The SLR in itself is not a bad weapon. Honestly speaking in the conventional fighting style where lines of infantry soliders face each other a heavy round that can go long range made good sense. The emphasis was on long-range accuracy not automatic firepower. WW2 changed all that during the CQ battles in urban spaces.
Modern conflicts like counter-terror are also close quarter battles in urban or very tight spaces. An MP5 with 30 rounds on full auto will be more lethal than a 7.62 x 51 mm SLR. That was the logic behind the evolution of the 5.56 mm NATO round. Light-weight, accurate and more to carry to war. That's why all 5.56 mm rifles have the option for full automatic fire as well. The requirements were set down in 1980 when Kashmir was not hot, by the time the rifles arrived IA was learning the hard way the importance of auto fire in CQ combat situations.
The US SAW namely the Minimi carries a 200 round 5.56 x 45 mm magazine. One magazine chambered to the SAW and another magazine strapped to the soldier will mean 400 rounds. How many 30 round magazines will an Indian soldier carry with him? And if he keeps changing the magazine then what will happen to the idea of providing suppression fire?
Magazines don't heat up, the barrel does. That's why SAW operators are always more than one and there is always more than one SAW team in a platoon/ patrol. Soldiers are trained to replace heated barrels in less than a minute on the battlefield.
No rifle on earth can be cheaper, more rugged and tough-as-nails like the AK-47. You bury it inside a water pit, pull it out after a year. It's all rusted and old but it will still fire like new. There are videos where a burning AK-47 is accurately firing out its rounds. That rifle is not a weapon, its Divyastra.
Every army has its own style or doctrines. IA has been using Mag fed LMGs for years. IA has their own effective ways of using the LMGs.
/*Cross posting from another forum-Credits to Ray of ****/
***The LMG teams carries its ammunition.
Further, the rest of LMG ammunition in
magazines is distributed ammunition
amongst the riflemen of the section.
On coming under fire, the riflemen (or
Rifle Group) take position to 'fix the enemy'. During this period a team
member of the LMG Group runs to each
rifleman carrying the extra magazines
and brings it to the LMG Group. The
LMG Group gives fire support and the
Rifle Group starts it manoeuvre and attacks the enemy at the objective.
If one had belt fed ammunition for
LMGs , as is for the MMG, the
ammunition distributed would be in
belt boxes. Carrying a belt box in
hand would restrict the soldier from doing his primary task. However, if the
LMG ammunition was being carried in
magazines, it would be kept in the
Scale B and the rifleman would be able
to perform the primary task, even on
the move. The foreseeable terrain in which they
would have to fight their battles
during the Cold War did not
contemplate mountains or
footslogging since the operation
terrain was the plains and built up area well connected by roads and
subsidiary roads. Therefore,
manpacked combat was not their
prime concern and hence their
weapons are designed to suit their op
requirement. It is a different kettle of fish for them,
now that they are in the mountains of
Afghanistan.
If you visit ARRSE (the unofficial British
Army website), you will get some idea
of what they are doing!***
SLR and Ak 47 are good rifles in their own ways,but have their own share of shortcomings. Same goes for INSAS. INSAS has fit perfectly to what Indian Armed Forces wanted for a standard issue rifle. INSAS family will serve India for years more.
