Staring hard into the dark, a nine-man team, composed of six light Infantry scouts and three snipers tread carefully through a thick forest of concrete; their shadows follow along the 12-foot blast walls that litter the city as they make their way to a vacant two-story house on the west side of town. Their mission—to set up a final firing point to overwatch a highway and eliminate any threat that might be stirring about.

After infiltration into the vacant structure, the snipers slip off their heavy, burdensome packs and asses their final firing point, knowing that every urban hide must facilitate the following elements: positive communications, concealment, observation and fields of fire, escape routes, method of entry, interlocking sectors of fire and hide security.

After fabricating their hide site, the snipers emplace their M-110 rifles, supported by tripods affixed with HOG Saddle mounts. The tripod allows the sniper to deploy a sniper weapon system in a multitude of battle space environments. The Knights Armament-produced M-110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System is a precision 7.62mm NATO caliber, gas-operated rifle that is highly acclaimed for its battlefield performance. The rifle’s inherent accuracy, ambidextrous controls, abundant MIL-STD-1913 rail mounting capabilities and highly efficient sound suppressor system all contribute to the system’s combat success. Behind a double drape screen, the snipers clip on their universal night sights. The PVS-30 clip-on weapon sight adds the latest high-performance Gen 3 light intensification night vision to their rifles by attaching to the MIL-STD-1913 rail in front of the day optic. This device lets the snipers see at all hours of darkness, in shades of green.

Through the looking glass, the snipers begin their rapid scan and detailed search. The rifle scope that the snipers use is from a company that has been providing optics to the U.S. military since 1985. Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is an American manufacturer of telescopic sights, red dot sights, spotting scopes and binoculars located in Beaverton, Ore. Leupold & Stevens was founded by German immigrant Markus Friedrich Leupold and his brother-in-law Adam Voelpel in 1907, under the name Leupold & Voelpel. In 1942, the company name was changed to its present form, Leupold & Stevens. After World War II, Leupold & Stevens began making rifle scopes. In 1947, Leupold & Stevens introduced their first rifle scope, the Plainsman. It was the first fog-proof scope built by an American company. Fast forward to today, and Leupold’s line of optics are being used by organizations such as the United States Army, United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Not only is our military depending on them, but across the United States and abroad, countless military units and law enforcement agencies are putting their trust in them to get the job done.

MARK 5HD

The Leupold Mark 5HD is the latest development in Leupold’s tactical line of rifle scopes. Created with the serious shooter in mind, the Mark 5 pushes the engineering limits with its input from elite military personnel and professional shooters. The Mark 5HD was ergonomically designed with superb tactile, .1 Milliradian (Mil) audible click adjustments and a high-speed throw lever so the professional shooter can put accurate fire downrange faster. The Mark 5HD features a proprietary Argon/Krypton gas blend, which nearly eliminates the effects of thermal shock and reduces the diffusion of gases sealed inside the rifle scope. Its large eyebox provides the shooter exceptional head positioning and overall brightness, facilitating in the shooter gaining an effective sight picture quickly and with relative ease.

Weight: 26oz
Length: 12.06in
Eye Relief (low): 3.54in
Objective Diameter: 2.10in
Eye Relief (high): 3.82in
Tube Diameter: 35mm
Elevation Adjustment: 9.1 Mils
Windage Adjustment: 23.3 Mils

MARK 6 (ECOS-0)

In 2013, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in Crane, Ind., awarded a five-year contract to Leupold & Stevens, Inc. and Aimpoint in Chantilly, Va., for the Enhanced Combat Optical Sight-Optimized (ECOS-O) program. The ECOS-O advanced rifle sighting system combines the Leupold & Stevens Mark 6 3-18x44mm rifle scope with the Aimpoint Micro T-1 red-dot aiming system. The Aimpoint Micro T-1 red-dot sighting system uses advanced circuit efficiency technology (ACET) with a light-emitting diode (LED) light source to create a 650-nanometer red light. The ECOS-O design attaches the Aimpoint T-1 sighting device to the top of the Leupold Mark 6 rifle scope. The system is designed to provide optical targeting from zero to 300 meters and optically enhanced targeting from 300 to 1,000 meters for the shooter.

The Leupold Mark 6 is a compact, lightweight rifle scope that features the same proprietary Argon/Krypton gas blend found in the Mark 5HD and an exterior lens surface that is treated with DiamondCoat 2, an ion-assist lens coating, for higher light transmission and excellent abrasion resistance. According to Leupold, the DiamondCoat has the additional advantage of assisting in light transmission, for greater brightness, clarity and contrast. The Mark 6 features a powerful 6:1 zoom ratio that delivers a distinctly clear image throughout the entire magnification range and has a Twin Bias Spring Erector System that features beryllium/copper alloy leaf springs for a 30 percent increased holding force to withstand the most intense recoil and abuse.

The Mark 6, 3-18x44mm M5C2 rifle scope is a waterproof, shockproof and fog proof variable magnification rifle scope featuring audible and tactile 1/10 Mil click adjustments, a Zero-lock elevation adjustment with zero-stop, 34mm main tube, front focal plane TReMoR3 reticle for range estimation and long-range target engagement, side-focus parallax adjustment and optional reticle illumination.

Weight: 23.6oz
Eye Relief: 3.8in
Length: 11.9in
Elevation Adjustment: 26 Mils
Main Tube Diameter: 34mm
Windage Adjustment: 15 Mils
Objective Lens Aperture: 44mm
Adjustment Markings: 1/ 10 Mil

TReMoR3 RETICLE

The TReMoR3 reticle is a first focal plane reticle that magnifies along with the image, so you can estimate range at all magnification settings. The T3 reticle is ideal in tactical situations. The T3 gives the shooter the ability for excellent milling capability with 0.1 Mil resolution milling chevrons, allowing extremely fine estimation. Reticle hold points subtending to 0.2 Mil, with the central targeting grid calibrated in USMC Mils (6283 Mils/circle) (1 Mil= 3.60 inches at 100 yards) (10cm at 100 meters).

The speeds associated with the wind dot markers increase by a specific value from one marker to the next, moving outward from the reticle center. The specific value between wind markers depends on the ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity. Different sniper weapon systems have different wind marker values. There are seven time-of-flight wind dots on each horizonal stadia line.

For example, an M110 has a wind value of 4, resulting in the following speeds from center outward: 4 miles per hour, 8 miles per hour, 12 miles per hour, 16 miles per hour, 20 miles per hour, 24 miles per hour and ending at 28 miles per hour. It is crucial to recognize that the wind speeds are the same for each drop line. As an example, the third wind marker speed equals 12 miles per hour for an M110 weapon system regardless of which drop line it occurs on. This means that no further calculations are required to place wind holds for different drop adjustments.

To determine the wind dot value of your system, in your Applied Ballistic engine, turn off the spin drift calculation, then find the range in which 4 Mils is your elevation hold. Adjust the full wind value until you have as close to a .95 Mil hold as you can.

SPUHR MOUNT

The Spuhr mount is an extremely sturdy scope mount, with the possibility to attach multiple optical accessories directly to the mount. The mount has a built-in bubble level to help offset shooter-induced cant. A 45-degree split of the rings provides unobstructed view of the knobs. The sniper’s rifle and the spotter’s carbine can have the same mount, enabling the use of the same or shared equipment and accessories.

