LOCK & LOAD
hahaha!
Stoner had a good system with the 63 and the armalites but the AK was a tried and true workhorse when the M16 needed a decade to perfect.
Modern M-16 platforms have been turned into workable combat rifles with but one major drawback. Never in the history of modern warfare have troops huddled away from the action for fear of actually having to try and kill the enemy with a weapon they know can't do the job. Isn't easy lying to them and pushing them on and on, teaching them to combine and focus their firepower in ways they never trained to do. Thankfully, we had less of a problem than the Army but its nothing short of criminal the way we send men into battle with peashooters.
I note that the free market has produced a vast quantity of improvements, most of which are interchangeable among the various brands -- with caliber selections ranging from varmint to half-inch. I see that some companies even make steel receivers.
It's anyone's guess how reliable these swap-out parts would be in the battlefield, but it's still a shame that certain restrictions of questionable legality prevented the market from creating a free (if disorganized) research experiment for select-fire, Stoner-type rifles in the 50s and 60s. The demand could've justified mass-production and lowered part costs, and likely resulted in a better selection.
Eh, coulda, woulda, shoulda.
To clarify: it would have been nice if ample demonstration of alternative calibers swayed some people at the top.
The oldtimers say that the kids bitch because they can't shoot straight and damn it all they won't stop whining until we get 'em phasers. Shoot the fucker in the brain housing group and quit the moaning.
It is easy to fall into that mindset from the vantage point of looking across a desk. Once past a certain paygrade its rare to see actual combat and c'mon, the grunts are always bitching and always will.
Every senior officer and NCO should be forced to spend part of his time in a combat company even if as an ammo humper. Can't hack it anymore than find a new line of work.
This is of course from a personal viewpoint because instead of going for 30 I left as soon as I could no longer stay ahead of the 18 year-olds."Keeping up" was not tolerable.
Commenting by HaloScan
