Weapons!

This is coolbert:

"Fight the enemy with the weapons you have, and he does not" - - Suvorov.

From my previous blog entry "Long-Range":

"A possible alternative here is to use Dragunov sniper rifles as captured in Iraq? The Dragunov fires the same round [7.62 X 54R] as the PKM. U.S. units standardizing on Soviet weaponry?"

American and NATO forces in Afghan, fighting long-range gun battles with the Taliban, riflemen using the 5.56 mm round as fired from the M-16 or English SA-80 at a distinct disadvantage - - not able to successfully engage the enemy in fire fights occurring at distances in EXCESS of 500 meters!

My suggestion of course being that U.S. and NATO units could "standardize", adopt for use Soviet era weaponry and ammo available in apparent abundance - - captured in Iraq.

NOT unsurprisingly, the Taliban, for some time, using the SVD [Dragunov] sniper rifle and PKM machine gun during these gun duels, fire fights at extended range. The Taliban did not have a learning curve to follow. From long experience they already KNEW what worked in Afghan and what did not!

From a web site of Anthony G. Williams:

"The British and US Armies has also been finding the 5.56mm weapons to have insufficient range in the open spaces of Afghanistan, where foot patrols are engaged by small groups of Taliban, using 7.62x54R SVD rifles and PKM LMGs, at ranges of up to 900m"

THE TALIBAN NOT ONLY KNOWING WHAT WEAPONS TO USE WHEN CONFRONTING U.S. AND NATO FORCES, BUT HOW TO EMPLOY THEM.

[the Taliban also having a compatibility of ammo between the Dragunov and the PKM. Both fire the old-fashioned but very lethal Russian 7.62 mm X 54R round! ]

Further, according to Williams:

"The issue generating most complaints from
the British Army is the lack of effective range.
When the 5.56 mm cartridge was adopted,
combat experience in previous wars had established
that 90 per cent of all small-arms actions
took place within 300 m."

And this is absolutely correct. Perhaps MOST gunfights of the era World War Two [WW2] occurred at a range of 200 meters or less. And riflemen almost never got a chance to fire a careful aimed shot over long distances. That was a RARE OCCURRENCE! VOLUME [quantity] of fire was considered to be important than quality [careful aimed shots]!

Additionally, the adoption of the 5.56 mm round enabled the average infantryman to carry twice the amount of ammunition for the same weight. This is obviously [?] an advantage?

I would be remiss in NOT mentioning that Dragunov was not only an excellent weapons designer but an OUTSTANDING COMPETITIVE MARKSMAN AS WELL! That SVD [Dragunov] rifle is a marvel!

[so much a marvel the importation of the SVD into the U.S. is banned!!]

I also recommend you go to the home page of Mr. Williams. An English author, military consultant and writer of some ability. Writes in the manner of Robert Heinlein - - alternative history, science-fiction etc.

coolbert.