Traditionally weapon-mounted lasers have been mounted on the forend of the rifle, a solution with drawbacks. For the same reasons you don’t want your barrel to touch the forend you don ?t want the sights to be mounted on the forend. The Spuhr mounting system has up to seven interfaces for accessories, and the laser can be easily attached to the scope mount, providing the advantage of an undisturbed laser and having the weight close to the center of the gun instead of forward.

For weapon-mounted laser rangefinders, the direct-view optics are decoupled from the laser rangefinder itself. The sniper must manually align the laser rangefinder (LRF). Improper alignment results in poor ranging capability as well as inaccurate range measurements. To take full advantage of LRF performance, snipers want to ensure that a maximum amount of the laser energy is focused on the target and not scattering off of adjacent areas. At 1000 meters, if the laser rangefinder is misaligned 0.5 Mil low, this could result in an error in the range measurement of up to 5 meters, which could drop the probability of hitting the target by as much as 30 to 40 percent. Weapon-mounted LRFs rely on the rifle scope’s reticle for alignment. If the sniper dials windage or elevation corrections for ballistics, it will ruin the reticle’s alignment with the laser.

E-DOPE READER

The E-Dope is an electronic display used to clearly display target data. Utilizing E-Paper technology, the display is sunlight readable at extreme angles. The display is battery-less, utilizing NFC technology from your Android device to update the display. The E-Dope display is intended for fast-paced target shooting where multiple targets are to be engaged under time constraints. The display uses the E-Dope and Kestrel Ballistic Link Android applications. The E-Dope application allows you to save an indefinite list of stages with multiple targets. This allows the user to pre-save target distances, elevation and wind holds and load them to the E-Dope display when needed.

Using the E-Dope card is easy. Simply input all your required data into either the E-Dope application or the Kestrel Ballistics Link application. Hold the back of your Android device to the front of the E-Dope card. You will get a status bar showing the transfer progress and a message stating “Transfer Complete.”

Dimensions: 2.13in x 3.37in x 0.145in
Viewable Screen Size: 2.9in
IP54 rated: Dust- and Water-Re-sistant
Operating Temp: -10°F to 130°F
Attachment Method: Hook and Loop
Data Transfer: Android Application

ENGAGEMENT CYCLE

Once in the firing position, both the sniper and the observer are responsible for ensuring the sniper hits the target with one shot. The key to success is communication. The sniper team members may communicate however they feel comfortable, as long as their means of communication are effective and concise. With the assistance of the E-DOPE, Applied Ballistic software, a weapon-mounted laser rangefinder, and the robust design of the Leupold rifle scope, the sniper team is able to quickly begin the engagement cycle, which consist of four steps:

Step 1. Target identification—The sniper team identifies and determines that engagement is needed or a leader has directed it.
Step 2. Target acquisition—The sniper team makes the following assessment: Positive identification, weapon capability and individual proficiency.
Step 3. Target engagement—Sniper teams use the shot process and the functional elements of the shot process to engage a target.
Step 4. Target assessment—Sniper teams assess the effects on target and situation.

As dawn breaks over the horizon, the sniper team identifies an enemy combatant emplacing an IED on the side of the road. The team radios to command, informing them of the situation unfolding. Given the green light to engage, the sniper confirms the target distance via his weapon-mounted laser rangefinder, and by quickly glancing at the E-DOPE reader, he holds over the respected Mils in his TReMoR3 reticle and peers through his Leupold rifle scope; with the bend of his index finger, a shot hisses out from the end of the suppressed barrel. Like ripples in a pond, the spotter sees the trace of the bullet traveling at supersonic speed. The tiny projectile arriving to do its job well before the sound does and in less than a second, the enemy combatant is neutralized. The sniper team radios back to command and continues to scan for targets of opportunity.

On the battlefield, many people never even give thought to the shotgun. One expects to see modern assault rifles and belt fed machineguns.

However, the shotgun has always been part of the arsenal. They have served in every war this nation has ever been in. From the trenches of World War II to the underground tunnels in Vietnam they were used. The shotgun is a devastating weapon at close range to say the least. With buckshot, the shotgun is devastating up close to a target. Although even with a slug range is limited to 100 yards, but the destructive power and penetration of the slug is undeniable. Throughout the last century, the shotgun has been 12 gauge and pump action. As of this writing, the main combat shotgun for the US military is the Mossberg 500/590 series shotguns. This is a 12 gauge slide action shotgun with a 20 inch barrel and a 8 round tube. The shotgun has a heat shield as well as the ability to accept a bayonet. Different barrel lengths are available as well including 14 and 20 inch variations. The stock, handguard as well as the trigger housing are manufactured out of polymer. This shotgun has served in Operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. On May 4, 1998, a solicitation (DAAE30-98-R-0401) was issued to Picatinny arsenal for a new shotgun. This was a much more modernized semi-automatic combat shotgun.

The requirements put out were that the shotgun must fire 2.75-inch 12 gauge slugs (100 to 125 meters accurately) and 00 Buckshot (40 meters accuracy). The shotgun must have a length up to 41.75 inches and be capable of reconfiguring to 36 inches or less. The maximum weight allowed was 8.5 pounds with the desire to be six pounds unloaded. The shotgun will be equipped with Low Light Level iron sights and standard Mil-Std-1913 rail on the top of the receiver to permit use of enhanced sighting systems. The project was called the Joint Services Combat Shotgun (JSCS) and the weapon would go on to be classified as the M1014.

The purpose of the shotgun would be for use by all branches of the military for all types of missions including security/interior guard operations, rear area security operations, guarding prisoners of war, raids, ambushes, urban combat and whatever else may come along.

Benelli SpA is an Italian company located in Urbino, Italy. The company was founded in 1967 and its key products have always been high quality shotguns although it began life as a motorcycle factory that sold their motorcycles through Montgomery Ward. They produce hunting, competitions and military/law enforcement shotguns for customers throughout the world. Benelli became noted for their M3 12 gauge. This shotgun became famous in law enforcement circles due to it being both semi-automatic and pump. If the officer needed to switch to less lethal ammunition they could be cycled by using pump action and when using normal ammunition the shotgun would be in the semi-automatic mode of fire. In 2000, Benelli SpA and Benelli USA were purchased by Beretta.

Benelli Armi S.P.A. of Urbino Italy submitted their Benelli M4 Super 90 Combat Shotgun for the trials.

Benelli is most known for their employment of inertia recoil system. This eliminated any gas operation components thus decreased weight. Since no gas was used to cycle the action the shotgun ran rather clean. It also is one of the the fastest cycling shotgun in the industry. Benelli normally chrome plates bores and chambers. The shotgun can fire upwards of 25,000 rounds without failure of any major components. Also they normally chrome plate the bolt. They manufactured both military/Law Enforcement as well as commercial versions of the shotgun. They manufacture models suitable for any task. The first version was called the M1 Super 90.

On August 4, 1998, Benelli sent 5 shotguns for testing to Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Benelli beat all of the competition. The M1014 Joint Services Combat Shotgun was awarded to Benelli contracted by Heckler & Koch which was at that time the importer for the Benelli shotgun. The first 20,000 shotguns were delivered to the Marine Corps. The M1014 shotgun was given National Stock Number: 1005-01-472-3147.

