitute for quality.


Accuracy, the make or break for any would be sniper rifle, this is were the SSG-69 stands out.  Minute of Arc, or Minute of Angle, a unit of measurement for the accuracy of a rifle, for ease of understanding one minute of arc is equivalent of a group of three to five rounds landing within an one inch spread at 100 yards.  It is reported that a competent shooter with match grade ammunition in good conditions should be able to land five rounds in a 0.6 spread group or slightly better at 100 yards with this rifle, an excellent feat for any sniper rifle.  To aid accuracy modern sniper rifles have free-floated barrels meaning that the barrel does not touch the stock in any way and the SSG-69 is no exception.


Different versions of the SSG-69 are available :
PI,    .308 Win, 508mm barrel,
PII,   .22-250, .243 Rem, .308 Win, 650mm barrel,
PIV,  .308 Win, 409mm barrel


Also Steyr has the option for double set triggers and 10 round magazines.


INTERESTING FACT :  The magazine on the SSG-69 has a transparent section at the back so you can verify how many rounds you have loaded into the magazine.


PRO's     :  SUB MOA Accuracy, Smooth Action, Many Variants, 10 mags available


CON's     :  Swapping out the barrel is just about a factory only job


COOL FACTOR   : 8/10

12th April : Zastava CZ99 Precision 17HMR

Name     :   Zastava CZ99 Precision .17HMR

Caliber   :  .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire


Capacity :  5 Rounds


Weight   :  6.2lbs or 2.8kg


Length   :   41in or 1040mm


Action    :  Bolt Action Repeater


Origin     :  Serbia


Zastava Arms has been in business for 1853, first producing cannon barrels, then latter moving into the production of rifles predominantly for the military. During the Second World War the Zastava factory was used for making ammunition and a small number of rifles and rifle parts until 1942 when the German occupiers shut the factory down and its production equipment were moved to equip other factories.  Upon the end of World War Two Zastava was rebuilt and started producing a version of the Mauser K98k known as the M1948.  Up to today Zastava has been producing their own versions of the AKM series of rifles and their own pistols based on popular designs.  Though through this time they have produced relatively small numbers of hunting arms, which is were the CZ99 Precision comes in.


The name CZ99 Precision, is a little confusing for some as another popular manufacturer predominately uses the prefix CZ in their firearm's name, however this is not Zastava trying to capitalize on others success necessarily, since 1946 the name of the Zastava factory is Crvena Zastava, thus CZ has been roll marked on several of their rifles since.


Using a version of the Mauser action, the CZ99 Precision is a solid and utterly reliable little rifle.  Designed with the varmit and sports shooter in mind this rifle is available in .22LR, .22 WMR and .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, the latter caliber is what we will look at here. The barrel making process that Zastava uses when making the CZ99 is called Cold Forging a popular process of hammering lengths of cold steel around a rifling insert.  Furnished with a beautiful walnut stock and blued metal components the CZ99 is a nicely finished rifle on par with many other quality firearms of the type for a considerable discount.  The pricing on the Zastava is by no means "dirt cheap" but it does take a prospective purchaser who up until now has been looking at budget rifles to consider spending a little more and getting a rifle that is of superior quality over the 'entry level'.  In a simple sentence 'value for money'.


The CZ99 Precision is available in .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire cartridge a round that is steadily gaining popularity.  This round was created in 2002 and is effectively a .22 Winchester Magnum necked down to .17 (4.5mm) caliber with a 17 or 20 grain projectile.  The round boasts several advantages over its parent round such as higher muzzle velocity, flatter trajectory, longer range, with the potential for greater accuracy.  Though it is more more expensive and doesn't have as much kinetic energy due to the lighter projectile.  


The Zastava rifle has a smooth operating bolt and has an adjustable trigger for different weights.  Overall it's tight tolerances make its bolt a pleasure to use.


INTERESTING FACT :  Just to make things more confusing Zastava also produces a pistol with the name : CZ99.


