And yes, I'm a G3 (Pronounced as Gay-Dry) fan. And no, I'm straight..
But everything in 7.62x51 NATO is nice, 7.62x63 is nicer.. and 7.62x67 is even nicer.
7.62x39 is a nice try on being nice, but isn't that nice....
M14/M1A: Clunky, heavy, and overpowered. Essentially a
Garand tarted up with a removable magazine, in a half-baked
attempt to adapt a 19th century rifle design philosophy to
the mid-20th century. Most often named as favorite infantry
rifle by people who never had to hump a 10-pound
wood-stocked rifle with lots of sharp protrusions and no
collapsible anything on a three day exercise, or try to make
it through a firefight with the standard battle load of five
20-round magazines.
H&K G-3/HK-91: Ergonomics of a railroad tie. No bolt release,
and a locking system that requires three men and a mule to
work the cocking handle. Fluted chamber that mauls brass,
and violent bolt motion that dings the brass that didn't get
mauled too badly by the chamber. Stamped sheet metal
construction, yet just as heavy as a milled steel M14.
Safety lever that requires unnaturally long thumbs, and a
trigger pull that feels like dragging a piano across a
gravel road with your index finger. Favorite infantry rifle
of Cold War nostalgics and third world commandos.
M-16/AR-15: Underpowered varmint rifle burdened by a crummy
magazine design. Nasty direct-impingement gas system that
poops where it eats. High sight line, flimsy
alloy-and-plastic construction. Generally favored by range
commandos, tactical disciples, military vets who have never
fired anything else for comparison, and Brownells addicts
who a.) enjoy spending three times the cost on the rifle on
bolt-on accouterments, and b.) never have to use their rifle
away from a dry, sunny range.
Make your pick.