The M4 is quite unique compared to those shotguns that came before it. This was the first shotgun Benelli had ever made that did not use the inertia operating system. Instead they opted for a piston operated mechanism. This mechanism is called ARGO or Auto Regulating Gas Operated system. This consists of two short stroke operating rods using two stainless steel pistons which are touted as being self-cleaning. The operating mechanism is located just in front of the chamber to function opposite of the bolt. The ARGO system uses only four components which are two symmetrical shrouds containing two small steel gas pistons. The ARGO gas system eliminates the complexities in using a standard piston mechanism with all its additional parts. The ARGO system is self regulating which will allow the shotgun to function with a wide array of shotgun ammunition. The bolt itself, is a rotary lock mechanism. The bolt runs in a cam track to lock and unlock. The bolt is also chrome plated. The ARGO operating system makes it possible to fire a wide variety of ammunition. The specification called for 2.75 inch shot shells but the Benelli shotgun will also fire 3 inch shells as well.

The only drawback to the system is that less than lethal ammunition including rubber pellets is that the action must be cycled manually. There were proponents during testing that felt a combination semi as well as bolt would have been a better option due to an increased use of less than lethal ammunition in peace keeping missions. There is no doubt that making a shotgun in dual operating system would complicate the design and may just well compromise the combat reliability demanded of the shotgun. Another reason for the switch from inertia to ARGO system was so the shotgun would remain reliable with additional auxiliary equipment such as optics.

The barrel is 18.5 inches in length and uses an improved cylinder fixed choke to accommodate the slug and buckshot loads it is required to use. Many of the barrels are fixed with this improved cylinder choke but they are also found with removable chokes. The shotgun provided for test and evaluation utilizes a removable choke. This certainly adds to the adaptability of the shotgun. Rifled choke tubes are available for slugs (sabot) which increase range and accuracy. The entire bore and chamber are chrome plated.

The ammo tube holds 7 rounds of 2.75 inch shotgun shells. The shotgun is actually capable of carrying 9 shells. There are 7 in the tube, one in the chamber and one under the carrier. With practice this is quite easy to do. Commercial versions use an adapter which only permits 5 shells.

The stock is a large part of the modularity of the shotgun. The stock has two positions allowing not only for adjustment for smaller statured individuals but to those wearing body armor. To move you will depress the catch button on the left side, give it a quarter turn clockwise and pull to the rear. Once the stock is in the desired location rotate a quarter turn counter clockwise and the stock is locked in position. Without tools the stock and pistol grip can be reconfigured to a fixed or telescopic stock. There are numerous accessories available for this shotgun as well. The safety of the shotgun is a conventional cross bolt safety located at the rear of the trigger guard. The right side has a larger button for easy manipulation even when using gloves. The sights on the shotgun are quite nice. They are a ghost ring sight similar to that one would use on a M16-type or M4 carbine. The sights are adjusted by the rim of a shotgun shell. In front of the rear sight is a segment of Mil-Std-1913 which will permit any optic to be attached. The Aimpoint Comp4 and the Trijicon reflex sight are ideal for this short range weapon

All of the shotguns steel components are matte black/grey phosphate corrosion resistant finish while the aluminum components are hard coat anodized black. The inside of the bore and chamber as well as the bolt are hard chrome plated. The shotgun has a weight of 8.42 pounds. Due to the design, the Benelli shotgun requires little maintenance, even in harsher environments.

The shotgun loads different than most any other. There are two different ways to load. The first in to insert all 7 shells into the tube. Then you would depress the carrier button and a shell will be released to under the carrier. Then you would simply pull the bolt back and release to load that shell into the chamber. The other way is to pull the bolt back to the rear, insert a shell into the chamber and then flip the rifle over and load the tube with 7 shells. The way the shotgun functions makes it easy under a tactical situation to swap out the round in the chamber if need be. for example you are firing buck shot and the target is hidden behind a barrier. All you have to do is pull the bolt to the rear, eject the shell in the chamber, drop your slug in the chamber and let the bolt go. The shell in the tube is not released unless the shotgun is fired or the shooter manually hits the carrier button releasing it.

Field stripping the shotgun is easy and requires no special tools, in fact no tools at all. First step is to ensure the shotgun is clear and there are no shells in the tube or chamber. Depress the carrier button and pull the bolt back until it locks to the rear. Unscrew the forend cap counterclockwise and remove. Bush the barrel forward until the two handguard half’s come loose and remove them. Now you grasp the barrel and pull the barrel out of the receiver. Depress the carrier button and allow the bolt to go forward. Twist and pull the cocking lever out of the bolt and slide the bolt assembly out of the front of the receiver. Remove the firing pin retainer pin from the right side of the bolt carrier. Remove the firing pin and firing pin spring from the rear of the bolt carrier. Lift the locking head pin out of the top of the bolt carrier and now you can remove the bolt from the carrier by pulling the bolt out of the carrier. To remove the trigger group, grasp the cocking lever, use the tip to push inward on the trigger pin from the right side of the receiver. Pull the pin outward until it stops to detent. Now pull downward and remove the trigger assembly. To remove the gas pistons from the barrel, use the tip of the cocking lever, insert it into the groove on the gas cylinder plugs and rotate counter clock wise and remove. Remove the gas piston from the cylinder.

Although not done routinely, if you wish to remove the stock and pistol grip you would do as follows, depress the stock locking pin and rotate the stock clockwise and push it inward until the line marked on the recoil tube. Now rotate the stock counterclockwise and pull the stock off of the recoil tube. Now grasp the pistol grip and unscrew counterclockwise and remove.

The test and evaluation shotgun received by SAR was exactly what one would come to expect from Benelli. Flawless fit and finish. When the bolt was actuated it was just as smooth as could be. It is certainly different for someone who is use to a Remington 870 or any other pump or auto loading shotgun. The loading procedure was the same. The ability to change out shells with different type in an emergency is easier on the Benelli than any other shotgun this author has tested. It is clear why Benelli shotguns are popular among competitors. The time saved when transitioning from buckshot to slug is significant. There is no need to remove two shells (one in the chamber and the one released from the magazine), you only eject the chambered round and drop it in place.

The ammunition tested was provided by both Federal and Remington. There were 25 rounds of Remington 2 3/4 inch OO Buckshot (12SB00) and 25 rounds of Federal Premium 2 3/4 inch OO Buckshot (P15400). There were also 20 rounds of Remington Slugger 2 3/4 inch 1 oz slugs (SP12SMag-RS-5PK) and 20 rounds of Winchester Super X 2 3/4 1 oz hollow point slugs (X12RS15). Both of these loads are in use with local Police and SWAT teams in the upstate New York area.

The only thing added to this shotgun for testing was an optic. The optic chosen is the Trijicon Reflex sight (RX34A-51). This has a wider screed (42mm) compared to the SOPMOD (24mm) optic. There is a honey comb diffuser to prevent glare off the lens and giving away the shooter’s position. Due to the larger screen, the optic has a Mount Surface to Optical Axis of 1.506 inches. This does not allow for co-witnessing with iron sights. The sight has a 4.5 MOA amber dot which is powered by both a tritium lamp as well as fiber optics. This adjusts the brightness of the dot to the light conditions in the environment. The sight is used with both eyes open. The sight weighs 8.2 oz without the mount. Due to the limited range of the shotgun, this would be an ideal option for an optic.