PRO's   :   Quality, Reliability, Accuracy, handy size


CON's   :   .17HMR is more pricey, ejectors hold to tightly on some ammo


COOL FACTOR : 6/10 

11th of April : Dragunov Sniper Rifle

Name     :   Dragunov Sniper Rifle


AKA       :   SVD, Dragunov

7.62x54 Rimmed Surplus Rounds

Caliber   :   7.62x54mm Rimmed


Capacity :   10 Rounds


Weight   :   9.51lb or 4.32kg


Length    :   47.3in or 1201mm


Action     :   Semi Automatic, Gas operated  


Origin     :   U.S.S.R., Russia


Beginning it's long career in Russian service in 1963, Evgeniy Dragunov's semi automatic rifle would be one of the most numerous of sniper rifles in the world. Referred to as the SVD, an abbreviation of Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova, which translates to Dragunov's sniper rifle.  Through the eyes of NATO the Dragunov was never seen as a true sniper rifle, but more of a designated marksman's rifle the reasons being :
1. It isn't capable of extreme precision accuracy
2. It is a squad level weapon rather than a dedicated sniper's team weapon
3. The short range scope fitted as standard


The outward appearance of the SVD may resemble the AK series of firearms but it is in fact very different internally.  When a shot is fired through the SVD, a small amount of gas from the round going of is tapped off through a hole in the barrel and up into a tube with a small piston that travels backward a short distance pushing on a thin steel rod that in turn pushed on the bolt carrier sending it backward which rotates and unlocks the bolt from the chamber. As it continues back it ejects the spent case, re-cocks the hammer, reaches the rear and under spring power moves forward again, stripping a fresh round from the magazine and chamber-ring the round and locks the action closed ready for the next shot.  The difference between this and the AK action relates to the piston and bolt carrier, on the AK the heavy piston rod is attached permanently to bolt carrier, causing a larger shift in weight that disturbs the point of aim.


The 120 year old 7.62x54mm Rimmed cartridge is still going strong, first used in the Mosin Nagant series of rifles it has become a main stay of the Russian military, used in machineguns and sniper rifles it continues to be used.  When used in the SVD it achieves a respectable muzzle velocity of 2,723 feet per second (830m per second) and has an effective range of 874 yards (800m).


Commonly seen on the SVD is the PSO-1 scope, with a 4x telescopic lens. This hard wearing scope can handle temperatures ranging from -50 degrees to 50 above.   Looking through the scope you will find a reticule on the left hand side that allows the firer to range estimate his intended target, Calibrated for a 5.7ft man.  You simply aim at a standing target and place him in the height field and where he fits in perfectly between the top and bottom is your range, then place the correct chevron over your target and make your windage adjustments.

INTERESTING FACT :  When a field strip is performed on the rifle for maintenance and cleaning the scope needs to be removed from the rifle to in order to inspect and get to the internal components, whilst this traditionally is a big "no-no" the Russians claim the scope mounting clamp on this rifle is so good, you can take it off and put it back on without disturbing the point of aim and point of impact between the scope and the rifle.


PRO's  :  Lightweight, Powerful, Fast follow up shots, Absolutely reliable


CON's  :  Some rifles are only capable of 2"MOA accuracy


COOL FACTOR :  7/10

4th of April : VZ.52

Name     :   Ceska Zbrojovka  VZ.52  


AKA       :   CZ52 (incorrect name but sometimes referred to as)

Caliber    :   7.62x45mm and 7.62x39mm


Capacity  :   10 rounds


Weight    :   8.25lbs or 3.75kg


Length    :   39.1in or 993mm


Action     :   Forward Tipping Bolt, Gas Operated Semi-Automatic


Origin     :   Czechoslovakia




The VZ.52 was by all accounts nothing special, even at the time of its introduction to the Czechoslovakian Army in 1952.  It was the result of a need to produce a rifle firing an intermediate round, a trend that consumed the firearms world after World War 2, from lessons learnt about the effectiveness of the STG.44 Sturmgewehr.  The gas system in this rifle was inspired by the MKb.42 an early experimental version of what would become the STG.44 Sturmgewehr and the trigger system borrowed from the U.S. M1 Garand rifle.  Similar in appearance to the German KAR.43 and Russian SKS the VZ.52 is a very well made rifle, though the wooden stocks tend to degrade rather quickly. 


