thedrifter
06-25-05, 04:48 AM
06.23.2005
Tools of the Soldier: Insurgents’ Weapons Are Old But Effective
By Philip A. Quigley
Editor's Note: This is the second of an occasional series of articles on the weapons and equipment being used in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As the war in Iraq enters its third year, our troops continue to suffer casualties from an enemy that has largely learned to avoid force-on-force battles on open ground and instead strikes at our troops from a distance with sniper attacks and car and roadside bombings.
Such a non-linear, guerilla adversary, where combatant and non-combatant alike mingle amidst homes and marketplaces, mosques and shrines, and fields and farms, is beginning to resemble the conflict in Afghanistan in the 1980s between the Soviet Army and Afghani militiamen, who were little more than roving armed bands with aging – almost antique – military surplus battle rifles
That the seemingly outmatched Mujahidden fighters were able to outwit and later oust the Soviet occupiers was no common feat. Yes, the Afghanis did have some American funding, supplies, and training, but the Soviets were skilled practitioners in warfare – yet the Afghanis still were able to slowly whittle their enemy down to size. While most encounters ended with no decisive victors, over time the Afghanis' attacks demoralized the Soviet troops. The Afghanis clearly had more resolve and were determined to evict their invaders. The Soviets eventually withdrew in 1989, leaving a token force behind to protect their interests.
That conflict has obvious parallels with today's war in Iraq, where a technologically superior U.S. military force is still struggling to contain and defeat a tenacious insurgency backed by Arab terrorists. This article examines the tools of the enemy, commonly encountered small arms being used by the Iraqi insurgency.
http://images1.istandfor.com/images/FE/chain171siteType8/site130/client/article06232005a.jpg
Mannlicher Turnbolt Rifles (Country of Origin: Austria)
Cartridge: 6.5x53mm; capacity: 5 rounds; effective range: 400 yards
This rifle has a peculiar clip-loading system fed by stripper clips. The user opens the bolt & drops a stripper clip into the magazine. The rifle function like a typical bolt-action rifle, but with the exception that when the last round is loaded, the stripper clip drops out the bottom of the magazine assembly, and in some variations, ejects the clip upwards out of the weapon. The stripper clip is an essential part of the magazine, because without it, it becomes a single-shot rifle. Note: ammunition for this rifle is as plentiful as hen's teeth.
<img border=0 src="http://images1.istandfor.com/images/FE/chain171siteType8/site130/client/article06232005b.jpg" />
Mauser Gewehr 98/Karabiner 98K (Country of Origin: Germany)
Cartridge: 8mm Mauser; capacity: 5 rounds; effective range: 800 yards
Even though some of these rifles have been around for nearly a century, they are well-made, accurate, durable as a coffin nail, and utterly reliable. Numerous copies were made by several nations. These rifles have a three-lug locking bolt, which locks into the receiver behind the magazine, making it the strongest bolt action made and often copied in other rifles. The user feeds the action with disposable stripper clips. Approximately 11.5 million of these were produced from 1935 until 1945, so this rifle is as numerous as it is deadly.
http://images1.istandfor.com/images/FE/chain171siteType8/site130/client/article06232005b.jpg
Mosin-Nagant Rifles (Country of Origin: Russia)
Cartridge: 7.62x54R; capacity: 5 Rounds; effective range: 500 yards
This design dates back to 1891 and remained in different configurations through World War II. Many versions had an attached bayonet. Copies of this rifle were produced by Poland, Hungary, Romania, and China. The user feeds the action with disposable stripper-clips and the weapon operates like a typical bolt-action rifle. There are estimates that as many as 5 million rifles were produced.
continued..........
Tools of the Soldier: Insurgents’ Weapons Are Old But Effective
By Philip A. Quigley
Editor's Note: This is the second of an occasional series of articles on the weapons and equipment being used in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As the war in Iraq enters its third year, our troops continue to suffer casualties from an enemy that has largely learned to avoid force-on-force battles on open ground and instead strikes at our troops from a distance with sniper attacks and car and roadside bombings.
Such a non-linear, guerilla adversary, where combatant and non-combatant alike mingle amidst homes and marketplaces, mosques and shrines, and fields and farms, is beginning to resemble the conflict in Afghanistan in the 1980s between the Soviet Army and Afghani militiamen, who were little more than roving armed bands with aging – almost antique – military surplus battle rifles
That the seemingly outmatched Mujahidden fighters were able to outwit and later oust the Soviet occupiers was no common feat. Yes, the Afghanis did have some American funding, supplies, and training, but the Soviets were skilled practitioners in warfare – yet the Afghanis still were able to slowly whittle their enemy down to size. While most encounters ended with no decisive victors, over time the Afghanis' attacks demoralized the Soviet troops. The Afghanis clearly had more resolve and were determined to evict their invaders. The Soviets eventually withdrew in 1989, leaving a token force behind to protect their interests.
That conflict has obvious parallels with today's war in Iraq, where a technologically superior U.S. military force is still struggling to contain and defeat a tenacious insurgency backed by Arab terrorists. This article examines the tools of the enemy, commonly encountered small arms being used by the Iraqi insurgency.
http://images1.istandfor.com/images/FE/chain171siteType8/site130/client/article06232005a.jpg
Mannlicher Turnbolt Rifles (Country of Origin: Austria)
Cartridge: 6.5x53mm; capacity: 5 rounds; effective range: 400 yards
This rifle has a peculiar clip-loading system fed by stripper clips. The user opens the bolt & drops a stripper clip into the magazine. The rifle function like a typical bolt-action rifle, but with the exception that when the last round is loaded, the stripper clip drops out the bottom of the magazine assembly, and in some variations, ejects the clip upwards out of the weapon. The stripper clip is an essential part of the magazine, because without it, it becomes a single-shot rifle. Note: ammunition for this rifle is as plentiful as hen's teeth.
<img border=0 src="http://images1.istandfor.com/images/FE/chain171siteType8/site130/client/article06232005b.jpg" />
Mauser Gewehr 98/Karabiner 98K (Country of Origin: Germany)
Cartridge: 8mm Mauser; capacity: 5 rounds; effective range: 800 yards
Even though some of these rifles have been around for nearly a century, they are well-made, accurate, durable as a coffin nail, and utterly reliable. Numerous copies were made by several nations. These rifles have a three-lug locking bolt, which locks into the receiver behind the magazine, making it the strongest bolt action made and often copied in other rifles. The user feeds the action with disposable stripper clips. Approximately 11.5 million of these were produced from 1935 until 1945, so this rifle is as numerous as it is deadly.
http://images1.istandfor.com/images/FE/chain171siteType8/site130/client/article06232005b.jpg
Mosin-Nagant Rifles (Country of Origin: Russia)
Cartridge: 7.62x54R; capacity: 5 Rounds; effective range: 500 yards
This design dates back to 1891 and remained in different configurations through World War II. Many versions had an attached bayonet. Copies of this rifle were produced by Poland, Hungary, Romania, and China. The user feeds the action with disposable stripper-clips and the weapon operates like a typical bolt-action rifle. There are estimates that as many as 5 million rifles were produced.
continued..........