U.S. Special Operators Want a Tiny Assault Rifle

[spat]

Widely used...widely recognized....we're talking about the same thing here.

Handgun isn't widely used in the military, but everyone in the military would know what you're talking about if you used that term to describe a Beretta or Sig issued sidearm.

People in the military would ask you what you're smoking if you asked someone to watch over your "assault rifle." It is not widely used nor is it widely recognized in military circles. An M16/M4 is referred to as a rifle. A M249 or M240 is referred to as a machinegun (or crewserved in the case of the M240).

As far as the average warfighter is concerned, an "assault rifle" is something that is occasionally talked about in certain media outlets....it just doesn't exist in the modern military parlance....plain and simple. The only shred of counter-evidence, if you can even consider it that, is that there were some old Cold War era articles and publications that referred to certain threat country weapon systems as "assault" type weapons (AK-47's). But no one in the modern military looks at a M249 SAW or select fire M16 and thinks: "look, there is an assault rifle." It's an outlandish term in America's modern military...and I shouldn't have to explain that to anyone who has actually spent time in the service.

I am sure nobody looks at an M249 and calls it an assault rifle, it isn't one. Belt fed makes it a light machinegun not an assault rifle.

Look, obviously you're not going to change your mind, even if the ghosts of Eugene Stoner, Mikhail Kalashnikov and John Browning got together and gave you an intervention.

You would claim they don't know what they're talking about because nobody in the unit you served in ever used the term and they obviously know more than the experts, even though every one of them would have known what you meant if you said it to them.

But everyone else in the thread knows that people like Ian Mccollum, the NRA, Mikhail Kalishnakov and a long list of other experts hold more weight than the guys you used to drink with.

As far as the Army goes, who qualifies more as an expert, your drinking buddies, or the guys at Aberdeen proving grounds that write the requirements for design of infantry weapons ?

 

[Edwardteach72]

What are your guys thoughts on banana clips vs normal clips?


View attachment 48287


View attachment 48284

Those are both normal.

These are banana clips

 

[Upstate43]

I am sure nobody looks at an M249 and calls it an assault rifle, it isn't one. Belt fed makes it a light machinegun not an assault rifle.

Look, obviously you're not going to change your mind, even if the ghosts of Eugene Stoner, Mikhail Kalashnikov and John Browning got together and gave you an intervention.

You would claim they don't know what they're talking about because nobody in the unit you served in ever used the term and they obviously know more than the experts, even though every one of them would have known what you meant if you said it to them.

But everyone else in the thread knows that people like Ian Mccollum, the NRA, Mikhail Kalishnakov and a long list of other experts hold more weight than the guys you used to drink with.

As far as the Army goes, who qualifies more as an expert, your drinking buddies, or the guys at Aberdeen proving grounds that write the requirements for design of infantry weapons ?

You act as if I'm the only one who has this view....have you talked to anyone who has served in the last 20-30 years?

Back in the day, when bolt-action's were still prevalent on the battlefield, there may have been a common usage for "assault rifle." Hence why the fellows over at Forgotten Weapons and other youtube channels occasionally make reference to that term. Nowadays there isn't, neither in formal doctrine nor in informal jargon. A select-fire M16 is not an assault rifle...not according to the doctrinal pubs nor according to anyone who has had to carry one in the line of duty.

 

[spat]

You act as if I'm the only one who has this view....have you talked to anyone who has served in the last 20-30 years?

Back in the day, when bolt-action's were still prevalent on the battlefield, there may have been a common usage for "assault rifle." Hence why the fellows over at Forgotten Weapons and other youtube channels occasionally make reference to that term. Nowadays there isn't, neither in formal doctrine nor in informal jargon. A select-fire M16 is not an assault rifle...not according to the doctrinal pubs nor according to anyone who has had to carry one in the line of duty.

A select fire M16 is an assault rifle in the same way a humvee is a vehicle.

I DGAF what the guys riding in it call it, they may never say "get in the vehicle", but that doesn't mean the term is invalid.

Why are you so obsessed with whether the term is commonly used in the military anyway ? It is commonly understood, whether it is used very often isn't relevant.

If someone came by your old unit and ordered them to grab their assault rifles and come on, they would know exactly what they were being told to do.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Ok. Nevermind the military. Who here thinks that a rifle that is semi auto is made for assaults? How about one with a selector switch? Binary switch?

Because if I buy one in another state with a selector switch through a trust, I’m not going to use it to assault anything. That term is just as bad as the term assault weapon. Just as bad. If you can call that an assault rifle, you can call a semi auto an assault weapon. You can also call a semi auto with a binary switch an assault rifle or weapon too.

It’s just a rifle. That’s it. Assault anything is a made up term. It doesn’t matter if the one who made it up is a manufacturer,a special forces operator that we like, or a fucking politician that we hate.

Tomorrow I will use my credentials as a veteran, open up a store, post YouTube videos, and start calling Glocks “Battle pistols”.

Because if they could do it, so can I.

 

[Edwardteach72]

Rifle is a made up term

 

[Edwardteach72]

Being a weekend warrior isnt really the same as delta force

 

[Marine Cpl]

Being a weekend warrior isnt really the same as delta force

Does 6 years active count?

 

[Marine Cpl]

You are a veteran too Edward. You can name it an assault rifle too if you want. That doesn’t mean I have to follow your made up term.

 

[spat]

You are a veteran too Edward. You can name it an assault rifle too if you want. That doesn’t mean I have to follow your made up term.

You're right, the term "sports car" is made up too.
They never play sports, they can't even throw a ball.

Plus, no military unit has a "sports car" listed in their standard equipment.

Admittedly the definition for "sports car" isn't as clear as the one for assault rifle, but...

Also, "draft horses" don't exist either, I've never seen a horse serving beer anywhere, and again the military doesn't issue them so they are also a made up term.

 

[Marine Cpl]

You're right, the term "sports car" is made up too.
They never play sports, they can't even throw a ball.

Plus, no military unit has a "sports car" listed in their standard equipment.

Admittedly the definition for "sports car" isn't as clear as the one for assault rifle, but...

Also, "draft horses" don't exist either, I've never seen a horse serving beer anywhere, and again the military doesn't issue them so they are also a made up term.

No. Those exist. Many people use those terms. Assault Rifle... not too much. Most of us don’t use it because well the rifle doesn’t assault anyone. It just fires more than one round per trigger pull.


Assault Rifle was a term invented by Hitler for propaganda purposes. Feel free to keep using it. I will not as most of the gun community will not as well.

 

[Uzi]

Tomorrow I will use my credentials as a veteran, open up a store, post YouTube videos, and start calling Glocks “Battle pistols”.

Because if they could do it, so can I.

LIAR.