What is the world's most well-rounded military rifle?
361595
Actually, spartanerik, the XM8 program was cancelled. The M4A1 is a good rifle, but I like the M16A4 better. It has a little more power and accuracy than the carbine, and makes for a pretty good sniper's weapon, in a pinch. (With optics, of course)
815366
The AK-47 is, without doubt, one of the best weapons ever created. The '47' in the name comes from the year Russia commissioned Mikhail Kalashnikov's design for the weapon. There are several deciding factors you have to take into account when considering the worth of a weapon's design. \n\n1) Stopping power\n2) Reliability\n3) Accuracy\n4) Ease of maintainance\n5) Cost\n\nThe AK-47 is chambered in 7.62x39mm, a caliber which is significantly more powerful than the M16's 5.56mm round. The larger profile of the bullet, combined with it's correspondingly larger weight transfers more destructive energy to the target. \n\nThe reliability of the AK is without a doubt the weapon's best selling point. Extreme torture testing has been done on the rifle, not limited to: \n- Running over the rifle vehicles up to 2 tons\n- Immersion in water for several days\n- Burying the rifle unprotected for several days in soil/sand\nIn every examply cited, after a quick inspection to ensure safe testing, the weapon has fired. There is a reason this rifle is the weapon of choice by militias, insurgents, and other militant groups. It requires practically no maintainence and constant cleaning/inspection as most military weapons do (M16, M4, MP5, G3)\n\nAs for the accuracy, it's limited to a maximum effective range of approximately 200 meters. This is not due to any fault in design or inferior craftsmanship. It is because in infantry confrontations, this is considered to be the longest range the average foot soldier would be able to engage. Beyond that, limitations of the soldier's marksman skills start to show. This was a lesson the Russains learned the hard way in WWII. They equiped the majority of their troops with Nagant rifles,  and took heavy losses in close quarters combat. (The 1891/30 Nagant rifle is nearly 4 feet long). \n\nAs for price, well, during the time of the cold war, each AK-47 Russia produced cost less than $100 USD. The design uses very little moving parts, has no frills (no bolt hold-open, primitive safety), and nearly all parts aside from the barrel are stamped sheet metal and welded. \n\nSo, as it stands, for the price, and the practicality, the AK-47 is an amazing weapon. In a SHTF scenario, you would be hard-pressed to find a better weapon. It's cheap, it's a common caliber, it has excellent stopping power, the most reliable gun of it's class, and the total number produced would make for nearly limitless replacement parts for a service life no doubt triple that of an AR-15/M-16/M-14 series rifle.
892295
...the term "better" is very subjective; no doubt each has its strengths and weaknesses.  Judging strictly by the calibre rounds used, I would suspect (not having fired either) that the AK-47 has more power and the AK-74 is more accurate.  \n\nAs far as durability goes though, it would probably be tough to beat the AK-47.  It's quite a feat that a weapon designed in 1947 is still the assault rifle of choice for the majority of the world.\n\nAlso, I'm not sure but I think the AK-74 might be classified as a submachinegun whereas the AK-47 is an assault rifle.  If that's true, the 74 was designed for close-quarters.
327056
AK47 all the way.\n\nHundreds of thousands of hardened nutters in crackpot regimes, terrorist organisations and Russia can't be wrong.\n\nBesides, they will work in any conditions no problem.  The M4 is less reliable.
230221
The F/A-18 Hornet.\n\nHere's a good site for references.  I don't agree with all of their posititions, but they do do thier homework on weapon systems:\nhttp://www.fas.org\n\nAlso:\nhttp://www.navy.mil
696949
most of the answers you have been given are correct. i worked in a very high volume gun shop for years and have personally owned well over a hundred firearms. most of the rifles being in the 30 caliber class. you just said deer hunting, if that is the largest game you will be hunting a 308 is plenty. and as far as the people saying the 308 is flatter shooting. that is also very true. and commercially available loads are readily available for the 308 just for extreme accuracy. if you go with a 308 try factory remingtons loaded with a 168 grain hollow point boat tail. 168HPBT is how it will be described. if you load youre own you can get just as much accuracy from the 30-06. i shot many over the years and it also has advantages. the long range competions at military ranges have relied on experienced shooters able to handle the recoil of a 30-06. but if you are never shooting more than 150 yards and deer will be the largest game you intend to hunt a 308 is plenty. i got hooked on 30-06 from the older military guys. i have to admit that a garand is a very pleasant rifle to fire. both cartridges are great. when i shot 30-06 i always reloaded and there are so many options it is mind boggling. i loaded everything from 95 grain plinker loads using bullseye pistol powder to 230 grain full house loads that would just about dislodge my shoulder. to get back to youre question again, you mostly say target shooting and amature competition. then a heavy barrel is the best choice. and i dont know if you have youre mind set on remington for a certain reason but money wise there are better choices for accuracy versus money. and im not just blowing smoke out of my butt. i have owned well over a hundred firearms and have fired atleast a thousand different configurations. so i am slightly biased from my own experiences. remington manufactures great arms but for very accurate target shooting and competition you will notice that a bolt action rifle is usually used. and i have to say that savage arms is the best for the money. i have owned browning and ruger and remington bolt action heavy barrels. but the savage rifles have always been more accurate. i have a savage model 110 fp in 308 that i can pick off crows at 200 yards easy. i believe the new version is called a model 10, they shortened the action. and my savage 112 bvss in 30-06 is a rifle i could never part with. shooting hand loads with 168 grain sierra hpbt and pre fired remington brass. i have had many times groups well under .500. my most accurate load is pre fired remington brass neck sized with a cci # 200 primer and a charge of49.3 grains of IMR 4064 powder followed by a sierra 168 grain hpbt set at an oal of 3.292. but every rifle is different but that works perfect for me. if youre just going deer hunting get a basic plain jane rifle. even an inch of target isnt a big deal in that situation. but if you really want accuracy i have already gave you my opinion. i think the 308 or 30-06 are both great choices. and the ammo is readily available for both given they are military cartridges, surplus ammo just for plinking and having fun is available cheap. and on the fun side is really neat to buy surplus military ss-209 , 223 rounds and pull the bullets and load them in sabots which i believe are still available.if not i have gobs of them i bought years ago and would be willing to sell some.  a 223 with a steel penetrator in a sabot comes out of a 30 caliber about 3700 fps. it will go right through an inch of solid steel. i hope i was of some help.
