Just wanted to let you know that I LOVE all the pictures you post, they really give us an inside look at what you guys are facing there everyday.

Hope you and the others are feeling better and finally over whatever you had. Still keeping you in my prayers and again THANK YOU for what you do. You are truly appreciated :)

God Bless!!!

It is incredible what has been added to increase the basic effectiveness of this weapon, adapting it is so many ways both to you and to the circumstances you will encounter. I had studied the photos and your comments on your photostream but had some difficulty following what you were saying. With the greater depth of this post and the placement of the pictures, I have been able to understand and actually to ID that to which you are referring as you go along. I note something which may or may not be the case, but it gives the appearance of being a fairly light weapon for the versatility it provides.

In the final analysis, it is clear that this weapon and its adaptations are there to give you a superior ability when you confront the enemy. That would be exactly what I pray for you and those with whom you serve. God bless you and your marines and may you always continue to thrive.

Be SAFE

A short recon of whatÂ’s out there that might draw your attention….

Nephew Marine with amphib assault just left for the sandbox. Son’s getting ready. I hope they learn from Marines like you.

thank you
J

Do you carry back-up iron sights in case the EOTech packs up?

Do yuou carry any other weapons? I see a holster in some pictures, I assume Beretta.

Thanks for the insight.

Mik

The areas that the accessories attach to are not real problem areas for cleaning the weapon. A shot of compressed air goes 90% of the way towards cleaning the outside of the rifle.

Yes, in addition to my M4 I carry a Beretta M9 in a thigh-rig holster. Definitely not my pistol of choice, but it’s also not that bad.

I guess we can kiss that weight advantage over say … the M1 out the window. The ole steel and iron M1 weighs 9 lbs too. No I am not a go back to the M14 kinda guy although I respect it. I just know if we started with a devastating round, then worked up a reliable accurate launcher for it, with magazines that don’t fail, we would be better off.

Any way luck always,

Semper Fi from one of them ‘old guys’

I carry 240 rounds of 5.56 on my person when outside the wire in addition to 30 rounds of 9mm. How much 7.62×51 could I carry? I’ll tell you, weight is at a premium. With my flak jacket, 4 SAPI plates, neck, throat, & groin protectors, PRR radio, MBITR radio, kevlar helmet, nomex gloves, ballistic glasses, med kit, 240 rounds of 5.56, 30 rounds of 9mm, and my M9 in a thigh rig I have got to be carrying over 60 pounds. Heck, when I put this stuff on I have to throw it above my head and swing one arm into it at a time like some type of awkward power clean and jerk.

I’ll take my 9-pound M4 with all its attachments over a bare M1 or even bare M14 any day. And I’m sure you know this, but it’s prudent to point out the M14 is only around because the US was too frugal to invest in new tooling for the “other” rifle that over 90 NATO countried adopted, the FN FAL. Sure, we can make it on M1 tooling, so why choose a more ergonomic design and be standardized with all of our communist-fighting allies?

I am bored to tears with the 7.62 vs 5.56 debate. The simple fact of the matter is that rifles don’t kill people anymore, for the most part. Enemy KIA/WIA is on the order of 1 per 10,000 rounds fired. Compare that to artillery. That’s why we haven’t seen a change in the US’s standard issue rifle since the 60s, because it doesn’t pay to develop and field new rifles.

We also have 7.62 weapons in the form of our M240E/G medium machine gun. We never leave the FOB without 240s, M2s, and sometimes MK19s in the turrets of our HMMWVs. We carry plenty of firepower. There’s no need to burden me with a heavier rifle that holds fewer rounds for that once-in-a-lifetime Arab crack addict that takes 3 rounds of 5.56 and keeps coming.

If I’m in a fighting hole, give me a 7.62, preferably a FAL, or even better, something that takes links. If I’m at Camp Perry sipping coffee and discussing wind dope and boat-tail bullet design, then I’ll take an M14. If I have to move around, give me my aluminum receivered POS Stoner-designed AR/M16 variant that craps where it eats. It hasn’t failed me yet.

I am not suggesting the return to the M1, the M14, or the rounds they employ.

I am saying that the M16 series is old. I had the priviledge of my first one jamming on the third round way back in 1969.

I am suggesting that it is time for an upgrade. And the way to start is with an efficient round. We all know that the Army has been stifled due to confusion about the whole issue. Two prototypes have been up and down already. Both based on the 5.56. Some think that it is due to a feeling that basing the new weapon on an old cartridge (5.56) sunk the new prototypes. We shall see. The old M16 family is going on 40 years old, so is that cartridge. Perhaps you would not need to carry so much ammo if each round was more effective.

As for the sights and flashlights, they are an improvement.

Slayer,
I have shot a Barrett M99, the bolt-action version of the M82. It makes a big boom. A BIG boom. Thanks to the muzzle brake, the recoil is actually manageable, about comparable to a solid 12GA buckshot or slug load. I have seen videos of snipers in Afghanistan engaging the enemy with M82s. The enemy bodies actually explode, sending arms, legs, and goo everywhere.

Sooner rather than later.

Did you have a choice between the ACOG and the EO Tec?

Semper Fidelis,

Steven Henry

Let’s not ascribe too much importance to this blog.

I’m a gun enthusiast also, I have an Armalite M15A4 SPR and I just started shooting in the practical shooting assoc. matches, fun.

Thanks for your service to our country and God Bless you and keep you safe.

One last thought- I often think of how individuals are not allowed to settle disputes by force of arms but governments are, a basic incongruity that I think contributes to violent societies.