Italian rifles and the "slap"

RepublicThunderbolt · June 23, 1999, 06:50 PM

Anybody know what rifle the Italians are using now? I have been seeing pictures and video from Kosovo showing it. Kinda looks like a mix of the M-16A2 and the old Stoner. What happened to the AR70?

Also, reading "Black Hawk Down" about Somalia, I found several mentions of the "slap" round for 5.56mm. Apparently, it's a titanium sub-caliber bullet with a plastic sabot for piercing body armour. Unfortunately, it seemed that the hostiles could take a dozen or so of these and get up and walk away! Has anyone else heard mention of these rounds? Are we still using them? Or is lead mitigation on the battlefield more important that our people's lives?

Daniel Watters · June 23, 1999, 08:01 PM

The Italians are now using the Beretta AR70/90 which improved upon the earlier AR70 design. The original AR70's receiver walls were not sufficiently rigid and could on occasion impinge upon the bolt carrier's travel back and forth. The AR70/90 fixes this problem and includes a few other new features like a removeable carry handle and a 3rd burst option on the selector.

June 23, 1999, 06:50 PM	#1
RepublicThunderbolt Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 1999 Posts: 291	Anybody know what rifle the Italians are using now? I have been seeing pictures and video from Kosovo showing it. Kinda looks like a mix of the M-16A2 and the old Stoner. What happened to the AR70? Also, reading "Black Hawk Down" about Somalia, I found several mentions of the "slap" round for 5.56mm. Apparently, it's a titanium sub-caliber bullet with a plastic sabot for piercing body armour. Unfortunately, it seemed that the hostiles could take a dozen or so of these and get up and walk away! Has anyone else heard mention of these rounds? Are we still using them? Or is lead mitigation on the battlefield more important that our people's lives?

June 23, 1999, 08:01 PM	#2
Daniel Watters Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 1999 Location: USA Posts: 644	The Italians are now using the Beretta AR70/90 which improved upon the earlier AR70 design. The original AR70's receiver walls were not sufficiently rigid and could on occasion impinge upon the bolt carrier's travel back and forth. The AR70/90 fixes this problem and includes a few other new features like a removeable carry handle and a 3rd burst option on the selector.