Combat for Dummies: Murphy's Rules, Part III

-The problem with taking the easy way out, is that the enemy has already mined it.
-Never worry about the bullet with your name on it. Instead, worry about shrapnel addressed to 'occupant'.

-The enemy is anyone who is going to get you killed, no matter what side he is on.

-All battles are fought at the junction of two or more map sheets --- printed at different scales.

-All battles are fought uphill.

-All battles are fought in the rain.

-Logistics is the ball and chain of armoured warfare.

-Boldness becomes rarer the higher the rank.

-Never reinforce failure. Failure reinforces itself.

-Only 5% of an intelligence report is accurate. The trick of a good commander is to isolate the 5%.

-Tactics are for amateurs; professionals study logistics.

-When a front line soldier overhears two General Staff officers conferring, he's fallen back too far.

-It isn't necessary to be an idiot to be a senior officer, but it sure helps.

-No captain can do very wrong who places his ship alongside that of the enemy.

-Always know when it's time to get out of Dodge.

-Always know how to get out of Dodge.

-There are two kinds of naval vessels: submarines and targets.

-A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost.

-Surprise is an event that takes place in the mind of a commander.

-All warfare is based on deception.

-A little caution outflanks a large cavalry.

-If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will have more than your fair share to take.

-Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

-Mine fields are not neutral. They attack anyone.

-Your mortar barrage will put exactly one round on the intended target. That round will be a dud.

-The mortar team will always have the correct number of safety pins to prove they armed all the rounds. To ensure this, the mortar team carries extra pins.

-Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.

-If at first you don't succeed, call for artillery.

-When artillery doesn't work, call for an air strike.

-Overkill works.

-When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy.

-Military intelligence is a contradiction of terms.

-If it flies, it dies.

-The buddy system is essential to your survival.  It gives the enemy somebody else to shoot at.

-Cavalry doesn't always come to the rescue.

-Radios will fail as soon as you desperately need fire support.

-Things that must be together to work usually can't be shipped together.

-The most dangerous thing in a combat zone is an officer with a map.

-There is nothing more satisfying than having someone take a shot at you and miss.

-If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy,

-You'll only remember your hand grenades when the sound is too close to use them.

-Smoke and loud noise don't kill.  Only hits count.

-The faster you shoot the bad guys, the less shot you will get.

-If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, you may have misjudged the situation.

Combat for Dummies: Murphy's Rules, Part II

-If your attack appears to be going really well for once, it’s an ambush.   

-The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

-“When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.” --U.S. Marine Corps 

-If it's stupid but works, it ain’t stupid.

-Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you can't get out.

-A Purple Heart just proves that were you smart enough to think of a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.

-Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last and NEVER, EVER volunteer to do anything.

-The quartermaster has only two sizes: too large and too small.

-“Five second fuses [are guaranteed to] last three seconds.”  --Infantry Journal 

-You are not Superman (Marines and fighter pilots take note). 

-A sucking chest wound is Nature's way of telling you to slow down. 

-If you are forward of your position, your artillery will fall short. 

-Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder. 

-The enemy diversion you're ignoring is their main attack. 

-No OPLAN ever survives initial contact. 

-There is no such thing as a perfect plan. 

-There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole. 

-A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping

-Friendly fire - ain’t. 

-Recoilless rifles - aren't. 

-Suppressive fires - won't. 

-Protective fire - don't. 

-Perfect plans - aren't. 

-The important things are always simple. 

-The simple things are always hard. 

-If you're short of everything except the enemy, you're in combat. 

-No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection.

-No inspection-ready unit has ever passed combat. 

-Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support. 

-When both sides are convinced that they are about to lose ... they are both right. 

-All weather close support doesn't work in bad weather. 

-The bursting radius of a grenade is always one foot greater than your jumping range. 

-The only terrain that is truly controlled is the terrain upon which you are standing. 

-The law of the bayonet says the man with the bullet wins. 

-The best tank killer is another tank. Therefore tanks are always fighting each other ...& have no time to help the infantry. 

-Precision bombing is normally accurate to within +/- one mile (...or so). 

-“Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground.” --USAF Ammo Troop 

-The side with the fanciest uniforms loses. 

-Armored vehicles are bullet magnets; a moving foxhole that attracts attention. 

-Expending material in combat is easier than filling out Graves Registration forms -- Ammo is cheap; your life isn't. 

-Just because you can't see the enemy, don't for a minute believe they can't see you. 

-When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy. 

