AK-type rifle, or AK-47 type rifle, was what we were told was in the hands of a potential Trump assassin on September 15th. We didn’t get much information. The few bits that came out told us it was at a golfing event, and the Secret Service engaged the shooter. The shooter escaped the golf course and fled northbound in an SUV but was caught on I-95 by a local Sheriff’s Department. A man named Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested and has been identified as the gunman.
Information has slowly leaked out. Not much at first, but we’ve been fed snippets here and there. The man, Routh, seems a bit off his rocker. He is vocally anti-Trump but voted for him in 2016.
Routh flew to Ukraine to volunteer to fight Russians but was rejected by the foreign legion due to his age and lack of military experience. He supposedly ran a nonprofit type organization to get foreign fighters to Ukraine, even attempting some scheme to get Afghan soldiers out of Afghanistan to fight Russians.
The Routh Rifle – What We Know
We know all this, but we know barely anything about his rifle. The FBI released a photo, which would be great, except the FBI uses potatoes to take photos. Seriously, my 2008 smartphone took better photos than that thing. Seriously, in an era of high-definition everything, I’m genuinely confused about why the photo released is so terrible.
What we do see is not a traditional AK. We see a gun without a pistol grip, and with a more traditional Monte Carlo stock. However, the curved magazine certainly gives AK vibes.
If we had a better photo, Russian gun autists wouldn’t just have a model for us, but they’d have gotten us a production date and told us which factory and country produced it.
There was much speculation about the blurry Routh Rifle. Due to the distinct curve, the magazine design certainly appears to be a 7.62x39mm mag. The current top contenders are an unmodified Saiga AK or an SKS. Back in the day, and we are talking Obama era, Russian rifles were imported in a neutered configuration. They had Monte Carlo stocks, and conversions were big business for gunsmiths.
…drumroll….
It turns out the SKS guys were right. According to the criminal paperwork released on 9/16, an FBI Agent identified the rifle as an SKS in 7.62x39mm. Routh has a scope on his rifle, and it appears to be in an aftermarket stock. Plenty of cheap polymer stocks are available for the SKS. The bayonet appears to have been removed, and according to the court papers, the serial number was also obliterated.
Heres the best part: the SKS had a scope that was attached via electrical tape. I’ve seen scopes attached in a lot of ways, but this is a first. It might be a fun experiment to see if this could work in any possible way.
The (Wanna-Be) Sniper’s Nest
Routh waited at a fenceline with his rifle. President Trump was golfing on the course. Routh positioned himself between 300 and 500 yards from a hole. That’s a very optimistic range for an SKS. After 300 yards, the round begins to drop exceedingly fast.
Routh had brought a GoPro camera and two bags, which he zip-tied to the fence. It was later revealed that the bags contained ceramic floor tiles. My best guess is that he assumed this would work as adequate cover. Perhaps he had read something about ceramic body armor plates and assumed ceramic as a whole was bulletproof.
Admittedly, if you stack anything deep enough, it becomes bullet-resistant. However, I don’t quite think ceramic floor tiles meet NIJ standards. Routh is facing charges for a felon owning a gun and removing the serial number, but nothing regarding attempted murder, discharge of a firearm, etc. It seems like he didn’t fire any shots.
Routh In Court
Routh made his first court appearance on Monday, September 16th. The hearing lasted only ten minutes, and Routh reportedly answered all questions. The Judge read the charges and maximum penalties for each. Additional charges are possible, and the formal arraignment will be on September 30th.
Routh has a long history of felonies. Between 2002 and 2010, he had racked up quite the rap sheet, including a charge for possession of weapons of mass destruction. The weapon was a machine gun, according to reports. This machine gun incident included a multi-hour standoff with police.
I think Ryan Routh is in for an interesting time in the next few days. Perhaps we’ll find out a bit more about the man, his motive, and maybe even a little more about his rifle. What’s the chance it holds zero? What scope? You know, all those nerd questions we are bound to have.
