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The USA's M4 Carbine Controversy
Defense Industry Daily ^ | 11 May 2007

Posted on 05/11/2007 9:22:48 AM PDT by Yo-Yo

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The HK 416, or even a Colt gas piston equipped M4, should be the only thing the DoD should be considering to purchase as replacement rifles.
1 posted on 05/11/2007 9:22:54 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
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To: Yo-Yo
come back to some power!


2 posted on 05/11/2007 9:28:23 AM PDT by Vaquero (time again for the Crusades.)
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To: Yo-Yo

Why field a foreign made weapon for most of our whole military? I perfectly understand that Special Forces and counter-terrorist groups use foreign weapons, probably most notably Heckler and Koch.

American soldiers should use American weapons. Made within our borders.


3 posted on 05/11/2007 9:29:21 AM PDT by wastedyears (I was opposed to Rudy in the mid 1990s when he took my fireworks away. I was but a little boy.)
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To: wastedyears
You mean like the Beretta?

If H&K got an order for 500,000 HK416s, they'd set up a US manufacturing plant.

4 posted on 05/11/2007 9:31:40 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (USAF, TAC, 12th AF, 366 TFW, 366 MG, 366 CRS, Mtn Home AFB, 1978-81)
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To: wastedyears

American soldiers should use American weapons. Made within our borders.


HK has a domestic factory ready to roll, from what I understand.


5 posted on 05/11/2007 9:32:09 AM PDT by Atlas Sneezed (Your FRiendly FReeper Patent Attorney (...and another "Constitution-bot"))
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To: Vaquero
Try wielding that thing during a house-to-house in Basra.
6 posted on 05/11/2007 9:32:46 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (USAF, TAC, 12th AF, 366 TFW, 366 MG, 366 CRS, Mtn Home AFB, 1978-81)
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To: wastedyears

Or more apropriately, the Army should be willing to make changes where and when needed, rather than sitting like an immovable object.

Trust me, there’s no good to be had when unyielding “standardization” takes hold.


7 posted on 05/11/2007 9:36:20 AM PDT by OCCASparky (Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
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To: Yo-Yo
Try wielding that thing during a house-to-house in Basra

The HK? No problemo.
8 posted on 05/11/2007 9:37:46 AM PDT by OCCASparky (Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
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To: Yo-Yo

My dad weilded a Garand and loaded down with the heavy 30-06 ammo for it throughout WWII....

....things have changed.


9 posted on 05/11/2007 9:39:21 AM PDT by Vaquero (time again for the Crusades.)
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To: Beelzebubba

Yup, they planned one in Columbus, Georgia, where Ft. Benning is.


10 posted on 05/11/2007 9:41:42 AM PDT by Lusis ("Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.")
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To: Yo-Yo

I do not know why the US military is making this so difficult. Change the uppers to gas pistons and neck the 223 up to a 6mm 90grn bullet. No need to change lowers or magazines


11 posted on 05/11/2007 9:44:29 AM PDT by BobinIL
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To: Yo-Yo

They realy should give some thought about the M1A SOCOM 16!


12 posted on 05/11/2007 9:45:51 AM PDT by eastforker (.308 SOCOM 16, hottest brand going.2350 FPS muzzle..M.. velocity)
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To: wastedyears
The M4 pictured has no electronic or optical sight. Virtually all combat soldiers now have special sights on their weapons.

Most soldiers like the M4. There are still some Freepers who do no like the 5.56 (223) round but for the average Joe it is the right weapon and the right round.

Sure the 5.56 makes a small little entrance hole but going through bone and flesh it makes a big nasty exit wound. Being a small round it means that the crunchies can carry twice as much ammo.

I would wager that there are more first round hits at 200 yards with the M4 than with the M1s of the Korean War simply due to the current proliferation of optical sights.

13 posted on 05/11/2007 9:49:01 AM PDT by Monterrosa-24 (...even more American than a French bikini and a Russian AK-47.)
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To: eastforker
They realy should give some thought about the M1A SOCOM 16!

That would be my first choice, too (in a selective fire variant.)

14 posted on 05/11/2007 9:49:39 AM PDT by mbynack (Retired USAF SMSgt)
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To: Yo-Yo

“You mean like the Beretta?”

The Beretta is an okay gun, but they should have never replaced the 1911A1 with this. If they wanted to replace the 1911A1 with something, it should have been with some re-designed 1911A1 or any of the other myriad of .45 ACPs out there.

The only reason we switched to the 9mm parabellum was to conform to NATO standards. Dumb reason to switch out. The 1911A1 is far superior to the 92FS. I remember when they first issued these in the Marine Corps and there were a bunch of people getting hit with slides flying off.

We switched from the 7.62 to 5.56 to conform to NATO specs, why can’t they switch from the 9 X 19 to a .45 ACP?


15 posted on 05/11/2007 9:52:04 AM PDT by Old Teufel Hunden
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To: mbynack

That would be my first choice, too (in a selective fire variant.)............... Maybe, but only with a bipod. Still, even in semi-auto, you can still deliver one hell of a lot of lead in a short amount of time.


16 posted on 05/11/2007 9:56:35 AM PDT by eastforker (.308 SOCOM 16, hottest brand going.2350 FPS muzzle..M.. velocity)
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To: Yo-Yo
The M4 is the highest-rated weapon by Soldiers in combat, according to the Directorate of Combat Development, Ft. Benning, Ga. In December 2006, the Center for Naval Analysis conducted a "Soldiers' Perspective on Small Arms in Combat" survey. Their poll of over 2,600 Soldiers reported overwhelming satisfaction with the M4. The survey included serviceability and usefulness in completing assigned missions in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Of course it is the highest rated weapon when the alternatives are so few.

17 posted on 05/11/2007 9:56:52 AM PDT by kerryusama04 (John 19:31)
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To: Old Teufel Hunden

“...We switched from the 7.62 to 5.56 to conform to NATO specs, why can’t they switch from the 9 X 19 to a .45 ACP?”

Ha! Right-o! NATO could conform to us once in a while since we are over half of NATO in real forward combat projection.

The 1911 design is going stronger than ever as it nears one hundred years. The Colts, Kimbers, Springfields, Paras, and Wilsons all keep tweaking the old boy but the basic 1911 (without guide rod, extended thumb release, enlarged extraction port) as made in 1911 is still one great weapon.


18 posted on 05/11/2007 10:02:59 AM PDT by Monterrosa-24 (...even more American than a French bikini and a Russian AK-47.)
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To: wastedyears
American soldiers should use American weapons. Made within our borders.

My gas-piston rifle is stamped "Las Vegas, NV". I hear they make one in 5.56 that accepts M16 magazines nowadays.


19 posted on 05/11/2007 10:04:50 AM PDT by kerryusama04 (John 19:31)
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To: Yo-Yo
The HK 416, or even a Colt gas piston equipped M4, should be the only thing the DoD should be considering to purchase as replacement rifles.

My thoughts exactly. The direct impingement system ("it craps where it eats") is just too finicky--not a good quality for a combat weapon you're going be staking yours and others lives on. Let's phase in something with a gas piston and move on.

20 posted on 05/11/2007 10:08:10 AM PDT by nonsporting
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