History Wars Weapons » Weapons

FN FAL Rifle

Thor — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:18:32 +0000

The FN FAL is a 7.62mm gas-operated assault rifle developed by the Belgian firm Fabrique Nationale from the German Sturmgewehr 44 and the AK 47 rifles. It entered service with the Belgian Army in 1954 and over time it became the most widely used assault rifle in the world as more than 90 countries have acquired this weapon. FAL is an acronym for Fusil Automatique Légere (Light Automatic Rifle or LAR). Chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, the FAL is a reliable rifle with wear-resistant mechanical parts, especially those made in Belgium and South Africa; however, it has a tendency to jam when sand gets into its mechanism as it was seen in the 1967 Six Day War. It was also used in anti-insurgent wars in Latin America and Africa, and in the Falklands War in 1982.

As a gas-operated rifle, it uses part of the gases from the ignition to push back the tilting breechblock via the gas cylinder piston. The gas cylinder, located above the rifle barrel, sucks out the ignition gases, which in turn push the piston and this the breechblock. The safety, semi-automatic, and full automatic lever switch is located on left hand side, but the ejector port on the right hand side of the rifle.

Specifications

Type: assault rifle

Country of origin: Belgium

Manufacturer: FN FAL

Caliber: 7.62mm

Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO

Barrel length: 53.3 cm

Weight: 3.77 kg (empty)

Action: gas-operated

Muzzle velocity: 840 m/s

Effective range: 300 m

Feed: 20-round detachable box magazine

Milan Anti-Tank Missile

Thor — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:51:42 +0000

The Milan is an anti-tank, wire-guided missile manufactured by MBDA and is in service with the French, British, and German armies since 1972. It has been used in the Falklands War (1982), Operation Desert Storm (1991), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003). Powered by a solid-fuel rocket, the Milan has a maximum range of 2 km, flying at 250 meter per second. It is launched from an infantry portable (or armored vehicle-mounted) launching tube. For use against reactive armor, the Milan is armed with a tandem charge warhead, or with a HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead to pierce steel armor. In some armies, such as the British and the Spanish, the Milan has been phased out, replaced by the FGM-148 Javelin and the Israeli Spike missiles respectively.

Weapons Used in the Falklands War

Thor — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:34:17 +0000

Some of the weapons used in the Falklands War had never been used in combat action before such as the British, carrier-based, VTOL Sea Harrier aircraft and the French Exocet anti-ship missile (launched from the French-made Argentine Super Étendard. Others, like the FAL infantry rifle and the 120mm mortar had already seen combat action in former armed conflicts, such as the anti-insurgent operations against leftist guerrillas in the Northwest region of Argentina.

The FN FAL was the standard-issue infantry rifle used by both sides. It was a 7.62mm, gas-operated, automatic rifle designed by the Belgian firm Fabrique Nationale (FN). The acronym FAL stands for the French "Fusil Automatic Légere", which means Light Automatic Rifle (LAR) in English. It shot the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge and had an effective range of 300 m. This rifle was fed by a 20-round box magazine and was fitted with iron sights.

Used both by the Argentine Army Infantry and the British forces, the 7.62mm-caliber FN MAG (Mitrailleuse d’Appui Général) machine gun was another product of the Belgian factory Fabrique Nationale. It was also chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. It had a rate of fire of about 700 rpm. This was the machine gun with which the Argentines raked the slopes of Darwin, Two Sisters, and Mount Harriet hills from their machine gun nests set up among the rocks on top as the British paras and Royal Marines courageously charged up at them.

To destroy the bunkers and machine gun nests and be able to advance, the British troops resorted to an anti-tank weapon, the Milan, a wire-guided missile which had been in service since 1972. It turned out to be a very effective weapon against the Argentinian bunkers.

120mm and 81mm mortars, with baseplates and tripods, 105mm Oto Melara M56 howitzer (by the Argentine artillery), and the 105mm L118 Light Gun were also used in the Falklands War.

APR Sniper Rifle

Thor — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:08:17 +0000

The APR is a Swiss, 7.62mm, bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Brügger & Thomet. Developed from the French PGM, the APR, which stands for "Advanced Precision Rifle", shoots either 7.62x51mm NATO or .308 APR cartridges. Although it has classical iron sights, the APR is equipped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail to mount a telescopic sight, such as the Brügger & Thomet Tactical Rifle Scope. It is a highly accurate and reliable weapon, fitted with a 24in-long, free-floating barrel, to which a steel muzzle brake could be attached; however it could be replaced by other barrel types, which are screwed into the receiver and pressed into the upper receiver locking ring. This Swiss sniper rifle has an effective range of 1,000 m (1,100 yards). The APR is also fitted with a bipod and a 10-round detachable box magazine.

Howa M1500

Thor — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:41:46 +0000

The M1500 is a .308-caliber bolt-action sniper rifle developed and manufactured by the Japanese firm Howa for law-enforcement agencies and the military. With the ejection-port and bolt located on the right hand side, the M1500 is fitted with a chromoly steel, 28in-long, free-floating barrel, a telescopic sight, an internal 5-round magazine, and a bipod. Considered as accurate and reliable as the US Marine M24 sniper rifle, it has an effective range of 1200 meters.