-"Aim towards the enemy." --Instruction printed on U.S. Rocket Launcher 

-"A slipping gear could let your M-203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit." --Army's magazine of prevention maintenance 

-"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."  --U.S.  Air Force manual
-"Tracers work both ways."  --U.S. Army Ordnance 

-"Any ship can be a minesweeper....once." --Anon 

-"Never tell the platoon sergeant you have nothing to do." --Unknown Marine Recruit

 -"If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him." --USAF Ammo Troop

-“Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” - Gen. MacArthur

-You, you, and you . . . Panic. The rest of you, come with me. (Marine Gunnery Sergeant)

Combat for Dummies: Murphy's Rules, Part I

-Have a plan. 

-Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.

-If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a big weapon and a friend with a big weapon.

-In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived and who didn't. 

-If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running. 

-In combat, there are no rules, always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose. 

-Use cover or concealment as much as possible. The visible target should be in FRONT of YOUR weapon. 

-Don't drop your guard. 

-Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.

-The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

-Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, - deterrence, and de-escalation.

-Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a ".4."

-Never be the idiot who shows up armed only with a knife.

-Bring an automatic weapon.  Better yet, bring two.

-Bring all your friends, with all their automatic weapons.  Get them to bring their friends, with all of their -automatic weapons.    

-Bring lots and lots of ammo -- it's cheap life insurance.

-Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.

-Only hits count. Close doesn't count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss. 

-If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough, nor using cover correctly. 

-Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.) 

-Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting is more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the weapon.

-Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours. 

-Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

-Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one. 

-Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

-Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).

-When in doubt, empty the magazine.

-Someday someone may kill you with your own weapon, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

-“If the enemy is in range, so are you.” --Infantry Journal 

-Incoming fire has the right of way.

-Don't look conspicuous: it draws fire.

-Teamwork is essential - it gives the enemy someone else to shoot at.

-"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you." --Infantry Journal

-Never share a fox hole with anyone braver than yourself.

-Anything you do can get you shot. Including, doing nothing.

-The easy way is always mined.

-“Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo” --Infantry Journal 

-Professionals are predictable - it's the amateurs that are dangerous.

-The enemy invariably attacks on one of two occasions:
a. When you're ready for them.
b. When you're not ready for them.

Or

a. when they're ready

b. when you're not. 

-If you can't remember, “Front Towards Enemy” really means “This side the heck away from you.”    

-Mines are equal opportunity weapons.

AK vs. AR vs. . . Mosin Nagant.

Alright. Here goes. I am stepping into the AR vs. AK debate. But to sort of spice up things, I’m throwing in perhaps the quin-ultimate fighting rifle of the past 100 years or so: the Mosin-Nagant. I have obtained a very thought provoking list of key points from 7.62x54r.net. Feel free to peruse them, and then share any thoughts you might have.

Knowing that some of you probably are not familiar with ARs, AKs, and MNs, I have determined to provide some basic info before I list the points.


This is an AK-47. The name designates the type of rifle, the name of the designer, and the year of adoption by the Soviet Army. Roughly translated, they letters and numbers mean “Automatic rifle, Kalashnikov (the fellow who designed it), model 1947” - AK-47. Furniture is solid wood or plastic. Military versions have fully automatic capability, as well as detachable magazines; thus, they may accurately be termed, “assault rifles.” AKs are not renowned for their accuracy. Military AK-47s have a bayonet with about a 6 inch blade.


This is a Mosin-Nagant. Originally designed and adopted by the Russians in 1891. All furniture is solid wood, and very heavy. As you can see, it is a bolt action rifle with a very long barrel. These are pretty slow to load and fire, but pretty accurate - customized versions of these rifles were used for sniper platforms as late as the Second World War. The Mosin has a bayonet that looks half as long the rifle itself, and is of the old triangular sort that is no good for anything other than thrusting.


This is an AR-15. The name stands for “ARmalite rifle, model 15,” as I understand it. This is the rifle that was adopted by the US Army as the famed M-16. Furniture is high-tech plastic. AR-15s can be customized and used for very precise shooting at extended ranges. However, unlike the AK, they do require a good bit of maintenance for proper function. There is a reason one does not often see pictures of bayonets mounted on ARs; the AR platform is not designed to double as a halberd, and would not last long when employed as such.

Now for the list itself. Throughout, AK = AK-47; AR = AR-15; MN = Mosin-Nagant.

