LR1955 Wrote:Note I did not ask the conditions of this future conflict. This is because the US military must be prepared for conflict in any region of the world so the carbine or rifle they use must also be suited for different conditions.Gene,
And it doesn't matter what the enemy uses, has, or does. When an enemy starts to lose, they change or get defeated. So, there will never be one carbine or rifle that is perfect for every possible condition but there will be rifles and carbines that are sufficient for all conditions.
That's all quite logical, except:
- OP did not say to choose the best rifle/carbine for all future wars. He specified a war. Since we only need to be concerned about selecting for one particular war, we can optimize for the specific conditions, instead of choosing a compromise. That's why the conditions are pertinent.
- Also, there is some question that the discussion even pertains to equipping the US Armed Forces, because the OP said: "So your involved in a fictitious war and need to arm yourself with a semi auto rifle. you may choose between the ar-15 and ar10 platforms." Since OP talks about the "need to arm yourself" and specifically requires a semi-auto AR10 or AR15, although the US Army uses the select-fire M4 carbine, it appears that the OP may be concerned about actions of actions of private citizens. And this is why I inquired about the enemy's rifle caliber, because if the question is the best caliber for citizens waging a guerrilla war against an invading army, it'd be useful to use the same caliber, for obvious reasons.