Why the Kalashnikov assault rifle is worse than the American M16 rifle. Which is better - AK or M16? Comparison of ak and m16
In the 1960s, the AR - 15 "Armalight" rifle chambered for 5.56 x 45 mm came into service in the United States. Remington firm. After testing in Vietnam, Eugene Souner finalizes it and in 1967 it is put into service under the symbol M 16 A1. By using a small-caliber cartridge, we reduce the recoil, weight, and dimensions of the weapon. The accuracy and accuracy of combat is growing. Increases wearable ammunition. The USSR responded 10 years later to the M16 with the creation of the AK-74 chambered for 5.45 x 39 mm.
Let's compare these models more closely.
Automation AK-74 and M16 works due to the removal of powder gases through a hole in the bore. In AK - gases put pressure on the gas piston of the bolt carrier, with a bolt. Simplicity, large gaps between parts with a large mass of the bolt frame provide shooting in the mud and with grease thickened in the cold. The movement of the heavy frame leads to knocking down the sight when firing bursts.
At M16 - gases are pressed directly on the shutter through a narrow tube. Light weight of the bolt assembly - less weight of the weapon, less recoil, better stability, a small stroke of the small mass shutter allows you to accurately put 2-3 bullets, because the weapon does not have time to change its position. Small gaps of parts - an extremely unfavorable effect of dirt when shooting in real, field conditions, delays in shooting. Compare the energy of AK 5.45 x 39mm cartridges. And 7.62 x 39 mm. With cartridges M16 5.56 x45 mm. (see reference book) The excellent muzzle energy of the American cartridge is created not only by excellent gunpowder, but also by a small removal of powder gases for automation.
Classic AK layout:
The butt is offset for ease of aiming. Therefore, between the shoulder of the shooter and the axis of the barrel, a moment of force arises during the shot. The lower the fulcrum from the line of fire, the greater the upward movement of the barrel.
When firing in bursts from AKM at a 300 m tall figure, the first bullet hits the "belly", the second - "shoulder", the third - "milk".
The M 16 (same as the Mpi 43) has a "progressive layout" with a "straight" stock. Therefore, there is no "bullying" of the trunk. Dispersion when firing at 300 m for the M16 horizontally 15 cm, vertically 22 cm.
Sights with this arrangement must be raised high above the barrel, which is inconvenient when firing at a glance, unmasks the arrow in the "lying" position - increases its silhouette.
Penetrating and lethal properties of a bullet in AK-74 and M16 are implemented in different ways.
In the bore of the M16, the rifling pitch is 305 mm, the small "spin" of the bullet in flight, the flight on the verge of stability - all this causes the bullet to tumble when it hits the target, causing wounds "incompatible with life." But the same "under-twisting" leads to ricochets even when it hits reeds, tree branches, and sharply reduces the penetrating effect.
The AK-74 has a rifling pitch in the bore of 200 mm, but the bullet had a displaced center of mass. The cavity between the shell of the bullet and the lead, when it hit the target, was crushed, ensuring the penetration of the bullet into the target, while the bullet changed direction already inside the target. Although this scheme also causes a lot of ricochets, but less than the M16.
With the advent of bulletproof vests for soldiers, the penetrating effect of a bullet came to the fore. A new SS 109 cartridge (Belgium) was adopted, the M16 A3 barrel rifling pitch became 178 mm., Penetration power increased by 2 times (!) A burst of 3 shots pierces a 20 cm standard reinforced concrete target.
The AK - 74 adopted a similar bullet 7H10.
The AK has an open sector-type sight. Good visibility day and night, it is convenient to shoot at moving targets. The disadvantage is a small sighting line, low accuracy of shooting at long distances.
The M16 has a diopter sight. Easy to aim, large aiming line - high accuracy. But the limited field of view does not make it possible to confidently hit moving targets, to fire to kill at dusk, especially at night.
The AK-74 muzzle compensator reduces recoil and increases the accuracy of the battle. The M16 compensator is also an effective flash hider (as important when shooting with an infrared sight at night). The body of the compensator has side slots and allows you to shoot through the barbed wire on the obstacles. In addition, the compensator is a "guide" for throwing rifle grenades using live and blank cartridges.
