HYDERABAD: Though the most modern and deadliest assault rifles rule the security system today, it is the 19th century’s .303 rifle that is believed to be the most accurate and effective (lethal). Not for anything else but for the wooden sturdiness and a firing range of 2,000 yards (1.8 km), no urban weapon is a match for this Enfield-born rifle that was once used in trench warfare.
As part of the Police Commemoration Week, vintage rifles like the British-era 410 Mascot rifle, 12-bore pump action gun and the .22 rifle (used mostly in training purposes) to the light machine guns(LMG) most advanced AK-47, guns like MP-5k and MP-5 A3 used by NSG commandos were on display at the Open House organised by the state police at Parade Grounds here on Monday.
“An AK-47 is automatic and can fire a full round in 30 seconds in a firing range of up to 800 yards but it cannot match the accuracy of .303 rifle which can shoot down a person at a distance of 2,000 yards,” said a policeman from the Armour divison of City Armed Reserve (CAR) at a stall. According to him, the antique nature of the rifle and non-availability of its components makes it less preferred today while the warfare too has certainly evolved.
On display was the 410 mascot used in training purposes. The next was a 12-bore pump action gun which uses ball bullets, and are used in films and also to inflict minor injuries on members of an agitating mob. A .22 rifle, used in NCC training, is considered the starter for it is used to overcome one’s fear of firing. A modified .303 rifle, called the grenade fire rifle(GF rifle) used to fire grenades, was also on display.
Coming to sleek modern weapons, a 9mm carbine Close Quarters Battle (CQB) weapon whose butt can be folded, usually seen with VIP security men is an easy to carry and fire weapon. The next in line was a 7.62 mm self-loading-rifle which can fire up to a range of 600 yards.