I almost forgot! Some friends of mine and I were in Norfolk touring the USS Kennedy a few years ago (pre 9/11) and decided to go walking down the piers. We saw folks being allowed aboard the USS Maryland (US Nuclear Ballistic Missile sub) and we did the tour with a bunch of crew family members. They let us 'fire' the nuke launchers for fun. Apparently they were going to sea the next day and Sherwood Forest was indeed full of live nukes.

The best is my 9mm, next the 155mm M109 (even when you miss you hit something) I also liked the M-1 garnd, M-2. M60 M203, OK if it gose bang I like it!

I'm partial to this one:

Cheap crap.

OK, I'm jealous and cannot bear the fact that I am a fat old man who cannot fight along side our brave young men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am a relic of the Cold War, who would still like to "Kill a Commie for Mommy." Cuba, anyone?

Actually, I ain't that young any more. I'm a relic of the Cold War myself. As you can see from the cammo, I'm a product of a different generation. It uh, blends in well in certain environments...

I was just wondering if that was just my imagination or not...

During my National Service my personal weapon was the Uzi (folding stock) which was not a bad weapon, although we only practised with it as a rifle. Not the most accurate rifle available I think...
I did get a change to shoot with a FN pistol, the M2 Browning .50, and the FAL LMG.

Favourite, if for no other reason than sheer impressive quality, the Vulcan SPAAG...

Cheers
Henk

The M-16 would not need much zeroing if u are align, provided you know how to neutralize the weapon. My grandpa taught me to do that. You neutralize/equalize the weapon before you zeroed it. For me, its always Left 1 up 1.
Unless we are talking about picking up one on the floor and go straight into combat..well that i dont know,

You boys sure do get the best stuff.

Jeff

No doubt the Finnish 7.62mm RK62 assault rifle

Would have to be the L1A1 SLR. I almost cried when I had to hand mine over for an SA80 (which I broke in 20 minutes ). I loved the SLR as it was easy to keep clean, powerful and above all squaddie proof. Close catch up would have to be the GPMG as I spent some time as the section gunner. I wasn't keen on carrying it but enjoyed using it. I fell in a ditch with one while on a harbour night move. The combined weight of the Gimpy and my bergan left me like an upside down turtle. Took the others 5 minutes to realise I'd vanished. Needless to say I was not amused.

Hahaha I would have to say that would leave me a little unhappy aswell!

I would have to say the M249 SAW. It has a jamming problem that I hear boys in country have been having ...

The M2 is always a fun weapon to fire. And the LAV's bushmaster is great. I went hunting once with my uncles M21 and never looked back. I love the feel of the M14 and I hope one day she comes back into standard service.

-Mike

well havent been in the military (but joining up after high school)
but i have been to a shooting range once where i got to try out lots of different guns.
AKM (semi)
M16 with M203 (semi, wasnt allowed to shoot the 203)
Mosin Nagant (most painful recoil i felt so far)
some type of 12 gauge (good kick)
9mm UZI (semi, jammed every 3 shots cuz of worn out recoil spring)
M29 .44MAG (Dirty Harrys gun)
.44 Desert Eagle ( people really over-hype the recoil on these)
.22 M9 beretta (peashooter)
1911 (loved it)
and Magnum Research .500 BFR (now THATS a kick to be proud of)

so far i would have to say that the AKM was my favorite (partly cuz im russian) but mostly because it was the most accurate and comfortable of them all
the M16 seemed too big for me (perhaps cuz of the 203)
the m16 may technically be more accurate than the AK but it's sights are so much worse in my opinion that all that accuracy goes to waste

lol are those pot leafs i see stenciled on the gun?

hell yeah! having shot with both weapons, and being a faithful left-hander, I will go will the M-16..at least I am not forced to shoot with my right hand

The main gun on my Sheridan, the Ma-Duece, and my M21 in that order. There are others that were fun, but these were the most fun for me. "Q"

Nothing like pulling the trigger on the Abrams main gun! Second to that had to be the M2HB. Never got the chance to try out the M203, that would have been fun.

I am dating myself, but my favorite weapon was the M79 grenade launcher. Having the ability to use anything from HEAT to HE to Flechette to Buckshot to Smoke and Illuminating rounds was a great comfort. I have fired a M203 and when they tried to assign it to me I refused. It is a piece of junk- slow to fire, bad sights and too heavy for the firepower. I carried a M60 instead.
Rick Smith

When I served in the early 80s mine was the 7.62 L1A1 SLR, my LEST was the 5.56 M16A1 LBPG (Little Black Plastic Gun)

My late grandpa once told me that the M-16/AR-15 which was issued to him had no promitium tip like the M-16 of later days. Thus he and his friends had to burn the forsight dark to enable him to see it better in the dark.

