Over the past few weeks, I've been discussing the CAR with people I know who have actually used the Commando series M16 in combat around the world. Here are some comments:
From veterans of the Vietnam war:
"I liked the XM-177 the best for short range. Beyond 100 yards the gun is useless though. It was designed for tunnel clearing and a personal defense gun in a vehicle."
"I used one on patrols on a few occasions. The gun had cycling problems a lot and it got fouled faster than a full sized M16. It was a very intimidating weapon though."
This one is particularly interesting. It is from a SEAL that served during that time:
"When we first went in country, we used Thompsons and some other older designs. Then some dick got us issued the shorties with can's on them. They were God awful to shoot due to the ammonia smelling gas discharge from the ejection port. The gas would make your eyes water to the point where you could barely see to shoot. Finally, we were able to get rid of those pieces of shit and get some decent subguns. I carried a Sten for most of the rest of my tour."
From guys that have served more recently:
"A couple of guys came strolling in one day with the new M16A2 Commando's on their sides. They swaggered around with them until the first insurgent strike. They were immediately put on back guard detail during the fights to get anyone that slipped up close. The guns were useless past 50 yards."
"I was issued the Commando when I first hit the ground in Afghanistan. The gun is fabulous for close quarters battle. I think the only gun that can rival it is the Krinkov. When **removed for security reasons** found the cave entrance, all of us armed with the Commando's were sent to secure it until demolitions could be brought in. The fight was hard but close. The Commando rocked. By the time the demo guys got there, we had littered the ground with brass."
"Our detail was tasked with guarding **removed for security reasons** during a walk through inspection of one of the hot zones. An IED went off stopping the lead vehicles and we came under ambush. As body guards, we used a variety of weapons including the UZI, M16 shorty, and P90. All performed decently but we had to wait for a chopper to give us medium to long range support. Thankfully, the Iraqi's picked a poor spot to hit us at. We didn't lose anyone but we couldn't break the stalemate until the Apache rolled in."
And here is my absolute favorite:
"Neat gun but the cyclic rate goes up so much suppressed that it won't feed reliably and it jams like a son of a bitch."
From veterans of the Vietnam war:
"I liked the XM-177 the best for short range. Beyond 100 yards the gun is useless though. It was designed for tunnel clearing and a personal defense gun in a vehicle."
"I used one on patrols on a few occasions. The gun had cycling problems a lot and it got fouled faster than a full sized M16. It was a very intimidating weapon though."
This one is particularly interesting. It is from a SEAL that served during that time:
"When we first went in country, we used Thompsons and some other older designs. Then some dick got us issued the shorties with can's on them. They were God awful to shoot due to the ammonia smelling gas discharge from the ejection port. The gas would make your eyes water to the point where you could barely see to shoot. Finally, we were able to get rid of those pieces of shit and get some decent subguns. I carried a Sten for most of the rest of my tour."
From guys that have served more recently:
"A couple of guys came strolling in one day with the new M16A2 Commando's on their sides. They swaggered around with them until the first insurgent strike. They were immediately put on back guard detail during the fights to get anyone that slipped up close. The guns were useless past 50 yards."
"I was issued the Commando when I first hit the ground in Afghanistan. The gun is fabulous for close quarters battle. I think the only gun that can rival it is the Krinkov. When **removed for security reasons** found the cave entrance, all of us armed with the Commando's were sent to secure it until demolitions could be brought in. The fight was hard but close. The Commando rocked. By the time the demo guys got there, we had littered the ground with brass."
"Our detail was tasked with guarding **removed for security reasons** during a walk through inspection of one of the hot zones. An IED went off stopping the lead vehicles and we came under ambush. As body guards, we used a variety of weapons including the UZI, M16 shorty, and P90. All performed decently but we had to wait for a chopper to give us medium to long range support. Thankfully, the Iraqi's picked a poor spot to hit us at. We didn't lose anyone but we couldn't break the stalemate until the Apache rolled in."
And here is my absolute favorite:
"Neat gun but the cyclic rate goes up so much suppressed that it won't feed reliably and it jams like a son of a bitch."
anybody who "thinks" that you lose 100 fps per inch of barrel, with REAL 5.56 loads, is an ignoramus. Some of the new Lake City stuff is right at 3000 fps, from a 14.5" barrel, with boattailed 62 gr ball. The fact that you, and your sources, are 10 years or more out of date does NOT alter the facts.