M16 A2, M16 A3 has a limiter for firing in fixed bursts of 3 rounds, which increases the accuracy of the defeat.
The convenient design of the fuse allows you to "cock" the M16 with your right thumb while holding the pistol grip.
Anyone who has ever removed the AK from the fuse in the cold with his bare hands (after all, it is difficult to do this with gloves), he will immediately feel the difference. Not to mention the treacherous click of the safety catch heard from the AK at 100m. Imagine that you are in an ambush in front of an approaching enemy, trying to remove the safety of the AK.
New AK 100 series have been developed. They can "work" with NATO 5.56 mm cartridges. Increased reliability of firing, 15 thousand shots - complete wear of the barrel and a fully functional mechanism. Structurally, no changes have been made to the mechanism.
What are the results of this competition?
Victory in battle is determined not by the type of weapon, but by the training of the soldier, the coherence of actions in the unit.
The serious advantages of the M16 when firing at a distance of 300 m can be nullified by the climate, time of day, mud on the battlefield. And vice versa: the unpretentiousness and reliability of the AK in battle do not give real advantages to an inept soldier.
The ratio "cost" / "efficiency" for both models is approximately the same. Therefore, these models are so popular (and this state of affairs will continue for a long time).
And here are the practical results:
News 2003
During the war in Iraq, American and British commanders attribute many losses to the failure of the M16 at the most inopportune moment. In response, rifle manufacturers are advised to take better care of their “barrels”, protect them from dust, moisture, dirt, and not drop them ...
The advice is sound, of course. Nevertheless, the tank battalion, located near the city of Baquba, was armed with captured AK-47s. They were issued to soldiers against signature and only after passing the test for assembling and disassembling the Kalash.
Half of the Iraqi assault rifles (there are 8 million in total) are of Chinese or Arab production, and the other half were produced in the USSR in the 60s. What attracted the fighters of the superpower in an old (1947 model) machine gun? Of course, its legendary reliability.
Americans have loved the AK-47 since the Vietnam War. Then they threw out service rifles and acquired a "Viet Cong carbine."
Why is our "Kalash" better than the US "Vintorez"
"Kalash" can be buried in the sand, drowned in a swamp, and then only slightly shaken off - and write to your health. With the M16, such tricks do not work - the shutter quickly jams, the return spring freezes. Secondly, the caliber of 7.62 mm is steeper than that of the "American" - 5.56 mm. It will not be possible to hide behind a dune from a heavy "Kalashov" bullet. Thirdly, Kalash is more ergonomic. It is no coincidence that it was the tankers who began to take it: it is much more convenient to distort the AKS shutter in the tightness of the tank.
News from 15-04-2008
NATO forces Afghan army to change AK-47 to M-16: soldiers laugh at "plastic" rifle
In Afghanistan, the re-equipment of military personnel has begun: Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles are confiscated from the personnel, in exchange for which they are issued an American M-16 automatic rifle. This is reported by the London newspaper Times.
The publication writes that the Afghan military are reluctant to part with the Kalashnikovs and look at the rifles with suspicion. The fact is that the M-16 did not perform well in Afghanistan: due to the ingress of sand, its shutter often wedges. Moreover, the rifle cannot, unlike the AK-47, fire long bursts - its burst consists of only three shots. This is done in order to save ammo.
The M-16, however, weighs less than the AK-47. But, according to the publication, Afghan soldiers "laugh" at the M-16, calling it "plastic". The NATO command, for its part, insists on rearming the Afghan army.
Despite this process, even NATO officers serving in Afghanistan recognize the extraordinary continuity of the work of the Kalashnikovs. AK-47 can be buried in the sand, retrieved in 100 years and the machine will work from the first shot, - said Major Robert Armstrong of the British Royal Irish Regiment.
The Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK74) was developed as a reliable weapon for a not too trained soldier, while the combat mission of the weapon was primarily reliability on the battlefield and long-term operation without additional maintenance in special workshops.
