kBob
Member
I was interviewed in 1974 along with my Infantry company's other gun cranks on what could be done to improve the M16A1. After we were told "no turning them back in and drawing M-14s, G3s, or FN FALs is not an option" we got busy. Most of us thought a longer stock might be nice, especially as AK103K noted the training standard of the time insisted we go nose to charging handle. Some of us objected to having our face so close to the cracks and spaces that allowed nasty gasses and lubes to fly out. Some of us that had time behind various match rifles with iron sights actually wanted our eye back from the aperature a bit more than nose length. BTW we also asked that the "close range" aperature be larger to allow quicker access and better low light sight use (don't know that any of us had heard of "Ghost Ring Sights" but a few had used say a Winnie 94 with a lyman peep with the screw in apperature removed as a woods rifle) so we got that as well and we ask for a range adjustable rear sight. A good battle sight zero is nice, but sometimes things are not the size of a kneeling man and maybe further away than we might like to guestimate hold over for.
Personally I was one of those that held on to my "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper" M16 stock as long as possible when the change to the "New" A1 improved butt trap stocks came out. I felt the edges of the new trap door butt were sharper and that the stock did not grab my outer clothing as well and slipped around. Oh sure one could store cleaning equipment on the rifle with the "new" stock, like with the M1 and M14 (and to an extent the '03 and Winchester 73 for that matter) but I already had my issue Alice clipped belt pack so why screw around with the rifle? Most guys tended to use the trap door early on to store cigerettes and matches, or pogy bait, or one guy I knew had every un opened packet of C-Rat toilet paper he ever found in there. One of the motor pool dudes wanted to make a sort of survival kit to fit the space.
Also with the early trap door stocks a drop from three feet on to concrete or cobble stone could crack the harder new butt plate while the old RBBB just bounced. (I also ditched the nylon rifle sling and found a cotton canvas one, not just because it was a better shooting aid but because the nylon ones failed while at shoulder arms at the lock and the base clip worked fine and swung your muzzle and front sight tower into the same concrete or cobble stone with bad results) Now the RBBB might well have, if the weapon were on safe and therefore cocked, have the BCG fly back enough to chamber a round and then, even though you yourself had never charged the weapon be loaded and ready to go. For whatever reason usually when the new stock hit butt first whether it broke or not the BCG did not make it far enough back to fully load the rifle though sometimes a round would get started and, because the base of the cartridge was behind the bolt lugs, that started the action you got the first half of the classic M16 double feed.
Before building a Carbine with an M4 type stock I considered many times pulling the A2 stock off my Colt HBAR Match and replacing it with an RBBB.
As I get older I sort of wish I had built pencil barreled 1/12 AR way back when making it just like my earlier xm16E1 and M16A1 service rifles would not only have been easy, but about the only option.
-kBob
Personally I was one of those that held on to my "Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper" M16 stock as long as possible when the change to the "New" A1 improved butt trap stocks came out. I felt the edges of the new trap door butt were sharper and that the stock did not grab my outer clothing as well and slipped around. Oh sure one could store cleaning equipment on the rifle with the "new" stock, like with the M1 and M14 (and to an extent the '03 and Winchester 73 for that matter) but I already had my issue Alice clipped belt pack so why screw around with the rifle? Most guys tended to use the trap door early on to store cigerettes and matches, or pogy bait, or one guy I knew had every un opened packet of C-Rat toilet paper he ever found in there. One of the motor pool dudes wanted to make a sort of survival kit to fit the space.
Also with the early trap door stocks a drop from three feet on to concrete or cobble stone could crack the harder new butt plate while the old RBBB just bounced. (I also ditched the nylon rifle sling and found a cotton canvas one, not just because it was a better shooting aid but because the nylon ones failed while at shoulder arms at the lock and the base clip worked fine and swung your muzzle and front sight tower into the same concrete or cobble stone with bad results) Now the RBBB might well have, if the weapon were on safe and therefore cocked, have the BCG fly back enough to chamber a round and then, even though you yourself had never charged the weapon be loaded and ready to go. For whatever reason usually when the new stock hit butt first whether it broke or not the BCG did not make it far enough back to fully load the rifle though sometimes a round would get started and, because the base of the cartridge was behind the bolt lugs, that started the action you got the first half of the classic M16 double feed.
Before building a Carbine with an M4 type stock I considered many times pulling the A2 stock off my Colt HBAR Match and replacing it with an RBBB.
As I get older I sort of wish I had built pencil barreled 1/12 AR way back when making it just like my earlier xm16E1 and M16A1 service rifles would not only have been easy, but about the only option.
-kBob
