historical question - Gene Stoner, AR-10 and AR-15

[Badger Arms]

i recently asked bushmaster if the gas tube clog problem had been solved and they replied that the failure was due to the dirtier ball powder and that with the new powder (stick?) it was not an issue...

As quoted in "The Black Rifle" by R. Blake Stevens and Ed Ezell,

 

[Dannyboy]

you're the expert

Au contraire, mon frere. It's quite obvious that you are the expert.

First of all, the M16 does not need to be "constantly" cleaned, nor does it need to be meticulously maintained. I'm speaking only of my own experiences with the M16A2 but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to keep it functioning. All it takes is 2 minutes and a rag. There's no reason to break it down and break out the brushes and try to get into every little crevice. Obviously, this changes after the rifle has been fired but it still doesn't take much to clean it but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the 507th, who hadn't fired their rifles until they were ambushed or whatever happened to them. Sure, the M16 probably won't fire after you drag it through the mud but not many guns will. And, no, I've never tried it with an AK.

Had they had AK's or G-36's, they would have been able to return fire.

Says who? This reminds me of what was said about Peter Arnett after his interview. Something along the lines of presenting opinion as fact. I love how AR haters constantly throw this out there. It's always, "If they had rifle A then they wouldn't have to worry about cleaning their rifles at all.(AK fans)" Or this one, "If they had rifle B they could knock down this bad guy at 500 yards.(M14 fans)" Our military has fought 2 wars in desert conditions and I've heard only this one incident about problems with the M16. Personally, I think these guys probably squirted half a bottle of CLP on their rifles and left them on the floors of their HMMWV's, 5-tons, HEMTT's, whatever they were driving. If you've ever driven in a convoy in the desert then you'll know that this is not the smartest thing to do, especially if you're not in the lead vehicle. Anyway, as I said earlier, it doesn't take a rocket scientist. But this is just my opinion.