30 Mar 02

On infantry rifles from an active duty friend in the USMC:

"There is no doubt that the shortened gas system of the M4 lends itself to excessive gas port erosion and, of course, inordinate wear on the extractor spring. Solutions have been developed, but Colt lacks the marrow to incorporate them. The M4 is appreciated for its compactness, but it is significantly less reliable than the full-sized M16A2. In addition, its short sight radius has markedly contributed to poor marksmanship, something that apparently does not concern anyone these days.

Ignoring the forgoing, our general officer leadership seems bent on globally replacing our M16A2s with M4s. Of course, the real problem is that the US Army, not the USMC, has the lead on all military service rifle procurement, and there are too few general officers (Army or Marine) who have any real understanding of, and even less interest in, firearms, marksmanship, and terminal ballistics.

A superior solution, and one that would, at long last, give us an individual rifle with adequate range and penetration, would be to replace our M16A2s with Armalite AR10A2 Carbines in 308. Then, provide sufficient time and ammunition to train Marines not only to shoot, but to shoot extremely well."

Comment: My friend is a hero, but there art too few like him currently on active duty. The general officers of which he speaks are interested only in missiles, ray guns, and their next promotion. They are far more devoted to KEEPING their jobs than they are to DOING their jobs.

/John