U.S. Army Agrees That The M-4 Sucks

Yeah, all rifles need cleaning, my M1A(M14 variant) and couple of M1 Garands, needs a bit of cleaning at the gas piston periodically, but solvents do the trick.

And how short is short range, out to 200 yards is about all most can shoot accurately anyway — especially under duress. When hunting it’s laughable what the scoped rifle crowd misses. And — Just look at the number of police gun fights where tens of rounds are fired and no one is hit.

Hence the switch to short barreled shotguns for me. In city areas, it’s all you need. And in the swamps of Florida, probably even less attention to range, and more attention to snap shooting.

If I had a choice the new Ruger SR-556 looks good. But not the price.

“Yeah, all rifles need cleaning, my M1A(M14 variant) and couple of M1 Garands, needs a bit of cleaning at the gas piston periodically, but solvents do the trick.”

You need the drill bits to clean out the M14’s gas lock and piston. Lots of carbon builds up in there.

“And how short is short range, out to 200 yards is about all most can shoot accurately anyway “

200 yards is short range. 600 yards is medium range. 1000 yards is long range. An AR is capable of good accuracy out to at least 600 yards, but that requires ammunition unsafe in something like the Mini-14. Most military 5.56 is unsafe in the Mini-14.

“And — Just look at the number of police gun fights where tens of rounds are fired and no one is hit.”

They don’t practice or train.

There has been a lot of discussion about branding the mini unsafe with 5.56 ammo, but little proof it really is. People say it's the rifling lede problem which raises chamber pressure, easily fixed by a gunsmith, but I have had no problems with mine. But now I mostly use white box 223 ammo and handloads.

Find something to shoot at 600 yards in city surroundings. Even the boats that go by are closer than that.

I used to practice at a 600 yard range, it wasn't simple to hit a 3 foot target at that range, much less the bullseye. And when stressed, it was even worse at 200 yards. After living in Colorado, that makes the real range problem very obvious. I contend that if most can deliver a kill shot to a target at 200 yards, they are quite good at it.

Not bragging, just fact — I was able to bullseye with powerful scopes off a rest at 200 yard range under field conditions, but not necessarily under harder hunting conditions. Off a bench, I easily could do under 1 inch groups at 100 yards with handloads tuned for the rifle. In the field, bullet drop and windage becomes big problems in the open range when hunting. Snipers are to be revered.

As I aged, the accuracy went down, who doesn't have that problem.

But I still don't like ARs, just because ....

“There has been a lot of discussion about branding the mini unsafe with 5.56 ammo, but little proof it really is.”

The very LOADING allowable for 5.56 is up to 20,000 psi higher than SAAMI, so yes, there is proof. Now, it may or may not damage the rifle, but it still can exceed the pressure it was designed for.

“Find something to shoot at 600 yards in city surroundings. Even the boats that go by are closer than that.”

I don’t live in a city. I hate cities.

“I used to practice at a 600 yard range, it wasn’t simple to hit a 3 foot target at that range, much less the bullseye.”

It is if you practice and have a good rifle and ammunition.

“Not bragging, just fact — I was able to bullseye with powerful scopes off a rest at 200 yard range under field conditions, but not necessarily under harder hunting conditions. Off a bench, I easily could do under 1 inch groups at 100 yards with handloads tuned for the rifle. In the field, bullet drop and windage becomes big problems in the open range when hunting. Snipers are to be revered.”

I regularly hit 600 yard targets with an AR-15 in the 10 ring using iron sights prone with a sling in high temp conditions and variable weather and on the clock. I can do that with an M14 too. Not bragging, just fact. There are countless competitors better than me at it, too.

Bullet drop and windage are why (1) the sights are adjustable and we have tables and (2) windage is helped by having a spotting scope, but flags, grass, and trees will get you there.

“But I still don’t like ARs, just because ....”

I was an M14 shooter and thought the same of mouseguns. I learned from losing to them.

“You appear to be a good shot. I am afraid my old eyes cannot do it anymore.”

I’m just fair-to-middling.

Focusing on the front sight post is usually the biggest problem as we age. There, the M14 has a slight advantage with a longer sight radius. Ring-and-ring iron sights (”match” rifles) or shooting F-Class (optics) are the usual fixes to continue shooting at medium range targets. It can be done. It requires effort, practice, and suitable equipment, but it can be done and it is easier than you think. Truly great marksmanship skills like Gallagher’s or Tubb’s probably can’t be taught, but at least expert-level marksmanship can be. If push comes to shove, take your Mini-14 to an Appleseed event. The limitations of that platform will not be an issue (they shoot at VERY short ranges), but the fundamentals taught apply at longer ranges.

Too many are never actually taught to shoot. Most hunters, many in law enforcement, and a lamentable chunk of the military fall in that category.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.