WW2 SMG's

[ak-dave]

M1 Thompson would be the best. .45 slugs have a bit more authority than a 9mm, yes either one would mess up your day too. For cheap it should be the M3 Grease gun, IIRC the cost per unit was down to somewhere around $5 at the height of production.

The M3 was the only weapon that scared me. One day drivers were issued M3A1’s along with our M1911A1’s for some ungodly reason, maybe somebody found an old crate of them and thought it would be cool. The stamped clamshell receiver didn’t impress me at all. It was a real kick in the pants to shoot and it did look cool.

No PPSh time, ever. Have seen them and they are rough/crude looking.

MP38 or MP40 would be my other SMG choice.

[sniperdude411]

"No PPSh time, ever. Have seen them and they are rough/crude looking."
But have you shot one in freezing-cold weather?

[ak-dave]

No, have you?

I’ve done M-16 & M-60 in freezing temperatures on FTX’s above Arctic Circle in Alaska.

Rough & crude looking is a statement of appearance not function. So how reliable was it really? Most things that look like a POS can function well and still be a POS. It maybe good for the job and it doesn’t mean I want to own one.

[leib10]

All I know for sure about the Shpagins is that they were extremely reliable and extremely inaccurate.

[ak-dave]

Reliability doesn’t kill many enemy by it’s self. Sheer volume will give you some odds at hitting something tho.

[leib10]

It was also great at that, thanks to the high rate of fire and large drum magazine (71 rounds) the Russians used until later in the war, when it was replaced by a more conventional box magazine.

[sniperdude411]

"Rough & crude looking is a statement of appearance not function. So how reliable was it really? Most things that look like a POS can function well and still be a POS. It maybe good for the job and it doesn’t mean I want to own one. "

Exactly. Just like a factory AK.

[ak-dave]

Nothing wrong with an AK; they are robust and accurate. Either from the factory or my garage they are more likely to do some damage beyond 25M than a PPSh. Took out some whole fryers on Saturday, 5.56 didn't really get messy until 30M and 7.62X39 did it at 10M. Can a PPSh guarantee a hit at 100-200M?

[Bill]

"Nothing wrong with an AK"

Bite your tongue till it bleeds troop. ;)

"they are robust and accurate"

Robust, sure. Extremely.

Accurate?

Compared to a PPsh, certainly. Compared to almost ANY contemporary battle rifle, hardly. IMO the AK is what i'd consider to be woefully innacurate as a front line battle rifle.

M-16A2 and newer, now THAT'S an accurate battle rifle, and the M-14 is even better. The FN SLR, any HK military rifle, the AUG, the FA MAS, even the pathetic SA-80 are all significantly(at least) more accurate than the AK series weapons are.

To me, the best battle rifle ever devised is the M-14 series.

Accuracy, reliability, and penetration, oh my. ;)

Of course when you were in i suppose you were saddled with the M-16A1...so i can see why you'd prefer the AK. The A1 was really a total POS. To me my most 'amazing feat' ever during my time in service was qualifying expert on a perfect score with the M-16A1. I still don't know how the F that happened. I suspect the planets were lined up just right that day... ;)

[leib10]

The AK47, in its unaltered form, is not an easy rifle to shoot, especially compared to the M16. The stock is too short (designed for little Mongolian guys, most likely) and the recoil is substantially heavier than an M16. However, once you get used to these shortcomings, the AK is a fine and comfortable rifle to shoot.

[sniperdude411]

"To me, the best battle rifle ever devised is the M-14 series."

I could agree with you on that. I think a 6.8 model of an xm8 (Standard, compact would be unruly with that ammo) great, and I also think the G3a3 is an excellent rifle. A bit heavy on the latter, but whatever. So is the M14.

"Of course when you were in i suppose you were saddled with the M-16A1...so i can see why you'd prefer the AK. The A1 was really a total POS. To me my most 'amazing feat' ever during my time in service was qualifying expert on a perfect score with the M-16A1. I still don't know how the F that happened. I suspect the planets were lined up just right that day... "

Perfect 40? Wow, I've never even heard of that before.

[troung]

Yep...

[sniperdude411]

Again, ppSh is cool.
But it sucks.

[leib10]

Except for what it was designed for: close combat. The Germans loved them even more than their own MP40's in many cases.

[sniperdude411]

Except for what it was designed for: close combat. The Germans loved them even more than their own MP40's in many cases.

I certainly would - 71 rd. capacity, and it looks way cooler than the mp-40.