Who builds our GI Issue M-16's?

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Tim the Student just corrected me. It was the 325th that was the 2nd Brigade and the 505th that was the 3rd Brigade. I also think that the 325th was on DRB 1 status. I always got those mixed up because they ended in 5!

And no we did not get issued Bushmaster carbines (I am speaking of the 504th, my Brigade). I was issued an M16A2.

Apart from my mistake of substituting the 325th with the 505th, everything I have said can be verified with strong google-fu. I also remember Khobar towers. We were picked up in the Iraqi desert by C130s and flown back to Saudi where were cleaned our equipment and stayed at the Khobar towers where we heard children screaming living in another part of the complex. It was April 1st when we got flown out of Saudi Arabia. It was a commercial flight and we landed in the then unified Germany for fueling and took off and landed at Pope AFB. I have tried to forget my 7.5 months there.
 
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Tim the Student,

But we are in the Airborne fraternity and paratroopers forever!:D

Nobody can take that from you.
 
Don't remember what tha mfg of what I shot in Basic, but got to play around with an H&R and the GM Pipe Wroks A1 with 3 prong flashes on 'em. KSARNG had A1s with A2 handguards and birdcage flashes Those were made by Colt. Most had S/Ns in the 600000 range. It was a one of these that I had ever seen a catastrophic failure:
Bolt was stuck partially back. Beat it forward with the assist. Popped the back pin, opened her up and went to pull out the bolt and the gas tube came along with it.
 
Who builds our GI Issue M-16's?
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Trick question. The answer is: NOBODY.

There are no GI Issue M-16 type rifles currently being built (or rebuilt). Colt and FN have both met all their contract obligations and there are no additional rifles on order or in production. Uncle Sam's coffers are full up and topped off.

I was issued a Harrison & Richardson M16A1 when I went thru basic in '82 at Fort Knox (about a year after they filmed STRIPES there - watching that movie gives me flash-backs).

The finish was so worn on that rifle the whole thing looked like polished stainless steel. Shot expert, though. After that, in the Air Cav, it was always a M203 or M60.
 
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Am I on T.H.R.?
I swear I heard someone say," My Dad can beat up your Dad":rolleyes:
Back to the poster - most every AR-15/M4 I have shot seemed about the same, the difference is what they were tasked to do.
My personal preference is the good old A2 setup.(I like my mini for close stuff)
The M4 needs a bigger bullet for me - coming out of that short pipe. The stock design on the M4 is very nice for some, but I have never needed to adjust a excellent fit.
The Colt/Hakko 4X scope on the handle is a nice addition to the A2, but the EO Tech seems (to me) better suited to a pistol.
To each their own.......
 
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Am I on T.H.R.?
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No you are in central Oklahoma. :D AR topics don't tend to fare too well...lets ban the AR...topics that is. :neener: or this reason I usually keep my nose out of them...but was curious about some of the answers, as I really don't know who makes all of the M16 pattern GI rifles. :)
 
Here is the source for ShVar information - keep reading and you will come to the section where it says that the Bushmaster rifles deployed with the 82nd. I did not go hunting for it, I found it while searching for a set of handguards for my new BCM 20" upper assembly - a very well manufactured piece of weaponry.

Death to all filthy stinking rotten legs - just kidding!:barf::neener:

http://www.cybershooters.org/dgca/bushmaster_m4.htm
 
It's funny that the cybershooters article provides pictures of a commercial Bushmaster Carbine....I think that Bushmaster's own admission in court that they produced 65 weapons for the US military and the collective personal experience of those of us who were on active duty at that time has pretty well debunked the myth of Bushmaster providing M4s to the 82d Airborne.
 
Here is the reply from Steve Kendrick the editor of Cyber bull****.

Mmm, this might have been misinformation and they were used by special forces.

But I did have it from someone who should know they were used by the 82nd Airborne. Given that it was a brand new weapon at the time and the 82nd Airborne is a front-line unit it sounded plausible. 4,000 sounds like enough to equip a regiment.

Certainly the DoD did place an emergency contract and they were supplied for use in Desert Storm, so what unit of that size would have used them if not the 82nd? I did hear from an armourer years ago that they had a fairly low opinion of them so perhaps they only saw limited deployment. One of these things they buy in an emergency and then they end up sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

Steve.
 
In February 1986 Colt delivered 40 prototype XM4s to Picatinney Arsenal for test and evaluation. After that the program lay dormant until it was revived in 1992. Additional M4s were not received in the inventory until 1994. The weapon wasn't fielded until 1998.

In the years between 1973 and 1998 special operations units filled their requirements for a short carbine version of the M16 with XM177E2s left over from the Vietnam days and small purchases of Colt R0653 Carbines. I know that the Ranger Regiment used these commercial models, in fact if you can still find the photos of the weapons belonging to the casualties of the Oct 93 Mogadishu battle you can see some of these carbines. They used to be posted online but the link I have to those photos is dead now.

No conventional unit in the Army fielded an M4 type carbine until 1998. Bushmaster did not sell any more then 65 rifles to the Army.
 
Though most of those options, quality-wise, are below the TDP. You've got to be willing to spend some serious money to do better than a Colt or FN.
 
small purchases of Colt R0653 Carbines.
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What's the configuration of the Colt R0653?

Is it essentially the same as a M-4, or is it closer to the XM-177EI, or something completely different?

Just curious as I'm not familiar with that model and wonder how it fits into the history of the M-4.
 
What's the configuration of the Colt R0653?
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RO653 is a 14.5 inch 1/12 barrel, A1 upper and collapsible butt stock. I don't know if any model RO720 or RO721 Carbines were purchased after the fielding of the M16A2 but I personally saw the RO653s when I was in ANCOC at Benning in 86 when a class mate in the 3d Ranger Bn showed me some of their non standard small arms.
 
Shvar is certainly entitled to his opinion, though in this case, the facts of the matter powerfully promote a different conclusion.

As my mother told me long ago, wise sage that she is, "when you're in a hole, stop digging."

I was issued an FN M4 once.
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Colt has been and is the sole-source provider of the M4 carbine (though that may change). This would seem to be a case of an FN M16A2 lower updated with a Colt M4 upper.

vanfunk
 
DMK said:
Those were all contractors for Vietnam era M16s.

This part is pure folklore. Mattel never made a real M16.
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... despite all the "expert" opinions my first M16 rifle issued to me in 1969 Republic of South Vietnam US Army forces III Corps AO had that Mattel symbol same as my little brothers Mattel wind up toys displayed, as I was very up close and personal with this weapon I do remember that fact still..

ever been to "Alice's" Resturant Long Binh?
 
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