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Thread: What options does the US military put on their M4's?

  1. #11
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    right. They dont mind as long as the pistol grips and stocks are black

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Riverine View Post
    There's de jure and there's de facto.

    De jure, one isn't supposed to mod weapons, but it gets hazy when you're talking about an attachment or something that doesn't involve breaking the thing down past a normal field-strip. If you get some kid that wants to swap the usual receiver endplate for one with a sling attachment, and they manage to get the extension off but don't notice the safety/selector detent spring go zipping off toward the horizon, you end up with issues of one sort or another. That's the sort of event on which the policy is based, a non-armorer tinkering with stuff they don't have detailed knowledge of and without ready access to tools/parts to fix it even if they do. You're setting yourself up for a possible Article 108 charge (willful or negligent damage to gov't property, or whatever the verbiage is) if something breaks.

    De facto, you have to be some kind of uniformity-only-for-the-sake-of-uniformity prick (let's face it, no shortage of those...) to gig somebody for changing out a stock, or using personally-purchased Pmags instead of issue mags, or using a BAD...anything that doesn't require significant disassembly and in no way changes how the gun works. Thankfully, they're not the norm. Once you're away from the flagpole, the garrison crap generally goes away, and whatever enhances your operational capabilities or simply makes your ability to operate incrementally more efficient is okay as long as you're not taking a hacksaw to your weapon.

    Thankfully, the needless-uniformity jerks are NOT the norm, so things like charging handles, alternate optics, stocks, non-issue magazines, etc. are allowed.

    Inevitably, though, personnel changes over at some point, and you may get that asshole 1stSgt who feels that things like beanies (which IS an issue piece of gear, BTW) are comfort items, so he won't allow their wear because he hates the way they look, even if it's under a helmet. Meanwhile, you're out in the field, losing over 80% of your heat through your dome and incurring mild hypothermia because he's an empire-building douchecan.

    Point being, the problem is usually more local, and less programmatic.
    exactly.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Riverine View Post
    There's de jure and there's de facto.

    ETA: Buckshot, there's actually no real way to answer your question, as it is written. Between the different branches, their programs of record, their congressional buys, individual units and their OTS buys, and what individual users are or are not allowed to buy themselves and use...the question is too broad.
    I didn't realize the modifications varied so much. Thanks for replying. I did do some research since the original post and found information on the SOPMOD package and that was what I was looking for.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOPMOD

  4. #14
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    Agreed, it's totally unit/ chain of command dependent. I've seen everything from my buddy's camo painted redi-magged, BAD levered, magpuled out M4 to bone stock M16A2's in country. I'm rocking an ACS stock and ergo grip on my M4 and I hauled off and bought an XPS after our SOPMOD Eotechs started crapping out (battery connectors) and nobody bats an eye. Many leaders have an "whatever works for you" attitude if a modification is reversible and within reason, but some of the real hard-ons still think optics are newfangled gagetry.

    Do what you will, but find out for sure if you buddies kid can get away with using your stock before you hand it over. Also, your generosity is commendable but even as a lowly enlisted guy I've never been so strapped for cash that I couldn't afford whatever kit I felt I needed. You might let him shoot your gun and see if he even appreciates it.

    I can't believe how good the government is at wasting money and spending it on the wrong things. The DOD buys new computers for all the pogues every three years but they can't afford to transition to a 6.8 round? Please.
    Last edited by mkmckinley; 03-07-10 at 13:03.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by mkmckinley View Post

    I can't believe how good the government is at wasting money and spending it on the wrong things. The DOD buys new computers for all the pogues every three years but they can't afford to transition to a 6.8 round? Please.
    I dont know about you, but I dont want to walk around with a full combat load of 6.8. The peashooter is fine with me.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by mkmckinley View Post
    The DOD buys new computers for all the pogues every three years but they can't afford to transition to a 6.8 round? Please.
    The Army in particular is far more concerned with developing an eco-friendly round so that the spotted-dick turtle will not perish from the earth from imaginary lead in drinking water. Once they get THAT solution to a problem that doesn't exist figured out....it's on like Donkey Kong.
    Contractor scum, AAV

  7. #17
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    I just got off my ass and took a quick picture of my and my buddy's M4's on our filthy hallway floor. You can see how much longer the ACS stock is than the MOE which I think is a good thing. All the furniture is pretty obvious but what you can't really make out are the GG&G bolt-on sling mounts and the Gear Sector QR rail mount (thanks blackstone tactical). It's a big image so I just posted a link to it.

    http://i.imgur.com/BKhlu.jpg

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by matt86 View Post
    I dont know about you, but I dont want to walk around with a full combat load of 6.8. The peashooter is fine with me.
    You should try a basic load of 7.62 with the steel MK 17 mags, not to mention the 13.5 lb MK17. That's no joke.

  9. #19
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    you carry a mk17?

  10. #20
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    Lug is a better description.

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