Has it been said what type Rifle was used in shooting up

[Beachnutt]

the power substations in North Carolina ?
AR 15 ?

[Girard442]

1. Not sure the AR-15 would be the weapon of choice for an attack on infrastructure.

It's more efficient as a human-killer.

[Srkdqltr]

2. What strikes me is that there seemed to be little security.

Shouldn't there have been video or alarms?

[Cattledog]

3. Ft. Bragg is nearby. Military connection?

I remember some Marines being convicted of planning an attack in the past.

[jmowreader]

4. Maybe, if privately owned weapons were used

Government-owned weapons are REAL hard to get out of the arms room. You can't just go to the armorer and tell him "yeah, I'm going feral-pig shooting in Texas next week, I need my M-16 please."

[jmowreader]

5. If I HAD to take a guess...

...I'd think something in .30-caliber would be the most likely. A Barrett .50-caliber rifle, which you can get pretty easily if you've got $10,000 in the couch cushions, would definitely do the job. They're a bit scarce in the civilian world because there's really not much you can do with one outside of hunting polar bears, and they do cost ten thousand dollars. However, .30-06 bolt-action rifles are sold all over the place, they will definitely fuck up a soft target like a power substation, and any decent hunter has one.

I am NOT thinking in terms of 5.56mm...a transformer has a fairly thick steel shell that would prove difficult to penetrate with a puny coyote gun like an AR-15.

[farmbo]

6. .50 caliber sniper rifle, most likely

They’re readily available in about every state (Thanks NRA!), and they can take out a target a mile away.

[Igel]

7. You'd want a gun where the bullets packed a lot of energy.

That depends on mass and velocity. AR-15's have a lot of velocity, but the bullets are smaller so there are a fair number of guns out there that pack more of a punch.

[rubbersole]

8. Precision shooting from early reports.

High caliber sniper type rifle would be my guess. Bet the FBI already know and are using that information.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

9. Probably something in the .30cal range

Not sure how thick the metal is on the transformers, so 5.56mm might not have enough punch for it. 7.62mm/.30cal or above probably wouldnt have much of a problem. There is no shortage of rifles in that caliber since most hunting rifles are around that size.

[mackdaddy]

10. An AR-15 with .223 ammo will shoot holes through 1/4 in steel plate like going through butter.

I have seen it. It is why they have to use special steel for rifle targets.

So shooting up transformers and control boxes with 30 round magazines would be well within its capabilities.

[Kaleva]

11. The more powerful AR-10 could be a possibility

The AR 10 can be chambered to fire rounds that can take down moose, elk, bear, bison, and other large game.