The T&E shotgun was found to have the fit and finish one would come to expect from Benelli. The finish was immaculate. The bolt when retracted was as smooth as can be. The bolt retracts with little effort compared to many of the semi-automatic shotguns found on the market. When fired without the optic, this author appreciated the sight picture. Since much of my work is with M16/AR15-type weapons, familiarity of the sights picture was greatly appreciated. When the shotgun is brought to the shoulder the sight picture is quickly obtained. When the Trijicon Reflex sight was added, that was a whole new level of quick sight acquisition. Drawing the shotgun up and leaving both eyes open, it was easier to get off very quick follow-up shots. This shotgun and Trijicon are an excellent tactical pairing. With the action as it is, it is very easy to get off quick shots. Ideal for urban conditions as well as ambush situations under close quarter battles. Reliability is again what one would expect from Benelli, absolutely flawless. During the testing, there was a police recruit shotgun course training. The department issues Remington 870 slide action shotguns. Several of the students who did well as well as some who did poorly right out of the gate were given the Benelli M4 to run through the same course. They all improved with the semi-automatic M4. They stayed on target better due to not having to pump the action on the shotgun. This author also really appreciates the ease of transitioning from OO Buckshot to slug. This really is second to none. To transition with the 870, you have to eject the empty, pull or shake the round released from the tube and then insert the slug. The M4, you simply pull rearward on the bolt, eject that chambered round and drop the slug into the receiver and let the bolt go. But realistically, no matter how much better the M4/M1014 system is the cost will always keep it out of reach of the normal rank and file police. This gun is mainly used by SWAT due to the better budget and their ability to get better weapons. The telescopic stock does assist a great deal, but the shotgun is still long. The shorter NFA barrel is more appropriate for getting in and out of the car but you lose the higher capacity ammunition tube.

The Law Enforcement community is offered the M1014 but in a slightly modified design and it is known as simply the M4LE. There are two main differences between the military and law enforcement variations. First is the barrel. Instead of having a fixed improved cylinder choke, the barrel has removable choke tubes giving the officer more flexibility on ammunition. Also a rifled choke tube is available to allow for use with longer range sabot slugs. The second difference is in the stock assembly. On the M1014, the stock has but two positions, the M4LE has three positions.

After over 20 years of service, the Benelli M1014 is still the state-of-the-art in combat shotgun technology. The shotgun offers a soldier devastating firepower in a close quarter battle. The utter reliability of the system is second to none. It would be safe to say that the M1014 is the first widely adopted semi-auto combat shotgun in the world. It is used by many countries, in particular Special Forces in countries such as Brazil, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Italy (of course!), Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, UK, South Korea and the United States. There are large unknown numbers of police and SWAT teams that use the Benelli M4 or the inertia fired cousins. The Benelli M4 (M1014) is not a cheap shotgun, with an MSRP of $1899 or higher. You do get what you pay for a combat shotgun that you can bet your life on.

Shotguns have always been a fighting weapon for the US military although not often seen. They serve roles such as defense, offensive, breaching as well as deploying less than lethal ammunition such as bean bag loads. In law enforcement, every car had a shotgun.

That has changed in favor of the patrol carbine. Though is that one projectile is easier to account for than 8 or 9. Law enforcement also faces the threat of suspects/active shooters wearing body armor. In this case the penetration power of the 5.56mm round is certainly more appropriate than buckshot or slugs. High capacity magazines with 5.56mm ammunition put a patrol officer in the position to deal with an active shooter when traditionally armed officers with shotguns would have to wait for SWAT to arrive. However in military application, the shotgun stands out as devastating firepower at close range. In urban combat, shotguns are used for breaching. What this means is blowing locked doors off of their hinges or blowing the lock out so the soldiers can gain entrance.

Over the last 50 or so years, shotguns have been visible in military operations such as Vietnam, Panama, Gulf War 1 as well as the Global War on Terrorism. Looking at this time period you may think of a tunnel rat in Vietnam with a sawed off Ithaca shotgun. Today there are several shotguns in service but what we will look at are two of the general purpose shotguns in current service. The Mossberg 590/590A1 pump action and the Benelli M1014 semi-automatic shotgun are the most prevalent in the inventory.

As early as 1979, the Mossberg 500 and 590 pump action shotguns were accepted when they successfully passed the Mil Spec 3443 testing. In 1992, Mossberg was awarded the contract for the 590A1 shotgun. This contract was spearheaded by the Navy. In the mid-2000’s the shotgun would be made available to the commercial market. Two major changes of the 590A1 over the predecessors is the use of an aluminum trigger guard and safety.

The 590 has a 18.5 inch barrel with a improved cylinder choke and a bead front sight. The magazine holds 6 rounds of 2 3/4 or 3” magnum 12-gauge shotgun shells. The stock and forgrip are made of black polymer. This is superior to wood in that the material does not swell, splinter or rot. It is impervious to the elements. The receiver is manufactured from aluminum and anodized black. The shotgun is 39.5 inches weigh in at 6.75 pounds. These may also be found with just a pistol grip and no stock. These are often carried as secondary weapons for breaching purposes or extreme close combat situations.

The pump action 590A1 as previously stated has a aluminum trigger housing and safety lever rather than polymer. These can be had in several configurations as well. The combat shotgun has a 9 round capacity and can also fore 2 3/4 or 3 inch 12-gauge shotgun shells and a cylinder bore choke. The barrel is parkerized black and the stocks are polymer in black color. The receiver is also manufactured from aluminum and anodized black. The 590A1 has a 20 inch barrel with a bead front sight. This model also may be seen with Ghost Ring sights which is a rear peep sight and a front sight post similar to that of an M16 rifle. None were shipped in this configuration but some shotguns have been converted to have this sight feature. All leave with a front bead. The shotgun weighs in a 7.25 pounds and an overall length of 41 inches. This 20 inch barrel mode will also accept a M9 bayonet. There is a bayonet lug and the front o the bayonet attaches to the magazine cap. This model also may be found with an 18.5 inch barrel or with a pistol grip rather than stock.

Loading procedure is to load the magazine tube to capacity. Push upward on the action lock lever to release the bolt. Cycle the action fully and now there is a round in the chamber. The safety is located on top rear of the receiver. It is a sliding button. With the shotgun being pump action, it may fire all types of ammunition without cycling issue. Unlike autoloaders which require full powered loads, the pump action can fire low recoil loads and less than lethal shells.

Mossberg provided a T&E shotgun. The one requested was the 590A1SPX (50771). This shotgun has all the bells and whistles. It has Ghost Ring sights which the rear sight is mounted to a Mil-Std-1913 rail. The rear sight may be removed and an optic such as a reflex sight can be mounted. The barrel was ported right behind the front sight assembly. The front sight is provided with a reddish fiber optic sight. This was very visible in daytime conditions. The shotgun was provided with a M9 bayonet which mounted to the shotgun with ease. The shotgun was what you would expect of a military grade shotgun. Strong, robust and simple. The shotgun was tested with Winchester OO Buck, Federal OO Buck, Hornady TAP, Winchester 1oz slug, Federal Low Recoil slug and Hornady TAP High Velocity slug. Every round cycled perfectly. No mechanical issues whatsoever. It is nice being able to use Low Recoil ammunition. You really sacrifice little performance. The shotgun did hit a steel gong at 100 yards with ease.

