TACTICAL
Service Rifle Update
Many strange paths beckon, but it looks like we�ll be continuing down a familiar road.
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Getting to Now
In 1972 I joined the U.S. Army and qualified with a somewhat worn M16A1, manufactured by the Hydra-Matic Division of General Motors.
After being assigned to the 82nd Airborne, I trained with a succession of weapons that included the M60 machine gun, M79 grenade launcher, M21 sniper rifle and the .45 1911A1 pistol. Along with fatigues, baseball caps and black boots, these weapons are no longer standard issue except for the M16/AR-15. After more than 40 years, the AR (in its most recent version, the M16A4) is still being issued to young Marines and soldiers.
Different versions proliferate: M4s, M16A2s, M203s and, in some reserve units, ancient rebuilt A1s. Other rifles are being looked at (more on that later), but for the foreseeable future the AR family will continue to be carried by soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
Like all of its predecessors, the AR had some teething problems when first issued. Unlike the Garand or M14, these problems occurred while the U.S. military was at war. The M16 was introduced as America was becoming heavily engaged in Vietnam and wasn't allowed a transition from peacetime to combat. Fixes were immediately implemented as problems cropped up. Chromed chambers; forward assists; improved, higher-capacity magazines; and a greater emphasis on proper cleaning were all added. But the "plastic rifle" gained a black eye that took another generation of users to erase. Today the AR is recognized as one of the world's great battle rifles. It will soon be entering its fifth decade.
The General Motors M16A1 that I first qualified with was a good rifle, but it had its faults. While the A1 was reliable when kept clean, the military (and particularly the USMC) was not satisfied with its performance. The Marine Corps wanted better, click-adjustable sights; a heavier, faster-twist barrel; and three-shot-burst fire.
The result was the A2, which entered service in the early '80s. Along with the 62-grain steel-core, SS109-type round, the Army and Marines felt that they finally had a rifle that was rugged, accurate, hard-hitting and reliable. The Marine sights were appreciated by knowledgeable riflemen, and the 1:7-inch-twist barrels grouped well with both the earlier M193 55-grain ball and the newer, M855 62-grain Green Tip.
The heavier A2 was also much easier to control in automatic fire; the burst feature slowed muzzle climb and conserved ammo - not a bad rifle. I shot my last leg for my Rifle Distinguished designation with an A2 that I was issued as a member of the USAR shooting team. It was a far different (and better) rifle than the old A1 mentioned above.
In the Now
In 2004 I carried a Colt A2 during my year in Iraq and had no problems, but I cleaned my rifle daily. The A2 isn't perfect, however; missions and tactics change, and weapons systems must upgrade to stay abreast or become obsolete.
The A2 is long and heavy (great for shooting matches but a bummer if you've got to carry it). It's also difficult to mount optics onto the carrying handle.
The result was the A4 (the A3 and A4 uppers are the same; the A3 has full-auto capability, and the A4 is burst) and M4 carbine. Both have detachable carrying handles that accept optics. The M4 has a collapsible stock and a 141/2-inch barrel. The Marines and Army are now buying A4s and M4s exclusively, the Army having settled on the M4 for general combat issue and the Marines electing to stay with the full-size A4. Thousands of A2s and even A1s, however, remain in the system and will be around for years. The Army is making an effort to issue all front-line-deploying soldiers the M4. According to my sources, one of the top critiques of returning combat veterans is for more M4s, preferably with optics.
