Ukraine Unrest

[AtW]

Proper brave people...

"So what are you, Jacob? A faithless preacher? Or a mean mother****in' servant of God? "

Go Ukraine!

[MicrosoftBob]

Police look to be on the run. 60 captured according to some reports.

If the police have lost control to the mob then the State will mobilise the military...

Then it will be down to whether the army has the stomach to massacre it's own citizens, or more likely whether russian tanks roll in a soviet spring like Prague in 1968

[Scruff]

I was very surprised to hear that any rifles are smoothbore? Having been shooting since the mid 70's, I have never heard of a smoothbore manufactured after the 1870's, other than replica muskets and shotguns, of course.

Standard NATO rounds are calibre 5.56mm and were previously 7.62mm. The Kalashnikov standard chambering was also 7.62mm but with different cartridge case profile and are not interchangeable.

[AtW]

I was very surprised to hear that any rifles are smoothbore? Having been shooting since the mid 70's, I have never heard of a smoothbore manufactured after the 1870's, other than replica muskets and shotguns, of course.

Military rifles are not smoothbores there, but hunting rifles allowed for civilians in ex-Soviet countries are almost always smoothbore because Govts don't like citizens to have good firearms.

Here is one example - http://www.militaryfactory.com/small...allarms_id=263

More on this here: http://kegisland.com/precision-smoothbore.html

This sort of protest is the reason why Govts there don't like the idea of citizens having good firearms - it would be more difficult for snipers to shoot people if they could respond from same distance.

P.S. Even some tanks got smoothbores, even pretty modern ones like T-90...

[Scruff]

Those look like shotguns to me... SAIGA-12 and the .410 gauge?

Perhaps I'm missing something?

[darmstadt]

I was very surprised to hear that any rifles are smoothbore? Having been shooting since the mid 70's, I have never heard of a smoothbore manufactured after the 1870's, other than replica muskets and shotguns, of course.

Standard NATO rounds are calibre 5.56mm and were previously 7.62mm. The Kalashnikov standard chambering was also 7.62mm but with different cartridge case profile and are not interchangeable.

Tanks such as the Leopard II and M1-Abrams are smoothbore along with some riot guns, primarily 37mm ones, and this:

[Scruff]

None of which are rifles, even ignoring the semantic?

[AtW]

Those look like shotguns to me... SAIGA-12 and the .410 gauge?

Perhaps I'm missing something?

Here is a hunting carbine (rifle enough for me, certainly not a shotgun) for you - also smoothbore - -122 (page in Russian) - it's 7.62 mm actually.

You can put scope on it but it will hardly become a sniper rifle - it will just increase chances of being shot by the proper sniper who'd see the scope and give priority to such target.

[darmstadt]

None of which are rifles, even ignoring the semantic?

Correct, how about this then: Crosman | Outlet Store | Phantom 1000 Rifle Smooth Bore (.177)




(But it is actually an air rifle!)

[BrilloPad]

My very limited knowledge of this is that one side wants closer ties with the EU, the other lot (including those in power) closer ties with Russia.

Not true. Its an argument over the best way to bleed a radiator.