This is an incomplete post,I had much more to add,unfortunately I will not be able to complete this.As a mark of respect towards the fellow members ,I am posting this .However my emotions does not allow me to add more to this.There has been a sudden untimely demise of my father.In memory of my father ,I am leaving this post incomplete,as my life will be now.
I will bid adieu for now ,hope to be back someday.Don't want to sound preachy ,but don't wait for a special occasion,or another day to hug your parents and tell them how much your love them,life is fragile and unpredictable.
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-Yes ,you are correct .If we go into technicality ,an AK with piston and gas block cannot have free floated barrel in its true sense,same goes with the AR platform or any other rifle with gas block or piston.
When we talk about free floated barrel /hand guard on ak ,it basically means that the hand guard will be devoid of any contact with the barrel.I had used the word "harmonics" in general way not in its technical term,by that I meant that any outside pressure on the hand guard like bi pod,sling,resting the hand guard on a support will not affect the barrel.
"Free floating " be it on ar or ak does not aim to arrest or reduce the vibrations on the barrel ,but to let the barrel vibrate freely in harmony,without any outside pressure point through the hand guard acting on it.Yes,free floating is more effective on heavier barrel but that does not mean it has no effect on thinner barrels.The main purpose is to avoid any outside pressure points working on the barrel..
So when we talk about free floating on AK ,it is basically to avoid any outside pressure on the hand guard acting on the barrel,which could lead to change in point of impact.As far as AK 15 is concerned ,the person who is involved in testing has reported improvement in accuracy due to free floating barrel/hand guard on it.
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The small orders make sense in a way that ,if the weapons work as intended ,then they can place a repeat order and if they fail to impress,then they are not left with duds in large numbers.However large orders have its own merit in standardization,economy of scale and training.I believe its time that our special forces move away from tavor tar 21,as standard issue.Being special forces it make sense that they maintain an assortment of weapons,to be used as and when required ,however a certain kind of standardization in rifles and calibers is required.A unified special forces command could ensure this.
Coming to Rifles ,these are my choice :
7.62x51m = Scar-H is a very good rifle in this caliber.
5.56X45mm = Scar -L is a very good rifle,it was extensively tested by SOCOM against all the renowned rifles,where it came out on the top.However ,they concluded that despite the SCAR being relatively superior,the cost over benefits does not make sense to replace the existing inventory of m4.Hk 416 is also a good rifle,however it has its own set of issues,as reported by Norwegian military and US marines ,who have fielded HK416 in large numbers.
Nonetheless both these rifles are good but I don't agree with the exorbitant price tag they come with.The SIG 516gen 2 and CARACAL 816 are equally good platforms minus the hype .The SIG 516 is already in service in various special forces around the world Egyptian and Turkish for example,and have developed a good reputation among the user of this platform.With SIG 716 order already in its kitty,SIG would love to strengthen their bond with Indian military and could easily offer an attractive price for the 516.Regarding Caracal 816,I have heard nothing but praise about this rifle ,be it reviewers or civilian owners.What I like about this rifle is that being primarily developed for UAE ,it has been developed to work under dust and hot environment. Instead of being swayed by the SOCOM choice of weapons,it is imperative that our forces carry out their own trials before making any final decision.
7.62x39mm = My choice for this caliber would be AK 15 over AK 203 ,mainly because of its lower weight.
Machine guns :
Light Machine gune
MK 48 LMG is an excellent choice.
GPMG :
PKP pechneg chambered in 7.62x51mm -regular or either the bull pup variant.
SIG Sauer new LMG also looks interesting with capability to switch from .338 nm to 7.62x51mm in 5 minute,weight less than 10kg,effective range of 2000m.
Denel DMG -5 also look interesting with weight less than 9kg and effective range upto 1500m.
Heavy Machine gun
.50 browning machine gun :
Excellent choice,however with shift to .50 caliber machine gun and sniper rifles both in army and special forces it will make sense to have license production of both the .50 caliber ammunition and Browning machine gun within the country .
HMGs are meant to be fitted on the Light Strike Vehicle (LSVs) being procured from Pune-based Force Motors over the next three months.
Talking about Force motors LSV ,it is most probably this :
View attachment 5750
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Sniper rifle :
Barrett M107 A1 :
Again an excellent choice,however I found it amusing that Army went in for bullpup M95 while Special forces chose traditional layout.
