MAJ Ehrhart - Increasing Small Arms Lethality in Afgh.

[JMA]

What M4 fiasco? Almost all NATO SF use the M4/C8/HK416, including UK, and Australian SF. The IDF uses it without complaint and will shortly adopt a replacement with near identical external ballistics. ( a 5.56mm weapon with a >330mm barrel). OK, the Tavor X95 is a lot more reliable, but the bullet will be doing the same thing.

No we are talking about the M4 alone. and to the C8/HK416 you can add the SCAR in both 5.56 and 7.62.

Comparatively the M4 is the poorest of the breed. They knew that before they selected it. That is why it is a fiasco.

PS: and discussing this with a good friend from way back (who has carried and fought with a variety of weapons) he commented that I had no frame of reference as the FN was the only weapon I really knew. My response was that I did not need a lighter weapon nor lighter ammo and was quite happy with the stopping power of the7.62x51mm so my question remains why the change?

Also I believe that the weight problem the infantry is faced with is not and was not caused by his weapon it was always the other crap that he carried. So they go and exchange a great calibre and great weapons for peashooters and BB rounds. The decision making process around this weapon and calibre selection was not that of sane people. The first effort should be to bring the weight of the body armour down... not that of weapons and ammo.