Re: TOES INTO THE DUMPER

M-16 was badly designed. 

a.  the buffer assembly group had to be redesigned to slow the rate of
fire.

b.the ammo feed had to be redesigned to prevent the bolt  from stripping
off 2 rounds at once on  occassion. 

c. the extractor failed to extract fired cartridges, and another  was
jammed up against IT.

d. primer fouled the chamber and then baked  round into it, and the
extractor COULD NOT  remove the  expended  casing. 

d. magazine-steel originally was  badly designed and would fail to feed
rounds.

e. aluminium 2nd generation magazines had faulty springs that collapsed
when 20 rounds	were loaded, so 18rounds were loaded, and the spring
STILL COLLSED UNDER STRESS.

f. redesigned  cartridge  propellants would occassionally NOT fire-only
the primer would fire.

g. the bolt failed to go all of the way forward after firing until  a
special FORWARD  ASSIST device	was fitted.

h. three pronged flash suppressor-good for opening C-rat  boxes-bad for
use in jungle! all too often the  muzzle would	spear into the ground
when hitting the  dirt and plug the muzzle.

i. officiall KEEP IT CLEAN and CLEAN OILY RAG policy was a bit bizzarre
in the	jungle. we cleaned matty mattel 4 times a day in dry season and
as needed during rainy season (usually 6 times or more), AND IT STILL
MALFUNCTIONED!

j. matty mattel would JAM TIGHT WHEN IT GOT WET!

k. matty mattel would JAM TIGHT WHEN IT GOT DUSTY! 

the later two  bits of wonderfulness  made life  really grand  during
wet season when EVERYTHING was wet and the dry season when dirt/dust (as
fine or finer than facial powder) covered EVERTHING!

as for the ARVN: they were using transferred WW II and Korean War issue
M-1 rifles (some full size, others cut down to be more ARVN friendly),
M-1 and M-2 carbines, M-3 grease guns, Tommy guns,  BARs, and air-cooled
tripod mounted browning LMGs. pistols were .45s and .38 revolvers.

only the ARVN airborne , rangers, marines, and special forces had
AR-15s	M-16s, M-79s and M-60s until about  1969 - 1970. 

and the damned ARVN got first  issue on all of the improved magazines
and rifles from 1970 onwards, while GIs  made do with what they had.

all of the  above is based on my own real life observations during
2years and  6 months RVN service in the III Corps, IV Corps,  II Corps,
and Capital Military District. 

i do not know what the new M-16 is like, but i would be very reluctant
to trust the "official reports" concerning  these.

reason?  when the "official reports " claimed wonderfulness, i saw "real
life" evidence of a piece of crap being pushed by the mcnamara crowd at
the pentagon.

in other  emails i have  discussed the upside of the matty
mattel-lightness, shortness, lighter ammo weight per number of rounds
carried, etc.

DAWGIE