The rifle has a detachable box magazine, though when it was issued to troops  it only came with two magazines.  The idea being that in an emergency the soldier would be able to drop one magazine and insert a fresh one, other than an emergency the idea was to load the rifle via stripper clips inserted into groves on the front of the bolt carrier to charge the magazine attached below.


The VZ.52 was originally chambered in the 7.62x45mm round.  This round was developed independently from Russian research into the 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge that would be fielded in the SKS and AK-47 rifles.  The Czech 7.62x45mm cartridge was used from 1952 in both the VZ.52 and the ZB.530 machinegun until 1957.  In 1956 a standardization program was coming into effect throughout the Warsaw pact countries, this in turn saw the demise of the 7.62x45mm in favor of the Russian 7.62x39mm M43 round.  Thus in 1957 the Czech arsenals re-chambered VZ-52's to the Russian round with a new designation mark on the rifles indicating the change "VZ.52/57.


The end of the rifles use as the Czech standard infantry rifle came very soon after the caliber change over, in 1958 a new rifle the VZ.58 was produced similar in appearance to the AK-47 though mechanically very different.  When the VZ.52/57 was phased out of Czech service it went on to serve with third world nations throughout the world.  It was used by the Egyptians during the Suez Canal conflict.


On a personal note, I have found the VZ.52 a pleasant rifle to shoot as its weight reduces felt recoil allowing fast follow up shots.


INTERESTING FACT :  The VZ.52 ejects its spent casings to the left instead of the right.


PRO's  :   Low Recoil, reliable, nifty folding bayonet, Smooth action.


CON's  :   Original 7.62x45mm rounds have dried up. Bad Stocks


COOL FACTOR :  5/10

30th March : STG 44 Sturmgewehr

Name     :   STG44

AKA       :   Sturmgewehr, MP 43, MP 44, 

7.92x33mm 

Caliber   :   7.92x33mm Kurz

Capacity :   30 Round Magazine 

Weight   :   4.81Kg or 10.6lbs

Length    :  930mm or 36.6in

Cyclic     :   500 Rounds per minute

Origin     :   Nazi Germany

In the late 1930's German military analysts had done extensive research into battlefield tactics, units and equipment used during the First World War and the then recent Spanish Civil War,  some of the conclusions found around infantry was that most firefights take place at 300 meters or less, one or two man portable machines that were light allowed troops to capture more ground increasing the pace of a battle creating a momentum and that combat was taking place within cities and built up areas.  Though most armies in the world at the time were developing and testing semi-automatic rifle's including the Germans, they were all developing them around a full sized rifle cartridge.  All nations had seen the benefit of sub-machineguns but these all fired a pistol cartridge with limited range and power. The findings of the analysts called for an intermediate weapon, something with lighter ammunition with a shorter range than the 2000 meter effective 8mm Mauser but more powerful than a sub-machinegun.  A weapon that was capable of semi automatic and full automatic fire. A weapon that was light enough to be one man portable.

A suitable cartridge was developed with all of this in mind, the 7.92x33mm round with a maximum effective range of 700 meters by a company called Polte in 1938.  Proposals were sent out to Walther and Haenel, with Haenel winning with their design. When the first prototypes were being fielded at the same time Adolf Hitler was informed of the testing.  Hitler was of the mind that a soldier needed the power of the Mauser bolt action (similar to that which Hitler himself had served with) and that the MP-40 sub machinegun already in use was sufficent, so he cancelled the project.  Realizing what a great weapon the intermediate rifle was going to be the German military continued with the project in secret referring to the intermediate rifle as a machinepistol (sub-machinegun) as to avoid a confrontation with the Fuehrer.

The initial field trails were astounding, the effect on the battlefield could not be ignored and the intermediate rifle's production went into full swing.  Haenel was never able to keep up with demand from the military brass, then the day of judgement came in 1943.  Hitler had traveled to the Eastern Front to over look operations, in a conversation with a general -

Hitler asked "What are you most in need of?"  

The general replied "As many MP-43's as you can send"

Hitler asks "What is this MP-43 ? this isn't that rifle I vetoed is it?"

