The Contender: Winchester’s .224 Light Rifle

www.americanrifleman.org ^ | 2/19/2016 | Bruce N. Canfield

[ThinkingBuddha]

....Winchester based its design for the proposed new rifle on guns the company had already developed during World War II....the short-stroke gas piston that was used on the famous M1 carbine...

....Winchester utilized the same basic gas system design........the new Lightweight Rifle was to be designed on the basis of well-proven earlier guns.......

......Armalite design contained 113 parts while the Winchester gun had only 70 parts....

.......Winchester had a tough decision to make regarding continued development of the .224 WLWMR. Winchester would have to bear all subsequent development costs, and there were serious doubts within the company whether or not any government orders would be forthcoming.......A further concern was that the Armalite rifle was, at the time, backed by the Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corp., were prepared to go to any lengths to promote their rifle without consideration of the cost.

.....Another consideration was that many, if not most, of the U.S. Army people who were, or would be, associated with the new rifle were not the old school of fully trained, experienced ordnance engineers. Many of them were not even engineers, or trained ordnance officers, but officers from the combat arms. This was of great concern to Winchester......the new generation of U.S. Army people were mostly the type that became enthralled with what old timers and ordnance people called ‘the Buck Rogers Armalite rifle.’......

.....One wonders what the current American military rifle would look like today if Winchester had decided to pursue continued development of its .224 caliber Lightweight Military Rifle. It is probable that the M16 would still have been adopted, and Winchester would have wound up with a costly prototype on its hands....Like the old adage goes, sometimes you have to “know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em......

[Durus]

Thanks for your service.