1963 cont.....
March: The "Office of Project Manager for AR-15 Rifle Activities" is established. Lt. Colonel Harold Yount is appointed Project Manager. The OSD orders the military services to draft a joint set of requirements for the AR-15 and its ammunition. The number and cost of any improvements and modifications are ordered to be kept to a minimum.
Frankford Arsenal is assigned oversight of the procurement of .223 Remington ammunition. William C. Davis is assigned as "AR-15 Project Director" and is directed to prepare a technical data package.
The Inspector General's findings are released as a six volume report titled: "IG Rifle Evaluation."
April: The "Technical Coordinating Committee" (TCC) is formed, comprised of members of each service branch, LTC Yount, and representatives from the OSD: the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Weapons Acquisition and Industrial Readiness and a program analyst from the Directorate of Major Items, Materiel, Installations and Logistics. While LTC Yount is the titular chair of the committee, the OSD representatives have veto power over any decision made by the TCC. Within the next few months, over 130 changes are proposed for the rifle and ammunition. One of Army recommendations vetoed by the OSD is for chrome plating of the bore and chamber.
Remington is contracted to provide 600,000 rounds of .223 Remington. In addition, Remington is to provide Frankford Arsenal with the Technical Data Package (TDP) for the cartridge. It is discovered that IMR 4475 cannot reliably achieve the quoted muzzle velocity of 3,300fps within the accepted maximum chamber pressure specs.
Aberdeen's D&PS releases the report "Evaluation Test of the Rate of Rifling Twist in Rifle, Caliber .223, AR-15."
Production of Ball ammo with IMR 4475 ends at Remington.
June: William C. Davis files the report "Investigation of Test-Weapon Chamber Configuration." It is found that Colt's chamber tolerances do not mesh with Remington's dimensional specifications for the cartridge. Another report, "Investigation of Bullet Configuration," indicates that Remington is no longer using the original 7-caliber ogive bullet design. Instead, they have switched to a less aerodynamic 5.5-caliber ogive design. The replacement design is claimed to be easier for the company to mass-produce.
July: Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatrick issues a directive to the TCC to speed up the procurement. Quality control, parts interchangeability, and acceptance standards are to be relaxed as necessary.
McNamara signs off on the change of rifling twist from 1-in-14" to 1-in-12."
Summer: The USAF requests an additional 19,000 AR-15.
TCC progress breaks down, as the Army demands a bolt closure device. The USAF strongly objects, while the Navy and Marines consider it "non-essential" but are willing to accept it. Colt and Springfield Armory submit various prototypes. Gene Stoner prefers Springfield's first prototype, as it would only add two parts to the design. The Army prefers Colt second design devised by Colt's Foster E. Sturtevant.
August: The TCC formally approves the change in the AR-15's rate of twist.
September: "Cartridge, 5.56mm Ball, M193" is officially type-classified. Pushed by OSD over the objections of the TCC, it specifies the Remington-designed projectile, a muzzle velocity of 3,250fps, IMR 4475 powder, and the existing average 52,000psi pressure limit. Remington, Olin, and Federal Cartridge all refuse to offer bids.
October: Colt threatens to dismantle the AR-15 production line due to the lack of an official contract for further orders. McNamara allows the Army to order their rifles with the Sturtevant bolt closure device if necessary. The USAF can continue to order their rifles without the device.
The USAF orders 19 million rounds of MLU-26/P from Remington.
November: The Army finally awards Colt with an official contract for 104,000 rifles. DA-11-199-AMC-508 includes the 19,000 M16 ordered by the USAF and 85,000 XM16E1 for the Army and Marines. Eleven modifications are made to the rifle design prior to the start of production. These include the change to black furniture, 1-in-12" rifling, a modified firing pin, the bolt closure device, revised chamber dimensions, the switch from a triangular changing handle to the current T-shape, and the transition from steel to aluminum magazines. (Ironically, this "one-time" buy will be amended fifteen times over the next two years from 104,000 to a grand total of 201,045 rifles.)
1964....
January: M193 specs are given a temporary waiver. The average chamber pressure limit was increased to 53,000psi, with individual rounds allowed to test as high as 60,000psi. Remington and Olin contract to supply 500,000 cartridges apiece under this waiver. Frankford Arsenal receives permission to test production lots of 25,000rds loaded with alternative powders. Candidates include DuPont's CR 8136, Hercules' HPC-10, and Olin's WC846. (The latter was then in use by Olin for military production of 7.62x51mm ammunition, just as Remington had once done with IMR 4475.)
