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Originally Posted by Sgt. Nick Fury Most astronomers can't say they have been to the Moon but I imagine a few know a thing or two more about it then Neil Armstrong....Are you saying that unless I have used a m-16 and a m-14 rifle in combat I can not study the reports, use my own firearms knowledge or have any opinion whatsoever on these weapons? |
No, actually I just wanted to know if you had used either in combat. I will assume by your uh .. reply, your answer would be "no."
While you may study reports, and play on the range - it by no means gives you the same first hand experience than those that have carried and used these weapons to dispatch the bad guys. I wanted to know where your opinions were coming from to better understand your perspective, now I do.
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In that case how often have you used an m-14 in combat?
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I have been playing in the dirt for 28 years, I have had reason to carry the M-14 a time or two or more.
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While...problematic.......? That's my point.....it is has been always will be problematic. The m-14 was superior in every way cept the weight of the ammo, and if it were my life on the line I'd carry that extra weight....the only problem with the m-14 is it wasn't lining teh right wallets in the pentagon in the 60's.....
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It is and has been my life on the line, and I have had no major problems with the M-16 when used. The majority of my people have had no major problems with the M-16 when used. I have, however, noticed the biggest problems seem to be from the operator NOT hitting his intended target, not maintaining his weapon properly, and generally lacking in weapons discipline.
Very few weapons work 100% of the time, that's life, mechanics, the elements and Murphy's Law.
And btw, that "except the weight of the ammo" (don't forget rifle, it's heavier) is not something to simply brush over. Infantrymen get very moody when they have to hump heavy things up big tall rocks in the snow. And I can assure you, you feel every OUNCE of weight after awhile.
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Granted....today's M-16 is a far far far cry improvement over it's early "widowmaker" reputation. That said, you still have several major flaws for a battlefield weapon. One it requires a LOT of maintenance, this especially is true in any area with alot of grime and dirt......aka any combat area outside of the freshly cleaned test labs.... The only good thing abotu this is it takes some amount of discipline and undisciplined enemy won't have much use for it for long. Men died because of it's problems with jamming on anything but IMR powder loads....I think that justifies me calling it a failure......if only for during the period of the Vietnam war.
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Most weapons, save a few (AK for instance) need regular maintenance, and the accurized M-14s are maintenance pigs. I've never fired an M-16 in a freshly cleaned test lab, but I have fired it in the deserts, swamps - you know, the general **** holes of the world with other angry little guys trying to kill me.
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The 7.62 round has better knockdown power then the 5.56
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Obviously. The 5.56 has an advantage to recoil management for rapid follow on shots while the 7.62mm will win in the "punch a hole in it" catagory. However, it still comes down to shot placement in the long run.
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The objective is to kill the enemy right? not just to wound them? I understand that only one per squad was issued among the 101st but why? Certainly a lot more then sniper teams got them, who are using the m21s and m-25's if they're going to use a non bolt action. It is never ridiculous to compare weapons and ballistics.......
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Why? Not everyone is a marksman, that is why. A small fraction of soldiers can be trained to become adept at snap-shooting in a reasonable amount of time, using average rifleman as instructors.
The M-14 is a poor mounting platform. Too much needs to be done with bedding and other modifications to keep the rifle accurate. In other words, it SUCKS as a sniper rifle and is not used as nor considered a SWS.
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that said if they're gonna spend billions on a new weapon system I think they should really reconsider the 5.56 round....
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I've already ranted about this at length in the X-M8 thread, so won't get back into it here.
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or else once again we'll have to issue m-14's to some squad so one guy can actually reach out and touch someone.
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That's why we implement DMs.
I love the M-14, I think it is a great rifle. I carried an M14 for years (had a folding choate stock/18"barrel/rail mounted 3moa aimpoint and other variants) yes we still use them, and I fully appreciate the benefits of the 7.62, but it is hardly a rifle that is going to, or even should replace the M16.