Shek

Where's this news? SOF has been buying the M4A1 for a while which is full auto, but since when has the M4 stopped being requisitioned for conventional forces and been replaced by the M4A1?

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gunnut

Oh yeah, don't use Wolf ammo. The steel case expansion is a problem, so is the shiny stuff on the outside of the case. It melts or at least get sticky after the chamber gets sufficiently hot. And it may even coat your chamber to render it problematic even if you use regular ammo in the future.

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SnowLeopard

I don't use it at all but it is more for a reason of philsophies that mechanics. My patron is a Cold War veteran, as am I, and he won't touch the stuff. I follow is example.

Although, early on, I was concerned about the possibility of having a Class D fire in the firing chamber due to the different metals ..... no one could ever tell me if that was even a possibility.
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("It's a very rare possibility but if the casing seperates in the chamber and you don't have this tool, your rifle becomes a club."--advertisement for a case removal tool, (wtte))

Dreadnought

Saw a show a few weeks ago on the Barret they say its an excellent 50 cal weapon. No more pull the bolt per shot. It holds 10 now in clip form and can hold further pending what attachent is used.

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Captain C

The young Army guy from my church just got home Iraq a few days ago. We're supposed to go to the range on Friday. I hope to get an update from him on the weapons that the guys out in the field think work best. One thing that disturbs me is that he says most guys are not given a pistol for backup, they are sent out with the M-16 only. Only the officers are given a Beretta. I don't like the sound of that at all.

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Stan187

I don't think we got enough nine mils to do that. As far as I know most soldiers in most armies, unless they are SOF, don't get backup pistols. But maybe I never bothered to pay attention, and am wrong.

leib10

That's bad. If their M16 has a serious failure, they could be in real trouble unless they find a replacement weapon fast.

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leib10

This usually applies to AR-type weapons. The polymer (or older lacquer) coating on the cases can melt if the chamber is hot enough. Also the steel is brittle and can really tear up your gun. AKs don't have a problem with this. I've shot thousands of rounds out of both of mine and haven't had any issues.

Also the G3 doesn't have as much of a problem because of the fluted chamber.

Stan187

Hopefully they stumble upon the body and weapon of a dead insurgent.

pdf27

Given that pistols are effing useless as a weapon outside of some very limited circumstances, carrying backups like that is just a waste of weight. Particularly considering that it is extremely rare for a military assault rifle to break down completely, and that soldiers will very rarely be in major firefights at less than Platoon strength. The extra weight is far more usefully used carrying extra ammunition, grenades and water. Carrying extra weight slows you down, and makes you far more likely to get shot.

In fact the only thing that concerns me about that report was that the officer was carrying a pistol. Pistols, radios and the like suddenly make you a priority target for those who don't like you in the vicinity. Radios are unavoidable (although things like PRR help enormously) but pistols are just unneccesary.

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Stan187

Not necesarilly. Ambushes frequently happen. Being surrounded or cut off happens. That's war. Even for the world's most powerful military. Unless whole platoons are used to clear houses, which is not the case.

pdf27

Oooookay... So you're saying that a heavily loaded soldier who may have to move very, very fast at a moment's notice should carry a relatively heavy, clumsy and ineffective weapon in case his primary weapon fails.
This primary weapon will have an MTBF in excess of 10,000 rounds with minimal/no cleaning. It will have plenty of spare ammunition spread out among the platoon for when you run out. It will be the weapon the soldier is best trained with and is most effective with. And that soldier will never be alone.
Spare weapons are carried in only the very rarest of specialist circumstances, for very good reasons. To instinctively use a weapon well takes a lot of training, and supporting it in combat takes a lot of logistics. "Just in case the extremely unlikely happens" isn't a good enough arguament to support taking a spare weapon given the massive problems it causes.

Dreadnought

Send your troops "sillystring" they are begging for it and it is put to very good use!

leib10

Pistols aren't THAT heavy...

glyn

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