
Originally Posted by
justlikeanyoneelse
My meaning of "every rifle works" was a general phrase to indicate a rifle that can fire rounds...in this case I was merely indicating that a DI and piston both get the job done.
1) "The AR system was not designed with a piston, why add one."
-Great topic to discuss (No sarcasm intended). I have heard the argument Stoner did not include a piston therefore he thought the system would work without one. Stoner is deceased, R.I.P., unless you were his right hand assistant or Stoner himself you do not know the exact reason he went with a D.I. system. Your implying if an item works fine it does not need any improvement. By your own words this very concept is a logical fallacy. Weapons especially need to be further tuned and improved as the combat environment evolves everyday. For example during the Vietnam War, soldiers thought the M16 was a plastic toy compared to the M14...it took time and effort but they realized they underestimated the M16.
2) "Maintaining your weapon."
- I've seen this phrase thrown around a lot on forums, however there is a great difference between a casual shooter/gun nut and those who routinely go in harms way. For instance most of us on this forum, me included, are civilians. We attend gun ranges, shows, and training classes as often as we can and when we are through we go home and give our guns hour long cleanings. Our firearms are therefore treated as rugged and lethal luxury items. I mean lets be honest its our hard earned money going into these things we treat them with the utmost respect. However for the others who go in harms way, they are constantly in harsh conditions with their weapon by their side 24/7. They don't always have the best cleaning items or time for that matter. They walk/run/crawl miles through desert/jungle/whatever. In essence their guns take a pounding. So it is VERY EASY for us to say that "if you keep your AR maintained and lubed, then there should be no issues." We have that luxury to clean and pack away our guns after we had our fun, saying the AR works fine if properly lubed and cleaned is common sense, not an indication of reliability.
3) Parts Breaking/Added/Issues/Weight
- I am speaking from personal experience. I own a HK416 10.4 (AF date code NON-MR556) with a surefire mini suppressor. For those who have ever handled one, the piston and rod assembly are just two extra pieces, furthermore they are pretty sturdy. I would like to see someone try to break it. Last time I checked the Germans didn't make crap. I have never had carrier tilt ever. Without the mini the HK416 is super clean, I can understand why delta and dev picked it. Also some people complain about the weight of a piston rifle.....seriously weight? We spend hundreds on rifles, pistols, ammo, lights, lasers, magazines, fore grips, sights, scopes, and god only knows what else but we cant afford some weights and build a little muscle. I mean come on push ups are free, if your complaining about weight you need to blame yourself.
4) Facts vs Opinions.
- Army conducted a dust test with the M4, XM8, SCAR, and HK416...yea the M4 (AR) was really reliable there don't ya think? As a matter of fact I think it was IraqGunz on this forum who mentioned the Delta guys he saw at a FOB loved their HK416s.
- Devgru and Delta adopted the HK416...they obviously know a thing or two about warfare so a piston system can't be all too bad.
- SOCOM has been selecting piston systems more and more lately. Up until recently the FN SCAR Light and Heavy. HK416 for Delta and Dev.
- More and more prominent firearm makers are going the piston route. To name a few, (FN and HK.) Shoot I even saw colt with their own piston system.
*I am not saying piston is better than DI, I am just defending the piston system against an unusual amount of bias...yes bias. As firearm enthusiasts we are supposed to be open to new ideas and concepts. What really frustrates me is the people who read a forum and judge before actually handling the firearm. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
Again not meaning to start a DI vs Piston argument, just offering a different point of view. However if you only have opinions please, lets avoid repetition on this thread.
P.S. If anyone on this forum is ever in the DFW area and would like to shoot an HK416 10.4 with a surefire mini pm me, Id be more than happy to go shooting with fellow firearms enthusiasts.
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