T-76 Longbow

Thor — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:07:06 +0000

The T-76 Longbow is an American bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by Dakota Arms. It is chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum, .330 Dakota Magnum, and the .300 Dakota Magnum cartridges. Developed from the Model 76 hunting rifle, T-76 Longbow is an extremely accurate rifle with an effective range of 1600 yards in good weather conditions. It is fitted with a 28in-long barrel (with muzzle brake), a 3-position safety switch, a bipod, and a telescopic sight mounted on a Picatinny sight rail. Price: $3,500 US dollars.

Specifications

Type: sniper rifle
Country of origin: USA
Producer: Dakota Arms
Caliber: .338, .330, .300
Barrel type: L-W 50 stainless steel match grade barrel
Barrel length: 28 inch (71.1cm)
Action: bolt-action
Effective range: 1600 yd (1450 m)
Weight: 13.5 lb (6.13 kg)
Feed: blind magazine

C14 Timberwolf

Thor — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:24:53 +0000

The C14 Timberwolf is an 8.60mm bolt-action sniper rifle developed and manufactured by PGW Defence Technologies for the Canadian Armed Forces. It has been in service with the Canadian Special Forces since 2005 and was used successfully in Afghanistan. The C14 military version is fitted with a 26in-long reinforced free-floating barrel, made by Kreiger. The bolt and ejection port are located on the right hand side of the weapon. The safety mechanism is a 3-position type lever. Chambered in 8.60x70mm (.338 Lapua mag), the C14 Timberwolf has an effective range of 1700 yards. This Canadian rifle is also fitted with a scope, a bipod, and a 5-round detachable box magazine.

Specifications

Type: bolt-action sniper rifle
Country of origin: Canada
Producer: PGW Defence Technologies
Caliber: .338 (8.60mm)
Cartridge: .338 Lapua
Barrel length: 26 in (66 cm)
Weight: 15.6 lb (7.1 kg)
Muzzle velocity: 825 m/s
Effective range: 1700 yd (1600 m)

Argentine Mauser 1891

Thor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:12:32 +0000

The Argentine Mauser M1891 was a 7.65mm, bolt-action rifle manufactured in Germany by Mauser for the Argentine Army from 1891. It was an accurate, well-made gun used by the Argentinian infantry, but there was also an M1891 carbine version, with a shorter barrel, made for the cavalry. It was fitted with a fixed five-round box magazine, loaded with a five-round clip, and a safety switch at the end of the bolt. A 45mm-long bayonet could be attached to the rifle barrel. The average price at a gun collector’s: $ 500 US dollars.

Specifications

Type: bolt-action rifle
Country of origin: Germany
User: Argentine Army
Manufacturer: Mauser
Caliber: 7.65mm
Cartridge: 7.65x53mm
Barrel length: 29 in (725mm)
Effective range: 950 yards (900 m)
Weight: 4.5 kg

Mauser M1871

Thor — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:05:22 +0000

The Mauser Model 1871, or M71, was a German, 11mm, bolt-action rifle produced by Mauser since 1871. It replaced the Dreyse needle gun. Since it was developed after the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), it did not see action in service with the German Army until 1898, when it was used by German Imperial troops in China during the Boxer Rebellion. It also saw action, in the hands of the Boers, during the Boer Wars at the end of the 19th century. The reason why African big-game hunters and Boer guerrillas used the Mauser M1871 was that it was a precise and powerful weapon which had a long range. It was 11mm(.44in)-caliber and shot the 11x60mm Mauser cartridge, a black-powder cartridge with metal casing. A 45mm sword bayonet could be attached to the rifle barrel. The version M71/84 was fitted with a built-in, 8-round tubular magazine.

Specifications

Type: breech-loading, bolt-action rifle
Country of origin: Germany
Producer: Mauser
Caliber: 11mm
Cartridge: 11x60mm Mauser
Barrel length: 83 cm (32in)
Weight: 4.5 kg (10lb)
Effective range: 900 m
Maximum range: 2000 m
Action: single-shot, bolt-action

Closed breech

Open breech

Remington Rolling Block Rifle

Thor — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:27:59 +0000

The Remington Rolling Block was a breech-loading rifle made by Remington Arms Company since 1867. It was used by the Swedish and Spanish armies since 1868, and by the Boers in South Africa since 1873. It had a rolling block mechanism and shot the .50-70 and .45-70 (12.17x42mm) rifle cartridges. Fitted with a 37in-long barrel, the Remington Rolling Block rifle was an accurate weapon with a very long range; it was very reliable and never got jammed; it was also very powerful as it could stop dead a charging rhinoceros. Along with the Martini-Henry, the Remington Rolling Block was the most popular rifle among the late 19th century hunters. In 1868, this American-made gun was deemed the best rifle in the world by judges at the Imperial World Exhibition that took place in Paris.

Specifications

Type: breech-loading rifle
Country of origin: USA
Producer: Remington
Cartridge: .45-70 (12.17x42mm)
Action: rolling block
Barrel length: 37 in (95 cm)
Maximum range: 1900 m (2000 yd)
Weight: 9.50 lb (4.30 kg)