Weapns MTX in Iraq

[sgmgrumpy]

I'm a squad leader in Iraq and here's what I learned in the past 10 months. Your choice of lube is easy--As of Dec 06, per TACOM, the only authorized small arms lube in Iraq is CLP. Although I've used just about everything else, including MILTECH, CLP is the gold standard and readily available.

Advice on how much lube for the M4's is available. In the manual. You really don't have to dump a gallon of CLP into the action to get it to work. For magazines, take them apart monthly and clean, the dirt really does get everywhere. Letting the springs rest is poppycock. I started the war with new mags and except for cleaning, kept them loaded the entire tour so far. I always load 30 rounds in my mags.

Muzzle caps keep crud out of the bore and are invaluable. Keep weapons cleaning supplies and break free by the arms room and make the crews wipe them down before they turn them in. My soldiers don't sleep until the crew served and personal weapons are clean after a patrol.

Carl, It don't get any better than that. Straight forward from a NCO on the ground. Although this part you may want to hold off (My soldiers don't sleep until the crew served and personal weapons are clean after a patrol.) As a contractor, they may duck tape you to the AC on the next mission

Send me that email, I will get you some additional info

[carl]

Roger that on Arty8's advice. Thanks to all again.

[SWJED]

Roger that on Arty8's advice. Thanks to all again.

Nice post Carl!

There were hundreds and hundreds of people going through CRC prior to going overseas. Most were military people but many were civilian contractors, about 40 percent. The civilians were headed over to do a variety of things ranging from passing out socks to police advisors to mechanics etc. Most were men with a scattering of women. There weren't to many young people. The young ones were the military. The civilians were mostly old guys like me. One police advisor I met was 69 years old and the average age was probably in the mid 40's. That is one thing I've noticed over the years looking at photos. It seems that a lot of the people who choose to go overseas are older; the classic examples being the Vietnam fighter pilot who joined a Guard unit to be a infantry squad leader at 53 and the military doctor in his 70's. I wonder if this differs from other wars.

There was one group with more than a few women in it but just as many old guys. They were the interpreters. It looked like a meeting of the Rotary Club in an Arab neighborhood in Detroit had decided to volunteer en masse; a most remarkable group of people. One of the women I talked to had children at home and another was a grandmother. Both had decided to go overseas for patriotic reasons. They wanted to help out the US in an hour of need. There were no guarentees about the conditions they would work in either. They said they were as likely to go out with troops on patrol as be on a big sprawling base, granny or young mother status notwithstanding. They went where they were told and they went to help the country.

Ain't that a remarkable thing. And ain't they admirable people.

[Small_Axe]

Hi 120 !
The Chinese AKs we could "obtain" in Zaire were just friggin junk. Even the ammo - it would fragment against a standard U.S. windshield barely leaving a scratch. For a .30 caliber round, not all that great.

I don't know about Zaire, but I think there are some cops in N. Hollywood that would disagree w/ the above statement about the AK round lacking power.

[Jedburgh]

I don't know about Zaire, but I think there are some cops in N. Hollywood that would disagree w/the above statement about the AK round lacking power.

Step back and re-read Stan's comment. It is not a statement about the stopping power of 7.62x39 in general - it is in regard to poorly manufactured ammunition in a specific setting. Given the world-wide proliferation of the AK design, there is no shortage of poorly made variants and crappy ammo; especially in the developing world.

Think before you type.

[Small_Axe]

Step back and re-read Stan's comment. It is not a statement about the stopping power of 7.62x39 in general - it is in regard to poorly manufactured ammunition in a specific setting. Given the world-wide proliferation of the AK design, there is no shortage of poorly made variants and crappy ammo; especially in the developing world.

Think before you type.

Okay, I re-read it. And to me it still sounds like he's talking about the AK's '.30 cal round' in general. People percieve things differently. Stan's lucky you're here to interpret his words.

[Ken White]

Okay, I re-read it. And to me it still sounds like he's talking about the AK's '.30 cal round' in general. People percieve things differently. Stan's lucky you're here to interpret his words.

"The Chinese AKs we could "obtain" in Zaire were just friggin junk. Even the ammo..." seemed pretty clear to me.