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Post by volkssturm on Dec 31, 2014 14:02:56 GMT -5
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Dec 31, 2014 14:48:55 GMT -5
Helpful insite into the reload process for the main Infantry rifles of WW2. Thanks for sharing. As you probably remember from early ROTC days, the ammo for the 7.62 M14 still came with stripper clips which facilitated loading the M14 magazines and you still had a stripper clip guide above the bolt so you could reload it with the magazine in place from the top. I am assuming since we're from the same era the M14 was still around. (As were M1 Garands)
I didn't realize that with the Mauser (and I will assume the 1903) you could just rack the bolt and that would pop out the stripper clip. Nice design!
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Post by volkssturm on Dec 31, 2014 23:08:08 GMT -5
We had a mix of M1's and M14's at our ROTC unit. For a semi-auto rifle of the WWII period, the en bloc clip wasn't a bad way to go. There's no dealing with an empty mag. You just shove another clip in and fire away. Of course, the size of the .30-06 limited how many rounds a clip could hold and still be easily handled. The original Garand in .276 Pederson would have held 10 rounds, which would have put it at par with the 10 round mags in the early Soviet and German self-loaders. Of course, when everybody went to 30 round mags an 8 round en bloc clip is at a disadvantage.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 1, 2015 15:31:29 GMT -5
The ammo for the 30-06 and even the 7.62 was bulky and heavy when compared to the .223 and this was no small consideration in field use. Airsofters have no real appreciation for this fact. I've long been an advocate of having them lug a brick for every 150 BBs they decide to carry. e'd quickly see more realistic combat loads and far less stagnating stalemate firefights as one rambo with thousands of rounds and a full auto micro hose held the other team at bay for 35 minutes.
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