Both of these models may be seen in the hands of all branches of the military. Mossberg has sold more than 100,000 shotguns to the U.S. military. However the Marines took it one step farther. They wanted a semi-automatic shotgun. On May 4, 1998, a solicitation (DAAE30-98-R-0401) was issued to Picatinny arsenal for a new shotgun. This was a much more modernized semi-automatic combat shotgun. The requirements put out were that the shotgun must fire 2.75-inch 12 gauge slugs (100 to 125 meters accurately) and 00 Buckshot (40 meters accuracy). The shotgun must have a length up to 41.75 inches and be capable of reconfiguring to 36 inches or less. The maximum weight allowed was 8.5 pounds with the desire to be six pounds unloaded. The shotgun will be equipped with Low Light Level iron sights and standard Mil-Std-1913 rail on the top of the receiver to permit use of enhanced sighting systems. The project was called the Joint Services Combat Shotgun (JSCS) and the weapon would go on to be classified as the M1014. Deliveries began in 1999 to the Marine Corps. This shotgun is also used by special forces.

Out of this competition came the most reliable, durable and versatile combat shotgun in the world. This shotgun really cannot be compared to the Mossberg 590/590A1. They were procured for different missions. The Benelli M4 Super 90 was type classified as the M1014 shotgun. This semiautomatic was Benelli’s first shotgun that did not use their trademark inertia operating system. This new system is called ARGO or Auto Regulating Gas Operated system. This consists of two short stroke operating rods using two stainless steel pistons which are touted as being self-cleaning. The operating mechanism is located just in front of the 3 inch chamber to function opposite of the bolt. The ARGO system uses only four components which are two symmetrical shrouds containing two small steel gas pistons. The ARGO gas system eliminates the complexities in using a standard piston mechanism with all its additional parts. The ARGO system is self regulating which will allow the shotgun to function with a wide array of shotgun ammunition. The bolt itself, is a rotary lock mechanism. The bolt runs in a cam track to lock and unlock. The bolt is also chrome plated. The only drawback to this system is most Less Than Lethal ammunition must be cycled manually.

The way the mechanism works allows rapid ammo change. For example your M1014 is loaded with Buckshot and a target appears 100 yards away and you need to transition to a slug. Unlike a traditional shotgun you have to eject the chambered round and remove the round on the carrier by hand, the M1014 ejects the round in the chamber by retracting the bolt. The round in the magazine will only be released if the shotgun is fired or if you manually release it by way of the cartridge drop lever. Now after the shell in the chamber is ejected you just drop the slug shell in the receiver and release the bolt handle. The loading procedure for the M1014 is to insert 7 rounds in the tubular magazine, push upward on the cartridge drop lever. This releases the round to the carrier. The retract the bolt and release allowing the rotating bolt to chamber and lock the bolt into battery. You may now insert another round into the magazine.

The M1014 has a two position folding stock and a 18.5 inch cylinder bore barrel. The safety is a conventional cross-bolt type in front of the trigger guard. The bore, chamber and bolt are hard chrome plated which permits fast and easy cleaning. The receiver is manufactured from aluminum and anodized black. The sights are Ghost Ring sights which are peep sights, similar to that of an M16. In front of the rear sight is a Mil-Std-1913 rail for mounting optics. This shotgun is well suited for a dot-type optic such as a Trijicon Reflex, EOtech or Aimpoint sight. The t&e shotgun was equipped with a Trijicon Reflex 1x42mm sight. The magazine holds 7 shotgun shells of either 2 3/4 or 3 inch magnum loads. However the shotgun can potentially carry a load of 9 shells. One would be in the chamber and the other is loaded on the carrier. The M1014 weighs 8.4 pounds with a length of 34.8 inches.

The T&E provided from Benelli is pristine. This is what you would expect from the fine Italian gun maker. Keep in mind the MSRP of the Mossberg is between $500 to $900 depending on the model, the M1014 has an MSRP of $2399 so you expect allot more out of the Benelli M1014. Fit and finish is flawless. The bolt glides rearward like the hammer on a Colt Python! This author has had a significant amount of experience with the M1014. In testing over the years this shotgun was exposed to brisk upstate New York winter with -13°F and -30 wind-chill. The shotgun cycled all standard OO Buckshot and slugs. You could feel the action work and could tell it was slower than normal but it never skipped a beat. It would not fire the low recoil loads, the M1014 would short stroke. The test shotgun has seen well over 500 rounds without issue.

Another role the shotgun serves is for breeching doors. Whether it be search warrant or a military unit clearing buildings, the operators come across locked doors. Heavier doors cannot be kicked in. So the muzzle of a shotgun is placed over the lock whether it be a dead bolt or standard lock and then the shotgun is fired blowing out the lock. Occasionally it may take two or three shots. Also the operator can blow the door off the hinges as well. The muzzle is placed in the location of the hinges and blows the hinges out, of the door can be kicked in. This can be done with a standard muzzle but is better handled with a breaching choke tube. The breeching choke tested was the Carlson Choke Tubes, LLC. Tactical Breecher Muzzle Brake (model 84130). The teeth on the muzzle enable the choke tube to grip the door/wall and the ports allow pressure to escape from the side so the shooter is not blown back away from door/wall. Both slugs and Buckshot can be used for breeching. There are specific rounds for breaching as well. Looking at this specific breaching choke, it has more porting than most to allow more recoil reduction and helps eliminate some of the back pressure that would kick back the shotgun into the shooters hands as well as the construction allows all loads to be used including slugs and buckshot loads.

Does the average shooter need one of these Benelli M1014 shotguns, of course not. It is a steep price tag but if you want the finest combat shotgun in the world it is well worth the money. The Mossberg 500/590A1 shotguns offer all the tactical benefits at a price within grasp of most shooters. This is one of those time where you really cannot compare the two shotguns. They were designed for different purpose with different mission in mind and they both truly shine. Also fortunately they are both available in the commercial market. As long as you do not live in an occupied state which restricts civilian ownership of these “assault” shotguns!

In the U.S. military, the preferred shotgun round is OO Buck with 9 pellets. Winchester/Olin is the major supplier. They can have green or red hulls and are high brass. The OO buck is the most effective anti-personnel round out there. However the slug does also have its place and are also in use. Not so much as anti-personnel, although it could be but more for breaching buildings. For instance you come across a locked door, the soldier can fire a slug into the lock area and see if he can blow the lock out to open the door. If that does not work he will aim at the location of the hinges and blow the door off the hinges. If the soldier has to shoot through barriers the slug is an excellent option. They do a good job on car doors and going through mud huts!

Although there is an expectation in a combat zone for “collateral damage”, law enforcement does not have that option. Any police officer who carried a shotgun with OO Buck must account for each pellet when he pulls the trigger. Often you will get that one flyer pellet that may miss the target and possibly injure a innocent bystander which can , will and has happened. Hornady manufacturing has a excellent line of T.A.P. or Tactical Application Police ammunition. This ammunition offers law enforcement a wide array of rifle, pistol and shotgun ammunition to fit their agencies individual needs. This ammunition is sold to Law Enforcement/military only but as you can imagine it finds its way to the commercial market.

They offered two loads. First is a 12-gauge Reduced Recoil load (blue hull) which has 8 OO buck pellets firing at a velocity 991 feet per second coming out of an 18.5 inch barrel. This is designed for slide action shotguns which does not require the higher pressures to cycle the action. The second is the 12gauge TAP Light Magnum OO Buck load. This also has 8 OO buck pellets but fires a higher 1428 feet per second out of a 18.5 inch barrel. Both of these loads were tested in the Mossberg 500A1 shotgun and there was no undoubtedly a noticeable difference in recoil. The low recoil did not cycle reliably in the M1014 but cycled perfectly with the Light Magnum Load.

