A question for soldiers that have seen combat.?

Question

If you are deeply intrenched in a shootout. Would you prefer the AK or M16/4a1? What situation would change this? What weapon/s would you rather have had in the confilct you were in? How about sidearms?

Answer 1

I hated the M-16 I had in Vietnam. Even kept pretty clean, they were prone to getting jammed. Maybe that is fixed now. I convinced the Captain of our Chemical platoon to allow me the M-60 machine gun. 7.62 linked ammo, two interchangeable barrels (with glove so not to burn hand), bipod on the barrel. It was a sweet weapon. Hardly had any problems with it at all.

Likewise, did not want the Army 45. Could not hit anything with it. I like my Taurus 9mm now just fine. I understand the Glock is great once you get used to it.

Regarding using the AK47. We had some guys killed by their own troops because they were using the AK. Thing is it used different color tracer and sounded different. You sort of instinctively shot at the sound of those when they were firing anywhere near. Either everybody uses them or nobody.

US Army Vietnam 70-71 1st Cav & Americal

Answer 2

The m4 with the new 6.8 round seems to have solved most of the teething problems the m16 series had in the beginning. In Vietnam the ammo was crap and the weapons were issued initially without cleaning kits so they got a bad rep early on that was still pervasive when i enlisted in 89. As a unit armoror I loved the m-16a2 when we got them. Hate 9mm anything the army should have stayed with .45s but capacity was king in the 80's when the switch was made. Most firefights occur close in so 300+ meter accuracy is kind of ridiculous anyway. I like the power of the shotgun i use now but in combat magazine capacity and reloading speed would make me want a rifle. So to answer your question I would want a m4 chambered in 6.8mm and a
sig-saur .45. Unless we were clearing houses then I would take the 12 ga as primary.

Answer 3

I assume you're talking about a MOUT scenario.

Shotguns may have been the thing in the First and Second World Wars, when the majority of infantry weapons were bolt-action rifles, but they are entirely too slow to reload in today's MOUT environment and lack the range to engage tangos. Options are extremely limited with a 12-gauge, except as running with a stack in entry after entry. You're not laying down suppressive fire with it (meager number of rounds carried, slow reload times), and you're not laying down precision fire with it (come on).

AKs suffer from QA/QC issues when it comes to ammunition, while the M16/M4 series requires far more frequent maintenance. The one definitive advantage to the M16/M4 is the modular rail system, which allows for IR lasers and Close Quarter Optics to be mounted, advantages which AKs frequently lack entirely. Given those advantages, the M16/M4 is far superior, even with a lighter round (hitting someone with a lighter round is better than missing with a heavier one). Given conditions of night or near darkness, the M16/M4 series is far superior in MOUT.

Sidearms are mostly a non-issue, as pistol ammunition lacks effectiveness against modern body armor or ability to penetrate obstacles, and require extensive training to be utilized properly. For the space and weight requirements that a sidearm takes up, one could carry two to four magazines of rifle ammunition easily. It simply doesn't make sense to employ a sidearm when most combatants in modern militaries issued one only put perhaps a couple hundred rounds through their barrels per year. When one has excellent training, it is an excellent transition weapon. Caliber is nowhere near important as shot placement.

As it appears that you're not military, what I'd like to know is what motivation you have for asking this question in the first place.

Answer 4

My choice in a close combat situation would be the 12 gauge shotgun. With slugs for ammo. It has immense power and will scare the crap out of anybody who comes up against it.

For side arms any pistol will do as long as I get hollow tip ammo.

Now, my choice between AK or M whatever would be the M16. Even though the AK does have a larger round the m16 is a lot more accurate and will shoot a he!! of a lot farther. Not to mention, the round of an M16 was designed to bounce around inside the body once it hit someone cause andbeautiful damage to the enemy's internal organs.

Answer 5

I would take my M4 because I can put rounds effectively on target. There are a lot of high speed accessories that we use, but plain Jane it's still a great weapon system. The sights are better and the weapon is by far, more accurate.

As for the sidearm, I carry the Heckler & Koch MK23. I love it. It has been ther efor me whenever I needed it. As a reserve police officer I carry the USP .45 which is pretty close. I am liking the Glock21 more and more.

Baasically, what matters is competence with your systems. If you have a kick-*** system, but suck with it and your enemy is an expert with his old crappy camel rifle, you're done. Training, Training, Training.

Find something that's comfortable for you and train like your life depends on it. Someday it might.

Answer 6

At the most basic level every combat soldier wants the weapon that provides over whelming firepower. But then, I was an officer in the field artillery and 12 rounds of 155mm howitzer fired for effect is my 1st choice for ALL combat situation.

In combat the last thing you're concerned with is "response in kind". As for close combat, always the M16 (model varies) and a well placed series of claymore mines. 700 ball bearings sent in a 70 degree arc by C-4....provides massive personnel destruction (death for the politically incorrect) and major psychological impact on the enemy (that translates to fear).

Answer 7

if I were able to engage targets at a greater distance the m-16 if up close and more personal the ak- as our Marine friend said M-16 can shoot farther the ak however has a rep for being able to fire even when cleaning is not a frequent occurance..for in really close the sawed off pump shot gun with a good mix of ammo both slugs and buckshot...pistol the 45 acp for knockdown power far prefered above the presently issued 9mm...but ideal for long targets an M-14 you can get even up to armor pierceing rounds for it...

Answer 8

The AK 47 is more for assault, if "deeply entrenched" the M16 is preferred because of its accuracy. 9mm for a sidearm.

Answer 9

m16a2