Small Arms & Tactical Equipment

Nice butt, poor shooting technique:p.

The stock resting on your upper shoulder is a valid technique if your legs are properly balanced, and it's situational, mostly for rapid, moving engagements. It's easy to go from a relaxed, but still on-target shooting stance to one that's fully balanced when you're already half way. Shooting braced like this is fine for moving engagements with carbines, but with larger caliber rifles it's going to result in a bruised shoulder and piss poor accuracy.

View attachment 14946

That was a huge thing I saw in Afghanistan among the Afghan police and military. We taught them to go from this:

View attachment 14945

Look at that s***:sick:! One shot that the stock's going flying off his shoulder. Garbage, just garbage.

To this:

View attachment 14944

(y)Much better. Of course stock alignment, situational drilling and shooting, and the individual rifle's ergonomics and caliber play their part in how you hold a rifle, but the stock's bottom on the top of your shoulder:unsure:? Not on my watch.

For standing shots the stock should rest just below your collar bone, cupped and snug against the meat of your inner shoulder and chest, or braced solely on your chest.

View attachment 14947

View attachment 14948

^That's how a professional does it. Two well balanced shooting techniques that work standing or moving.

ap120426125189.jpg


^He get's it;). Nice technique Mr. Putin.

If you need to shoot with the stock resting on your upper shoulder because your neck's to short to see the iron sights properly, use an optic:whistle:.



Very important point. Where I'm from we're always on water - wet, frozen, snowy - it's ubiquitous. We'd jump from shore to sea without any covers, mods or thought to our weapon's malfunctioning when we made shore again. Salt corrosion, metal fatigue from cold waters, ice buildup, never a concern as we knew that when we needed it the HK416 would come through.

View attachment 14949

Yes,stock should rest in the shoulder pocket.Basically flesh and meaty area below collar bone,we should avoid any hard or bony part of the body.The top of the stock should be just below the collarbone and the side of the stock should sit just to the inside of the shoulder bones.
stance 1.jpg



I would not say that we are always in water,however we do have around four months of monsoon,many a times it is very heavy rainfall,causing floods.Then we have a web of rivers,tributaries,water bodies spread all across the country.It is also believed ,that in case of an impending Indian ground invasion,Pakistan may intentionally flood its border areas in Punjab to stop the advancement.


If you look at operations carried out by CRPF cobras fighting against NAXAL insurgency in interior of India,jungle territory,you can often see them crossing water bodies on foot.
cobra water 1.jpg

cobra water 2.jpg

cobra water 3.jpg

cobra water 4.jpg

cobra water 5.jpg

cobra water 6.jpg

cobra water 7.jpg



Regarding protection from sea water,I have noticed Indian army jawans covering their rifles with plastic sheet during beach assault exercise.
beach assault 1.jpg

beach assault 2.jpg




I am not informed enough to conclusively say whether piston is better over DI.However, when people say that US forces did operate DI rifles,they should always remember that US has a pretty strong logistics supply unlike India,plus all the conflict they were involved in were of much lower intensity than what would occur in case of a full fledged war between Pakistan and India or China and India .Keeping all this in mind ,I am skeptical about the selection of maintenance intensive firearm ,and wonder whether it was the right choice for the Indian army.








The only Indian spec ops unit that has undergone some significant transformation is the NSG.
NSG went from this
View attachment 14953

to this
View attachment 14954

while this is what most Para SF units deployed in the valley look like
View attachment 14955

I've noticed their Para SF's gear and camo are also different within the same teams and some of em still use Patkas' but they've got the most operational experience when compared to naval & AF's counterparts

Both IAF Garuds & Marcos also have seen some decent improvement and still better than Para SF but nothing on par with western or Russian counterparts

Marcos
View attachment 14956
View attachment 14957

Garuds
View attachment 14958

To tell you the truth about para sf,forget about rest of the gear until recently there were not enough modern rifles (tavor /m4 ) to equip its each and every member .What you often see ,is only the top layer ,the cream but we need a wholesome modernization,all across the force,to the very last man.
 
Indian special forces have definitely seen a marked improvement in their equipment, standardization would help greatly as well.

Western nations largely see their special forces look and be equipped similarly because they source their equipment from the same suppliers. Norway's NFM Group for instance supplies the US, Norway, France, Spain, Chile, and Sweden and numerous others. The helmets, plate carriers, armor and clothing they manufacture are top class and a staple of special operations kit worldwide.

nfm_showroom_03.jpg


The result of common suppliers is that Western SF largely look the same.