The benefits do not stop with this TAP load here. The shot patterns are significantly tighter than that of a standard OO buck load. This is due to the shot cup. As previously mentioned the Police officer has to account for every projectile. With a tighter pattern the chance is greatly reduced of having a flyer. Of course nothing is absolute but there is a major difference. Targets were set up at 10, 15 and 20 yards. First a standard Winchester LE OO Buck round (2 3/4 inch) and then the TAP round and the diameter of the shot patterns was measured. At 10 yards the Winchester load opened up approximately 4 inches in diameter. The TAP round was shot at the same distance with an approximate diameter 1.75 inches. Major change! At 15 yards the Winchester round was fire with a diameter of about 7 inches. The TAP was tested at the same range giving a diameter of approximately 3 inches with one flyer. If you want to count the one flyer it is approximately 5.5 inches. Still a major difference either way. The last test was a 20 yards. The Winchester load had an approximate diameter of approximately 8.75 inches with the TAP coming in at approximately 6 inches.

Hornady also offers a 1oz rifled slug in both low recoil and magnum loads. Accuracy was measured by hitting a steel target at 100 yards with these slugs. The Mossberg fired both reliability as expected. However the results were surprising with the Benelli M1014. If shot and reliably cycled both the low recoil as well as light magnum loads. Slugs will create more pressure even in a light load compared to buck shot. Recoil was noticeably different between the two. However just to remain on the safe side this author would prefer the light magnum given the choice. There is no evidence in the testing to show the low recoil is not reliable but the recoil of the light magnum is not much different to a 270-pound shooter.

Shotguns remain a viable combat weapon whether it be military or law enforcement. In the instance of shotguns the U.S. military did not hit up the lowest bidder. The requirement bar was set high and both Mossberg and Benelli made the grade with distinction. Ammunition advances continue and the 12-gauge is still the standard military and LE choice. Hornady has made an excellent improvement in this technology.

Anyone who is a student of modern military small arms has heard of the father of the modern day assault rifle, the Nazi StG44 or Sturmgewehr which translates into Storm Rifle or proper English translation assault rifle. It was the first intermediate selective fire rifle which had a high capacity 30 round magazine and had mild, controllable and accurate recoil.

This rifle was chambered in the 7.92×33 Kurz cartridge. Some were brought back to the U.S. from the war. After the fall of the Third Reich, the rifle and caliber were discontinued. No further production of rifles was ever made.

Some companies actually produced limited number of rounds including former East Germany, FNM out of Portugal, Privi Partizan out of Serbia and even Hornady made a run.

For the average gun enthusiast, he would be lucky to see let alone fire one of these pieces of modern military history. Oddly enough, no manufacturer ever went into small scale production to fill this void. The scarcity of the ammunition could be a major factor.

In 2011 the prayers were answered with compromise. How about an StG44 that would fire a common cartridge? Say the ever popular 22 Long Rifle? That is just what ATI and German Sport Guns GmbH did with the introduction of their GSG-StG44. The service and distribution of this new rifle belonged to American Tactical Imports Inc out of Rochester, New York. The unveiling was at the 2012 SHOT Show.

SAR obtained a test and evaluation rifle. It was received packaged in a very well made wooden crate. The rifle was broken down into the receiver, pistol grip assembly and stock all wrapped in plastic and held in place by wood planks screwed into support beams. After unscrewing the planks and retrieving the parts it was noticed immediately the incredible detail of this rifle and even the way it was assembled. This author has had significant trigger time on the World War II German StG44 and am quite familiar down to the last detail. The rifle assembled in the exact same way with the main difference being the provision that made the rifle a blow back operated 22 Long Rifle caliber. After it was assembled it had the exact fit and feel of granddaddy. One very unique fact about the StG44 is the trigger, it has a springy draw until it reaches the hammer. The GSG rifle had that exact same trigger! To someone not familiar with the actual rifle, you may not appreciate that terrible trigger. But GSG wanted to build an exact replica and that is what they did.

When looking at the data of overall length of 37.3 inches, barrel length of 16.3 inches and weight without magazine of 9.15 pounds, these are all within the specifications of the original rifle. The safety is on the left side of the pistol grip assembly and is a flip lever.

The original being selective fire had a separate cross bolt selector that went from semi to fully automatic fire. Due to the GSG-StG44 being semi-automatic only there is no need for this provision so it is just molded into the receiver and does not move. The cocking handle locks open the same way by pulling all the way to the rear and engaging the stop notch. The stock is made of a very nice wood and retains the metal buttstrap as well as the oil bottle hole in the top of the stock.

Disassembly is the exact same down to the removable aluminum handguard. The rear takedown pin is pushed out of the receiver and the stock comes directly off of the receivers. At this point the trigger group pivots downward out of engagement with the rear of the receiver. Now the springs and the bolt are exposed. In the case of the GSG-StG44, you remove the receiver cap spring, damping devise and breech block. You may remove the trigger group pin as well and separate that from the receiver. The last thing to remove is the metal handguard.

The rifle was taken to the range. The ammunition used to test the GSG-StG44 was ATI Scorpion ammunition. This is custom ammunition made for ATI by ARMSCOR in the Philippines. that has been over a year in the making. ATI had very specific instructions to how they wanted this ammunition loaded. That is to function in semi-automatic firearms. The load was developed to do just that. The projectile is a 40 grain copper plated lead round nose. The projectile has an ever so slight ogive to it with a perfectly rounded nose. The nominal velocity is 1260 feet per second. The headstamp is the ATI logo.

More than 200 rounds of Scorpion .22 Long Rifle ammunition were fired at a 25 yard range with no malfunctions what-so-ever. Quite unusual for a .22 Long Rifle given some of my research. Both rifle and ammunition were in sink and worked well. Accuracy was within 2 inches off hand. There was no bench available. With support the groups might have been that much tighter. The rifle felt solid and robust. The thumb assist on the magazine made it easy to load, much less punishing on the thumb.

Due to the lack of availability of the real thing, the GSG-StG44 is the next best option. The attention to detail in design and manufacturing makes the rifle feel just like the original. The StG44 is truly a piece of military history that was a game changer in how future wars were to be fought. This is living history of the modern day assault rifle. The MSRP is $499.95 for the rifle without the wood crate. My final question is, can we talk Tony DiChario at ATI into seeing if GSG will make a real 7.92×33 caliber semi-auto StG44?

The M16, or in the early days of the Vietnam War, the XM16E1, had very mixed reviews with the troops. In the early part of the war around 1965 the Black Rifle first went to war with the 7th Cavalry in the battle of the Ia Drang Valley. The rifles were in-country prior to this battle with advisors but this is the first time the rifle would be used by a US military unit in direct combat with North
Vietnamese regular troops.

Joe Galloway was born in Refugio, Texas and is a journalist by profession. He is best known as a United Press International (UPI) combat correspondent who covered the early days of the Vietnam War. He covered the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley where he and now-retired General Hal Moore would eventually write a book titled “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young”. That book would be made into one of the finest war films of all time, “We Were Soldiers.” On 14 November, 1965 approximately 450 soldiers from the 7th Cavalry Air Mobile Division landed in Landing Zone X-ray located west of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam (precisely at the foot step of the Chu Pong massif). They unknowingly landed under a base camp of an entire North Vietnamese Army Regiment (nearly 4000 men). Joe Galloway flew in on a helicopter the 1st night of the attack. Joe Galloway is in a position to give SAR readers his first impression of the rifle, tell from his first hand experience how the rifle performed during the battle as well as the soldier’s perception of the rifle- being this was the first battle not only between US and NVA regular Army forces but also the US forces’ first major battle using the new rifles.

