EISPIRATEN

I saw squirrels running around the rocks on the peak of San Gorgonio. Do they just live up there? Living off food left from hikers? Seemed crazy to me.

Also, would Fight On consider them performance-enhanced squirrels due to their high red blood cell count?

See what you guys have created? LOOK, UP IN THE SKY, IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S RED BULLWINKLE SQUIRREL!!!

JMunaretto wrote:I saw squirrels running around the rocks on the peak of San Gorgonio. Do they just live up there? Living off food left from hikers? Seemed crazy to me.

Supposedly they're quite aggressive based on posts I've seen from people who have overnighted there.

One could bring a tennis racket. Those work wonders on aggressive squirrels.

TacoDelRio wrote:One could bring a tennis racket. Those work wonders on aggressive squirrels.

Or a firearm, but apparently some squirrels are prepared to deal with that too.

Jokes on him, his feedtray is empty.

Um, he was just posing for the pic. He's got a whole case of API right behind him.

He'll still havea heckova time seeing me through that NVD...

Stand tall, proud Taco!

I see you make a habit of "big" game hunting. Is that an 1895 Marlin?

AK74. The 5.45 round fairs well on big small game... all 30 of them.

Good thing you got him when you did. It looks like he was about to get into something important.

That's OK. That's what the Dragunov is for.

That oughta do it. I know they're 7.62. Are they the standard round or are they issuing some kind of special match grade?

I believe our guys with M21's and M24's (if I'm remembering my nomenclature right) are just using std. 7.62 FMJ, yes?

From what I know, the Soviets used standard 7.62x54Rmm ammo with the SVD, same as the PK/PKM's used. I don't see how they didn't have any match ammo, despite what I've read.

To my knowledge at one time, M24's were used with M118 173gr. I assume M21's would be the same, instead of standard 147gr (can't remember the name).

Interesting that for sniping purposes, a heavier round is almost always used. I know that the movement to ~5mm type rifles was in part to get flat ballastics which require little training to use accurately (the also allow for more ammo to be carried, cause more non-lethal wounds, and have less recoil). Interesting that the guys who really know what they're doing do the opposite: heavier rounds. I suppose in the hands of the trained and skilled the heavier round is less susceptible to wind and heat variations in the atmophere?

Interesting "top ten" list of military rifles of the last 100 years or so: http://military.discovery.com/convergen ... eshow.html. A little bogus perhaps since all four of the main US rifles issued over the last 100 years are on the list (M1903, M1, M14, & M16). Our stuff's good, but I don't know that we deserve 4 out of the 10 slots worldwide. The Kalishnikov is of course #1, and rightfully so.

Boy, what did these squirrels ever do to you guys to deserve such a display of firepower?

You mean you don't know?

That top ten show is complete crap, all the time.

Heavier rounds generally exhibit better stability, and can "buck" wind better than light rounds, not to mention being able to deliver more power with more mass, etc.

TacoDelRio wrote:That top ten show is complete crap, all the time.

Still, some interesting picks. 4 American, 2 German, 1 Brit, 1 Austrian, 1 Russian, and one Belgian. One can hardly quibble with the Kalishnikov as number one. Out of curiousity, what would you have included that they didn't?

TacoDelRio wrote:Heavier rounds generally exhibit better stability, and can "buck" wind better than light rounds, not to mention being able to deliver more power with more mass, etc.

Figured it was something like that. I remember years ago when the M16 was still relatively brand new that there was discussion of the need to keep around M14's for desert warefare because all the heat distorting the atmosphere would cause the little M16 round to go veering off aimlessly. Of course, at the time, they were probably thinking "Rommel vs. Patton" type fighting. I'm not sure an M14 would be the ticket in the current MOUT environment. Something more like an M4 would be about right.

Hikin_Jim wrote:Still, some interesting picks. 4 American, 2 German, 1 Brit, 1 Austrian, 1 Russian, and one Belgian. One can hardly quibble with the Kalishnikov as number one. Out of curiousity, what would you have included that they didn't?

I just find the whole "best" of anything to be rather absurd. I mean, what's better, a hammer or a torque wrench? They do different things, just like a FAL would be better over longer ranges than an AK, and I'd rather have a light AR15 on a multi-day LRS deal in the mountains than an AK. To me, the show tries to compare apples with oranges.

M14's in MOUT/FIBUA are typically DMR's. Some DM's carry SR25's instead of M14's, I reckon it's unit-dependant.

TacoDelRio wrote:I just find the whole "best" of anything to be rather absurd. I mean, what's better, a hammer or a torque wrench? They do different things, just like a FAL would be better over longer ranges than an AK, and I'd rather have a light AR15 on a multi-day LRS deal in the mountains than an AK. To me, the show tries to compare apples with oranges.

Yeah, good point. I kind of laugh when I read that the M14 was intended to replace the M3 submachine gun, M1 carbine, M1 rifle, and BAR. Hard to visualize an M14 inside a tank.

Still, there are some weapons that have made their mark out there, having some how impressed themselves on the minds of the men who fought with them. Stimulates conversation anyway.

TacoDelRio wrote:M14's in MOUT/FIBUA are typically DMR's. Some DM's carry SR25's instead of M14's, I reckon it's unit-dependant.

Interesting just how many DMR/sniper type weapons are in active use in the US military right now. Bolt action and semi-auto in calibers 5.56, 7.62, .50, and heaven knows what else. Probably cross-bows. Interesting to see the variety and to think about the specific application.

Mk12 Semi 5.56
SAM-R/SDM-R Semi 5.56
M14/M21/M25 Semi 7.62
M24 Bolt 7.62
M40 Bolt 7.62
Mk11/M110 Semi 7.62
M82/M107 Semi 12.7 (.50 BMG)

Those friggin squirrels don't stand a chance

just a bunch of blue meannies if ya ask me.

Never seen mr. squirley, lot's of chipmunks though. One of 'em jumped on my leg on Baden.

SAM-R be fo da USMC, yo! Greg, yell some stuff! I know you're reading this...

The new M110 is naice!