Iraqi Army to Ditch AK-47s for M-16s

Military.com ^ | February 27, 2008 | Christian Lowe

[robertpaulsen]

"But keep in mind most of these AKs have been sitting around in bunkers or whatnot for 30 or 40 years [and] are in various stages of disrepair."

So? Get a garden hose and wash of the big chunks of dirt, wipe them down with an oilcloth, and they're good to go for another 30 or 40 years.

What's the problem?

[76Tiger]

So much for theory. Read “Blackhawk Down”. The attackers were hit with multiple .223 rounds from the poodle-shooter and kept coming. The guys shot with the .308 went down and stayed down.

[tumblindice]

That lovely AK plywood, yeah. I filled in holes and cracks with JB Weld epoxy.

[Red Badger]

I was talking about the M-14...............

[denydenydeny]

See # 30. An interesting take on the situation.

[MD_Willington_1976]

“”We in the U.S. know that the M-16 is superior to the AK ... it’s more durable,” said Army Col. Stephen Scott,”

LOL.. is that the punchline or the Joke!

[Bosco]

Then go 6.8 for the M-16.

[tumblindice]

Oh. Never mind...

[MD_Willington_1976]

The Saiga .308 uses 7.62 Nato and can have high capacity magazines, it is made at Izhmash.... same place they make the ak 100 series

[Allegra]

How much is this going to cost us the taxpayers?

Nothing. It's being bought through FMS using Iraq's money.

[DoughtyOne]

Why a 6.8? Just curious.

[B4Ranch]

One question: Who is paying the bill?

[Bosco]

M-16 is a shooter's rifle. AK-47 is a sprayer's rifle.

Iraqis going to the M-16/M-4 means that they want an army of shooters, not sprayers.

The problem with the M-16 has been the gas system - direct impingement. It gets hot and dirty and needs regular cleaning. There are ways to mitigate - by using a gas piston system. Bushmaster, Patriot Ordnance and one other company makes drop-in uppers. Stays cool, minimal maintenance.

[Camel Joe]

Are we selling new or used weapons, I’ve heard we are going to transition to a new weapon for our forces.

[xsrdx]

The attackers were hit with multiple .223 rounds from the poodle-shooter and kept coming.

And yet, 6 years into a shooting war and countless dead terrorists later, we continue to issue 556mm for individual weapons and light machineguns.

That's one impressive conspiracy, since apparently we've been at war all this time and have failed to notice 556 is ineffective.

[Republic of Texas]

Hopefully they are BUYING them from us. I wonder why they are doing this, the AK and it’s parts are so ubiquitous on the world market. Cheaper also.

[Lurker]

"We in the U.S. know that the M-16 is superior to the AK ... it's more durable," said Army Col. Stephen Scott

Colonel Scott made a funny.....

L

[Bosco]

6.8 is currently used by some U.S. Special Forces using the M-16 platform. It's a known quantity but it's an improvement as compared to the 5.56's stopping power.

Bushmaster sells 6.8SPC rifles now.

They also sell gas piston retrofit kits for $400.

[Myrddin]

Dang. They are going to give what little .223 ammo is available to the Iraqis.

My local SportsmansWarehouse had a "friends and family" night about 10 days ago. I was ready to stock up on .223 FMJ. There were no big boxes of 200 or 1000 rds. Just the premium hunting/varmint rounds with 20 per box at fairly high prices. Disappointing. I purchased some powder and primers. There wasn't any good deals on boxes of 55 gr FMJ bullets either.

[Holicheese]

I see why Bush invaded Iraq. It wasn’t cheap oil it was to sell weapons!!
How long will it be before you see this on DU?