SAR: When did you arrive in South Vietnam?

Galloway: I arrived in South Vietnam early in April 1965 after the 1st Battalion of 9th Marines landed at Da Nang, and was immediately sent to Da Nang to cover the Marines. (Editor’s Note: 1st Battalion, 9th Marines are the fabled “Walking Dead).

SAR: Do you recall what weapons the Marines were carrying at that time? When did you first see the M16/XM16E1?

Galloway: They all carried M14 rifles and continued to do so for much of 1965 and into early 1966. My first close look at the new M16 rifles came in encounters with/coverage of Special Forces troops and 173rd Airborne troops in the Summer of 1965. I don’t recall any specific complaints about the weapon from those units at the time. My first thoughts were that it was light, easy to carry and easier to carry a whole lot more loaded magazines than the M14.

SAR: What was your first close encounter with the new rifle?

Galloway: My close acquaintance with the M16 came in October 1965 when I wangled a chopper ride into Plei Me Special Forces Camp in the Highlands as it was under siege by a Regiment of NV Regulars. Maj. Charlie Beckwith (Creator of Delta Force) was temporary camp commander. He ordered me to man a .30 cal. Air-cooled machine gun, saying he had “No vacancy for a goddam reporter.” After the siege was lifted and I was about to join a 1st Cavalry battalion sweeping the hills around the camp I went to say my goodbyes to Maj. Beckwith. He said: “You ain’t carrying a piece, Son.” I said: “Technically speaking, in spite of the use you made of me these last days and nights, I am a civilian non-combatant.” He said: “Ain’t no such thing in these mountains. Sergeant, go get this guy a rifle and a sack of magazines.” The sergeant came back with an M16 and 20 loaded magazines. I slung the rifle and marched off with the Cav.

SAR: Do you recall any conversations with then Lt Col Hal Moore and SGM Basil Plumley about their thoughts of this new weapon they were taking into battle?

Galloway: LTC Hal Moore liked and carried an M16 and I never heard him say anything but good things about it. SGM Basil Plumley thought it was a “plastic toy” and wouldn’t carry one. He wore a Colt 1911 .45 pistol throughout his first year in RVN.

In 2007 while working on a project for Picatinny Arsenal this author had an opportunity to interview Retired General Hal Moore regarding his thoughts of the new rifle. He had stated that he was fond of the rifle. He felt that most of the weapons that malfunctioned during the battle were from excessive operation. They were in constant battle for three days and two nights with little let up. He said he was not a weapons expert but he believed that the new rifle was superior to the M14 particularly in the close quarter fighting of the battle in the Ia Drang Valley.

SAR: Upon your arrival to the battlefield, did you notice- either see or hear of anyone complaining of malfunctioning weapons, or worse did you see anyone laying dead next to a jammed rifle?

Galloway: On arrival in LZ XRAY in the Ia Drang on 14 November, 1965 I saw a lot of Americans dead from the afternoon of bitter combat. I heard no one say that any of them had died due to failure of their rifles, then or later. LTC Moore credited his brave soldiers “and this rifle” in comments to reporters after the fight ended. Later I would hear from LT Rick Rescorla (B Co. 2nd Btn 7th Cav) say that his troops suffered a number of jammed M16s—so many that he assigned three men to each foxhole; two shooting and one with a steel rod clearing jams and reloading for the shooters. His was the only complaint about that rifle that I heard about.

At the time of this battle the XM16E1 rifles were fairly new. They did not have chrome plated barrels. The ammunition they had would have been the original IMR propellant the rifle was designed around. Ball propellant and the problems it caused would be after this battle. General Moore also stated that there was an issue with the supply of the ammunition for the rifles. He said they should have dropped in loaded magazines instead of ammo that had to be removed from a box and loaded into magazines. They had few lulls in combat for weapons maintenance as well as reloading magazines.

SAR: I am sure this is really difficult to remember but can you recall seeing riflemen holding the trigger down and spraying ammunition and then running out of ammo in battle? This question comes from the 1980’s M16A2 program where the Marines wanted to remove the AUTO position in favor of a 3-round Burst mode. They claimed it would help conserve ammunition so a Marine would not shoot up all his ammo at once and be left with empty magazines unable to fight. Also similar to World War II with the adoption of the M1 Garand with the 8 shot stripper clip instead of a box magazine. Detractors from this theory felt ammunition expenditure was a matter of troop firing discipline.

Galloway: I do not recall any of what I would call wild automatic firing. Those troops were disciplined and acutely aware that if they ran out of ammo they would end up dead. The chopper that brought me in at dark on first day of the battle contained ammo and grenade resupply in cases, as well as 5 gal plastic water jugs. The choppers would keep us well supplied with ammo as the battle went on. When it was all over the choppers had to haul out excess supplies of ammo that had gone unused. Ammo resupply was in cases of boxed loose rounds, not preloaded magazines. The troops had to reload their magazines during the lulls.

SAR: Do you recall anyone complaining about the stopping power of the 5.56mm round during the battle. As you may or may not know the rifle was given the nickname “poodle shooter” due to its .224 diameter projectile.

Galloway: No one complained in my hearing that the M16 had less stopping power vs. AK47. The troops were killing the enemy all around us.

SAR: During your time in-country or at any time covering the war, do you recall hearing of the rifles having serious malfunction issues and If so what do you recall they were?

Galloway: Referring to late 1966 early 1967 and complaints of M16s jamming? I heard this from the Marines primarily; that they hated the M16 and wanted their M14s back. I also heard that the primary problem was the M16s were handed out with little or no instruction on cleaning the weapon. Therefore the Marines cleaned and oiled the M16 exactly as they had done with the M14: Lots of oil, which in turn led to lots of jammed rifles. Once they learned to use dry graphite lube in place of gun oil the rifles worked better. And once the rifle was redesigned around 1968 the complaints faded away.

SAR: You had said that you had carried a M16 and that you had used it during the battle of Ia Drang. What were your personal experience with the rifle you carried?

Galloway: I carried the M16 that Maj. Beckwith gave me throughout the rest of my first tour in Vietnam. I made very sparing use of it because that was not my primary job. I did use it in the Ia Drang when things got very hairy the 2nd day of battle. Mine worked fine. Near the end of my tour I traded the M16 to a Marine PAO lieutenant who later complained that it jammed on him during a firefight. Possibly a cleaning or oiling problem.

Author’s Notes and opinion in closing: Over the past 50 years the M16 has been loved by some and hated by others. In those early days, the Army felt the end would justify the means and the Army would just stay with their home-grown M14. Even though their “means” was basically sabotaging the rifle and putting a rifle that did not work properly into the hands of American soldiers in a foreign land, and they knew it. You do not conduct engineering trials in the field, period. Army tradition and keeping the government arsenals pumping out M14 rifles and protecting all those jobs and high ranking officers clouded the judgment of what was in the best interest for the American soldier; which is what should have been their top priority and a solemn duty. The rifle as presented by ArmaLite was an excellent weapon but it was not fully developed. It is the job of the Ordnance Corps to get it in order to issue to the troops. After the Congressional hearing in 1968 and the Army being determined to be “borderline criminally negligent” the Army corrected the issues and those serving after 1968 had little trouble. The M16A1 proved to be the ideal rifle for the War in Vietnam. It has gone on to evolve to the M16A2 and now to the M16A4 serving n both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Vietnam era XM177-series of carbines has evolved to the M4 carbine which has become general issue throughout the US military. Controversy still follows the rifle today. The M16/M4 series has been attempted to be replaced with the Advanced Combat Rifle Program as well as the more recent Individual Carbine competition. According to the Army there is nothing after more than 50 years that offers a “significant leap in technology” over Gene Stoners design. The Army has just ordered a significant number of M4A1 carbines from FN and Colt. The M16A4 demand is dwindling as the M4A1 is the weapon of choice.

