Tragic Decisions re. the AR Platform -- from "The Black Rifle"

[Ernst]

Reading The Black Rifle and just finished up the chilling accounting of horrendously fateful errors made by the TCC.

This statement just sent a great chill and sense of dread through me from head to toe. How many men would have been saved if the TCC had heeded the recommendations being made for proper cleaning gear for the M-16?

"Unfortunately, despite Aberdeen's reinforcement of the Special Forces' earlier request for such specific items as chamber brushes, the TCC continued to ignore the whole issue of adequate maintenance equipment for the M16/XM16E1. This state of affairs was severely compounded by the events discussed below."

Then Evers goes on to note that in December 1964 Remington again had told the Army that they were unable to stay within the average upper chamber pressure limit when loading M193 ball ammo. The decision was made by the TCC to allow Remington to keep loading ammo with Olin WC846 powder, thus all three cartridge makers at the time were sourcing powder from only one place, and it was noted about WC846 that it was known to cause higher gas port pressurs and cyclic rates, and also "seemed to contribute more fouling."

But here's the real kicker, in spite of the fact that now all ammo being made used the Olin WC846 powder, testing of the M16 continued NOT with the XM193 with Olin's powder, but with the stockpiled ammo loaded with CR8136, until these ran out in the spring of 1965!

Good God, what a tragedy of idiotic decisions and horrendous judgment calls!

:angry:

Source for information:

The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective
B. Blake Stevens and Edward C. Ezell
Collector Grade Publications.
Enhanced Second Edition
1994.

[556BlackRifle]

No doubt a lot of the "decision makers" had their heads up their proverbial asses.

That looks like an interesting read. I'm going to check it out. Thanks for posting the info.

[Ernst]

No doubt a lot of the "decision makers" had their heads up their proverbial asses.

That looks like an interesting read. I'm going to check it out. Thanks for posting the info.


It is a FANTASTIC book and arguable the very best book ever made on the entire history of the development of the AR-15. It also covers a good deal about the .223 Remington cartridge.

[556BlackRifle]

Checking my sources for a used copy. :)

[ABNAK]

I've had that book for well over 20 years and have read it like three or four times! Damn good info.

The IMR powder was "stick" powder, and the WC was "ball" powder. Supposedly the stick powder burns cleaner, and this was the original spec'd stuff for 5.56mm. However, the military had metric shit-tons of ball powder left over from the Korean War era and decided what the hell, why not? Not only were there the cyclic issues the OP mentions but the military ball powder had calcium carbonate added as a preservative, which only added to the fouling issue. Of course factor in the jungle (i.e. humid) environment that the M16 cut it's teeth in and the lack of appropriate cleaning supplies and you have a recipe for disaster. Spent stuck cartridge cases are a bitch to remove, as I've had that issue myself, albeit with steel-cased shit ammo. I can't imagine having to clear that malfunction in a heated firefight.

What I find interesting is that among the "fixes" for the M16 was the chroming of the chamber, but not the whole barrel. IIRC chrome lined chambers AND barrels didn't appear until '71 or '72. Of course ball powder is still what is used, not the IMR.

[Skyyr]

Judging from the thread title, I thought this was going to be about buyers remorse after purchasing a Spikes Tactical rifle. Sure surprised me!

[26 Inf]

Maybe one of you guys, or someone else reading this thread can help me out. I have 'The Black Rifle' and years ago read another book about the development of the AR15/M16 which contained even more of the 'backstory' regarding the political infighting.

It was a fairly rare book, my library borrowed it from a library out-of-state on inter-library loan. Unfortunately, I did not copy the book, and my library did not retain any record of the loan transaction.

Any ideas as to title of such a book?

[kirkland]

anybody got a line on where to get this book for a reasonable price? seems pretty durn expensive on Amazon.

[Ernst]

If you are referring to THE BLACK RIFLE you can also check: http://www.bookfinder.com

Also sometimes things pop up on eBay on the cheap.

But, otherwise, it fairly pricey, even used.

[cd228]

Maybe one of you guys, or someone else reading this thread can help me out. I have 'The Black Rifle' and years ago read another book about the development of the AR15/M16 which contained even more of the 'backstory' regarding the political infighting.

It was a fairly rare book, my library borrowed it from a library out-of-state on inter-library loan. Unfortunately, I did not copy the book, and my library did not retain any record of the loan transaction.

Any ideas as to title of such a book?

The Great Rifle Controversy by Kerry Ezell. Ezell also had a hand in right Volume 1 of Black Rifle. I recently purchase a copy for about $100 off Amazon.