The accuracy of the battle was not originally a strong point of the AK. Already during the military tests of its prototypes, it was noted that with the greatest of the systems submitted for the competition, the reliability required by the conditions of accuracy was not provided by the Kalashnikov design (like all the presented designs to one degree or another). Thus, according to this parameter, even by the standards of the mid-1940s, the AK was clearly not an outstanding model. Nevertheless, reliability (in general, reliability here is a set of operational characteristics: reliability, shot to failure, guaranteed resource, actual resource, resource of individual parts and assemblies, persistence, mechanical strength, etc., according to which the machine, by the way, is the best and now) was recognized at that time as paramount, and it was decided to postpone the fine-tuning of accuracy to the required parameters for the future.
The range of a direct shot at the chest figure is 350 m.
AK allows you to hit the following targets with one bullet (for the best shooters, lying down with a single fire):
head figure - 100 m;
waist figure and running figure - 300 m;
To hit a target of the “running figure” type at a distance of 800 m under the same conditions, 4 rounds are required when firing with a single fire, and 9 rounds when firing in short bursts.
I must say that the M16 and M4 are not machine guns, they are assault rifles that can fire in bursts.
M16 and M4 were not originally intended for intensive shooting. It is generally not recommended to release more than four to five stores at a time from it.
It is based on the principle of high-precision weapons with a small shot before cleaning. The effective range is 450 meters for the M16A1 and 800 meters for the M16A2. The M4 has an effective range of 500 meters for single targets and 600 meters for group targets.
M4 - in fact, this is M16A2 with a shortened barrel and a shortened telescopic butt.
The removal of powder gases is carried out directly into the receiver, so the M4 and M16 are very demanding on the quality of cartridges and shoot from them only with cartridges of certain manufacturers.
After each firing, cleaning of the mechanism is required, and their complete disassembly is possible only in a specially equipped workshop.
The use of M16 and M4 characterizes the general concept of the use of weapons in the American army.
If an American soldier needed to shoot a lot from a rifle, this means that the entire military operation was planned incorrectly. To solve different problems, there are different weapons and there are a lot of them, from pistols to strategic bombers and aircraft carriers. With normal planning and organization of the battle, one fighter should not spend more than a couple of magazines at all, if there was a prolonged fire contact - you need to immediately retreat or call for reinforcements with other weapons. When using this concept, the M16 really turns out to be the ideal weapon for the American infantry fighter.
The command knows perfectly well what kind of weapons their soldiers have and how to plan operations with their use. And this command, in theory, should not even have the thought of sending fighters into a meat grinder, where they may not have enough standard ammunition and where they may encounter problems with their weapons.
American soldiers are also well aware of the shortcomings of their weapons and, therefore, when faced with a situation that could lead to an intense firefight, they do not act heroically, but call for reinforcements, tanks and aircraft.
This approach always minimizes the loss of manpower, which qualitatively affects the morale of the army.
Thus, for a regular army fighting on foreign territory with good logistics and air support, weapons designed according to the concept of American assault rifles are better suited.
When conducting a defensive battle or partisan actions, preference should be given to a more “hardy” Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Watch the video comparing AK74 and M16.
Fans of small arms made a kind of rating of AK and M16.
Power. An AK bullet will go deep into an oak tree trunk by 30 centimeters. An M16 can score 300 points with 30 shots at a paper target.
Service. AK will work even if it was cleaned with a shoe brush last year. The M16 calls for a manufacturer's recommended synthetic oil with Teflon at $9 an ounce.
Repair. To repair the AK, you will need a hammer and pliers. The M16 can only be repaired by a certified gunsmith.
Score. An inexpensive 30-round AK magazine is easy to get. The M16 manufacturer does not recommend the use of cheap magazines - they can lead to jamming of cartridges.
Bayonet. Attaching the bayonet to the AK, you will scare your enemies. The bayonet on the M16 will make enemies laugh.
The topic of confrontation between Kalashnikov and the American assault aristocrat is as old as the world. The two legends of small arms faced each other on real battlefields and were repeatedly tested by military experts, but a definite answer has not yet been found. The fact is that the original function of the M-16 and the products of the Kalashnikov concern is different: the American rifle is designed for a professional contract soldier, while our assault rifle was intended for mass production - that is, for soldiers who may not have time to master a complex design. Let's try to figure it out.
