MBR requirements

[andyn1976]

What are the guidelines, requirements for an effective main battle rifle? Could a bolt action be included in this category?

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Your MBR can be anything you have that you can use well and is effective. There are those who say it must be this caliber or that and it must be this length and put out this many rounds. Hogwash
An MBR is what you would grab when needed. You can always change as you get better tools or your requirements change.

[eeyore]

Inherent in the name "MBR" = "Main Battle Rifle" is would be "Main" the one you are planning to go to most (if not all of the time" , when you "Battle". "Battle" implies that you will have to use it in battle or against foes. IF you are in battle, then you want something that is capable of shooting muilitple times and still holding a reasonable zero, or as the barrel heats it stays close to your zero and wander. Not many hunting rifles can do this imo. Along with that i would say it should capable of stopping them, which leaves out lesser calibers. If you have to employ this rifle in badtimes, you want to stop the other person, so they can not harm you or yours. The mindset that was prevalent during the Vietnam war does not apply. Where it is better to wound the enemy, because it takes people out of the battle, to care for the wounded person. In the badtimes, you will not want them to have the chance as a wounded person have the chance to shoot you in the back. Me personally i would not consider any rifle that unless it can stop the opponent, in one shot, if i do my part. I understand that you can kill someone with a 22, but i would say it needs to have the ability to stop someone with a reasonable body hit, with one shot. "Rifle" implies that it needs to be a rifle caliber.

[Bearman202]

A friend described his idea of the ideal rifle. He had three basic requirements:

1. It had to go bang every time he pulled the trigger. (i.e. reliable)
2. It had to be reasonably accurate.
3. It had to be capable of dropping a god at 100 yards.

He said the last somewhat flippantly, but I got his meaning. Makes sense, doesn't it?

[Rmplstlskn]

What are the guidelines, requirements for an effective main battle rifle? Could a bolt action be included in this category?

As you know, a bolt action is just slightly better than a single-shot as a BATTLE rifle when the other side may have a semi-auto... This is not WWI-era anymore...

Like others said, MAIN, means PRIMARY.... Your #1 go-to gun... BATTLE means just what it means, stressful engagement of one or more bad guys... RIFLE is usually a larger caliber, and CARBINE is the smaller calibers.

With SKILL (the most important factor), any functional firearm will be deadly and effective...

You need to ask yourself, "What are my MOST LIKELY confrontations and events?" For me, my FAL is my MAIN and my AR is secondary...

Rmpl

[biathlon]

My own opinion is that a "Main Battle Rifle" should have sufficient bullet weight and velocity to dislodge a foe from behind automotive glass, large trees, cinderblock walls, adobe, truck doors, most vests, helmets, a dead horse, sandbags, just about anything your adversary will be attempting to hide behind from you. 8 millimeter, 7.62x54, 30-06, 7.62x51, 7.5x55, any of the larger calibers would work.

The smaller calibers at much higher velocities are not working at the extended distances(Jake Ross was probably killed in action by taliban hosing his unit with belt fed 7.62x54s from 1,200 yards!!!)or to penetrate fixed position fortifications. If your only tactic is to surprise and ambush from close in the smaller ones might work.

[Bobjr59]

I was asked the same question from a individual who said they only owned a 10/22 to make a long story short so til they get more funds to buy another rifle it'll be their MBR

[Matt In Oklahoma]

@Bobjr59 and a dangerous person they will be because as the saying goes "beware the man who only has one gun because they probably know how to use it!"
BTW if i could only have 1 gun it would be te 10-22. I've killed everything I have come across with it, even before I knew it was wrong:)

[Bobjr59]

I'm a Firm believer in if all you have is a single shot make sure you can out shoot the idiot in powder blue zoombie helmet with the automatic