The Boys at Colt Defense LLC do some wild testing - M4 & M4A1
- Thread starter bobbymike
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So that's what I've been doing wrong..... :
Seriously, the article states that (my emphasis):
"It is worth noting that the test simulates conditions that almost no soldier could face. In it, 18 magazines are fed through the rifle in less than two minutes. Soldiers and Marines armed with an M-4 or M-16 (the carbine’s longer-barreled parent) typically carry seven or so magazines.
Moreover, the M-4 carbine used in the test had been modified to fire fully automatically. As long as the shooter holds back the trigger, the test rifle keeps firing until the magazine is empty. Standard-issue M-4s fire only on semi-automatic or a three-round burst setting, not like this."
Well, "7 or so magazines" sounds low, compared to what I heard from people coming home from the Mesopotamian theatre. 8-10 sounds more realistic. So your own magazines, plus those of a squad-mate (who may be a casualty, or have a busted gun), or some extra mag's carried on a vehicle, and you reach 18 magazines in no time flat. As for the 2 minute time frame? Fire discipline is well and good, and should be an integral part of marksmanship training, but in a real-life firefight, perhaps involving personnel with less firearms training than infantry.....?
As for the carbine being "modified to fire full auto" - with all the replacement and drop-in parts available over the internet these days, if a soldier wants a full-auto carbine, she or he can get it.
In conclusion, a situation like the one demonstrated is (I can but hope) not something we're likely to see a lot of, but neither would I call it something that "almost no soldier could face".
Please note that this is not a criticism on my part of the M4. It's simply a fact of life that gunpowder-operated weapons get hot.
Regards & all,
Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
Seriously, the article states that (my emphasis):
"It is worth noting that the test simulates conditions that almost no soldier could face. In it, 18 magazines are fed through the rifle in less than two minutes. Soldiers and Marines armed with an M-4 or M-16 (the carbine’s longer-barreled parent) typically carry seven or so magazines.
Moreover, the M-4 carbine used in the test had been modified to fire fully automatically. As long as the shooter holds back the trigger, the test rifle keeps firing until the magazine is empty. Standard-issue M-4s fire only on semi-automatic or a three-round burst setting, not like this."
Well, "7 or so magazines" sounds low, compared to what I heard from people coming home from the Mesopotamian theatre. 8-10 sounds more realistic. So your own magazines, plus those of a squad-mate (who may be a casualty, or have a busted gun), or some extra mag's carried on a vehicle, and you reach 18 magazines in no time flat. As for the 2 minute time frame? Fire discipline is well and good, and should be an integral part of marksmanship training, but in a real-life firefight, perhaps involving personnel with less firearms training than infantry.....?
As for the carbine being "modified to fire full auto" - with all the replacement and drop-in parts available over the internet these days, if a soldier wants a full-auto carbine, she or he can get it.
In conclusion, a situation like the one demonstrated is (I can but hope) not something we're likely to see a lot of, but neither would I call it something that "almost no soldier could face".
Please note that this is not a criticism on my part of the M4. It's simply a fact of life that gunpowder-operated weapons get hot.
Regards & all,
Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
