Hey guys,
I just saw a future weapons episode about the new LWRC IAR... Infantry Automatic Rifle. Perhaps it has its uses somewhere, but the way they explained it made it sound completely reduntant and useless.
Mack's walking around with an M249 with a belt of ammo slung over his arm like Rambo, talking about how suppressive fire works, and how heavy the SAW is, and how since it fires from an open bolt, all sorts of crap can get into the action. True.
Then they introduce the IAR. Exactly the same as any M16, except a heavy barrel, and the ability to fire from open bolt in full auto, but closed bolt in semi. The idea behind this was to keep the bolt closed normally but to have it stay open during and after automatic fire to cool the barrel faster. Ok. Don't see how that would make much of a difference but let's assume it does. (To demonstrate this remarkable ability, they put a mag through an M4 and dump water over the barrel/gas tube, where it steams, showing how hot it is. Then he puts a mag through the IAR and immediately touches the bolt with his hand, to demonstrate how much cooler it runs. LWRC makes gas piston uppers, so the fact that the bolt is cold is completely unrelated to the fact that it fires auto from open bolt. I'm sure the barrel was just as hot as the M4.) They then talk about how cool it is to be able to get an extra mag from your buddy carrying an M4 in case you run out. The M249 can take M4 mags as well. No gain.
This weapon is being talked about as a replacement for a SAW type weapon. It uses M16 magazines (which is so cool cause you don't have ammo belts that can snag and fall apart, because nobody actually uses the stupid box magazines when they can have 200 rds draped over their arms), so 30rds max, unless they send a drum with it, which they don't.
So basically this fantastic, lightweight, replacement for the M249 is a heavy barrel M16 that fires from an open bolt in full auto. I fail to see how this is any gain. It's probably a loss, because an open bolt system is generally less accurate. This weapon doesn't do anything that any ordinary M4 can't do, especially if it's a gas piston upper.
Sorry if this was a bit of a rant but I was sitting there yelling at the TV wondering why they would put money into something that doesn't accomplish anything. I normally love any new gun invention but this just struck me as particularly stupid. I love LWRC's 6.8 gas piston upper.
Anyone else feel the same way?
I just saw a future weapons episode about the new LWRC IAR... Infantry Automatic Rifle. Perhaps it has its uses somewhere, but the way they explained it made it sound completely reduntant and useless.
Mack's walking around with an M249 with a belt of ammo slung over his arm like Rambo, talking about how suppressive fire works, and how heavy the SAW is, and how since it fires from an open bolt, all sorts of crap can get into the action. True.
Then they introduce the IAR. Exactly the same as any M16, except a heavy barrel, and the ability to fire from open bolt in full auto, but closed bolt in semi. The idea behind this was to keep the bolt closed normally but to have it stay open during and after automatic fire to cool the barrel faster. Ok. Don't see how that would make much of a difference but let's assume it does. (To demonstrate this remarkable ability, they put a mag through an M4 and dump water over the barrel/gas tube, where it steams, showing how hot it is. Then he puts a mag through the IAR and immediately touches the bolt with his hand, to demonstrate how much cooler it runs. LWRC makes gas piston uppers, so the fact that the bolt is cold is completely unrelated to the fact that it fires auto from open bolt. I'm sure the barrel was just as hot as the M4.) They then talk about how cool it is to be able to get an extra mag from your buddy carrying an M4 in case you run out. The M249 can take M4 mags as well. No gain.
This weapon is being talked about as a replacement for a SAW type weapon. It uses M16 magazines (which is so cool cause you don't have ammo belts that can snag and fall apart, because nobody actually uses the stupid box magazines when they can have 200 rds draped over their arms), so 30rds max, unless they send a drum with it, which they don't.
So basically this fantastic, lightweight, replacement for the M249 is a heavy barrel M16 that fires from an open bolt in full auto. I fail to see how this is any gain. It's probably a loss, because an open bolt system is generally less accurate. This weapon doesn't do anything that any ordinary M4 can't do, especially if it's a gas piston upper.
Sorry if this was a bit of a rant but I was sitting there yelling at the TV wondering why they would put money into something that doesn't accomplish anything. I normally love any new gun invention but this just struck me as particularly stupid. I love LWRC's 6.8 gas piston upper.
Anyone else feel the same way?
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