Rifles

There are really only two general categories of rifle with which the guerrilla fighter needs concern himself. The first of these is the long range or sniper rifle and the other is the so-called "assault rifle".

Sniper Rifles

Effectiveness - The long range killing power of the sniper rifle make it possibly the most fearsome weapon in the insurgent’s arsenal. Given the right terrain and equipment a single, well trained, sniper could hold down a whole platoon for several hours. The psychological effect of sniper attacks on enemy troops is devastating to morale. Even more significant is the use of the sniper rifle for selective assassination. A dedicated White revolutionary with a good rifle could, single-handedly, strike some very serious blows against our enemies. I have provided ballistic information for the various rifle calibers, which could be used for sniping in the selective assassination section.

These weapons are capable of producing lethal wounds even at extremely long range, they are capable of penetrating buildings, body armor and even light vehicle armor when loaded with FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds. Any good quality rifle with at least a 22" barrel and chambered for one of the full-length rifle cartridges can be put into service as a sniper rifle. Semi-automatic or better yet bolt action rifles should be chosen over pump or lever action for this purpose. If possible a rifle with a heavy tactical barrel and a detachable box magazine should be selected. Good quality optical sights, properly zeroed in, will greatly improve target spotting and acquisition.

Practicality -Bolt action hunting rifles are available worldwide in a variety of powerful chamberings. The bolt-action rifle, with its humble appearance and widespread hunting use will be last on the list of targets for gun-grabbing governments. Availability of ammunition and ballistic characteristics should be considered when selecting a rifle. The .30-06 and .308 (7.62mm NATO) are the most universally available cartridges for sniping purposes. Both of these are very powerful and have impressive ballistic characteristics with the .30-06 being a bit more powerful and the .308 (because of its adoption by NATO) being in wider military use. Many of the major firearms manufacturers produce bolt-action and/or semi-automatic rifles in these two calibers. Through my own experience I can recommend bolt-action rifles such as the Remington 700 series, the Winchester 70 series, Savage 110FP Tactical, Savage 111 series and the Ruger 77R mk11 series. This is by no means an exhaustive list and quality weapons of this type are produce by a number of manufacturers including Sako, Dakota Arms, Parker-Hale, Browning, Marlin and others. Semi-automatic rifles I will recommend include the Remington 7400 series and any of the semi-automatic or select-fire military weapons chambered in .30-06 or .308, included in this group are the M14, the FN FAL, as well as some of the older rifles including the M1 Garand. Remember that a good weapon is no substitute for good marksmanship, this skill can only be developed through training.

Winchester Model 70 with scope and heavy tactical barrel

Remington 700 with camouflage stock and heavy tactical barrel

Notes:

- Chose only .30-06 or .308 caliber rifles with Bolt or semi-automatic action.

- Don’t be tempted by the very impressive ballistic characteristics of some of the more obscure chamberings such as the 358 or 375 H&H Magnum, .378 Weatherby, .458 Winchester Magnum, 460 Weatherby etc. Without an assured supply of ammunition these weapons will be totally useless.

- Again synthetic stocks are superior to wood for combat purposes.

- Familiarize yourself with the ballistic characteristics of the rifle you choose and practice shooting from a variety of positions and ranges.

- A heavy barreled weapon with detachable box magazine and telescopic sights will make a superior sniper rifle.

