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I really appreciate guns that demonstrate technological development.

Some changes are so simple, yet someone had to think of it. Sometimes it was a matter of pressing what was possible with metalurgy and tooling. Other times it was just thinking differently. I never gave any thought to charging handles being on the right side of every semi-auto I’d ever held, until I picked up a rifle with the charging handle on the left. Then I was stunned at how much easier it made mag changes, while keeping the rifle in a ready state. I also like to mull how old thinking often restricted development.

Very cool that the Smithsonian allowed you to have access. Did they ask to see your replica in action? If not I think you should make a video to put with their rifle.

I always tried to incorporate experience-proven features in the experimental stuff we made for the Marine Corps but the stumbling block was the army - or more accurately, the civilian heads of departments within the army research, engineering and development command. Anything we put in front of them - and today, everything has to be "joint" - wasn't even considered. They were determined to keep the miserable M-16 family in place and that miserable 5.56X45 caliber no matter what your test results showed.

The huge flaws were that natural inertia all departments have to keep everything the same because that's what they decided a long time ago and because none of the leadership had been in uniform and none of them at all conversant in firearms history.

What we need in this country of superior firearms knowledge is a team of top-notch firearms guys, ballisticians and engineers to develop the next-generation weapons.

What we have instead are the (fill in the blank) folks of the Joint Service Small Arms Program coming up with that ridiculous pig of all pigs, the XM-25. A $25,000 ranging sight, which requires the shooter to expose his/her head and shoulders out of cover for the several seconds needed to get a laser range solution, a shot that kicks like a moose in heat, and if the shooter is very lucky, the round detonates somewhere near his intended target, spraying the enemy with itsy-bitsy grain of sand-size fragments - all for $25-$50 per shot.

We really need guys like you and I running the development program.

I have a very good "in" at the Smithsonian and I only live 20 miles away. If you get into the Washington DC area, ping me and I'll get you a visit to their Back Room with Abraham Lincoln's Henry Rifle, George Washington's sword, and John Dillinger's .45 Colt. Heck, if you give me enough warning, we'll go shoot the Ferguson.