Aircrew survival rifles today

T. O'Heir said:
Not enough space in a fighting aircraft for any kind of rifle. No firearms attached to or tucked in the rocket powered lounge chair they drive around in either. It gets separated from the driver(who will likely be hurt from using it)when used anyway. Transports and helicopters, maybe.
"...cannot follow a B-52..." That's what the Boat People are for. Assuming they're close enough. Only 76 B-52's left anyway. Only 66 B1B's.
You won't be dismounting a Bofors cannon or a mini-gun. Nobody's going to ride the aircraft down either. That quick, sudden, stop at the end of the fall, hurts.
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Been a few years but we carried sidearms when getting 'green ink'..'issue' was those S&W model 10..but most I knew carried their own they brought on cruise with them..many full sized SA..I carried a 5 shot snub nose in my g-suit pocket. Been a few years but I'm pretty sure guys flying in the ME carry a sidearm, fast movers. Me F-4, F-14..
 
I did refer to whether they are still in use by armed forces pilots
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I never even knew that there was such thing as a "survival rifle" built for MILITARY pilots. I have seen the AR-7 and also the takedown rifles made by Henry that superficially resembles a C-96 Mauser a lot. These guns are referred to as "US Air Force Survival Rifles", but I always thought it was a sales gimmick. The military issues guns for it's members, and different units, different missions get assigned different weapons. As aircrews fall under the category of elite forces, they should be allowed to take aboard weapons of their own choices. Like some of the others mentioned, 5-6 shot S&W short barreled revolvers in .38+P or .357 are excellent vest pocket guns.

Otherwise, aircrews should just be issued sidearms. Because busy people who are more of scientists and mathematicians than actual combat grunts (Having to operate all sorts of instruments, flying planes and calculating weather, ballistics...) already have their hands full with the tasks they are given to be burdened with infantry gear. A holstered M-9 strapped to the calf is a lot easier to manage, stays out of the way of more important things, and yet, is there when it is needed.

"Survival Rifles" are for civilian pilots, ie. bushcraft transporting hunters and equipment into remote wilderness areas.
 
I don't kown about today's military but in the past there were several survival guns issued
over the years. These weren't for SD they were to survive, to shoot things to eat. A light 22
rifle is a lot more practical than a service pistol to harvest eating material.
 
At least for the USAF, aircrew are not given much in the way of choices, you get an M9, M4, or the new QD barrel M4 (in the ejection seat kit), depending on what you fly and where. The only exception I've personally seen is a tricked-out M14 lugged around by a Guard helicopter guy, and I think that was because their armory still had one laying around.
 
I ran across an article on the net about Marine survival guns and it was focused on a scoped 22 caliber semi-auto for a survival arm. I wish I could find that article again because it made so much sense with the points they made for carrying a gun like this. If it worked for the Marines it work as well for aircrews.

There was also a show I saw long ago on the History Channel about army guys in Alaska and they all carried a 22 auto for survival and backup.

And I saw just a few days ago Chiappa was making a copy of the M-6 survival gun.

https://www.chiappafirearms.com/index_air.php?id=5

This might make a pretty good survival/backpack gun.

https://www.chiappafirearms.com/f.php?id=26
 
I once had a few boxes of really old American Rifleman mags and one of them had an ad for the AR5. It was available in both Hornet and .22 rimfire mag. I suppose they didn't sell well since I've never seen one.

Tony
 
Geezerbiker said:
I once had a few boxes of really old American Rifleman mags and one of them had an ad for the AR5. It was available in both Hornet and .22 rimfire mag. I suppose they didn't sell well since I've never seen one.

Tony
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With a 14" barrel it was an SBR. The AR7 which was essentially the same rifle with a 16" barrel and in semi-auto with the more widely available 22lr was destined to be a much bigger seller.
 
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