A few of you will be wondering why I haven’t included the .50 BMG long-range rifle systems in my consideration of sniper rifles. In recent years a number of .50 caliber long range rifles have become available on the civilian market. The .50 BMG is capable of penetrating heavy vehicle armor, body armor, buildings and just about any target on the modern battlefield. These weapons offer superior ballistic power even at extremely long range and are even capable of hitting aerial targets such as helicopters and low-flying airplanes. A reasonably well-trained sniper with one of these weapons can achieve reasonable accuracy out to around 1600 meters and the .50 BMG is lethal to human targets at up to 4 miles! These weapons have been used to neutralize armored targets such as tanks, APCs and missile launchers at ranges of a mile or more. However these weapons are prohibitively expensive with a base price of around $4,000 US (probably at least twice that on the black market) and ammunition costing as much as $5 per round. Also because of the extremely high power of the .50 BMG cartridge, weapons chambered for it are made of thick steel, resulting in a very heavy, cumbersome weapon often weighing in at over 30lbs fully loaded. These rifles are clearly not suited to "shoot and move" sniper tactics but are really better classified as heavy weapons. A White revolutionary with access to this type of weapon could wreak serious havoc against the system. Of course steps are being taken to deny civilian ownership of this type of weapon in almost every White nation… get one now if you can.

Barret .50 BMG semi-automatic rifle

Assault-Rifles

For the purposes of this discussion I will define the assault-rifle as a short barreled rifle (20" or less) with a semi-automatic or selective fire action and detachable box magazine. Weapons of this type have their origins in WWII when the need for a street fighting weapon with more power and range than a submachinegun but lighter, handier and firing a smaller cartridge than the standard infantry rifle. The result of this need were various weapons including the U.S. M1 Carbine, German MP-44 and later the AK-47. All of these weapons use an intermediate cartridge, larger than the pistol cartridges used in most submachineguns but smaller than full-sized rifle cartridges.

Effectiveness: -The assault-rifle is essential to any sustained guerrilla campaign though a small cell of resistance fighters could make do without them. These weapons have a firepower advantage over other small arms at medium to long range. The light weight, compact size and minimal recoil of assault-rifles make them the weapon of choice for combat in urban, forest and jungle situations. Large capacity detachable box and drum magazines increase the firepower of the assault rifle and should be obtained if possible. Weapons with flash suppressors and/or bayonet mounts should be chosen over those without these features. The effectiveness of the assault-rifle may be improved with the addition of low magnification telescopic sights. Folding, telescoping and bullpup stocks make these weapons more compact and handier even concealable in some situations. The evolution of the assault-rifle has recently resulted in the creation of an entirely new weapon system; the Combination Weapon, which usually consists of an assault rifle coupled with a grenade launcher or shotgun in an over-under configuration. A good example of this is the M16 A2 rifle coupled with the M203 grenade launcher. These new weapons are finding increasing favor among the world’s armed forces and for this reason I have included plans for constructing a grenade launcher similar to those used in these modern weapon systems.

Practicality: - 90+% of the world’s infantry units use rifles chambered for either 5.56mm NATO (.223 Remington) or 7.62x39mm (Russian). The assault-rifles selected by White separatists must use one of these two cartridges. Happily there are a great number of rifles which meet this criteria, however many governments worldwide have outlawed their ownership by civilians making it necessary for the operative to obtain them on the gray or black market. Specific assault-rifles which should be considered include the Ruger Mini-14, Colt AR-15/M-16, Styer AUG, FAMAS, MAS223, Galil, SA80, Heckler & Koch, AK-47 and SKS series rifles to name but a few of the better known models. I have handled and fired a number of these weapons and found the AR-15 A2 and Styer AUG to be quite superior, the Mini-14 to be satisfactory and the Norinco (Chinese) SKS models to be of poor quality workmanship but entirely functional and reliable. "You get what you pay for" has never been truer than in the field of assault-rifles. Many of these rifles can be easily and safely converted to full-automatic fire.

M16 A-2 With 30rnd magazine

Styer-Aug - a good example of an assault rifle with a bullpup stock

A4 with M-203 grenade launcher and telescoping stock

Notes

- Only weapons chambered in 5.56mm NATO or 7.62X39mm should be considered.

- Try to obtain large capacity box or drum magazines.

- Low magnification scopes will simplify target spotting and acquisition.

- Weapons fitted with flash suppressors, bayonet mounts and telescoping, folding or bullpup stocks make more versatile weapons.

- A superior Combination Weapon can be built using my plans for a home-built grenade launcher.

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