M4 Carbine Fairs Poorly in Dust Test

[SavageSun4x4]

The primary weapon carried by most soldiers into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan performed the worst in a recent series of tests designed to see how it stacked up against three other top carbines in sandy environments.

After firing 6,000 rounds through ten M4s in a dust chamber at the Army's Aberdeen test center in Maryland this fall...

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,158468,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl

[DustDweller]

I'm always surprised how vehemently some people defend the platform as the ideal battle rifle. You tell them it has a design flaw and they just say you're not cleaning it enough.

[DanFelix]

Pretty quiet out tonight on the website...how about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3IL79NPDKI

[knockonit]

nothing like live action firing
nice

[SavageSun4x4]

I'm always surprised how vehemently some people defend the platform as the ideal battle rifle. You tell them it has a design flaw and they just say you're not cleaning it enough.
I have come across a few folks that take that attitude, but I have NEVER come across anyone that said that and was a full time combat soldier.

[TMR37]

I have an AR, and it's a great rifle. I hate the gas impingement design. They get filthy with hot dirty gasses from the barrel, and suffer from large amounts of carbon build-up.

My next AR is going to have a gas piston upper - most likely a P.O.F.

[knockonit]

run'm wet, will make a difference,
This is a big contention with a lot of ar enthusiasts, but I run a lot of ammo thru multiple weapons, and it will eventually jamb and or the gas system will carbon up, wetter has seemed better for me,
I put mine down in 68 and picked up a shotgun, and an ak, so the 16 didn't cut it for me, some liked it some didnt', thats my only have to experience with the 16, or as the civilian model is called the ar15.
As far as I'm concerned nothing runs like a garand or a m1 carbine.
ha
rj

[SHNIPE]

just switch to AK's Toss a handfull of dirt in em and they run better.

[Stu Olson]

"The Army was quick to point out that even with 863 minor stoppages -- termed "class one" stoppages which require 10 seconds or less to clear and "class two" stoppages which require more than ten seconds to clear -- the M4 functioned well, with over 98 percent of the 60,000 total rounds firing without a problem."

"Oh ****, a stoppage!"

"Achmed....hold up there a second please.....I have a class one stoppage and need to clear it before we resume the fire fight, OK?"

[TMR37]

run'm wet, will make a difference,


That's one of the limitations of the platform. You need to run them wet to acheive any sort of reliability, yet when they are wet they attract all kinds of dust and dirt which causes unreliability. This is especially troublesome when you're fighting all your conflicts in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Stu Olson]

That's one of the limitations of the platform. You need to run them wet to acheive any sort of reliability, yet when they are wet they attract all kinds of dust and dirt which causes unreliability. This is especially troublesome when you're fighting all your conflicts in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tom, the "wet" term is one I am not familiar with....how does that work?

[TMR37]

Tom, the "wet" term is one I am not familiar with....how does that work?

Wet = more oil than you would ever use with another firearm.

[DustDweller]

I have come across a few folks that take that attitude, but I have NEVER come across anyone that said that and was a full time combat soldier.

Exactly, you know there's something wrong when the primary users aren't happy; when you ask WWII or Korea vets about their battle rifle you typically get the exact opposite reaction

[Stu Olson]

Wet = more oil than you would ever use with another firearm.
Understood :)