Use the system the way it was designed and it generally works. Whether the correct system was specified and procured is a different matter...

I was lucky enough to work the troop test on the M60 at Campbell in 57 and that on the M16 at Bragg in 63. In both cases the recommendation of the division to DA was overrules on political grounds; the M60 to justify Springfield Armory (the original) and the M16 because Colt had contributed to Kennedy's 1960 campaign.

Overcleaning has ruined more weapons than anything else, bar none.

Good leaders get their troops to automatically go into maintenance mode at all lulls and halts; really good and well trained troops do it reflexively and it take only seconds to check all their web gear and weapons...

Good troops also unconsciously count the rounds they've fired (easy to do when you almost never fire on automatic; which is what should happen) and thus don't need holes or clear tracks in their magazines to know the number of rounds remaining. Technology subsituted for training is never a good fix...