AK: It works though you have never cleaned it. Ever.
AR: You have $9 per ounce special non-detergent synthetic Teflon infused oil for cleaning.
MN: It was last cleaned in Berlin in 1945.

AK: You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from inside.
AR: You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from 600 meters.
MN: You can hit the farm from two counties over.

AK: Cheap mags are fun to buy.
AR: Cheap mags melt.
MN: What's a mag?

AK: Your safety can be heard from 300 meters away.
AR: You can silently flip off the safety with your finger on the trigger.
MN: What's a safety?
AK: Your rifle comes with a cheap nylon sling.
AR: Your rifle has a 9 point stealth tactical suspension system (this is hyperbole, obviously).
MN: You rifle has dog collars.

AK: Your bayonet makes a good wire cutter.
AR: Your bayonet is actually a pretty good steak knife.
MN: Your bayonet is longer than your leg.

AK: You can put a .30" hole through 12" of oak, if you can hit it.
AR: You can put one hole in a paper target at 100 meters with 30 rounds.
MN: You can knock down everyone else's target with the shock wave of your bullet going downrange.

AK: When out of ammo your rifle will nominally pass as a club.
AR: When out of ammo, your rifle makes a great wiffle bat.
MN: When out of ammo, your rifle makes a supreme war club, pike, boat oar, tent pole, or firewood.

AK: Recoil is manageable, even fun.
AR: What's recoil?
MN: Recoil is often used to relocate shoulders thrown out by the previous shot.

AK: Your sight adjustment goes to "10", and you've never bothered moving it.
AR: Your sight adjustment is incremented in fractions of minute of angle.
MN: Your sight adjustment goes to 12 miles and you've actually tried it.

AK: Your rifle can be used by any two bit nation's most illiterate conscripts to fight elite forces worldwide.
AR: Your rifle is used by elite forces worldwide to fight two bit nations' most illiterate conscripts.
MN: Your rifle has fought against itself and won every time.

AK: Your rifle won some revolutions.
AR: Your rifle won the Cold War.
MN: Your rifle won a pole vault event (again, a bit of hyperbole, perhaps . . .).

AK: You paid $350.
AR: You paid $900.
MN: You paid $59.95.

AK: You buy cheap ammo by the case.
AR: You lovingly reload precision crafted rounds one by one.
MN: You dig your ammo out of a farmer's field in Ukraine and it works just fine.

AK: You can intimidate your foe with the bayonet mounted.
AR: You foes laugh when you mount your bayonet.
MN: You can bayonet your foe on the other side of the river without leaving the comfort of your hole.

AK: Service life, 50 years.
AR: Service life, 40 years.
MN: Service life, 100 years, and counting.

AK: It's easier to buy a new rifle when you want to change cartridge sizes.
AR: You can change cartridge sizes with the push of a couple of pins and a new upper.
MN: You believe no real man would dare risk the ridicule of his friends by suggesting there is anything but 7.62x54r.

AK: You can repair your rifle with a big hammer and a swift kick.
AR: You can repair your rifle by taking it to a certified gunsmith, it's under warranty!
MN: If your rifle breaks, you buy a new one.

AK: You consider it a badge of honor when you get your handguards burst into flames.
AR: You consider it a badge of honor when you shoot a sub-MOA 5 shot group.
MN: You consider it a badge of honor when you cycle 5 rounds without the aid of a 2x4.

AK: After a long day the range you relax by watching "Red Dawn".
AR: After a long day at the range you relax by watching "Blackhawk Down".
MN: After a long day at the range you relax by visiting the chiropractor.

AK: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for a stiff shot of Vodka.
AR: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for hotdogs and apple pie.
MN: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for shishkabob.

AK: You can accessorize you rifle with a new muzzle brake or a nice stock set.
AR: Your rifle's accessories are eight times more valuable than your rifle.
MN: Your rifle's accessory is a small tin can with a funny lid, but it's buried under an apartment building somewhere in Budapest.

AK: Your rifle's finish is varnish and paint.
AR: Your rifle's finish is Teflon and high tech polymers.
MN: Your rifle's finish is low grade shellac, cosmoline and Olga's toe nails.

AK: Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of Mikhail Kalashnikov.
AR: Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of Eugene Stoner.
MN: You're not sure there WERE cameras to photograph Sergei Mosin.

AK: Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to hold your rifle over your head and shout "Wolverines!"
AR: Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to clear your house, slicing the pie from room to room.
MN: Late at night, you sometimes have to fight the urge to dig a fighting trench in the the yard to sleep in.

So there you have it. Comments?