Posted on 07/13/2003 2:53:59 PM PDT by demlosers
U.S. forces rolled over the Iraqi military in just weeks.
The plans seemed flawless, and the courage of the soldiers and Marines unflappable.
But with the dust settling — and the adrenaline rush of battle now subsiding — military officials are finding some weapons performed as advertised. Others, however, let troops down when they needed them most.
Army and Marine officials recently released after-action reports compiling what was right and what was wrong about the small arms with which troops squared off against Iraqi forces. Soldiers and Marines rated the rifles and pistols they carried into battle, and not all got perfect scores.
Soldiers and Marines relied on variants of the M-16 rifle. The M-16, in service since the early days of the Vietnam War, was highly criticized then as unreliable, often jamming during firefights. Soldiers who participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan also complained the M-4 variant, a shorter version of the M-16, lacked what they needed in combat.
In Iraq, reviews were mixed.
Most soldiers carried the M-4 into battle in Iraq and “were very satisfied with this weapon,” according a report from the Army’s Special Operations Battle Lab. “It performed well in a demanding environment, especially given the rail system and accompanying sensors and optics.”
Marines carried the older and larger M-16A2 rifles, but a report from the Marine Corps Systems Command Liaison Team stated: “Many Marines commented on desire for the shorter weapon vice the longer M-16s.”
One Marine told the team that the shorter rifle would have been better in confined urban battle. Some also said the smaller rifle would have been easier to handle when climbing in and out of trucks and armored vehicles.
“Several Marines even opted to use the AK-47s that had been captured from Iraqi weapons caches,” the Marine report stated. “Others were trading rifles for pistols to go into buildings to allow for mobility in confined spaces.”
Marine Corps officials announced late last year that infantry forces would soon switch from the M-16A2 to the M-16A4, a heavier-barreled version of the long rifle with a rail system like the M-4. Stocks of the weapons, however, arrived in Kuwait too late to be fielded and sighted for battle. Most stayed in storage, but some weapons were delivered to Marines under a plan to initially field one per squad.
A number of M-16A4 rifles, fitted with a 4X scope, were given to Marine rifleman. The combination, Marines said, allowed them to “identify targets at a distance, under poor conditions, and maintained ability to quickly acquire the target in close-in environment[s].”
But not all soldiers and Marines were enamored with the performance of their rifles. Complaints centered on lack of range and reliability problems.
“The most significant negative comment was reference [to] the M-4’s range,” the Army report stated. “In the desert, there were times where soldiers needed to assault a building that may be 500+ meters distant across open terrain. They did not feel the M-4 provided effective fire at that range.”
Safety was another concern. The M-4’s bolt can ride forward when the selector switch is on safe, allowing the firing pin to strike a bullet’s primer.
“Numerous soldiers showed us bullets in their magazines that had small dents in the primer,” the Army report said.
Reliability complaints also found fault with the oil soldiers and Marines used to clean their weapons. In the dusty, sandstorm-plagued battlefields of Iraq, weapons became clogged with sand, trapped by the heavy oil, called CLP.
Several Washington Post articles recalling the night the 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed recounted moments when soldiers in the convoy, including Pfc. Jessica Lynch, battled their weapons to continue fighting Iraqi irregular forces.
“In the swirling dust, soldiers’ rifles jammed,” one article reported. “Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, from suburban Wichita, began shoving rounds into his rifle one at a time, firing single shots at enemies swarming all around.”
“We had no working weapons,” Sgt. James Riley told The Washington Post. “We couldn’t even make a bayonet charge — we would have been mowed down.”
The Army’s after-action found more soldiers unhappy with CLP.
“The sand is as fine as talcum powder,” the report stated. “The CLP attracted the sand to the weapon.”
Unlike the soldiers’ reports after Afghanistan, Marines in Iraq said the 5.56 mm round fired from the M-16 “definitely answered the mail” and “as long as shots were in the head or chest, they went down.” The Marine reports said many were initially skeptical of the small rounds’ performance against the heavier 7.62 mm round fired from AK-47s. There were reports of enemy being shot and not going down, but most were referencing non-lethal shots on extremities.
Still, “there were reports of targets receiving shots in the vitals and not going down. These stories could not be described, but are of the rare superhuman occurrences that defy logic and caliber of round.”
The report said Marines asked for a heavier-grained round — up to 77 grains.
The M-16 series of rifles fires a 55-grain bullet, a projectile that weighs slightly more than three-and-a-half grams. Some servicemembers believe a heavier-grained bullet would carry more energy downrange, creating greater knockdown power.
Both soldiers and Marines also noted problems with the M-9 9 mm pistol.
“There was general dissatisfaction with this weapon,” the Army report said. “First and foremost, soldiers do not feel it possesses sufficient stopping power.”
Soldiers asked for a tritium glow-in-the-dark sight for night firing.
But soldiers and Marines alike railed against the poor performance of the M-9 ammunition magazines.
“The springs are extremely weak and the follower does not move forward when rounds are moved,” the Marine report stated. “If the magazine is in the weapon, malfunctions result.”
Soldiers complained that even after they were told to “stretch” the springs and load only 10 rounds instead of the maximum 15, the weapons still performed poorly. Lack of maintenance was determined not to be the cause.
“Multiple cleanings of the magazine each day does not alleviate the problem,” the Marine report stated. “The main problem is the weak/worn springs.”
