Speaking of Guns...

[CWMV]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

you're missing my point. I know they will shoot even in the worst conditions, but no maintenance will still do them no good. And yes, the AK ammo is the best in its range, big fat bullets that can knock through a lot more than the flimsy 5.56..

Ive actually got a bet going with the wife on this. I havent cleaned/maintained any of my AK's for the last 2 years, and I bet I can go 5 without having issues. She thinks 3 years.

Obviously not the right thing to do, but hey even after 2, no maint, and thousands of rounds of com-bloc surplus they still run like champs! All Romainian too, except for the Saiga conversions.

IMHO as a semiauto rifle it's probably one of the best designs ever. It can be a bit heavy, but composite stocks and special straps make it still very portable and above all dead accurate. It's only 10cm longer than a SCAR-H, but this means it burns the 30-06 powder all the way and gives it an effective range of 450yds (I've seen folks with M-1D sniper hitting gong targets at 1000yds).
The sleek design means that you have no annoying magazine under, and the 30-06 is far superior to the .308.
Don't know why you're comparing it to bolt action rifles though, they are designed and meant to be used in a different way.
I have a K98 with ZF-41 and that is by far one of the best bolt action rifles ever. Forget about the Russian Mosin-Nagant crap, the Mauser bolt action is one of the smoothest, safest and most perfect things ever.
I have an Enfield No.4 T as well, and despite being considered the best sniper rifle of WW2, I can't come to terms with the action, but it surely is a dead accurate gun.

For certain accurate, but the round is frankly obsolete. .308 can be loaded to duplicate and exceed 30-06 performance and its starting to dry up in a bad way. There is a lot to be said for arming yourself with a current caliber.
My biggest complaint about the garand isn't the weight, Ive been a 240 gunner and a mortarman so this rifle isn't going to drag me down! Its the shape. I mean its just...awkward! To me anyway. I mean I seriously just can not get into a comfortable position with the garand.

And whats this about M.N. crap! I happen to love the platform, for the same reason i appreciate all Russian guns-simplicity and form that follows function.
My 1915 Peter the Great M.N. will shoot just as well as any of my mausers, and after a thorough cleaning (I'm talking DAYS to get the near 100 years of gunk out) the bolt is very smooth.
Only thing that really gets me on the M.N. is feeding it. You go to push the rounds into the mag and before you bottom out there is this ledge on the side of the receiver that can tear your thumb nail off!

Ive never had the opportunity to shoot an Enfield, but it is quite a fetching platform. If I could ever find a reasonably priced Ishapore Enfield in my area Id be on it like a fat kid on cake.

well yeah, it's still Rumanian junk IMHO. If you want a good modern sniper rifle you need to look at Tikka or Remington (the 700 Police is just a perfect platform), they're not cheap, but man what fantastic, simple, precise guns they are!

Well your comparing apples to automobiles here. Neither the PSL or the Drag are sniper rifles by western standards, they are more akin to a designated marksmans rifle, more comparable to a scoped GI M-14. Performance wise they are pretty similar.

I see that your from Canada. That sucks (as far as guns go). Even in California we can own Ar/AK platform rifles.

You know what surprises me though is the seemingly common nature of the SVT-40 up there. Here they are like Hens teeth, and can cost thousands of dollars. Ive spoken to Canadians who bought their 5-round magazine SVT's for $400. Id do terrible things to own an SVT.

EDIT: And if your going to talk actual sniper rifles, dont forget Savage! They consistently win competitions here with out of the box stock rifles, going against custom Rem/Tikka variants.

EDIT 2: Misread-jaws is out of Canada-my mistake!

[ElAurens]

You owe it to yourself to get an Enfield or 4. Slickest bolt action ever, even if not the strongest.

I have everything from a Long Lee up to a 1950 Long Branch, and a 2A1 Ishapore. The WW1 No.1 Mk.III is my favorite though. The old axiom about WW1 rifles really is true. The Germans had the best hunting rifle (98 Mauser), the Americans had the best target rifle (03 Springfield), and the British had the best battle rifle.

[IvanK]

Yay Lee Enfields forever here are mine



with a couple of ringins as well.

[Skoshi Tiger]

I've always worked on the premise that one Lee Endfield was all a man ever needed! Ever!

I was obviously mistaken!

Here's my baby!



My only problem with the rifle that I don't get a chance to use her as much as I would like!

I feel a trip to the bush is in order.

[camber]

Originally Posted by Skoshi Tiger

I've always worked on the premise that one Lee Endfield was all a man ever needed! Ever!

I was obviously mistaken!

Here's my baby!

Very nice Skoshi, and nicely arranged on the Aussie flag. At least, hopefully the flag and not a giant sized beach towel.

But wait, are IvanK's guns arranged....on a giant Soviet flag!!??

[IvanK]

"3 Ohs" are just gorgeous .... you can never have enough.

No its not a Soviet flag .. though I was looking at a Mosin Nagant sniper this afternoon. The owner assured me it was fair dinkum ... but alas I think it was dodgy.


