Over the last 25 years, I've used several AR-15/M-16 variants in all sorts of climes and terrain, from desert to swamp, and never, ever seen anything even close to that failure rate.
Posted on 11/14/2003 10:34:22 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants
First, a bit of background. I have a friend whose NG transportation unit was activated in February and through the usual Army SNAFU's didn't get depoyed to Iraq until late April.
Needless to say that within the first couple of weeks his unit started coming under fire. On one accasion when they were ordered to dismount and return fire, over half of the unit's M-16's jammed after a couple of shots.
Figuring that I needed to do someting to help them out, I did a bit of research and came up with a product called Militec Synthetic Metal Conditioner. I wrote them and asked for and received a free sample that they advertised on their site. After testing the stuff out I ordered some fro my friend. It was a bit expensive so I only bought one 16 oz. bottle and sent it to him with complete instructions on it's use.
About a week ago I got a report from his wife that the troops really love this stuff as it makes cleaning MUCH easier as it doen't attract dust and grit like the military lubricants, but more importantly, it GREATLY enhances weapons reliability. His buddies are all asking him for some for their weapons and I told him to give it out freely as I would buy more.
Well to make a long story longer, I went on Militec's website and ordered two more 16 oz. bottles, free shipping, total cost of $55. I put my buddy's APO Iraq address as the delivery point.
Well, this morning my wife gets a call from Militec comfirming who the stuff was for and that he really was in Iraq (that sort of was the idea when I put his addy down). They then told my wife that the lubricant was on them and that it would not appear on my CC. VERY COOL! :D
If you are looking for a superior lubricant for your weapons, please support this company that has been generous in supporting our troops.
Thank you for your time.
Over the last 25 years, I've used several AR-15/M-16 variants in all sorts of climes and terrain, from desert to swamp, and never, ever seen anything even close to that failure rate.
Stay Safe ...............:o)
My troops cleaned their weapons and key gear before they were allowed to sleep or shower if that pleasure was available. Good NCO's ensured weapons were done properly and line officers made the random check.....doom on the troop with a fouled weapon before a patrol started.
Stay Safe !
I've seen near 25% of an airborne unit's M16A1 rifles left unserviceable from bent barrels and broken stocks/ buffer tubes from bad parachute landing falls or draggings in windy conditions. Back when the 101st was still jumping at Ft Campbell, they loaded a few extra rifles into Griswold bags so as to have a few spares to cover the problem, should it arise. That was one reason the M16A1 and A2 is usually jumped in the 48-inch long M1950 drop case originally fielded for the BAR and folded over the stock for extra protection on an M16; the newer M4 carbine is more usually jumped tied or strapped to the body, though the front sling swivel needs to be reinforced if the M203 grenade launcher is fitted to an M4.
So far as lubricants go, I'm a believer in dri-slide too, per Blackie's link in #15 above, though you need to wait until it dries to expose the weapon to continuous drizzle or monsoon rain, or it'll wash off like LSA or Break-Free. When I didn't have anything else, I'd lube an M16A1 with pencil *lead* graphite, and they usually worked okay.
Both dri-slide and mil-tech work pretty well on motorcycle clutch and brake control cables and housings, and I've been known to use Mil-tech on back sprockets and drive chains, too.
Gripes about M16 maintenance may not natter much longer anyway. Brighter news appears to be on the horizon....
About 4 months ago, I got to play *downed enemy pilot* for a local ROTC unit's field problems; we threw them a few leadership problems they hadn't considered [foreign language; fake a surrender, then shoot a couple of my captors [MILES gear] and then surrender for real, and a *enemy female nurse* who made a phony rape charge against the ROTC cadet who *captured* her- she was the one dragged me into playing in the woods with the college kids in the first place.] and had some nasty little twists beyond what the college kids had learned in classrooms. Did I mention the angelic-faced 13-year-old kid who *killed himself with a grenade,* complete with bloodpack and entrails moulage under his shirt, rather than surrender to the filthy Americanos...?
It rained the second day out. I had stuffed a plastic garbage bag in one cell of the AK magazine pouch I had for the folding stock AK47-S I was carrying, not that the AK really needed it. But the ROTC kids, less well prepared, pulled off their ponchos and made do with their crappy GI rainsuits, wrapping their M16s in their ponchos. Good kids; somebody taught them well. Except about mines. We *killed* more than half of them, twenty-two casualties out of forty. Six of us.
There are gonna be at least some junior officers out there who know what it takes as far as keeping the rifles cleaned and lubed.
-archy-/-
I'll give're a road test and report back.
Good idea Squantos!!!
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