Since I believe everyone with experience in a subject is entitled to their own opinion based on that experience, free from criticism, I try to stay out of these philosophical discussions for fear of having my statements viewed as argumentative.
Hi-ebber, and day always be a hi-ebber, I guess I'm entitled to my own opinion every once in a while.
The AK is a better battle rifle than the AR platform.
I guess that would depend on your definition of battle rifle.
The AR platform rifles require too much maintenance in the field to perform reliably.
That isn't the case in the tropics. I can't speak to the desert.
The AK's can get run over and not miss a beat.
True, true... designed for the peasant soldier.
I like the M16. It never failed me. Or any of my Troopers. Well, there was that inciudent with Tau, my Kit Carson Scout, but that's another story.
I like the AK also. It never failed me. Or any of my pilots.
You see, most Army pilots back in the day were only issued revolvers/pistols. And, having found myself, on a number of occasions, always quite unexpectedly and certainly unintentionally, in an Infantry assignment after my aircraft decided to take the rest of the day off, I can say emphatically that being in such a position with only a handgun and 6 or 7 rounds of ammo is not a comfortable feeling.
A feeling I would spare others were I in a position to do so.
So, since they had to fly, my only option was to equip the pilots for the other, and unfortunate, eventuality. As the Air Cavalry T O & E didn't allow me to equip my pilots with M16's, they got AK's. We usually had plenty of them laying around!
Plenty of mags and ammo also...
Here's a pic from the long lost stash. 2 of my pilots are behind me and you can see the AK. Yes, I made them train with the AK's!
BTW, that's an M1D I'm sighting in... Personally, I carried a Thompson, partially visable in the second photo.
But guns is like wimmins!
I never went to a fight with a gun I didn't like or to b... um, you can figure out the other half!