[lysander]

I've had that book for well over 20 years and have read it like three or four times! Damn good info.

The IMR powder was "stick" powder, and the WC was "ball" powder. Supposedly the stick powder burns cleaner, and this was the original spec'd stuff for 5.56mm. However, the military had metric shit-tons of ball powder left over from the Korean War era and decided what the hell, why not? Not only were there the cyclic issues the OP mentions but the military ball powder had calcium carbonate added as a preservative, which only added to the fouling issue. Of course factor in the jungle (i.e. humid) environment that the M16 cut it's teeth in and the lack of appropriate cleaning supplies and you have a recipe for disaster. Spent stuck cartridge cases are a bitch to remove, as I've had that issue myself, albeit with steel-cased shit ammo. I can't imagine having to clear that malfunction in a heated firefight.

What I find interesting is that among the "fixes" for the M16 was the chroming of the chamber, but not the whole barrel. IIRC chrome lined chambers AND barrels didn't appear until '71 or '72. Of course ball powder is still what is used, not the IMR.
No, The IMR propellants were finicky about pressure, some lots would meet the velocity requirements and the pressure requirements, but other lots of the same type propellant would go above the allowed pressure to get the specification velocity. The Olin's ball propellants seem to be more capable on meeting both velocity and pressure requirements.

Ball propellant is also cheaper and safer to manufacture.

The calcium carbonate is an acid neutralizer, it is used in the manufacturing to control the pH level of the final product. It also reduces bore erosion, for this reason there several grades of propellant with extra CaCO3. For current 5.56mm ammunition, W844 is the propellant of choice, the same stuff as W846 just the allowable CaCO3 is about half what is allowed in W846, so it's not quite the same ball propellant used in M193 pre-1969.

There are many reason the ball propellant was/is preferable to IMR propellants. It is still the preferred propellant for M193 and M855. However, IMR propellants are preferred for tracers loads.

Chrome plating the chamber solves the stuck case issue, by preventing corrosion. Chrome plating the rest of the barrel does not solve any immediate problem, it just make the barrel last a bit longer. You also have to remember that chromium, although extensively used as decoration in the civilian world, was an expensive strategic material, and its use had to be justified, in the sixties and seventies.

[ABNAK]

No, The IMR propellants were finicky about pressure, some lots would meet the velocity requirements and the pressure requirements, but other lots of the same type propellant would go above the allowed pressure to get the specification velocity. The Olin's ball propellants seem to be more capable on meeting both velocity and pressure requirements.

Ball propellant is also cheaper and safer to manufacture.

The calcium carbonate is an acid neutralizer, it is used in the manufacturing to control the pH level of the final product. It also reduces bore erosion, for this reason there several grades of propellant with extra CaCO3. For current 5.56mm ammunition, W844 is the propellant of choice, the same stuff as W846 just the allowable CaCO3 is about half what is allowed in W846, so it's not quite the same ball propellant used in M193 pre-1969.

There are many reason the ball propellant was/is preferable to IMR propellants. It is still the preferred propellant for M193 and M855. However, IMR propellants are preferred for tracers loads.

Chrome plating the chamber solves the stuck case issue, by preventing corrosion. Chrome plating the rest of the barrel does not solve any immediate problem, it just make the barrel last a bit longer. You also have to remember that chromium, although extensively used as decoration in the civilian world, was an expensive strategic material, and its use had to be justified, in the sixties and seventies.

IMR is what was originally used when .223 Remington/5.56mm cartridge was created. The problems arose when the military substituted ball powder instead. Increased cyclic issues were only one of the problems. Calcium carbonate was also used for it's ability to preserve a powder's lifespan (it becomes acidic during breakdown, no?) but a by-product was increased fouling when the CaCo level was higher. Yes, the CaCo level was not needed to be as high as new ball powders came on line as 5.56 began to be mass produced.

There is a pic in The Black Rifle of an x-ray (?) cross-section of a gas tube that showed the excessive buildup attributed to the CaCo. Looked like an artery that is about to clog up in an obese 70yo who's eaten French fries and lard for decades!

[RAM Engineer]

The Great Rifle Controversy by Kerry Ezell. Ezell also had a hand in right Volume 1 of Black Rifle. I recently purchase a copy for about $100 off Amazon.

The Great Rifle Controversy and Black Rifle Vol 1 were both written by Edward Clinton Ezell. Not "Kerry" Ezell.

[26 Inf]

The Great Rifle Controversy by Kerry Ezell. Ezell also had a hand in right Volume 1 of Black Rifle. I recently purchase a copy for about $100 off Amazon.

Thanks, I believe that is it!