The Muj don't like M-16s, little access to ammo, parts or armorers. This will also make it easier to spot the friendlies.
Would not want to meet the Muj with them, however.
This is good. Very symbolic. The good guys always carry M-16s.
OH SANDRATTTT
Why don’t they make M-16s in 7.62?
(snicker) right, more durable.
Over here in most parts of the US the 16 is the way to go. But over their? NO. They need somthing else. The average American can keep a 16 running under those conditions but folks that grew up with AKs will tire of the constant attention required
Given the choice, I would take a 308!!!
I know we spent a bundle on new AK’s a while back, but in retrospect, this is a good move and shows how much both military cultures have learned from each other.
We are better off setting up supply chains on our weapons that are harder to corrupt. They are better assuming our weapons and tactics to build themselves into a powerful, regional nation.
I’m certain the press will soon be running articles on how we are flooding the market in used AK’s in the region now./s
I bet a bunch of those young internet savy kids next door in Iran would love one of those surplus AK’s!
Do they have Ramadan stockings?
We will have a lot of M-16’s available when they are replaced in most TOE’s in the not too distant future.
My quibble with the M-16 is the round. The AK-47 has the larger ammunition. Isn’t that important? Put a 7.62 in the M-16 and I have no problem with it at all.
I note others have mentioned this as well.
Once again, if it ain’t broke, let’s fix it anyway. The AK-47 is much better suited to the region.
I don't suppose we citizens could be offered good prices on those old AKs.
Oh well, just fantasizing.
Michael Frazier
the AK was the only piece of Soviet equipment worth a crap. It is a remarkable weapon.
There is a much deeper situation going on here.
To start with, the world is covered with AK-47s, most all of which fire 7.62mm ammo. It is a weapon designed for minimal maintenance, having only three parts to clean in the field.
The M-16, however, fires 5.56mm ammo. It is a weapon that must have a lot of maintenance, and is very easy to screw up. It is not a weapon for a poor country or one unfriendly with the US.
But this misses a critical fact: Who makes the ammo?
Without ammo, either weapon is just a heavy stick. And ammo doesn’t store very well, even in good conditions.
There are relatively few manufacturers of ammo in the world, and if their nations agree, the supply of 7.62 or 5.56 ammo could dry up pretty quickly.
However, if both sides in a fight use 7.62, then sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. But if one side uses 7.62 and the other side uses 5.56, suddenly you have an interesting situation.
Say, Iraq is fighting a country that uses 7.62 ammo. If still friendly with the US, Iraq could get enormous amounts of 5.56 ammo. But if there was an embargo of 7.62 ammo, the other side would either have to pay a premium for its ammo, or not get any at all.
And this matters. Even if they stole ammo from Iraq, they couldn’t use it.
But it gets better. After years of selling AK-47s to the rest of the world, suddenly the major powers are considering restricting the sale of 7.62 ammo. Almost overnight, this could cause a worldwide shortage, followed by a de facto demilitarization of much of the world.
No longer would the third and fourth world be tormented by a few nuts with AK-47s. People who before the AK-47 had to use spears and arrows would have to return to them as their weapon of choice. Much of the world would quickly be pacified.
Yet at the same time, the major powers would still have plenty of ammunition for their own use, and the use of their allies. Belligerent tyrants could be effectively locked out.
LOL, well stated.
There is a stalwart contingent of M16 haters on FR, but they're generally cordial.
The Kalashnikov is a remarkable fighting rifle, but it's not optimized for well trained, disciplined armies.
After over forty years, the M16 series has cemented its place as the most versatile, flexible, reliable and lethal individual weapons system in recent history.
This right here is the key to the article:
[blockquote]A system that registers each rifle with the individual who receives it using biometric data such as thumb prints and eye scans is meant to address concerns over U.S. weapons winding up in enemy hands. A July 2007 Government Accountability Office report concluded that as many as 190,000 weapons delivered to the Iraqi army were not accounted for and could’ve wound up in terrorist caches.[/blockquote]
We’re just looking for a good way to account for all the guns we’re handing over, in addition to getting a little business for our gun manufacturers. There are hundreds of thousands of AK’s floating around Iraq, they could find the parts and pieces to equip and repair weapons for the entire Iraq army pretty much into perpetuity with what’s already there. And i think it’s fair to say they’ve been using the danged things since they were kids.
However, caring and cleaning an M-16 would require a professionalism normally missing from 3rd world armies. If some retard terrorist stole one, he'd throw it away the first time it jammed-which an M-16 is always looking for an excuse to do.
Dang. They are going to give what little .223 ammo is available to the Iraqis.
I already can’t afford to shoot....
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?