What's better?

[SuperiorMarksman_18]

The standard Colt M4 or the H&K 416?

 

[Car Knocker]

Better for what?

 

[Alex45ACP]

Gas piston design is better, so 416. Too bad us lowly serfs will never get our hands on one, but we can still get LW or POF gas piston uppers.

 

[Evil Monkey]

I've heard on this very same forum that the piston uppers are unreliable because the pistons were too thin or something like that. Probably because the system wasn't designed to be used with a piston in the first place or because they wanted to put a piston on the upper and still have low profile.

The hell with piston AR's. I'd settle with direct impingement. If I want piston, I'll buy an XCR.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Gas piston design is better, so 416.

Gas piston design is different. Whether it is better or not depends on what you need from the rifle.

As for whether the HK 416 is better than the Colt M4 for general use, I'd say that the number of people who can give an informed opinion on that subject is pretty small.