Beside these they should also buy a light weight 7.62x51mm bolt action sniper rifle, a semi automatic sniper rifle/DMR(I know we already have galatz,but I believe we can do better),.338 lapua magnum bolt action sniper rifle.
Regarding SAKO sniper rifles,I believe it will be SAKO trg M10 in .338 lapua magnum.
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Helmet mounted night vision googles :
I have no idea what type of nvd they are purchasing ,however tonbo imaging has a nice lineup of products,I am disappointed on special forces giving them a miss on this.Hope whatever they import is better than anything Tonbo has to offer.
Carl-Gustaf M4 :
Again an excellent choice and something which will make sense in large numbers,across all the forces ,so TOT and license manufacturing is required.
Beside these they also need advance communication devices including headsets,advance IFAK kit,new standard modular plate carrier along with the SMPP bullet proof vest,New combat uniform with embedded elbow and knee pad,a standard set of new camo pattern,new combat boots etc
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1.Well AK 203 in my opinion is among the best 7.62x39mm platform available right now,even though I would have preferred AK 15 over it due to its light weight and free float hand guard, but still AK 203 has strong merits of its own.Even though some issue might crop up with induction and use of AK 203,which is common with every weapon platform,I don't think there will be any major issues ,which can't be revised.Despite the absence of prolonged trials by our army,the performance of AK 103 (which is essentially the same rifle) in Pakistani trials and reputation of Kalashnikov induce confidence that this will turn out to be a good rifle.
General Staff Requirement (GSR) New Assault Rifle - Soldier Systems Daily
Regarding how much of an upgrade these will be over the AK being used by our army and terrorists :
1 These will be better rifles based on metallurgy and manufacturing process.Russian metallurgy is among the best when it comes to AK,a good metallurgy will result in better reliability in extreme heat or cold,better service life of rifle due to less wear and tear,ability to sustain heavy volume of fire.After years of production of AK platform ,they have mastered the production of AK pattern rifles,which will result in more accurate and reliable rifle.
2 Just like you cannot club all AR platforms into one,similarly all AK rifles are not equal.AK 203 represent the top tier of AK rifles based on its metallurgy,manufacturing process and design ,just like HK 416 is among the top tier of AR platform.
3. With a barrel length of around 16.33 inches it gets muzzle velocity of 715 m/s,which is greater than most of the 7.62x39mm rifles out there.More muzzle velocity will result in faster bullet,better trajectory and penetrating power.
4.AK 103 has a strong breech block ,which means that it can withstand higher pressure ,so a bullet with higher performance propellant can be used .
5. AK 203 comes with multiple rails,these will help in attachment of various accessories like bipod,IR laser ,flash lights,UGBL and optics.
6.The dust cover is redesigned and reinforced with heavier metal,this will ensure its stability while firing.It is hinged at the front and locked through a lever at the back,this will ensure repeat ability of zero,every time the cover is open for cleaning.
7. The new improved Flash hider will reduce the muzzle flash,thereby reducing the rifle signature ,as well as making the rifle more comfortable to shoot at night or while using nvd.It is a hybrid design so it also act as an compensator,thereby will reduce muzzle flip(jump of the rifle after firing).This will help in more stable shooting and quicker follow on shot.
8. It has a four position adjustable stock (length),this means that a shooter can adjust the rifle stock as per his comfort,different physical build and body armor are some factor which leads to different comfort level,at different length of the stock for the shooter.The stock is also side folding ,will result in ease of carrying in vehicles.You can attach a adjustable cheek riser on this stock,which will help you in comfortable cheek weld and easier eye and sight alignment.The stock also feature a rubber butt pad ,which will reduce the felt recoil.Despite being lightweight,adjustable polymer stock the stock is strong enough for firing UGBL and mele attack.
9.AK 203 at 4.1 kg is not only heavier than the regular AKM but also from most of the 7.62x39mm rifles.Assuming all the factors remain same in the rifle,the weight is inversely proportional to the felt recoil.In simple terms with increase in weight there will be a decrease in felt recoil.Therefore with an increased weight ,AK 203 will be more comfortable and stable to shoot.
10.It looks goods,which is a positive point in my eyes.
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