(Please note there is no transcript of the conversation, but this is commonly believed to be what was said).

The general offered to Hitler a demonstration of the weapon, and Hitler by all accounts was impressed, and it is said he was the first to call it the 'Strumgewehr' or in English 'Assault Rifle' a term by which all modern select fire intermediate rifles are classed.  

The STG.44 as it became known was in too smaller number to save Germany's infantry, but this would not be the final resting place for the rifle.  The STG.44  was used by the Czech army and East German army after World War 2, and the rifle has even turned up in the hands of insurgents in the latest war in Iraq.

INTERESTING FACT   :  The Russian's took a lot of interest in this rifle after the war as they were undoubtedly the largest user of sub-machineguns.  Though heavily denied by Mikhail Kalashnikov, it is without doubt the basis and then some, of the Avtomat Kalashnikova Model of 1947 or otherwise known as the AK-47.

PRO'S  :  INOVATION, COLLECTABLE, 30 ROUND MAGAZINE, SEMI/FULL AUTO

             IT WAS A REVOLUTIONARY RIFLE AT THE TIME!

CON'S  :  HEAVY, A LOT OF USELESS ACCESSORIES, NOT ENOUGH                                       

             DISTRIBUTED.  QUALITY DEGRADED AT THE END OF WW2.

COOL FACTOR :  7/10

28th March : M1 Garand

Name     -   Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 


AKA       -   The Garand, The greatest Battle implement ever devised

Loaded EN Block Clip

Caliber   -   .30-06 or 7.62x63mm


Capacity -   8 rounds via EN Block Clip


Weight   -   9.5lbs or 4.31kg (models did vary)


Length    -  43 inches or 1.1m



Origin     -  U.S.A.




The M1 Garand, a staple of power and innovation at a time when bolt actions ruled the military world. In the Pacific and in Europe the Garand was present, enduring the elements, fighting on to eventually gain a venerable title as the best general issue rifle available in large numbers.  Numbers vary on the total production number but it is generally accepted to be around 6 million, production coming mainly from Springfield Armory who at the time was a state owned arsenal, but also from Harrington and Richardson, international Harvester, Winchester and others.  


The rifle is a semi automatic, firing from a closed bolt, air cooled, and fed from an 8 round EN block clip which was inserted into an internal magazine.  Once inserted the operator would quickly release pressure on the clip and bolt would slam closed loading the first round into the chamber.  If the operator was too slow with removing his thumb, it could become caught between the bolt and breach face causing the infamous garand thumb 'ouch'.  Once loaded the operator was encouraged to expend all 8 rounds before reloading as topping up the weapon was a time consuming process, though many would simply release the partially used clip through a release switch at the base of the rifle and eject the chambered round and insert a new clip.  The barrels on the garand are generally between 22 and 24 inches long.


One of the most recognizable things of the M1 Garand is the sound of the EN block clip ejecting making a loud "PING" after the last round has been fired. This was sometimes seen as a drawback as often enemy combatants would hear that the firers rifle was empty and would then attack.  As always in war there are clever cookies out there that take note of enemy behavior, in particular U.S. marines fighting the japanese would sometimes throw or bang empty clips on the ground to replicate the noise of an empty rifle and wait for the enemy to pop their heads up only to find that 'empty' garand isn't so empty after all.


The rifle was designed by Canadian born gun designer John Garand and served as the standard U.S. Military rifle replacing the Springfield M1903 from 1936 (though they werent in widespread use until 1937/38) until offically 1957. Though use of the rifle continued through various conflicts including Vietnam, and is in use today as a parade rifle by some U.S. units.


Today the Garand enjoys high popularity as target shooting rifle and collectors piece sold to the American public through the Civilian Marksmanship Program as well as through normal surplus channels.  


INTERESTING FACT : 
During WW2 the German Army in times of poor weapon supply would issue captured U.S. M1's as the 7.62mm Selbstladegewehr 251 (a).


PROS : Reliable, Accurate, Semi Automatic firepower, 
CONS : Heavy, Time consuming maintenance, 


COOL FACTOR : 9 / 10