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Message no. 1
From: Michael Orion Jackson <orion@****.CC.UTEXAS.EDU>
Subject: Big rifles (vaguely related to OICW)
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 18:30:08 -0500
Speaking of big rifles, how about the Soviet WW2-era anti-tank
rifle called the PTRS-41? It weighed _22_ kilos, _unloaded_. Imagine the
biggest deer rifle you've ever seen (wooden stock, etc.). IIRC it was on
the order of six feet long. (The is a pic in Inf. Weaps. o/the World, an
old GDW sourcebook). It fired 14.5mmX114mm Bloc, which they went on to
use in the KPV HMG IIRC. Apparently, most of the soviet soldiers who fired
one without using the bipod and bracing the thing firmly broke their
shoulders... That's recoil. Of course, one broken shoulder is a small
price to pay for knocking out a german panzer in one shot and killing the
crew to boot if you hit the fuel compartment or ammo storage. Later the
rifle was converted into a massive-overkill sniping weapon by the addition
of a scope.
In the same vein the germans had a similarly sized rifle that,
according to the above sourcebook (on the page next to the PTRS-41) did
even more damage. It only fired an 8mm round, so the powder charge must
have been obscene... The illio almost looks like it has hydraulic shock
absorbers or something on it, maybe the germans cared more for their
soldier's shoulders? :) Don't know...
And I guess to top it off, for truely obscene guns, get a Holland
and Holland .700 Nitro Express. That's not a typo, the bullet is .700
caliber, 7/10ths of an inch thick, about 17.5mm. It weighs over a 1000
grains and has a muzzle velocity IIRC of around 2500 fps. The guns'
prices start at US$120,000 and can quickly top 200k as options are added,
and weigh about 10-12 kg IIRC. Each round cost's US$25 loaded. IIRC they
are double-barreled box actions, kinda like shotguns on steroids. They
are fully capable of blowing holes in steel plate, and can drop a charging
bull elephant. The recoil, to put it mildly, is intense... So if you are
a rich troll with a habit of blowing holes completely through citymasters
at 700 yards, this is the gun of choice... :^)



*****************Michael Orion Jackson******************
***********TAMS Class of 96/UT Class of 2000************
*********************Random Quote:**********************
*Yobut tebya mat zhe tak and no I'm not translating! ;)*
********************************************************
Message no. 2
From: Tarek Okail <Tarek_Okail@**********.COM>
Subject: Big rifles (vaguely related to OICW)
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 02:59:24 -0400
> And I guess to top it off, for truely obscene guns, get a Hollan=
d
>and Holland .700 Nitro Express. That's not a typo, the bullet is .700
>caliber, 7/10ths of an inch thick, about 17.5mm. It weighs over a 1000
>grains and has a muzzle velocity IIRC of around 2500 fps. The guns'
>prices start at US$120,000 and can quickly top 200k as options are added=
,
>and weigh about 10-12 kg IIRC. Each round cost's US$25 loaded. IIRC
>they are double-barreled box actions, kinda like shotguns on steroids. =


And they would require a Class III Federal Firearms License, even=

today in the '90s. Two hundred bucks a year, IIRC, and you *also* have to=

pay tax on the firearm at time of purchase.
Of course, if you have 200k to spend, you're not worrying about t=
he
cost...

Shadowmage
Message no. 3
From: Machine-gun Kelly <MgkellyMP5@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Big rifles (vaguely related to OICW)
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 12:05:25 EDT
In a message dated 98-08-23 03:02:03 EDT, you write:

> And they would require a Class III Federal Firearms License, even
> today in the '90s. Two hundred bucks a year, IIRC, and you *also* have to
> pay tax on the firearm at time of purchase.
> Of course, if you have 200k to spend, you're not worrying about the
> cost...
>

Agreed. IIRC, Steyr (well known for quality, high-tech firearms) has produced
what they call the 'Anti-Material Rifle'. It's used by snipers to destroy
communications gear, ammo dumps, disable vehicles, etc. It's runs about six-
and-a-half feet long (about 1.9 meters) and weighs only about 44 pounds (about
22kg). It fires a 15mm *fletchette* rounds. The fletchette is tungsten steel
and a good portion of the gun itself is comprised of polymers.
Maybe in a few years we can get fletchette rounds in calibers smaller than a
12-guage. Unfortunately, I wouldn't look for SR-style caseless ammo until the
governemtn decides to pick up a standard issue rifle firing caseless rounds
(notice how the 9mm suddenly got *real* popular after the military adopted the
Beretta M9 as a standard sidearm?).

Mgkelly

Further Reading

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Thwap!