US troops demanding the M14? Israeli infantry packing the FN FAL?
When it comes time to pile on the M16, the sky's the limit on BS.
It's astounding that the most successful western infantry weapon ever produced, a rifle that DOMINATES practical shooting competition, Camp Perry rifle championships, the law enforcement carbine market, and has been in US military service for FORTY YEARS continues to draw so much criticism.
FN's SCAR is using 556mm! But what do those special ops guys know about lethality - my cousins sisters uncles kid said it took him 32 rounds of 556 to kill an 80 year old Taliban, write your congressman TODAY!
I hate these threads.
I agree with you - except that, by your basic criteria, the "most successful western infantry weapon ever produced" was the American-designed Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle. It served SIXTY PLUS YEARS (not a mere "FORTY" ;>) as the primary infantry weapon of a major western power, and 'DOMINATED' the target-shooting and law-enforcement markets of the British Commonwealth (and IIRC, the population of the Commonwealth exceeded that of the US during that period ;>).
And lest we forget that this is primarily a discussion of ammunition (rather than firearms - many of the folks here would apparently love the M-16 if it just chambered a round with a little more 'authority' ;>), one respected ammunition reference has noted that "it is doubtful that any other military cartridge has been used in so many hostile encounters as the 303 [British]." So much for "the most successful western infantry weapon ever produced"...
By the way, I love these threads - comparing firearms apples with ammunition oranges is always entertaining (and frequently informative)...
;>)
Just out of curiosity, what's your opinion about the M-16 rifle and the 5.56mm round?