93152
I don't know where the current battle rifle is being made but I thought it was being made by the Brits. Before this current rifle they were buying there rifles of the Belgiums who produced the FN-FAL series of rifles. The current Brit rifle is probabaly one of the best rifles ever made as it is customized to each soldlier.
1135143
http://www.ask.com/web?o=0&qsrc=19&q=What+is+the+world%27s+average+sniper+rifle
718982
Militarily, it is, without a doubt, the USA. Capability, force projection, unparallelled. Intelligent, motivated, skilled and well-trained volunteer servicemembers. Top notch weapons technology.\n\nAnd yes, I'm from USA. But that doesn't change the answer.
660374
Ihavea great anschutz mod.1451 that shoots great, but if you want something little cheaper check out CMP for a kimber mod. 82 it's a great gun and it's only $600. They also have other great quality rifles for good  prices.
805362
Hornady SST's.  They're unbelievably accurate with the ballistic tip out front.  \nI've done really well with Brenneke's too out of my rifled slug barrel, but nowhere near as good as the SST's.
287824
AK-47's are nice weapons. So are Air to Air missiles! America does it too, so don't complain.
111001
The U.S. Army's pursuit of a weapon to replace the aging M-16 rifle is still on track despite a failed congressional attempt to pump nearly $26 million into the federal budget to manufacture the weapon in 2005.\n\nMilitary and legislative officials said development and testing of the new XM8 assault rifle will run through December. It is the second round of tests for the highly anticipated rifle, with evaluations taking place in the hot, gritty desert near Yuma, Ariz., the tropical jungles of Panama, and the arctic climate of Alaska, said Col. Mike Smith, who oversees the XM8 testing program at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.\n\n"After this round of testing, we will present our findings and our ability to meet the requirements, which are developed at Fort Benning, to the Army leadership, which should be in the late February time frame," Smith said.\n\n"Then they'll make a decision on how to go forward on the program, and how fast to go forward on the program."\n\nGerman gunmaker Heckler & Koch, which has a U.S. site in Sterling, Va., is working with the military on the prototype rifle. It would be mass-produced by H&K at a 150,000-square-foot plant the company plans to build in Columbus, Ga.\n\nH&K spokeswoman Jimmi Clifton said initial work could mean about 200 jobs, although more could be added as production ramps up. The company has said a contract with the government could be very lucrative, perhaps worth up to $1 billion over 10 years.\n\nClifton said the company remains in a testing mode and is hoping to begin plant construction soon and have at least part of the facility up and running by early 2005. But it's unlikely the entire factory will be built until H&K receives some signal that federal funding for mass production of the XM8 is forthcoming, she said.\n\n"There's no way I can put a time on that," Clifton said of a production contract. "It could be tomorrow. It could be a year away."\n\nIt appeared funding was on the way in July when U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey's office said $25.9 million had been tucked into a $417.5 billion House appropriations bill for the XM8.\n\nThe Georgia Republican, whose district includes a portion of Columbus, backed off that assertion after learning the money had been squeezed out of the budget to make room for additional funding for the war on terrorism.\n\nThe next chance for the XM8 program to receive money for manufacturing and procurement will be when Congress reconvenes Sept. 7, said Brian Robinson, communications director for Gingrey.\n\n"We're going to do everything we can to get this into the next supplemental budget," Robinson said.\n\n"We understand what happened and we want to fix it as soon as we can."\n\nShould funding come through this year, Smith said the XM8 could be in soldiers' hands as soon as summer 2005. If not, the weapon would be in the 2006 budget and make its way into the ranks by that spring.\n\nThe $26 million in funding that was shot down by Congress would have outfitted about two combat brigades, or about 8,000 soldiers, Smith said.\n\nAlthough Army leadership could decide in February to put a final approved version of the XM8 assault rifle out for competitive bidding, Smith said that's unlikely.\n\n"I can't make promises for senior Army leadership," he said. "But assuming H&K is successful testing against the requirements, it would be unusual" to take the production contract away from the company.\n\nThe weapon is getting high marks from troops during evaluations, said Smith.\n\nObservations include:\n\n• It's more versatile than the old M-16 rifle it will replace and should fire thousands of rounds before jamming, rather than the few hundred shots before the M-16 typically jams.\n\n• It's much easier to clean and maintain.\n\n• Training time is reduced since it's a single weapon that can be modified to fire short distances, long
94973
Good hunting rifle, available in many calibers.  Can be quite accurate, some top-notch, some just okay (but usually very good).  Company is still in business.  Parts available if anything breaks.  Like most Savage rifles it can have its barrel switched easily to other calibers.  Custom parts available (better triggers, scopes, new stocks, etc.)\n\nEarlier answer was odd but he's right BE SAFE FIRST.  Always know what you are shooting at, don't point it at anyone (ever!), make sure there is a backstop when shooting for fun, etc.
