(Marine Corps Times) Editorial: M4 partnership needed

[unhappycamper]

M4 partnership needed

The Corps has so far steered clear of the ongoing debate over replacing the M4 carbine.

Battle-tested and in universal use across the services, the Colt-designed M4 is familiar to virtually every soldier, sailor, Marine and airman.

Replacing the weapon would require the services to clear training and logistical hurdles and spend millions of dollars. But that pales in comparison to what is spent on a single jet fighter, and the result — a more reliable, more effective weapon — will have a direct impact on battle performance.

In a dust test conducted last year by Army weapons experts, the M4 finished dead last. It jammed nearly four times more often than its nearest rival, the Heckler & Koch 416: Out of 60,000 rounds fired, the M4 experienced 882 stoppages compared to 233 for the 416. Those results could prove catastrophic in close-quarters battle, where spending a few seconds to clear a jam could cost a Marine his life.

This wasn’t news to Army Special Forces units, which dropped the M4 in favor of FNH USA’s Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle specifically because of concerns about the M4’s reliability.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/community/opinion/marine_editorial_m4_121508/%2e