The most important property of a mass assault rifle should be pollution resistance. Here, without any doubt, our native Kalashnikov assault rifle wins. The American rifle refuses to behave "well" without regular cleaning and lubrication, and falls from a small height negatively affect it. Water in 74% of cases turns an assault rifle into an assault baton - a thing, of course, is also not bad, but not very effective against a machine gun.
Failsafe: AK-74M
The AK-74M, as well as the more advanced AK-12, is a highly reliable weapon. Experts note the ability of the development of the domestic concern to perform its functions with an extreme degree of pollution. AK is an undemanding, but very functional weapon, which is the best suited for the army: easy to assemble, high reliability in difficult conditions.
Dimensions: M-16
During the Second World War, the Americans decided to rely on accuracy and accuracy of fire. The M-16 has an elongated barrel, which even had to increase the height of American armored personnel carriers. Indeed, the rifle has increased accuracy at long distances, but how much is it in demand? Real clashes rarely occur at a distance of more than three hundred meters, which negates all the advantages of a long barrel to nothing.
Dimensions: AK-74M
Here, our machine also has a number of advantages. Firstly, there is the AKS74U model, designed to equip the crews of combat vehicles and is actively used in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Secondly, even a full-time Kalashnikov has very moderate dimensions and gives the fighter much more freedom than the same M-16.
Accuracy
The machine gun developed by Eugene Stoner boasts greater accuracy than the domestic AK-74M - by about 25%. The general layout of our machine gun is not very conducive to heap shooting, because its stock is shifted down relative to the firing axis. Roughly speaking, it is easier for a soldier to aim, but it is more difficult to send a second bullet to the same target, since the barrel will bulge.
Accuracy
The M-16 also wins in terms of shooting accuracy. The fact is that American rifles are equipped with a diopter sight, which, together with a longer aiming line, allows for more accurate fire over long distances. While the AK-74M has the simplest, open sight. On the other hand, this solution makes it easier to fire at moving targets.
ammunition
The Americans preferred to create weapons for a smaller caliber, knowing full well that this would have a positive effect on shooting accuracy. The light M-16 bullet has a higher muzzle velocity than the heavy AK projectile. Experts admitted that poor ballistics cause the AK bullet to lose most of its kinetic energy at a distance: firing a machine gun at long distances is almost pointless.
The M16 automatic rifle is, along with the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the most widespread small arms in service with various armies of the world. For half a century, she has experienced a lot of modifications, although initially she was predicted to have a short life.
Hollywood, Santa Monica Boulevard, No. 6567
The American M16 automatic rifle has one of the most controversial and controversial stories in the history of US small arms. It began long before 1962, when the rifle officially appeared in the US Army. As early as 1958, Armalite, a California engineering company registered in Hollywood at 6567 Santa Monica Boulevard, provided a magazine-fed, air-cooled AR-15 5.56mm carbine. Its developer was the legendary gunsmith Eugene Stoner.
However, due to financial problems, Armalite was forced to sell the AR-15 to Colt's manufacturing facility. Soon, the Colt AR-15 small-caliber semi-automatic rifle appeared in gun shops. However, this name has survived to this day, however, only for semi-automatic devices intended exclusively for civilian use.
The rifle was predicted to have a short life
Modification of the Colt AR-15 with single and automatic firing modes received the code M16. In the first years, a behind-the-scenes war was waged around her by powerful competitors, and experts predicted a short military life for the Stoner rifle, a maximum of several years. It was hastily adopted as a temporary measure, but it has been holding on for more than 50 years.
Its predecessor M14, despite good test performance, did not meet the requirements of the time in real combat conditions. The 7.62×51 mm cartridge was heavy and reduced personal ammunition to an unacceptably low value. It was possible to accurately fire bursts from the M14 only from bipods or from a stop. At a range of 100 meters, the third bullet in line went 5-10 meters above the aim. And this led to a catastrophic overrun of ammunition.