307887
The OICW project was can celled when it became apparent that it would be impossible to get the weight of the weapon down to a level where it would become a practical combat rifle.\n\nIt was replaced by the XM8 rifle that was itself canceled because the troops in the field demanded that the 5.56mm round be replaced with a more modern bullet.
738220
Bound's hubby here:\n\nYou pose a very interesting question. By "sport" rifle, I am presuming your use would be for either target shooting or hunting. If you are looking for accuracy, lean towards a commercial bolt action rifle, not military surplus. There are many devices which can be added to commercial bolt action rifles that can make them more accurate and more competitive, and these devices generally are not available for military surplus rifles. \n\nMy recommendation to you would be to purchase a Remington 700 VLS varmint rifle in .308 Winchester. The Remington is a very accurate rifle and provides an excellent chasis for target shooting, with little or no modification. The Remington 700 VLS varmint rifle is very accurate. I have an older 700 Varmint, and in its factory stock or the HS Precision stock, was capable of 1 minute accuracy, if I did my part. I have a Remington 700 Varmint which I use for 1000 yard competition, and am very satisfied with it.\n\nThe .308 Winchester cartridge is an excellent target round, and in the Military match configurations (M852 - Sierra 168 grain MatchKing or M118LR - Sierra 175 grain MatchKing) you have a proven match load to at least 1000 yards.\n\nWith the above rifle, as a target rifle, I would suggest you add:\nA high comb target stock ... about $150.00\nMetallic target sights ... about $300.00 (if you want to shoot iron sight matches)\nA Long Rangle specialty scope base/rear sight base ... $110.00\nA very good Leupold target scope ... about $800.00\n\nWith the above rifle, for long range hunting, I would suggest you add:\nA Leupold or Redfield JR. 1 piece scope base with rings ... about $60.00\nA Good Leupold 8 or 10 power scope ... about $800.00\n\nYou can rig out this Remington for about $1500 to $2000 and be very competitive, and have a very versatile long range hunting rifle.\n\nGood Luck!\n\nEdited To Add: Bipods in NRA Long Range Competitions are not permitted. (Unless "F-Class" is offered).
708347
Unhappy.\nHowever there are many different and important factors to keep in mind. The 556 is a small round. Its actually a 22 caliber round.  It is very light weight. Much less then the 7.62x51 (308 winchester). However the 556 is meant to be fired at full auto. The 7.62x51 (by which i will refer to as the 308) is much heavier much more powerful and has too much recoil for full auto. The 308 is still used as a sniper round, even though several others are much better, such as 30-06, or several other (e-mail me and i will tell you why they use the 308) and the 308 is the ammo used for the M240 light machine gun. the 208 is the perfect round for the light machine gun. Say any different and my brother will mix words with you. \nWhatever the government says, the 556 was designed to penetrate soviet body armor. It mushrooms when passing through body armor and actaully has more shock value (due to increased surface area) despite going through the armor. It takes too many hits to take down an opponet and wastes too much ammo. Its really a shame, because there are civial loads of 556 (teachnically 223, because they are on the civilan market) that have much heavier bullets and have far greater stopping power.\n\nthe 6.8 is too dangerous.  Say you are a Marine Force Reacon guy, or Amry Ranger and you are shooting these great 6.8 bullets and killing every enemy. No problem, right? But wait.... You have run out of ammo. you can not resupply from friendly troops, and no one has 6.8 anywhere. You are screwed.  \n\n6.8 is battering M16's to death too. its way too powerful for the gas operating systems and the recievers.\nIf we had new guns built to stronger tolerances then 6.8 would really be great.