Gun Porn!

I thought the only people who still used rifle grenades were the French and that's only because the FAMAS was so terrible.

Speaking of, did they ever decide what to replace it with? I know Steyr had offered them a great deal on some really nice AUG variant.

Last I heard the future French rifle contract was still up for grabs.

The French use it for doctrinal reasons, treating them like a LAW—small, portable, less range than an M72 but no issues with backblast. The Japanese also have them, as do the Israelis.

Really? Because the FAMAS can't mount UBGLs last I checked.

Like I'm sure there's still some use for proper rifle grenades but I feel like this is less because of doctrine and more because the FAMAS is arguably the worst rifle used by the West today.

It's generally comparable: fewer shots per soldier, but each shot is more powerful, and while each shot is heavier than a 40mm grenade, the soldier doesn't have to carry the weight of the launcher itself.

French squads don't lack for HE firepower; each squad has an organic 51mm ultralight mortar, used for direct-fire.

Rifle Grenades are a mixed basket like every system. They are heavier per shot, fewer shots can be carried, using them temprarily prevents you from using the weapon normally, some versions require you to use blanks, they tend to have fairly heavy recoil, and at longer ranges they are less accurate then most UBGL systems. Those are the down sides.

The upsides they are very simple to make and use, can use larger more powerful warheads, bullet trap or shoot through models don't require blanks, at shorter ranges they can be just as accurate as the UGBL systems, the various HEAT versions are basically the light rockets without the launcher meaning they frequently have good penetration against armored vehicles, and they have more leeway in terms of warhead size and shape meaning the design has more flexibility in terms what you can pack into it.

British troops used the Luchaire 40mm rifle grenade, designated the CIWS, or Close In Weapons System, during the Gulf War in 1991. They worked, but they're not in service any more.

Supposedly, the French are planning on replacing the FAMAS with the Thales F90, a new Australian assault rifle which is basically a upgraded AUG: http://world.guns.ru/assault/austr/f90-e.html

Australia is doing it? Here I thought it was Steyr.

I don't think any replacement has been decided yet though, they've got the fancy AUG there but I think H&K is also offering some version of the HK416 for them as well. There were some other options but I've forgotten them.

edited 3rd Aug '15 3:20:11 PM by LeGarcon

^ At this point I think it's safe to say any further procurement of HK arms is pretty sunk for the near term what with the shellacking the G-36 has gotten in recent.

Even the French aren't stupid enough to buy HK after that!

Australia/Oceania haven't made very many modern firearms. There was the F1 SMG, T2 Mk5 and a few prototype Metal Storm weapons like the AICW and MAUL, but that is about it. If the F90 is a success, this should become very interesting.

edited 3rd Aug '15 4:03:12 PM by Bat178

Isn't Metal Storm defunct after some African nations actually bought their youtube videos and ordered stuff?

From what I have heard, Metal Storm went bankrupt recently.

Yeah, people started actually ordering their stuff and then they realized Metal Storm was just a bunch of people working out of a garage and they immediately went bankrupt.

And nobody cared because most of their stuff was crap.

Yeah. There's a reason why Australia mainly uses slightly modified versions of foreign weapons and doesn't make very many weapons of their own design (Though I have heard the F1 SMG was a good weapon). If the F90 is good, however, that could change.

edited 3rd Aug '15 4:38:19 PM by Bat178

^ The F90 is to AUG A3 as F88 is to AUG A1.

Also the F1 is fugly. It doesn't even have that AK-47 fugly kind of charm.

Ugly, but works good. It looks like a FG-42 with the magazine turned upwards.

edited 3rd Aug '15 4:53:12 PM by Bat178

I wonder if a vertical-launch-system equipped ship like one of the US's Aegis ships could Metal Storm a volley of missiles from every launcher at once and have it go to any productive end? Could be useful as a "Fuck you" salute to an enemy on the verge of defeating them.

Fuck missiles. Metal Storm RAILGUNS!

ESSM is practically just that. Four missiles per tube, 96 tubes per Arleigh Burke or 122 tubes per Ticonderoga.

John Birmingham's Axis of Time books have US ships in the near-future using Metal Storm as a CIWS type system.

Lol. Yeah John Ringo had them as well. Though Ringo had them in the only practical role they could fill. Blind area saturation and were a pain in the ass to reload.

Metal Storms tech was interesting but it wasn't practical.

edited 3rd Aug '15 7:48:08 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Ghost Fleet had 'em in CIWS use too, although by the time it's used the US is just bolting everything that might work to deflect a missile onto the legacy hulls, so the Metal Storm CIWS was working in conjunction with lasers and conventional CIWS.

AK-47 ID Playing Cards!

WHEN CAN I BUY THESE THINGS?!!????

Oh lord why?

The K-98 paint job was absolutely the worst.