right on here. Magazines in general have this problem, which is why LE mags come from very specific places. You never see the deputy sheriff at Gander Mountain picking up spare mags. When you are going to be carrying a loaded mag for weeks at a time without unloading it, you want that spring to be as tough and resiliant as possible, and that steel isn't cheap. That's why I always suggest getting good, quality mags for your weapons. Sure, that hotlips 50 shot mag for your .22 is fun, but for god's sake don't keep it loaded.ts-pulsar wrote:
Anyway, to get to my point, the biggest problem that the current generation of M16's and M4s have is bad magazines. The magazines springs tend to be crap and lose tension when they are kept loaded for more than a week at a time, once they weaken they are bad forever, this is probably the biggest reason people think the M16 is a piece of crap, which is unfair because they run almost flawlessly with proper magazines. The reason the magazines are crap is simple, it's due to a "fair" business practice clause that all M16 magazines have to be manufactured by small business's in the US. This means that there are a lot of manufacturers out that that build varied quality magazines, usually the problem is bad springs.
I'm going to disagree and agree here. I know for a fact that the soldiers know how to clean and oil their weapons. Now, whether or not they do it correctly is something else entirely. The average boot graduate can explain how a gas operated rifle works (they have to know to graduate), but explaining and actually comprehending are two different animals. I personally shoot mainly gas operated shotguns, and have learned this lesson very, VERY well. You HAVE to keep those gas ports clear.ts-pulsar wrote:
The other big problem the M16/M4 has is that soldiers aren't really instructed in how to clean and oil, either that or they ignore the lesson, a lot of soldiers seem to think that the gas ports are oiling holes, and the gas system on ANY gas operated gun should be bone dry and free of debris.
Which is why the policy should be to return all used mags to the armourer and get fresh ones. Not really practical, but it does work. I have seen some plastic mags for the M16/M4 rifles that have these crazy plastic followers that are supposed to never bend or break, but have never actually used one. I'd be curious to know how they work in battlefield practice. I have a friend who has a bunch of Israeli made plastic mags, and he swears by them. There's some sort of steel wire in the plastic mold to help the mag keep its shape.ts-pulsar wrote:
Another big problem which is also magazine related is broken or bent followers in the magazine. When a soldier does a combat reload, either in practice or in a real fight, he simply drops that magazine on the ground, well the heavy part of the magazine is the top so they land on the follower and bend the crap out of them which ruins the magazine till an armorer can fix it.
Anyway, I'd take an M4 over an L85A2 anyday. Mainly because I've shot it over and over, and know it inside and out. Its the tool you know over the tool you don't. I don't think the L85 is a bad weapon. But for me, I want my M4. I can customize it until I'm blue in the face, trick it out so I can make it sing like the Met. However, my roommate most likely couldn't hit the broadside of a barn by the time I was done. His customized M4 would be totally different than mine. And therein lies the beauty.