MJK frogman.
20180809tk_I7596.t5c45878a.m800.x8gMR9SG8.jpg


The USMC is by no means a poorly equipped branch, but their gear is bulky compared to Norway's Coastal Rangers.
20190527J%C3%98_8788.t5cfa00c9.m800.x1ruJNMKN.jpg


20190527J%C3%98_8799.t5cfa00cf.m800.xXHl25vII.jpg


FSK.
20190917tk_I5778.t5d82037e.m800.x6f6fDu6P.jpg


20190917tk_I5826.t5d820210.m800.xJvMTQD-Q.jpg


We used to face the same problem of a lack of standardization and old kit. Granted we're a smaller nation with more money allocated per person, but finding a common supplier helped greatly. 10-20 years ago it was what ever worked in Germany, the UK and US, all counter-terrorism hotspots.

arkiv_fms20004_226_document.t463f06b8.m800.xipnh5tZU.jpg


arkiv_FMS2006_2753_document.t4641a9ba.m800.xu87KHnXq.jpg


arkiv_fms2002_3921_document.t44fd58be.m800.xkKbmcPvt.JPG


arkiv_fms2002_1737_document.t44fd58bc.m800.xAbvA8aDz.JPG


Russian SF have modernized as they standardized equipment and suppliers. Now they look indistinguishable from any other western SF unit.


Yes,a common supplier is an essential point for standardization,beside this the system of issuing uniform,there maintenance also plays an important role.Surprisingly CRPF cobra commandos do much better than any other forces in terms of standardization,and has shown that standardization is possible , even if you operate in hostile conditions most of the time.

cobra camo 1.jpg


cobra camo 3.jpg

cobra camo 4.jpg

cobra camo 5.jpg



Standardization is an issue,but more than this I am worried about the thought process and attitude of people who are at the helm of modernization,they seem to be stuck in time ,plagued with stagnation and are too risk averse towards upcoming developments in tactical gears.

For example here is the new Bullet proof jacket of Indian army ,I wonder why it was not modular in terms of mole,pouches.
smpp bpj 1.jpg



Russian BPJ for reference :

russian vest 1.jpg

russian vest 2.jpg


Now see the design of this bhaba kavach,this is the design they are touting as path breaking in 2020,it is clearly visible that this design is very limited in terms of comfort,utility and modularity .Calling this a something path breaking was one thing ,but acquiring this for forces in name of modernization is sheer madness.
bhaba kavach.jpg


Just have a look at the vest and colour of combat fatigues of Delhi women swat :
swat 1.jpg

swat 2.jpg



With such big and bright logo at front ,they give the impression of a musical band than a modern fighting force.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: R!cK



By virtue of thriving domestic private automobile manufacturing and r&d we got these :

mahindra lsv.jpg


force lsv 4.jpg


army safari storme.jpg




similar gains can be achieved through a thriving private small arms manufacturing and r&d in India,for it to happen,success of private companies like SSS defence is very crucial .Do note , being "Indian" does not mean a free pass,but what is expected is a fair opportunity ,support and an environment to thrive(in terms of policy,red tape).
p72 carbine 1.jpg
 
By virtue of thriving domestic private automobile manufacturing and r&d we got these :

View attachment 14998

View attachment 14999

View attachment 15000



similar gains can be achieved through a thriving private small arms manufacturing and r&d in India,for it to happen,success of private companies like SSS defence is very crucial .Do note , being "Indian" does not mean a free pass,but what is expected is a fair opportunity ,support and an environment to thrive(in terms of policy,red tape).
View attachment 15001
Again,
Lets wait and watch.

Mahindra, Tata, Ashok Leyland were manufacturing powerhouses that cut their teeth in commercial transport before there defence products became successes. Lets wait for some test results to emerge for the new company, lets see their balance sheet to see what they can sustain.

I wish all the success if they are any good.
 
To tell you the truth about para sf,forget about rest of the gear until recently there were not enough modern rifles (tavor /m4 ) to equip its each and every member .What you often see ,is only the top layer ,the cream but we need a wholesome modernization,all across the force,to the very last man.
Modernizing the whole force is a gargantuan task which takes time, effort & resilience. Also, procurement of weapons and gear for SFs' is independent of regular troops and should be given all priority to modernize & standardize
 
A significant portion of SF's training is how effectively they use their weapons and gear. It's a lot easier to use the same camo as RR for blending in but it would be foolish to use AKs' or Patkas as additional baggage just for the purpose of blending in. Sure Para SF is a lot more trained than their RR counterparts but I believe it's due to irregular procurement, no standardization and lack of oversight is why we're seeing a mosaic pattern among their units and within units

In modern battlefields, there's no point sending in a highly trained special operative with shoddy gear. That's more like sending India's best pilot on a Mig-21 to face off F-16s'

Given, IA's love for foreign maal and kickbacks...they should've went ahead with something like NFM Group to standardize atleast for Para SF since they're Army's elite while figuring out local alternatives for all regular units



Tonbo's Arjun thermal weapon sights delivered to the Indian Army



Makes sense..... when operating from bases.

