On 11/2/97 11:14 AM, Tim May (tcmay@got.net) passed this wisdom: [snip]

Some in the gun community are vilifying Olyarms for introducing this OA-93 "assault pistol" (the name often applied to politically incorrect pistols like this). As if Olyarms should have been cowed into not introducing a product out of fear that Clinton would abuse his authority to ban Chinese ammo.

I would not villify them, but I would wonder if they considered that aspect when they decided to market the weapon.

...

One thing though, 7.62x39 really could not be compared to the 5.56 NATO, its really more potent out to 2-300 meters; it is still a .30 cal vs 5.56 NATOs .223, but its far less potent than 7.62 NATO (7.62x54). The 7.62x39 was the standard caliber of ComBloc weapons for several decades, most specifically the AK-47, AKM-44 (sniper weapon), and SKS carbine. I think the Dragunov sniper system used a more potent cartridge.

I've never owned anything in 7.62x39. I hear the SKS rifles are pretty good for $150, or whatever, and a lot of people have bought them. To me they look a little crude. And since I can afford things out of the AR-15 line....

Having faced down the SKS carbine in Nam on a couple of occasions, I can say its a rugged built and seemingly idiot proof weapon of reasonable accuracy out to 2-300 meters tops. Many versions come equipped with a three-fluted bayonette thats considerably longer than what we used and its *most* impressive when some guy comes out of the brush with one in your direction ... I got a chance to examine the blade from a few inches when I deflected his thrust and delivered a blow of my own ... I would just a soon have remained in blissful ignorance of the details ... <sigh>

(Debate rages in rec.guns and elsewhere about the relative merits of the cartridges. I certainly see more variants of the AR-15 here in America, more use by tactical and law enforcement teams, and more accessories. But maybe I'm not looking in the right places.)

The 7.62x39 really isn't much of a cartridge, its not potent enough to justify its size, 7.62x54 is more potent and its not small enough to capitalize on its wimpiness, 5.56 NATO delivers as much oomph in much less size. It is relatively simple to appreciate the size difference. When the standard issue service rifle was the M-14 (7.62x54 NATA) the standard load for a soldier was six(6) magazines of twenty plus the seventh in the rifle. When the M-16 became the standard service rifle, the same ammo load weight permitted twenty (20) magazines of twenty plus a twenty-first in the rifle. 140 rounds versus 420 rounds - biiigggg difference

One of the more interesting images I ever saw was a photo in one of the gun mags of a friendly meeting in the U.S. between Eugene Stoner, principal designer of the AR-15 (the M-16 in its military version) and Mikhail Kalashnikov, whose name needs no further explanation.

I suppose tree-hugging peaceniks would be aghast at a meeting between these two merchants of death. I, being an antigovernment type, was nevertheless impressed.

I too was quite impressed with that meeting, but not surprising. I brought a prisoner in once, an NVA regular, a major, and spent several days in the field with him before we could get lifted out. He spoke excellant English and wonderful education and a wry wit. I found I related better to him than I did to most of the upper ranks in the 1st MarDiv in DaNang ... almost had half a mind to say 'screw the suits' and let him go. Of course therein lies the problem of 'the suits' ... so long as they can get us to think of the enemy as 'gooks' or 'ragheads' or 'krauts' they can con us into killing them ... but as soon as you realize they have wives and kids and jobs and bills and neighbors and aunts and uncles and nephews, in short, are just like use save for the cut of their uniform ... its gets a lot harder to see just why you should kill them (unless of course they are pointing a gun at you!) Brian B. Riley --> http://www.macconnect.com/~brianbr For PGP Keys <mailto:brianbr@together.net?subject=Get%20PGP%20Key> "The strongest evidence of intelligent life on other planets is that they haven't come here yet.' -- from somewhere on The Net