- Reaction score
- 35
- Points
- 560
I notice there seems to be little attention to human factors when weapons are designed. An interesting observation from 'way back. I had the opportunity to try an Austrian Styer AUG rifle in Cyprus, and noticed a number of differences from our C-7:
a. The built in optical sight had no graticule pattern, only an open circle. So long as the target was inside the circle, there was a high probability of a "hit"
b. The safety had "Safe" and "Fire". So long as the soldier squeezed off the shot, the rifle would fire in Semi-automatic mode. Should the soldier pull or jerk the trigger, the automatic sear was depressed, and the weapon would fire a burst.
c. The magazine was translucent, so you could see how many rounds were inside.
For the conscript soldiers the Austrians had, it probably worked well. Soldiers could quickly pick up the target in the circular graticule, and if surprised by the enemy, the natural instinct to pull the trigger would unleash a burst of fire.
I also remember the FNC1 had all the controls (cocking handle, saftey, magazine release) along the left side, so the shooter's right hand never left the pistol grip/trigger when loading and readying the weapon. Today's weapons families have the shooter changing hands, which I think is a bad thing.
I don't claim all these features are ideal, but the weapons were designed to take advantage of the natural behavior of the soldier. This should be pushed in future programs
a. The built in optical sight had no graticule pattern, only an open circle. So long as the target was inside the circle, there was a high probability of a "hit"
b. The safety had "Safe" and "Fire". So long as the soldier squeezed off the shot, the rifle would fire in Semi-automatic mode. Should the soldier pull or jerk the trigger, the automatic sear was depressed, and the weapon would fire a burst.
c. The magazine was translucent, so you could see how many rounds were inside.
For the conscript soldiers the Austrians had, it probably worked well. Soldiers could quickly pick up the target in the circular graticule, and if surprised by the enemy, the natural instinct to pull the trigger would unleash a burst of fire.
I also remember the FNC1 had all the controls (cocking handle, saftey, magazine release) along the left side, so the shooter's right hand never left the pistol grip/trigger when loading and readying the weapon. Today's weapons families have the shooter changing hands, which I think is a bad thing.
I don't claim all these features are ideal, but the weapons were designed to take advantage of the natural behavior of the soldier. This should be pushed in future programs