Not when moving along LC, looking for targets.

If it was so easy, wonder why SF had roamed with more than 10k rounds for 5.56 mm in back packs with M4s & Tavors in backpacks & 'n' magazines of AKs additionally ... while carrying aks (i had my favorite Vz58) ... each of us carrying almost 30 kgs while on a recce for target identification along LC, staying in dhoks?
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Rosicky7
These two are some good actual combat footage ,do watch .

1 This one is from Kashmir,where Indian army is ambushed and beheading takes place :


2.This one is from Colombia,I would recommend to watch the whole video,it is interesting to watch how things pan out eventually :

 
I have seen some Indian claiming Pakistani army/infantry is better equipped than the Indian counterpart , which looks like a 3rd world country.

Any experts opinion where we are exactly standing in terms of modernization cycle when it comes to these two nation and of course the mother Russia

Thanks in advance
 
Just for fun... anyone want to try and name all the attachments and goodies on these rifles:unsure:? I want to see how you you guys know your stuff:geek:.

Capture1.PNG


Capture2.PNG


And what about here?

Capture.PNG


What's one feature on Norwegian HK416s that wasn't found on other initial production batches? And can you ID all the stuff here either?

Capture.PNG


Capture.PNG


Now here's a fun sight. Marksman sight on a carbine during CQB ops:LOL:.

Capture.PNG


Last but not least, one of mine. Beat up, but still got the job done. You might also notice when compared to the other pictures I posted, all HK416s (different models), this isn't exactly a stock rifle:giggle:. It's also not an HK416. Anyone know what it is?

Capture.PNG


Bonus points if you can ID the make and model(y).
 
Last edited:
Why do you want the replacement to be a foreign rifle all over again? If we're not able to have an indigenous alternative for something as basic as an Assault rifle, carbine, scopes, helments and other gear...our local defence industry would never take off.

Caracal 816 is for sure designed by western consultants cuz Arab's don't know jack shiite about rifle or any defence design/manufacturing in that regard. Additionally, Sig's rifles are way too expensive to start with for going in significant numbers. Their civilian versions are among the most expensive in the market currently and they wouldn't think twice to blatantly rip us off in pricing terms. Despite local manufacturing, even a crappy looking AK-203 costs north of $1100
The Sig's were the cheapest of the lot. Sig will rip us off in optics and other accessories. I'm saying that 5.56 be shifted in carbine role entirel
Just for fun... anyone want to try and name all the attachments and goodies on these rifles:unsure:? I want to see how you you guys know your stuff:geek:.

View attachment 15019

View attachment 15020

And what about here?

View attachment 15021

What's one feature on Norwegian HK416s that wasn't found on other initial production batches? And can you ID all the stuff here either?

View attachment 15022

View attachment 15023

Now here's a fun sight. Marksman sight on a carbine during CQB ops:LOL:.

View attachment 15025

Last but not least, one of mine. Beat up, but still got the job done. You might also notice when compared to the other pictures I posted, all HK416s (different models), this isn't exactly a stock rifle:giggle:. It's also not an HK416. Anyone know what it is?

View attachment 15024

Bonus points if you can ID the make and model(y).
Daniel defense??
Mk 18?
 
I'm saying that 5.56 be shifted in carbine role entirel
That's the idea...which is why IA is moving to NATO & AK rounds while Caracal 816 carbine would be 5.56. IA should also look into the 6.8 round that US forces will be transitioning to
 