What year is yours Skoshi ? interesting with the tag on the but and the Full foresight protectors.

[Skoshi Tiger]

Originally Posted by IvanK

"3 Ohs" are just gorgeous .... you can never have enough.

No its not a Soviet flag .. though I was looking at a Mosin Nagant sniper this afternoon. The owner assured me it was fair dinkum ... but alas I think it was dodgy.


What year is yours Skoshi ? interesting with the tag on the but and the Full foresight protectors.

1924 Lithgow. Matching serials on the reciever, bolt, stock and forewood. It's a No1 marked as a MkIII*. It has the slot on the right hand side for the magazine cut-off which from my limited reading was reintroduced in the inter-war period.

Interestingly the woods been stamped for the 3rd miltary district (Victoria) and then over struck with the 4th (South Australia) (Both the victorian 2nd/14th and the South Australian -2nd/27th served on the Kokoda Track alongside my Dad's battalion. So you never know it could of been up that way.)

[Skoshi Tiger]

Originally Posted by camber

Very nice Skoshi, and nicely arranged on the Aussie flag. At least, hopefully the flag and not a giant sized beach towel.But wait, are IvanK's guns arranged....on a giant Soviet flag!!??

Sorry but I have to admit it, it is a beach towel!

[Sternjaeger II]

lovely collection IvanK! Couple of questions for ya:

1) Which version is the T?
2) Is that a genuine Jungle Carabine? Man I never tried one but always wanted to, bet it kicks like a mule!
3) What k98 is that? I have a BCD 42 and the Byf 43 (with ZF-41 rail).

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by CWMV

Ive actually got a bet going with the wife on this. I havent cleaned/maintained any of my AK's for the last 2 years, and I bet I can go 5 without having issues. She thinks 3 years.

Obviously not the right thing to do, but hey even after 2, no maint, and thousands of rounds of com-bloc surplus they still run like champs! All Romainian too, except for the Saiga conversions.

even corrosive ammo?

For certain accurate, but the round is frankly obsolete. .308 can be loaded to duplicate and exceed 30-06 performance and its starting to dry up in a bad way. There is a lot to be said for arming yourself with a current caliber.
My biggest complaint about the garand isn't the weight, Ive been a 240 gunner and a mortarman so this rifle isn't going to drag me down! Its the shape. I mean its just...awkward! To me anyway. I mean I seriously just can not get into a comfortable position with the garand.

The Garand is best used with sling techniques. Web or leather slings as you probably know can be used to do the steady shooting with no support other than your own body. How you mean you can't get comfortable with it? If anything I find it very comfortable, from the iron sights to the feel. It might be a matter of different experiences, I personally never felt too comfortable/confident with M-16/Car15, go figure!

And whats this about M.N. crap! I happen to love the platform, for the same reason i appreciate all Russian guns-simplicity and form that follows function.
My 1915 Peter the Great M.N. will shoot just as well as any of my mausers, and after a thorough cleaning (I'm talking DAYS to get the near 100 years of gunk out) the bolt is very smooth.
Only thing that really gets me on the M.N. is feeding it. You go to push the rounds into the mag and before you bottom out there is this ledge on the side of the receiver that can tear your thumb nail off!

Well IMHO they've been built and assembled by blind drunken monkeys.. they quality and finish is never up to the standards of other similar rifles, the safety is a joke, the feeding is a pain, the bolt design is terrible and not particularly safe.. Perfect rifle for a mass war, cos it's cheap as chips and easy to produce and it (mostly) spits bullets out of the right end, but no, they're nowhere near the quality of a K98 or a Springfield.

Ive never had the opportunity to shoot an Enfield, but it is quite a fetching platform. If I could ever find a reasonably priced Ishapore Enfield in my area Id be on it like a fat kid on cake.

They're weird guns those Enfields: on paper they should be crap (stock that is bolted to the rest of the rifle, barrel completely covered by wood), but they're quite good, and the bolt action is surely a peculiar one, a bit delicate if you ask me, but very fast and smooth. Worth the experience

Well your comparing apples to automobiles here. Neither the PSL or the Drag are sniper rifles by western standards, they are more akin to a designated marksmans rifle, more comparable to a scoped GI M-14. Performance wise they are pretty similar.

well the Dragunov was designed as a marksman gun actually.

I see that your from Canada. That sucks (as far as guns go). Even in California we can own Ar/AK platform rifles.

You know what surprises me though is the seemingly common nature of the SVT-40 up there. Here they are like Hens teeth, and can cost thousands of dollars. Ive spoken to Canadians who bought their 5-round magazine SVT's for $400. Id do terrible things to own an SVT.

EDIT: And if your going to talk actual sniper rifles, dont forget Savage! They consistently win competitions here with out of the box stock rifles, going against custom Rem/Tikka variants.

EDIT 2: Misread-jaws is out of Canada-my mistake!

hehehe yeah I'm Italian but living in the UK, it's a real nightmare here, and not because of what you can't have, it's the mentality that is just absurd.. but anyway I go back to Italy often enough to shoot regularly.