Bring unto me your firearm questions.

[Vy'drach]

Given the "Useless talents" topic, I want to get some use out of my trivial gun knowledge.

Ask me a gun question, and I will answer it to the best of my abilities. And by gun questions, I don't mean philosophical questions, I mean things that are more hard data, such as how they work, does X type of gun exist, who makes X gun, or for my opinion on guns, such as if you were to ask me what I think of the M16, I'd say that I generally dislike the actual M16, except for the fact that it looks nice with a heat shield and M203, but I do not mind it so much given that it served its purpose for the time, but it needs to be phased out or improved greatly, as it has several severe faults, and that I hate the other members of its family such as (and especially) the M4A1, the CAR15 (though I don't mind this too much), and the other variants and off-shoots, unless they do not use direct gas impingement, and especially if they use a gas piston.

Anyway, gun questions. Shoot.

[Prince Elite]

Oh Signore Vydrach (Italian) what in your experienced opinion would be one of the better assault rifles.

[Vy'drach]

AN-94. It has a decent rate of fire on fully automatic (600 rounds per minute, which is pretty standard), it fires the 5.45x39mmR round, which is more consistent in damage and performance than the 5.56x45mm NATO (what I mean is that the 5.56x45mm CAN out damage the 5.45x39mm, but usually won't). What really makes it shine, however, is the two round burst that cycles at 1800 RPMs (this also happens on the first two rounds of full auto), which can put two rounds through the same hole at 100 meters, and is effective out to 750 meters (FYI, the 7.62x51mm NATO tends to cap out at 1000 meters, and 7.62x51mm is used in a good number of sniper rifles).

The only real downsides to it are:

The ergonomics are a bit bad (a standard for Russian rifles, unfortunately, but this can be worked out in theory with custom furniture)

It can have sharp edges that can cut you if handled poorly

The rear sights can get clogged with dirt if used in extreme conditions (but most people use sight attachments nowadays anyway)

It's expensive to make, and thus reserved only for specialized forces (different types of Spetsnaz mostly)

Unlike the Kalashnikov family of weapons before it, it is complex, and thus hard to repair in the field if something happens, but it is still quite reliable. Also requires some extended familiarizing with the rifle, unlike the Kalashnikov rifle which a ten year old can be taught how to operate and maintain it effectively in less than thirty minutes.

Here is a video showing it. Note that they are not firing it on semi-automatic.

Given the hypothetical situation you could have any rifle in the world to choose from, I'd take the AN-94 due to its performance and versatility.

[Salem]

Which would be most useful silenced gun.

[Vy'drach]

Hmmm, will most likely need a bit more information than that, such as in what situation you mean. However, I'll talk about some of the best suppressed weapons in categories.

Pistols:

For quietest that I can think of would have to be the PSS Silent Pistol developed by Russia, for assassins, Spetsnaz, the KGB and the like. It works by not propelling the projectile with explosive force, instead having a piston in the cartridge that literally punches the round out of the barrel. The sound of a gunshot is not caused by the powder in the cartridge exploding, but by all the hot gases emerging from the barrel. Remove the gases, remove the sound. Problem with this pistol is, that it lacks any stopping power, but it was designed as an assassin's pistol, namely shoot them in the back of the head within 10 feet.

For something more conventional, and with more power, can't really go wrong with a Mk. 23 mod 0 SOCOM pistol. Basically a larger USP designed for Navy SEALS, who required it to be able to take a suppressor, have a LAM (Laser Aiming Module), and fire the .45 ACP round. This is good because it's reliable, no need for special ammunition as the .45 ACP is already sub-sonic (That's the other thing suppressed guns need, sub-sonic ammo; The suppressor will control the report of the gun, but the sound of the bullet breaking the sound barrier can give your position away, or at the very least your presence), and the .45 ACP is a powerful round, usually more than you need for personal defense. It's been proven that a person can not remain standing after getting shot by a .45 ACP within 20 feet, regardless of penetration. Kevlar vest and steel plates will block the bullet from entering their body, but the .45 ACP will knock them on their ass, take the air out of their lungs, and probably break most if not all of their ribs. Only real downside the the Mk. 23, is that it's a bit larger and heavier than the USP, and some people are more comfortable with the latter (provided you don't need a suppressor).