Still, Marines wanted more pistols to back up their rifles, especially in urban environments, according to the report.
The M14 can't legally be sold to the public because it has a selective fire receiver. Now, a 7.62mm rifle is useless in full-auto fire, but that's the law -- no auto weapons for the general public since 1986.
3rd World countries don't want M14s. They're poor, not foolish. The FAL is a better weapon in the M14 class, as is the G3, and armies today want a more compact weapon anyway, which sends them to M16s if they are close to the USA and AKs if they aren't (AKs are dirt cheap. 40 million built, and Chinese slave labour is working three shifts making more. Supply has crushed demand...).
A friend of mine carried an M14 in Afghanistan. Specifically, because of its range. In his hands, it was very effective from one side of the valley to another, where the M4 was basically out of accuracy beyond 500 yards. I liked the M4A1. (I think the rails system needs work, though). One of the few pictures I have of me from there, I'm holding his M14, which is kind of funny because I think it's the only time I picked it up!
The 77 grain bullet mentioned was developed by Black Hills for the ill fated (ill-conceived) SPR. From the M4 it is more effective than the horrible M855 greentip round, which overpenetrates humans and other animals. The Marines wanted to penetrate a steel helmet at 800 yards, which is why that round is the way it is.
Many of the problems with reliability are due to crappy, lowest-bidder, minority-set-aside-contractor magazines. Most of us have hoarded old mags.
When I first learnt to clear buildings, it was done with pistols. Nowadays it is done with rifles... much more effectively. While the M4 is very short, the M16 is only 39 inches (1 metre) long. I can't imagine anyone downing an M16 to clear buildings with an AK-47... the 16 points a lot more naturally. And yeah, I've fired a lot of rounds through both of them.
I suspect the guys carrying AKs were just trying to look, what's the Marine term, "salty?" In the Army we'd say, "Hollywood!"
A 9mm pistol will disable a motivated man with any hit that a .45 will. And will fail to disable him with any other hit. Bullet placement is the alpha and the omega (hopefully, the omega for the other guy). I like the idea that somebody had, about making handguns a private purchase item (some police departments do this already). Unfortunately, the Army is overrun with Clintonistas. They are especially prevalent in the MP Branch and Army policy enforces a gun ban regime that would do Adolf himself proud.
I do think that John Browning was an almost supernatural designer. His M2HB still rocks. The .45 is a very fine weapon (that's what I was clearing buildings with, Back In The Day) but the M9 is also an excellent weapon. With decent mags it's 100% dependable. Unfortunately, it had to follow Browning's .45. Like, who remembers who was the second guy on the Moon, the pope who came after Saint Peter, or the first Vice-President of the United States?
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Stay Safe !
You either decribed a .308 AR-10 or a .223 Mini-14.
Before anyone starts, the Mini-14 has the gas system of a M-1 Carbine and is notoriously inaccurate after the barrel heats up. After two years of experimenting with a Mini, the fault lies in the horribly manufactured barrels. It's even possible to bypass the gas system and the results are the same. It's an overpriced plinker.
Actually, we did, just improved (grin). The FN-MAG machine gun was created by Dieudonne Saive by flipping a BAR lock mechanism upside down, so that a belt feed on the top was possible.
The Army rejected the MAG because it was "Not Invented Here," but finally, thanks to the tankers(!), saw the light, and the M240B/M240G is an Americanised FN-MAG.
But you can think of it as a belt fed BAR (grin)
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
WHAT??? Are you STUPID???
SAAMI Spec is for a 230gr 45 ACP using Unique is a max of 6.5 grains, NOT 10 grains!
Children, using the previously mentioned loads by bandleader for the 45 ACP may kill or injure you!
Your firearm may blow up in your face!
Loading a 9mm using a 115 grain bullet is a max of 6.1 grains.
Because they know the same thing that most police departments have learned, and SOF has known all along. A 9mm needs to be a hot round, with a very expanding bullet design, to be an effective stopper. Unfortunately, the Hague Conventions say FMJ-only. That puts the "legal" 9mm back into the pipsqueak category.
If you MUST use FMJ ammo, the .45 is the only way to fly. It gives the stopping power needed, while still conforming to international conventions. A bit of digging around will show that elite units of almost all Western countries have a .45 handgun of some design or other for troops that are serious about killing with a handgun.
No kidding. Now just htf do you "assault" a building at 500 meters? Geesh. 500m = M-60, M-2 or artillery.
Ayuh. Bearing in mind that most of the "1911s" in stores now are cheesy chinese cast receivers and slides... that load should probably require registration as a Destructive Device.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
I always rather liked the military trigger too, it seemed like it would never fire unless you really wanted it to.
The regular 1903 Springfield rear sight fastened to a pinned sleeve on the barrel, not on the rear of the receiver like the A3 model. The A3 therefore had a longer sighting plane. It was my preference.
Miles ahead of you. Special Ops units mostly put a Trijicon 4X ACOG on their weapons, as do an increasing number of just-plain-infantry folks. Check the photos. The Trijicon has a tritium-illuminated reticle. It's a good solid scope which can take an incredible beating (I know. I gave it one) and hold zero. It's very lightweight, too. Of course, the M4, M4A1, and M16A4 can all accept any rail-mounting scope, but the ACOG is issue.
And yes, you can hit men at 500 yards with an M4A1 and ACOG.
For CQB the EoTech holographic sight is popular.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.