There is never enough CLP for a M16A2 in the desert.
This reprto matches EXACTLY the reports I get from returning Service members. Nice to see a fair and balanced article. Now off to the sotre for CLP.
Less is more in the desert. The biggest problem with CLP is operator error. CLP is a light oil that acts as a carrier for particulate teflon. The only way to get the particulate teflon into suspension is VIGOROUS shaking of the container is comes in. Additionally, placing a nut or bolt into the bottle, or several into the gallon sized containers will help break up the teflon sediment that settles to the bottom of the container. With CLP, the carrier can move away, and the teflon remains, keeping the mechanism running. Some folks prefer white lithium or TW25B grease, and this works too, keeping dust at a distance from moving parts.
Nothing replaces regular attention with a paintbrush, keeping the “DUST COVER” closed, and some troops have been seen with neoprene coolies (those foam things that keep one’s beer cold) wrapped around their primary patrol magazine and pushed up against the bottom of the magazine well. This helps seal the system against some of the larger dust particles.
The rifle runs with disciplined maintenance.
Stay alert
ping
5.56 mm is an inadequate cartridge for reliable one-stop hits. Doesn’t mean I’d like to be on the receiving end of one, but if I had to choose a round on which to stake my life, that wouldn’t be it. .308 is nice and hard-hitting, and I’ve got 2 rifles that shoot it (a Remington 700 and an M1A).
However.
If I had to pick a new cartridge for the grunts to use, I’d pick the 6.5 Grendel. It is based on the very accurate 6mm PPC round. The ballistics of the 6.5 bullet are superior to virtually anything out there, and it is inherently very accurate. One can hump many more rounds of it than .308/7.62mm, and have far greater hitting power than the 5.56. Excellent sniper round, as it is accurate at up to 1,000 yards (because of the ballistics).
Check it out at http://www.65grendel.com/
Me, I’d use this new cartridge with a piston-powered version of the AR series. You get the ergonomics of the AR series, the reliability of not $hitting where you eat, and the superior ballistics of the 6.5 bullet. Logistics will be simplified - get rid of all of the mouse-gun cartridges and the .308. Use this for LMGs, and if you need some really long-range stuff for sniping, use either .338 Lapua or .50 BMG.