The article on Guns and Ammo brought about some good comments but one comment stood out to me. The comment relating to the Rock River LAR-8. I won't be commenting on Rock River, S&W, Colt, or other manufacturers, but rather the caliber of the weapon mentioned in the comment - the .308. Commonly referred to as the 7.62 x 51 NATO, there are differences between the two as it relates to shoulder design and case pressure. While a weapon designed to fire the NATO round will chamber and fire the .308 Win., significant hazards exist. A good rule of thumb - if it's chambered for .308, shoot .308. If it's chambered for 7.62 x 51 NATO, shoot the NATO round. Now that I've covered the disclaimer thing ;) I can get to the meat and potatoes of the post - the benefits of a hefty round like the .308 / 7.62 x 51.
Don't get me wrong. the .223 / 5.56 x 45, used by AR15's, is a good round. An accurate round. But a weak round. It will bounce off of a cinder block wall leaving any adversary behind the wall unscathed. The .308, on the other hand, will pass through the cinder block wall and still take care of business on the other side. This is important. Because a cinder block wall that offers cover against the .223 is not more than concealment against the .308. The same relates to 1/4 inch plate steel depending on distance.
As mentioned above, the accuracy of the .223 is admirable but there is a reason that the .308 Winchester replaced the 30-06 Springfield as the sniper rifle of choice of the USMC for more than 40 years. The .308 has repeatedly neutralized targets at distances of 1000 yards when used in a rifle of the proper configuration.
All in all, IMHO, the commentor who owns the LAR-8 owns a fine weapon in a caliber that will serve him/her better than most weapons chambered in .223 in most situations.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
With the lar-8 you have a SHTF battle rifle as well as a fine deer hunting rifle. Its cheap to shoot vs some other lesser known calibers and packs enough punch to get the job done. It also uses FAL mags which were mass produced.
ReplyDeleteIt is heavier than any 223 though!
Thanks for the comments on the rifle, took 5 deer with it this year and cant wait until next season.
You preppers are a bunch of strange folks. have you seen doomsday preppers?
ReplyDeleteThe guy on the show last night shot his finger off. he said he was prepping for an EMP and then it showed him loading up his brand new jeep wrangler going to his hide out. Kinda dumb, any new car wouldn't run after a large EMP! Anyhow, I think the show has a lot of "for TV" acting in it.
ReplyDeleteMy ak47 shoots 7.62x39 and so does my SKS. The sks is much more accurate than the ak47. The 7.62 is a lot stronger than the 223. It hits harder too. It goes thru cement blocks with no problem. The 223 is not a very good caliber.
ReplyDeleteThe prepper show has a lot of good ideas. You have to be smart enought to pick through the non-sense they put up there to increase the number of viewers. I like the families that really work hard to be self sufficient. Self sufficiency means you don't need anything from the outside world. The more self sufficient you are, the better off you will be when the SHTF.
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