[archy]

I've always agreed with you that we should have commenced development of an intermediate-sized cartridge and rifle following WWII (perhaps even preceeding it). I recall reading that an Army colonel, Renee R. Studler (what a name!) was the man who stood directly in the path of such efforts, to the point of forcing NATO to accept the .308 cartridge AND the Army to reneg on its promise to adopt the FN-FAL rifle. You probably know more than I about that story.

OH! yes...He was also one of those who tried his hardest to kill Armalite/Stoner's AR-15, as well. See Blake Stevens and Ed Ezell's The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective for more on Studler and the M16 fight.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Stevens's and Ezell's The Black Rifle... Arrgggghhh. About 15 years ago I lent my copy to a young gun nut on Cape Cod. Never saw him or it again.

Fans of the FAL (which has its pros, but is unmaintainable except by a first-world military with good training and logistics) can see the US T48 version in the Springfield Armory Museum, which is accessible if you find in Boston, Albany, or Hartford and have time for a day trip. If you are a sports fan, the Basketball Hall of Fame is in the same city (I have stayed for a month at the hotel that shares its parking lot without managing to see it... basketball... paugh. But some of you must like it and the displays are supposed to be good).

I am always entertained in these threads by the way that everybody who has ever picked up a rifle, which ought to be every male American, but unfortunately isn't, is an expert on small arms.

I am mostly happy with the issued arms. Contrary to most postings in anonymous chatrooms by boastful "SEALs" and whatnot, the M4A1 works pretty well; it is probably the best balance of weight and effect out there, and I'm told by the guys in J4 that all the coalition SOF came begging for them, including some equipped with G36s.

Still, if I could bring back one weapon from history it would be the M1A1 TSMG. Every once in a while I rent one at a range just to be master of all I survey. If everybody had to do it twice a year we'd probably have a massive outbreak of men acting like men, taking responsibility, protecting the helpless, and all that historical stuff. It's heavy and it's conceptually out of date, but JTT and his guys really produced a righteous machine.

It seems to me that decent weapons have been produced by committees and corporations, but excellent weapons have each always borne the stamp of an individual man.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F