Submachine guns:

Pretty much the quietest gun you're going to come across is in this category, and that's the MP5SD. It's so quiet, the loudest part of the gun is the internal workings of it sliding across eachother.

However, it fires the 9mm Parabellum round, which is super-sonic, so it has to use an integrated silencer and not a suppressor (difference being that the suppressor just controls the gasses, while the silencer does that and reduces muzzle velocity on the round to sub-sonic levels, which hampers accuracy, damage, and range). But for up close work, what it's designed for it works well. Just may take a few shots to get someone to go down, unless you hit something extremely vital.

Another great choice, and this one once again in .45 ACP, is the Kriss Super V, which is a .45 ACP machine pistol designed for low recoil, and has a suppressor made for it. Can't really think of a downside other than it will be louder than the MP5SD.

Assault Rifle:

There's a lot of good choices in here, so basically it's just personal preference as far as rifle + sub-sonic ammunition + suppressor (though I recommend steering clear of the 5.56x45mm NATO, as that round has some serious shortcomings.) Try the Mk.17 mod 0 FN SCAR, which is the SCAR-H, fires 7.62x51mm NATO rounds, and was built around the idea of being suppressed so it is a very quiet gun.

One very good weapon, is the AS VAL rifle designed by Russia. Fires a new subsonic round they made for it called the SP-5 (or SP-6 for it in the VSS role). It's dimensions are 9x39mm, and will pierce armour rather well, and still have decent knockdown power. The rifle comes with an integrated silencer, and it makes very little noise. Only real downside is it has a rather small effective range of about 400m, but most suppressed guns have short effective ranges.

Long range rifles. Very few choices in this category as subsonic rounds with suppressors aren't usually used as their detrimental to the point of the weapon, which is long range hits-on-target.

The CheyTac Intervention, comes standard with a suppressor and still holds the record for best group at distance.

Also, the VKs / VSSK "Vychlop" rifle. Not a very long range weapon, peaking at around 600m, but within that range, it is a beast. It fires a 12.7x54mm round, which just an FYI, the .50 BMG round is 12.7x99mm, which means that the Vychlop is a sub-sonic .50 caliber rifle, designed for stealthily disabling vehicles, heavily armoured foes, or foes behind cover. Like walls.

[CrypticQuery]

[Great idea for a thread, Vydrach; I'm learning already! ]

For general defense and/or your preference, would you prefer a Ruger Mini-14 or a Springfield Armory M1A and why?

Also, would you care to explain any differences between the two other than size? :D

[Vy'drach]

Springfield Armory M1A hands down. The Mini-14 is known to have problems with it, with it being unusual to have one that works well. This can happen with the M1A as well, but the M1A is also chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO, where as the Mini-14 is standard at 5.56x45mm NATO (Though you can get them in 6.8 for a higher price). Anyway, my recommendation for it, the Springfield M1A, if you want to use it for defense, get a SOCOM variation, it's shorter which makes it easier to wield inside. Though 5.56x45mm or 7.62x51mm might not be the best idea for home defense due to how much penetration you can get from them. If you were to shoot a burglar with either, there's a good chance of it going through them, and through a wall as well.

Plus I own an M1A and love it dearly. My favourite gun that I own.

As far as the differences, the M1A is a civilian variation of the M14, and the Mini-14 is just a smaller version of it, due to being chambered for smaller rounds.

[CrypticQuery]

Ahh, makes sense; I'm surprised to hear of reliability problems from Ruger though, . Thanks for the info!

And on your M1A, do you have a synthetic or wooden stock?

[Vy'drach]

Military issue wood M14 furniture, even has the fire selector cut-out on it. Unfortunately, it has no fire selector cut-out. Would love to fire 7.62x51mm NATO at 700+ RPMs. I think I could handle the recoil, as honestly an AR-15 has more kick than my M1A.

Lemme see if I can find a pic of my baby...

Could of sworn I had some of just the rifle, but can't find them. Anyway, it's the second from the left, and if you look at the right, you'll see my mom's Garand rifle, not a WWII refinish, but a brand new one that was part of a special, ten thousand made, only one sent per gun store.