Smoke.'s board-to-board with The All-knowing Sith'ari

Well, it would no longer be an AR-type rifle, now would it? :p

To be honest though, I've never heard of a rifle functioning on delayed blowback. The Kriss is a pistol-caliber carbine. Rifle cartridges function at much higher pressures than pistol cartridges so it may be too much for that particular action.

I see, but what if the weapon's receiver was redesigned?

Being that that piston is part of the gas system, no.

I don't know enough about the SA80 rifles to make a comment one way or the other, but I know that that system would not work in an AR-type rifle, piston or direct gas impingement. It would require a serious redesign of the weapon's receiver.

Smoke, I've got another firearms question. Do you know if the Kriss Super V system (as used in the delayed blowback TDI Vector) could work in a weapon using a short-stroke piston like the HK416 or SA80 weapons family?

A short disclaimer though: I have no personal experience with bullpup weapons. My statements come from people who have fired weapons in a bullpup configuration. I imagine it is quite difficult to get the trigger mechanism working desirably in a bullpup rifle.

My experiences are primarily with AR-15/M16 type weapons, most of which have creepy and gritty triggers. Easy way (though not really permanent, but hell, you replace the parts at ~10,000 rounds anyway) to solve that issue would be to use some grease on the point where the sear engages the hammer. Also, about the ammunition used: as long as the rifle uses the same cartridge as the other service rifles, match-grade ammunition in that caliber can (and usually is, when it can be found) substituted in DM rifles.

Thanks, Smoke. That's given me some good ideas. It's for a book, you see. No problem about the long wait.

I do not mind at all.

Best configuration for a designated marksman rifle... Well, we want to take advantage of the marksman's abilities. Augment them. If you try to do it all, the weapon will suck (or be average) at it all. Bullpup designs tend to have undesirable triggers for precision uses, so while it is certainly possible to have a precision bullpup rifle, it's more difficult to pull off.

Precision rifles intended for DMR use do not need longer barrels. A 16-inch barrel will do; as a designated marksman you are most likely using standard ball ammo, which may vary in degrees of accuracy, and the burn rate of the powder in the ammunition most likely does not necessitate the use of longer, more cumbersome barrels. The bore should be stainless steel (no chrome plating), the trigger should be tuned so that there is little to no creep, a distinct reset, and a smooth pull, not too heavy or light. This is much more easily done with the conventional layout. The rifle needs to have an optic with at least 1-4x magnification. Something that allows for quick shots up close, and more precise shots downrange.

Sorry for the long wait.

Smoke, do you mind if I ask you a firearms question? You seem to be the best person to ask. Could you tell me what the best configuration for a designated marksman rifle would be? Bullpup or conventional layout? I'm leaning towards bullpup, since you'd have a longer barrel for greater accuracy at long range, but a shorter overall weapon for use if the marksman had to fight in close-quarters.