Shooting tactics
The choice of the M16 rifle was predetermined by research by the Research Office Operations Institute, conducted shortly after the Korean War. Among the speeches on this topic, one report turned out to be the most significant. It emphasized that most of the wounds in the Korean War were received by American soldiers in combat at relatively short distances (within 300 meters) and mostly at random. The experts proposed to increase the distances of aimed shooting in order to guarantee hitting the enemy at distances of 500-600 meters. At the same time, it was said that only a bullet of a smaller caliber with a higher muzzle velocity could increase the probability of hitting compared to the bullet of the 7.62 × 51 mm cartridge used in the M 14.
Project SALVO
As a result of the discussion of this report, the SALVO project (1952-1957) was initiated, the task of which was to develop and approve a new concept of US military small arms. As part of this document, ballistics scientist Earl Harvey (Earle Harvey) proposed the theoretical foundations of the new bullet and calculated the parameters of the future rifle.
As a result, SIERRA BULLETS, based on the 0.222 Remington hunting cartridge, released a reduced-caliber combat cartridge 0.223 Remington (5.56x45) with a bullet weighing 5.5 grams. This ammunition received the designation M193 in the US Department of Defense. The conclusions and assumptions of the experts of the SALVO project turned out to be correct. The reduction in caliber immediately led to an increase in the muzzle velocity to 990 m/s.
In turn, this made it possible to simplify the sights. As a result, minor errors in determining the distance to the target turned out to be unprincipled. It was under this cartridge that the AR-15 small-caliber semi-automatic rifle was developed, but the laurels and profits were received not by Armalite, but by the managers of the Colt manufacturing enterprise, who bought the development of Eugene Stoner in time.
First experience
In November 1965, US special forces entered into a fierce and protracted battle with units of the 1st division of North Vietnam. The commander of the American detachment, Harold G. Moore, said the following about the new rifle: "today the M16 brought us victory." At the same time, he noted that the high efficiency of automatic firing was achieved at a distance of up to 200 meters, and at a distance of more than 300 meters it was not always possible to break through the enemy's steel helmet. “The M14 and 100 rounds weigh the same as the M16 and 250 rounds,” said Harold G. Moore. “This means that every combat soldier and Marine can fire significantly longer.”
The disadvantages of the M16 were immediately attributed to the complexity of care.
But the main problems manifested themselves during the sudden stop of firing at the most inopportune moments. This resulted in numerous casualties. "Out of 72 soldiers, only 16 remained alive," one US Marine reported in Defense: Under Fire, "beside each one killed was an inoperative M16 rifle." It was not until 1967 that a redesign succeeded in significantly reducing the failure rate. After that, the new weapon proved to be quite good. So, in 1968, when asked by the US Department of Defense what kind of weapon the Marines would like to have, the majority opted for the M16.
M16 vs AK-47
Until now, disputes have not ceased, which weapon is better: M16 or AK. In American educational films, as a rule, conclusions are drawn in favor of the Kalashnikov. Meanwhile, a number of experts note that the demonstrated purity of comparative experiments does not stand up to criticism, primarily because old, battered AK assault rifles are involved in the tests. Yes, and the US Army fighters themselves complain that the M16 is too long and uncomfortable in the bustle of urban combat.
As for reliability, the M16 is significantly inferior to the Russian competitor. But the accuracy of firing from it is almost twice as good as that of the Kalashnikov. However, here, too, there are pros and cons: the AK open sector sight gives advantages in the smoky and dusty atmosphere of street combat, while the M16 diopter sight is convenient at considerable distances. Currently, the M16A4, with a 4x Acog-type optical sight and an AN / PVS-14 night vision sight, enjoys huge, almost mystical popularity among US Army soldiers. This rifle is capable of hitting the enemy at a distance of up to 1300 meters.
Comparison of small arms of the AK and M-16 (AR-15) families has been going on for more than forty years. Nevertheless, both samples, undergoing continuous modernization, remain in service with many armies of the world. Each of the samples has its own advantages and disadvantages, which may not be characteristic of the "opponent". What is more important: accuracy or reliability?