March: Remington and DuPont withdraw IMR 4475 from future use in 5.56mm ammunition.
The first 300 M16-marked rifles are delivered to the USAF.
Colt discovers that six out of 10 XM16E1 rifles will exceed the 650-850rpm cyclic rate requirements when tested with ammunition loaded with WC846. Colt asks that the maximum cyclic rate limit for the XM16E1 be raised to 900rpm. (The USAF has already done so for their M16 rifles, as they had already accepted production lots of ammo from Olin loaded with WC846.)
April: The TCC grants a monthly waiver of the cyclic rate maximum to 900rpm. In an internal company report, "Chamber and Gas Port Pressures," Colt's Foster Sturtevant notes an increase in pressure at the gas port when using WC846 versus IMR 4475. However, this is seen as a potential benefit for reliable function of the rifle.
The USAF rejects a lot of ammunition because it fails to meet their 500yd penetration requirements (0.135" of mild steel). The USAF is urged to reduce the plate penetration requirement to 450 yards.
May: William C. Davis and C.E. Schindler release the report "Investigation of Alternate Propellants For Use in 5.56mm M193 Ball Ammunition." CR 8136 and WC846 are recommended for use. However, they also note that these powders exhibit slightly higher pressure levels at the AR-15's gas port than did IMR 4475. HPC-10 is declined due to excessive pressures at extremely low (Artic) temperatures and previous issues of bore erosion with tubular grain propellants. Before the report is even released, the two recommended powders are approved for use in M193 production. The suggested "None Fire/All Fire" primer tolerance of 12 to 48 inch-ounces is also included in the technical data package, despite Colt's transition to a lighter firing pin.
The Army begins issue of XM16E1 rifles. CONARC and the Combat Developments Command each deny responsibility for developing related training materials.
Colt unveils their "CAR-15 5.56mm Military Weapons System" to Army brass, including General Wheeler. The projected CAR-15 family includes a pair of AR15-HBAR light machineguns (the other magazine-fed M1 and the belt-fed M2), a 15" barreled carbine, a 10" barreled SMG, and a stripped down "survival rifle" for aircrews. The earliest prototypes of the CAR-15 SMG and carbine use cut-down M16 triangular forearms and buttstocks. As an added feature, the chopped buttstock of the SMG has a latch recessed in the buttplate, which allows the buttstock to be extended or retracted. These models retain the early AR15 Model 01's open flashhiders. Colt also introduces the belt-fed "Light Machine Gun 5.56mm CMG-1." However, the CGL-4 40mm grenade launcher, designed Robert E. Roy and Karl R. Lewis, attracts the most favorable attention, particularly from General Wheeler. This official interest starts the ball rolling again for an add-on grenade launcher for the XM16E1, and the Colt CGL-4 is soon pitted against a launcher from the Ford Motor Company and another from Springfield Armory.
June: The first documented incidents of case head separations and rim pull-through are recorded.
August: Remington delivers M193 cartridges loaded with DuPont CR 8136. Testing at Colt results in lower cyclic rates. The monthly acceptance waiver on maximum cyclic rate is rescinded.
September: The 5th Special Forces Airborne Group submit their first monthly field report on the XM16E1. They recommend that the fragile M11 cleaning rod be replaced and that a brush for cleaning the chamber and lug recesses be issued.
October: After Colt once again warns of the termination of rifle production, the option clause of contract "508" is invoked to include an additional 33,500 M16 rifles for the USAF, 240 for the Navy, and 82 for the Coast Guard.
Aberdeen's D&PS releases "Final Report of Comparison Test of Rifle, 5.56mm M16." While only based on a sample of five rifles, it notes that malfunctions tend to occur after 1,000rds are fired with cleaning and lubrication. It also suggests that special brushes be issued for cleaning the chamber, lug recesses, and the inside of the bolt carrier.
December: Remington and DuPont withdraw CR 8136 due to the inability to maintain pressure limits from lot to lot. Remington asks and is granted permission to finish their production run using WC846. XM16E1 acceptance testing at Colt continues with remaining stocks of CR 8136-loaded ammunition.
1965...
February: The TCC requests new sources of powder for the M193 cartridge from DuPont and Hercules. The submitted powders are EX 8208-4 and HPC-11, respectively.
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