Comments by "geodkyt" (@geodkyt) on "The Interesting and Unusual Small Arms of Kurdistan and Ukraine w/ Neil Vermillion" video.

  1. All of the tanks we sent to the Soviets got shipped with the full standard issue set, including crew SMGs. Since the Soviets didn't have a great supply of .45ACP, they invariably dismounted the guns and warehoused them without ever shooting them.
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  2. There are always going to be troops who will pick up a SMG or AK to use as a "buzz gun" for situations where they might not want to waste issued ammo doing a mag dump into the darkness. There were some photos of a Marine in Iraq with a slung M16A4, using a PPSh41 inside buildings - probably the best employment situation for that gun, and a likely better choice for that specific role than a 20" fixed stock M16 with a magnified optic and a 3 round burst. Likewise, I know more than fee guys from ODAs who have told me their SOP was to have an AK "truck gun" for the front passenger (either folding stock or stock removed) as an immediate suppression weapon if they had to bail out of the vehicle in an ambush - why burn the barrel on your good rifle if you're just planning on throwing out a bunch of, "Hey you, DUCK!" fire, when you can use an AK you don't mind dropping when it runs dry?
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  3. The durability of those first generation machineguns is actually one of their downsides, as a military arm. When the gun lasts so long it's long obsolete before it even gets close to wearing out, it means you paid way too much for the guns (from the eperspectice of a government that has to buy thousands of them, along with thousands and millions of everything else). Of course, the only real problems with those water cooled heavies is they are, well, heavy (especially considering the need to supply water). If, on the other hand, you're not planning on moving the gun anytime soon, or you can approach the firing point where you intend to support by fire for a few thousand rounds via vehicle (and there's no need to have the gun up and running in 30 seconds), they're ideal. Armies dumped water cooled mediums because air cooled GPMGs do about 90% of what a after cooled Maxim, Vickers, or Browning can... and they can also do a bunch of stuff the water cooled guns can't. So, if the guns are already in inventory (Hell, the Ukrainian government didn't even pay for them - the Tsar and the Soviets bought 'em), you've got plentiful ammo for them (hey, uses the same ammo as the standard PK in theater), and you have situations where the gun doesn't need to manuever a whole lot under fire, might as well use them.
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  4. Pretty sure the Ukrainians got a bunch of the M14s we sent to Estonia.
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