That's the idea...which is why IA is moving to NATO & AK rounds while Caracal 816 carbine would be 5.56. IA should also look into the 6.8 round that US forces will be transitioning to
I was thinking about it but we don't have weapon designations offically. Like the korean,Americans and Brits. Even Russians have there standardisation of small arms. The Koreans using k1,k2 going upto k12. The Brits have L1,L7 and so on. This is one thing
The second thing is IA should completely remove 9mm from carbine role and have 5.56 for carbine role. The AFSOD should also introduce .300 blackout and other specialised rounds like the SOCOM have done. The 6.8 winner is right now not decided most probably SIG will win the deal which is good cause SIG has lot of business in India. But presently it is better to wait for the winner for NGSW to come. IA doesn't really focus on ammunition as much as other militaries do. The U.S uses variety of ammos on their ar 15 style weapons. They have already introduced 6.8 creedmore for their marksman role m110sass. Also they are using .300 Winchester magnum as well as .338 Norma magnum on their snipers like the Barrett mrad which is also the replacement round or their m240b. We have only introduced lapua magnum rounds now when even the Pakistanis have a decade of experience on this round. Apart from that a lot of Russian guns and ammo we have ignored for long.
9x39 mm sub sonic and subsonic ammunition for aks and other stuff. These dont much range but rashtriya rifles might have a huge advantage of this. Also 9.6mm and 12.7x55 mm as well as the.458 SOCOM. This is will do wonders for our spec op forces and RR in urban warfare. A lot of these can be manufactured in India by private players cause OFB *censored*s everything up. And newer ammunition handling means our soldiers will be more flexible in using different weapons. Apart from that we need to replace the tavors with a new bullpup. Either the X95 our Thales f90 are good candidates. In HMG we should buy the Kord from the Russians and license produce it. We already can produce the M2HB. What we also need is new pistol. The pistol 9mm 1a is way past it's expiry life. This is where Indian companies can come and compete for the deal. Also since the amethi factory is already making the ak203 it wouldn't be bad if we start producing 5.56 aks for our foxes too paramilitary military. Much better than the shitty insas. Expand that factory and we can also produce other Russian small arms like Kord,ASVK,As Val, Vintorez,A762. The Indian ofb 5.56 is a shitty round and it's better we introduce the m885a1 and m995 for 5.56 role. The ARDE should design and subsonic 7.62x39 round as well as ap. a lot of things need to be done to fix the infatry
 

Good work(y).

You Canadian??

:eek::eek::eek:

Me? Canadian? Nah, I'm Norwegian. Outside of Canada the C8 is a popular weapon with several militaries in Europe. The Dutch make extensive use of the C7 and C8

NLD%20Upper%209_zpsbpexqg7p.jpg


As do the Danish.

Danish_Soldier_IUR.jpg


The UK uses a variant called the L119A2 It's popular with specialist units.

NDdQA9A.jpg


And here in Norway it's also popular with specialist units like CSAR and FSK, though it has ceded some ground to the HK416K. FSK with a C8.

Capture.PNG


Members of MDK, another of Norway's specialist units with a HK416K.

Capture.PNG


I typically carried either a HK416K or HK417N, but the unit I was assigned to had access to a lot of cool kit, C8s included.
 
Good work(y).



:eek::eek::eek:

Me? Canadian? Nah, I'm Norwegian. Outside of Canada the C8 is a popular weapon with several militaries in Europe. The Dutch make extensive use of the C7 and C8

NLD%20Upper%209_zpsbpexqg7p.jpg


As do the Danish.

Danish_Soldier_IUR.jpg


The UK uses a variant called the L119A2 It's popular with specialist units.

NDdQA9A.jpg


And here in Norway it's also popular with specialist units like CSAR and FSK, though it has ceded some ground to the HK416K. FSK with a C8.

View attachment 15040

Members of MDK, another of Norway's specialist units with a HK416K.

View attachment 15041

I typically carried either a HK416K or HK417N, but the unit I was assigned to had access to a lot of cool kit, C8s included.
Which did you like better the C8 or the 416?? I've heard that the 416 is heavy but reliable compared to other ar's. Also assuming you would have done joint exercises with other Nato soldiers , which country had the most impressive soldiers in your opinion??
 
Which did you like better the C8 or the 416?? I've heard that the 416 is heavy but reliable compared to other ar's.

To quote Boris "The Blade" Yurinov:

"Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work, you can always hit 'em with it."

The HK416 was my primary arm, alongside the HK417. I used a C8 during situations that required it, but I had a 416 in my hands more often. They've their ups and downs, but I admire the heft of the 416. It feels reliable, not like a plastic toy.

Also assuming you would have done joint exercises with other Nato soldiers , which country had the most impressive soldiers in your opinion??

With the American you knew what you had. They're professionals. The Israelis are d*cks (far too arrogant for my taste), but worth their reputation. Russians don't get enough credit and most of NATO is indistinguishable from one another. I like the Poles because I speak Polish and getting together with the Russians for a joint-training session was also fun.

I really admired the South Korean and Japanese soldiers though, as with the Kiwis and Aussies. The East Asians where quite, calm, but professional in everything they do. The Aussies and Kiwis I served with in Afghanistan. Good bunch of lads.