I seem to recall this was an extremely poorly set up "study" that indicated nothing, really, except for the preconceived biases and prejudices of the author of the study.
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I seem to recall this was an extremely poorly set up "study" that indicated nothing, really, except for the preconceived biases and prejudices of the author of the study.
There is a lot of bullshit, chest thumping, Monday morning quarterbacking over Wanat.
A dead PL, breached defenses, running outside the wire to help dead and wounded at an outpost. Wanat was a shit storm, and a lot of Good American boys were killed by a well coordinated enemy with superior numbers within combatives range, not because they were trigger happy **** ups waiting to get smoked.
Wanat exposed a deficiency with the M4 under EXTREME conditions, and we'll get an improved weapon as a result.
Some people need to get their head unwrapped from ass and realize the M4 is not perfect, and it can be improved to ensure that Soldiers have a better chance when hell goes to 11.
Variable Binary, well said.
The Soldiers at Wanat did an incredible job defending an indefensible position. It's a miracle that they weren't over run and only 9 were killed. They were literally fish in a barrel. There were failures, well above the pay grade of anyone at that outpost, that allowed what happened. Trying to blame a rifle or how the Soldiers used their rifles, is allowing the politicians and Generals who are responsible to walk.
No one here has stated that the M4 is perfect. It obviously has some faults. However, you still have a military that teaches out dated crap to this day. The lubrication thing being one of them. I have talked with literally hundreds of military personnel who still do not know how to properly lubricate their weapons.
What weapon do you think the military is going to get as a result? I personally do not see any change on the horizon.
What improvements would you make or recommend to the platform if you could?
Wet lubes can be both your friend and enemy in the M16 platform. All things being equal, dry lubes may also be preferred. It could be that coated - i.e. Nickle Boron - internals may be the future in the M16 platform to help keep it running at a higher level of reliability.
Along the line of thought that 120mm mentioned above, consider for a moment that you're reading an article from Proceedings....
...which is about as pure a blue-water Navy pub as exists on the planet, opining on matters concerning the ground-combat element.
That's like getting marital/sexual advice from a Monsignor McFadden Boylover.
We also need to be skeptical about how the soldier knew he fired all of those rounds in 30 minutes. I rather doubt he was checking his watch, so he probably only perceived the time to be 30 minutes. Folks under stress often grossly overestimate the elapsed time.
Man, there is a lot in this thread that I've never heard.
Not staggering the gas rings? Dry lube instead of CLP?
Is there one place I can get this and other updated information?