Is this true to others who served during those time, in the 60s? Was promitium tips available during the vietnam conflict?

What the heck... Posted it on Missing-Lynx, might as well post it here:

Zero problems in country, or anywhere else. Like any weapon, these things weren't designed to fire blanks, which is the cause of a majority of the problems.

" If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest of freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council, nor your arms".

Samuel Adams

Nice weapon 18Bravo. Since the new buttstock has been added, I've always wanted to hear feedback from users on whether they like the change from the old buttstock or not. Your opinion? Also, does the shorter barrel affect performance that much?

Jeff

My fun weapons to play on the ranges include
at Air Cadets as a kid and Civvy Instructor
Lee Enfield .22 conversion,

Lee Enfield .303 (as a kid it seemed to be an animal of a kick back)

The L1A1 SLR (memories as a Civvy Instructor of transporting about 30 rifles with tonnes of ammo in the Sqn Leyland Sherpa up to Whitestone Ranges with only a couple of the older Air Cadets to help unload) Pre Dunblane tragedy of course!

7.62mm L42A1 Sniper Rifle (kinda cheating with scope instead of iron sights but still fun)

7.62mm L4A2 LMG Bren (Like the .303 was nice to play with something from out of WW2)

L7A2 GPMG Gimpy (live rounds) Fun watching the range burn when our Pilot Officer shot his load starting low into the front of the buts and then arcing the 1 in 5 tracer rounds over the top of the targets. Range Officer proceeded to drive over ammo box with his lightweight, speeding off to damp the flames down. End ex with Gimpy!

Driving up in a massive airfield fire tender manning the water cannon with the Cadets in scruff order on the tarmac in a box formation a couple of hundred yards away. Shot the water in an arc. That was fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While in TA
The 9mm L9A1 Browning pistol (strange watching the holes appear in the man targets so close and thinking ouch!!! That is gotta hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!) not quite the same with the rifles

9mm L2A3 Sterling SMG (ducking, diving and rolling on a close quarter range with pop up targets was fun)

L7A2 GPMG Gimpy (firing blanks on exercises only, fun to fire but bl**** heavy to lug around and pall nearly came a cropper in a burn with weight of gun, ammo, pack, etc).

Back to the L1A1 SLR which I did love (always thought that heavy crack going out, and if on the buts, dull thwack in the sand behind the targets was proof that you were not going to like being on the receiving end). It was a killing machine and I can still walk through the cleaning process start to finish in my mind it was so easy. Still had WW2 style Tin Hats that used to p*** me off when trying to fire in full pack order. Tin Hat always shot down over eyes when in prone position. That was my excuse for bad shooting and I'm sticking to it!!!

SA80 was so light and short in comparison and I never did have any bother with blank or live rounds. I thought it was great in the house clearing training and that sling was handy once you get used to it especially trying to camo up a DROPS with all the stuff to catch on. SA80 was best hanging round the back then. Not so easy to do with SLR and simple sling round ya. Never did use the SUSAT sights other than for spotting off the rifle.

Only flung one live Frag grenade but plenty of thunderflashes, shmoolies and smoke grenades. Nice bangs and pretty coloured smoke.

Got a clay pidgeon shoot which was fun and would love to do again to see if I could improve on the funny angled shots

Fun times and healthy respect for nasty bang bang, get very dead stuff.

Nige

The M16 is simply, in my mind, the best weapon ever to sit rest in my fingers. It is soo comfortable and so easy to get shots where you want them. It is accurate as hell, I was hitting swinging targets at 30 yards away! Also, you can shoot as much as you want without getting your shoulder sore

Very close secound is the M1 Garand. Not as soft as the M16, but a great pece of weaponry.

The AK-47 will never be on my list. It feels toy-like, and the sights are horrible and i cant hit anything with them (not based on a combat situation and stuff, this is based on range- firing.)

i remember being in the us a few years ago, Burlington Vermont camp Ethan Allen, training with some guys from Maryland who were mountain warfare troops well, one night we went out on exercise and got lost , hours later we found a house in the middle of nowhere as we walked past this old chap came out and started to talk with us. he looked at my weapon ( m16a2) and grunts it that a rifle or a toy ? gimme a look , so i handed it to him and he said hmmm toy ! walks into his house and brings out a m14 with us navy stamped on the side he gives it to me and says now thats a rifle , then he takes a mag from my chest rig and states if i attempt to shoot anything bigger than a rabbit ill only pee it off. pointed in the direction we needed to go and bid us all goodnight. i guess his favorite weapon was the m14 !

I liked the m203.