Among the variety of small arms that Afghan fighters have, most of them are the Kalashnikov assault rifle of the 1947 model of the year and its later modifications, including light machine guns and shortened versions. The AK is easy to maintain and reliable, but at the same time it is clearly inferior to American carbines in terms of accuracy and technical equipment, since due to the design features of the AK, it is not always possible to install optical sights on it. Unlike M4 carbines, which differ not only in the presence of a variety of sights, but also in the highest quality of workmanship. Many also note the convenience and ergonomics of the American carbine, the production of which, by the way, costs about 8 times more than the production of the AK-74.
AK-47 is, of course, a cult thing. Despite the well-known shortcomings in the accuracy of fire, especially with single shots, the incredible reliability and simplicity made the AK-47 and its modifications the most common small arms in the world, representing 15% of all its units.
In terms of "cult", of course, AK has no equal. The machine gun can be seen both on state emblems and in computer games, for example, in "Medal of Honor, 2010"
The assault rifle was developed under the 7.62 mm cartridge introduced back in the Great Patriotic War, and the first version of the assault rifle was created in 1947. On the other hand, the M16 has been used since the early 1960s, and besides with a 5.56 mm caliber cartridge. But it is the cartridge that is the main thing in small arms. In essence, it is only a more or less successful means of delivering the cartridge to its intended destination. So, in our opinion, it is incorrect to compare weapons of such a different caliber.
Of course, the AK-47 has gone through many upgrades in the decades since, and some of them use other calibers. For example, the AK-74, which appeared in the army in the mid-1970s and is designed for 5.45 mm cartridges. The use of a new cartridge increased the firing range and its accuracy (in automatic mode by 2, in single mode by 1.5 times). Among other innovations, a muzzle brake-compensator appeared in them, and in the most recent versions, the automation scheme was redesigned, which caused a decrease in accuracy: the AK shook excessively when the shutter moved during reloading.
M16 not only has a close caliber (5.56 mm), but is also one of the most common assault rifles in the world. The US military made a massive transition to a smaller cartridge, with less weight, dimensions and recoil, a little earlier, and from the beginning of the 1960s, the first M16s appeared in the US Army. The person who made the main contribution to the creation of this machine gun is not as famous as our Kalashnikov, but it is worth remembering once again - this is Eugene Stoner, one of the best American gunsmiths of the 20th century.
The machine gun he created is significantly superior to the AK-74 in terms of accuracy of a single fire - by about 25% (1.5 times in area). But its mechanism is much more demanding on cleanliness and lubrication, creating considerable difficulties in field maintenance. And it seems that "end users" have to choose either one or the other, because high accuracy and high reliability are a consequence of the difference in the designs of these machines.
Automatic reloading works due to the energy of the discharged powder gases. In the AK-74, they press on the piston of a massive bolt carrier. All parts of the system are relatively large, insensitive to small changes in gaps and lubrication density - on the other hand, excess weight makes the entire machine twitch when they are moved. At M16, a narrow tube takes powder gases directly to the shutter. The knot turns out to be lighter, more compact, when it is moved while firing in bursts, the machine has time to put a few bullets in a heap before it shifts to the side. But the sensitivity of this mechanism is much higher.
The general layout of the AK-74, inherited from the "progenitor" of the 47th model, also affects accuracy not in the best way: the butt of this machine gun is slightly shifted down from the line of fire. This makes it easier for the shooter to aim, but after each shot it leads to a slight upward displacement of the barrel. In M16, the butt is left “straight” and is devoid of this drawback. On the other hand, when aiming (especially with the help of additional devices), the shooter is forced to “lift up” the machine gun higher, which increases his silhouette - a target for the enemy.
There is also a fundamental difference in aiming tools: the AK-74 has a sector open sight, a simple and reliable option that maintains good visibility and therefore is convenient for shooting at moving targets. On the other hand, at long distances it does not give confidence - while the M16 diopter sight allows you to aim faster, easier and more accurately. But it reduces visibility and worsens shooting at moving targets.
What to choose? We see that each participant has enough pluses and minuses. And what to prefer is a rather personal question, no less “principled” than the debate about which is better - tea or coffee, Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, Firefox or Opera?