Posted on 07/10/2012 6:08:51 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
“US Army Preventive Maintenance Manual for the M16A1 Rifle, published by PS Magazine in a comic book form. The idea was that young, uneducated soldiers were more likely to read comics than boring military manuals. This one was illustrated by the prominent comic artist Will Eisner.”
(Excerpt) Read more at retronaut.co ...
Been a big Wil Eisner fan since re-prints of his ‘The Spirit’.
His comic, tech order/job guide is still top notch!
The soviets ripped off Hugo Schmeisser’s design of the MP43———————That’s why the Germans call the Kalashnikov the Stg. 47.
I can field strip with an M-16 while blindfolded before you can say “lackanookie!”
Had you purchased a Daewoo DR 200 or DR 300, you would have a 1”+ rifle out of the box, and no reliability issues that needed big bucks fixes.
Just sayin.
;-)
PS Magazine was an excellent way to get MWO’s, tips, and updates into the hands of the troops in a timely manner. It was a regular maintenance pub that covered all kinds of Army equipment; not just the M-16.
I’m going to disagree. Kalashnikov had a single moment of genius. Browning had a lifetime of it.
I remember the motor pool PM comic had a gal called Connie Lingus.....no kidding. Oh for the days before PC.
Though it was not their fault they were issued the rifle with inadequate training in maintenance. And a rifle that was quite unlike the Garand, M-1 Carbine, and M-14 in function and cleaning prototcol.
There were many more characters in June 1951, Private Joe Dope, Private Fosgnoff, MSG Bull Dozer, Percy the Skunk, SFC Windy Windsock, SFC Macon Sparks, SFC Pablo Hablo, Half-Mast, and Connie Rodd. Two remain as of 2010: Half-Mast, who was promoted to Master Sergeant, and Connie Rodd, both of whom have appeared in every issue.
Later characters that as of 2010 still appear are: Bonnie, an African-American civilian who appeared in 1970 to work with Connie; SFC Benjamin "Rotor" Blade, an aviation specialist; and the Online Warrior, a Logistics Management avatar.
How long has this simple fix for that ornery system been around? Is it allowed for field installation by military personnel? My nephew in Iraq and my niece in Afghanistan tell me that although the M4 is a very good weapon, it still does jam occasionally and must be kept absolutely clean to be reliable
I have long inquired about the drawbacks of the direct impingement system and have been told that it "it's the best in cold climates," etc., etc. I personally know that M16s fouled very quickly.
One more thing, that damned comic book was written in what engineers must have considered to be "hep" cool talk. Much of it was gibberish then and today's dumbed-down kids wouldn't understand a word!
Suffice it to say that the Osprey kit would have saved many young lives in VietNam.
I’d never heard that before. If it isn’t true, it ought to be. That’s good stuff!
Russia filed the patent for AK-47 in 1997 or so, and are busy trying to run around and gather royalties.
Of course Hugo Schmeisser who was on the design team won’t get anything. Kalashnikov had a ‘more correct’ political image.
piston-rod systems have their own failure modes. The rod can buckle or kink, the piston can also foul or jam. The Stoner bolt put the piston inside the bolt, in line with the barrel, which makes sense in some cases- More accurate, and fewer parts.
I myself like the delayed blowback. That way there is no separate gas system at all. When the timing is done correctly, most of the gas blows out the front, and the round will still extract even if the extractor is removed. As for lethality, the M-4 suffers from its short barrel. The longer barrel has higher velocity, and fragments further out.
A review of Teddy Roosevelt’s account of operations in Cuba reveals that he was unimpressed by the 7mm Mauser- If a soldier was shot in brain, heart or spine he died, if shot and the brain, heart and spine were missed, the soldiers recovered quickly.
I went through the Infantry unit armorer’s course. We had to, strip, mix the parts, and only after all of the parts were in one pile, then we could reassemble and functions check:
1911 .45 pistol
M-16
M-203
M-60
M-2
All at once and blindfolded (1 hr time limit) in order to pass the class. I was prepping for going for my 18B but blew out my knee before I could get to Q course. Doubt I could do it today. I’d have to relearn the feel of some of the parts.
Like most of these things, they started with Germany. “Tiger Feibel” was the cartoon book that taught WWII German tiger operators the tricks to keeping that beast operational.
Army guys laugh at Marines, who won’t use the best training technology.
This is awesome! Great to see!
Looking for a gun that works makes packing the weight of an M-14 and ammo seem pretty insignificant doesn’t it?
I dislike them as well. Driving tacks seems to be their forte. I have never understood the reason it was ever adopted. Knock down is like cubes over rpm in an engine. I’ll take mass every time out to a certain distance.
Not a bad varmint round but varmints don’t shoot back.
I’ll hang up now before a big ruckus starts debating the best battle rifle. The AK does what it was designed to do very well though.
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