Chris Shepard wrote:
The M16 is an over produced piece of garbage. I don't even know why they still issue those muskets. I was with a Mobile Assault Platoon driving Hummvee's. They issued nearly everyone (except Staff NCO's, Section Leaders, and Officers) M16's. Trying to get your M16 out of an uparmored, fully stocked HMMWV is not an easy task, especially when you're in a sticky situation.
Plus, the 5.56 is basically a .22 on steroids. Its tough to put people down with such a little round. Especially when they're all hopped up on drugs.
M-16 is a good infantry rifle, but they could figure out little ways to shorten it without sacrificing the range and accuracy it already has. Like a telescoping stock?
The reason why it's crappy is because it wasn't designed for the jungle or sand (hello irony). It has way too many small moving parts, which makes it easier for something small like a bit of mud or sand to get in and clog the whole thing up.
Something like the AK has much larger things inside with space between the crucial parts, so sand and muck just kinda fall out to where they won't gum up the works.
For a humvee assault, I'd at least issue M-4s. Preferably G-36Cs, but I'm partial to H&K weapons.