02-26-2013, 04:46 PM
LRRPF52 Wrote:You can change the controllability of an assault rifle on AUTO if someone would actually make an assault rifle using the operating principle of the original grandaddy of all assault rifles, constant recoil combined with a low cyclic rate of fire, which is the most over-looked set of features of the Sturmgewehr Stg44.
The benefits of a constant-recoil operating system combined with low cyclic rate are more apparent on AUTO than SEMI, and favor AUTO because you don't have as rapid follow-ups in the SEMI mode due to slower bolt carrier velocity. This is where the AR15 shines, because you can hose away with it on SEMI and run extremely fast follow-ups. The Stg44 didn't need a SEMI mode really, because you could touch off 2rd bursts without any real muzzle climb or significant recoil. It's a design that remains ahead of its time.
If you really want a great assault rifle that goes where none have gone before all in one, you use a lengthened receiver where the bolt carrier never impacts the rear like a j(AK) hammer,
I think that's an important point which is almost always ignored by western gun designers. I've seen the recoil impact chart for the M4 and that shows two peaks: the first when the bullet and propellant gas are accelerated out of the muzzle, the second (slightly higher) when the bolt hits the buffers.
The STK Ultimax 100 SAW has the very long recoil stroke you are asking for and, although I've never fired one, I gather that they are very controllable on auto. The resulting lower rate of fire makes its own contribution to manageability, of course (as well as slowing barrel heating and ammo consumption).
Even more promising is the Russian balanced-piston design as introduced in the AEK-971 in the 1980s and now used in the AK107. There's no reason why a balanced piston couldn't be combined with a long recoil stroke - that should take auto controllability to a new level. Probably wasted on such light-recoiling rounds as the 5.45mm and 5.56mm, though.