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To: raybbr
"Why are we buying from China for our military? Cost effectiveness?"

I don't think DOD field generators come from China. I think KBR would be the only ones to do so, and that would be under a contract to provide facilities and facilty support. There would be no difference in a Chinese generator in terms of connections, or waveform. As long as it's connected right, it would work just like any other generator.

"Sort of the same reasoning that made the early M-16 so dangerous to our troops."

The powder used in the ammo was changed w/o testing...

8 posted on 05/11/2008 2:02:21 PM PDT by spunkets ("Freedom is about authority", Rudy Giuliani, gun grabber)
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To: spunkets
The M-16 required a unique, for the Army, powder. The Army already had huge, decades amounts of old powder, unsuited for the high tolerances of the M-16. The solution was to dump it on the end user, the grunt in the field, whom already was sort of over tasked with other things like NVA infantry, VC, and of course, bird watching.

The Air Force just contracted for the correct powder and it's perimeter guards had little problems.

So, then the Army tried to screw the pooch by doing all sorts of FrankenRifle modifications to the M-16. This went on for years. Resulting in chrome bolts, barrels, forward assist (all good things in a way).

I'm reminded of the US Navy in WWII with at least two or more years of crap, totally faulty torpedoes that the Navy torpedo bureaucracy blamed on Sub Skippers.

Not military, but just as close was NASA and the Challenger explosion with the frozen rubber rings on the solid boosters.

12 posted on 05/11/2008 2:28:41 PM PDT by Leisler
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To: spunkets
The powder used in the ammo was changed w/o testing...

I was referring to the Sec of Defense wanting to save money by ordering the M16 without chrome plated chambers to save money.

14 posted on 05/11/2008 2:30:22 PM PDT by raybbr (You think it's bad now - wait till the anchor babies start to vote!)
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To: spunkets

” “Sort of the same reasoning that made the early M-16 so dangerous to our troops.”

The powder used in the ammo was changed w/o testing...”

Yes and no...The cyclic rate was just under what the army
weapons experts wanted so they switched to a faster burn powder to up the rate. The powder chosen did the job but left a lot of powder residue that resulted in the fouling of the chamber, leading to jammed weapons. The switch also favored the old boy network of powder suppliers that the army had used for years. Rather than admit a mistake had
been made, ordinance experts used desperate measures like
plating the chamber to make the bolt operate smoother and
easier to clean, only after untold number of lives had been
lost to a jammed weapon. The original AR-15 was and still
is one of the finest weapons every developed.


23 posted on 05/11/2008 3:10:35 PM PDT by OregonRancher (Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints)
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