I was one of the men issued an M16 in 11/67. We were told that they "didn't need cleaning", and, in fact, were issued one cleaning rod for every three rifles.
My first one gave me a bolt-over jam on the second round fired in anger. It was left in a rice paddy.
My second M16 was checked over by both the unit armorer, and the Colt Rep, and pronounced good to go. At the sighting range, it fired twice, and gave me a bolt-over jam. It was returned in three pieces after being Beta-tested as an impact weapon.
My third M16 was traded to an ARVN Ranger for his M2 Carbine, ten 30 round mags, and a case of ammo (Lake City).
I was told to go "get it back", turn it in, and was re-issued my old TRW M14, which I carried until I returned to CONUS in 4/69.
The guns ate themselves to pieces. The magazines were so flimsy that we thought that they were single-use. The sights sucked, and the barrel would wick moisture in jungle grass, causing a bulged barrel. The furniture was brittle, and they couldn't be fired when emerging from underwater, as they wouldn't drain quickly. I saw this when another unit found a creek in a contact. One of the men fell as they crossed it. He came up from the water, targeted an enemy, and bulged his barrel badly. The M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine, and the M14 didn't have this problem.
I'm sure that the current issue guns,unless they are worn out, are more reliable. Thanks, but it's taken 50 years, billions of dollars in R&D, and you still have the most maintenance intensive gun available. The ammunition is another story of failed objectives, as well. Again, after billions of dollars in R&D, it might just equal the 1950's era 7.62x51 under ideal conditions for the 5.56.
The AR just isn't for me, nor will I recommend one for anyone who might actually need to protect themselves. There are entirely too many proven systems out there to worry about anything like the AR.