SAR would like to thank Joe Galloway for this interview. In this author’s opinion Joe is one of the finest combat correspondents ever. His character and credibility are top rate. His life has been dedicated to honoring the Vietnam soldiers and keeping the memory alive of the men who fought and died in that valley of death. Joes work along with Hal More have forever immortalized the men of the 7th cavalry into the hearts of the American public with the book and movie “We Were Soldiers.” Joe’s point of view is very credible and reliable on the early days of the M16. Joe has no dog in the fight. He is not an arms expert nor an army ordnance officer. He was there with the men and saw from unbiased eyes what happened from the soldier’s perspective. For the soldiers who experienced fatal stoppages and the ones who witnessed them, they will not care what mechanically went wrong and why. All they know is the rifle failed and it cost lives. The story does not end there. There were causes both political and economic that went into those fateful decisions. Once investigated and the Congressional hearing calling out and getting the Army to fix the rifle, the family of weapons has served with distinction for more than 50 years and is in no danger of being replaced any time soon.

SHOT Show 2016 spawned many new innovative forearms. The Black Rifle Market is thriving as the AR15 continues to gain popularity and is still America’s rifle of choice. Lewis Machine & Tool continues to be on the cutting edge of Black Rifle developments and enhancements. Leading the industry with their Monolithic Rail Platform, LMT continues to add to their lineup in 2016 not only their new MARS rifle or Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System but their first complete PDW (Personal Defense Weapon). According to LMT, this is the shortest overall length of any rifle in the industry that uses a 10.5 inch barrel with an overall length of 24.3 inches with the stock fully collapsed and 27.6 inches with the stock fully extended. The PDW weighs 7.34 pounds empty! The PDW comes with a 10.5 inch barrel chambered in 5.56x45mm or 300 Blackout/Whisper. SAR was given a first look at the new LMT PDW. Our readers will be the first to look at and examine this exciting new development from Lewis Machine & Tool.

The lower receiver is offered in four different configurations. First is the standard Defender 2000 which is the standard semi-auto only mil-spec lower receiver. Next is the Guardian 2000 selective fire mil-spec lower receiver. Now it is available in the new MARS-LA which is the new fully ambidextrous selective fire lower receiver as well as the MARS-LS which is semi-automatic only. The rifle provided to SAR is the PDW with the MARS-LA lower receiver.

Starting with the upper receiver, the PDW uses an LM8CQB. The LMT MRP and LM8 series monolithic upper receivers are the only true monolithic upper receivers in the industry. Starting life with a solid 7075 T6 aluminum forging the upper receivers both have a continuous Mil-Std-1913 rail from the charging handle to the end of the upper receiver. The MRP has Mil-Std-1913 rails at 3, 6 and 9:00. The LM8 has removable rail segments which permit the user to only include rail where it is needed. This not only saves some weight but also width. There are rubberized grip pads that fit in the slots to provide a gripping surface for the hands. The upper receiver assembly has the forward assist, fired cartridge case deflector as well as ejection port dust cover. There are four quick-detach sockets for a sling adapter on the LM8CQB upper. The upper receiver is also equipped with LMT’s new folding back up sights. The front sight is the standard A2-type square front sight post. The rear sight is adjustable for windage as well as elevation out to 700 yards (also offered in metric). There is a “L” shaped aperture for short and long range. The windage drum is ambidextrous.

The charging handle is all new as well. LMT has introduced their ambidextrous charging handle. The Tactical latch is on both left and right side. There is also a gripping surface on the rear of the charging handle giving extra grip in harsh conditions.

The barrel in the test and evaluation rifle is the 10.5 inch CQB barrel for the MRP. This is the quick change barrel used in the MRP/LM8 weapons system. The front bolt is removed and rear loosened and the barrel assembly pulls straight out. The barrel assembly consists of the barrel, gas block, gas tube, barrel extension, crush washer and compensator. The barrel provided is the 5.56x45mm barrel with a 1 turn in 7 inch twist with 6 lands and grooves and a right hand twist. The barrel is chrome plated and test fired with a 70,000 PSI proof cartridge and then magnetic particle inspected to guard against stress fractures. Also offered is the 300 Blackout/Whisper barrel also. Same specification except 1 turn in 7 inch twist with 5 lands and grooves and a right hand twist. The faster spin is necessary to stabilize the 220 grain subsonic loads. Of course with the PDW using the LM8CQB upper, barrels can go from 10.5, 11.5, 14, 16 and 20 inches in length. The rifle can shoot 5.56x45mm, .204 Ruger, 300 Blackout/Whisper and 6.8mm Rem SPC.

The bolt carrier group is the first component we will discuss that makes the PDW different from anything else in the LMT line up. The receiver extension is significantly shorter than the standard receiver extension so this will require a much shorter buffer. There are some problems that arise with the shorter buffer. First is the action spring has to be altered also. Shorter buffer means shorter distance before the action spring will fully compress. The second issue is the shorter buffer will not have the space for the additional needed weight to cycle properly on fully automatic without bolt carrier bounce issues. So LMT figured out how to deal with all these issues. To deal with the recoil spring and shorter buffer, LMT switched to a flat recoil spring which allows more compression with less wire thickness and is stronger. So the combination of the new spring and shorter buffer took care of that issue. Now to deal with bolt carrier bounce. LMT designed a small insert that is inserted into the back of the carrier. This contains a large tungsten weight which absorbs the bolt carrier bounce like a standard H buffer would. This insert may go in any mil-spec bolt carrier without issue. It is held in the carrier by a rubber “O” ring. The PDW has been tested thoroughly on semi-automatic and fully automatic as well as suppressed with utter reliability. The cyclic rate of the PDW is 725 to 875 rounds per minute according to LMT.

As previously stated there are some options when getting a lower receiver. This rifle came with the brand new MARS-LA lower receiver introduced at the 2016 SHOT Show. This lower receiver is a natural product enhancement step but goes a little further for LMT. It has been accepted by the New Zealand Defense Force on their new general purpose rifles that are manufactured by LMT. The lower receiver has been reworked in several ways. Starting with the magazine well, it is flared and beveled to assist in low level to no light magazine insertion. The trigger guard has been made larger to accept heavy gloves in arctic environments. The rear of the receiver extension cap has a QD socket for a detachable sling swivel. The rifle has the LMT manufactured ambidextrous selector lever (safety lever). The ambidextrous magazine release is identical to their LM308MWS rifle. The button sits in front of the trigger on the left side of the rifle. The ambidextrous bolt catch sits right behind the magazine release on the right side and is easily reached by the right-handed shooter’s trigger finger. The ambidextrous bolt catch works very smoothly and is easy to use. The design of this lower is so that the shooter, whether right- or left-handed never has to release the firing hand from the pistol grip when reloading. The trigger in this lower is LMT’s proprietary selective fire 2-stage trigger mechanism. LMT makes these in-house with their newly acquired wire EDM machine. The trigger broke at 7 3/4 pounds on the T&E rifle. The pistol grip on this lower is the LMT Ergo grip which is the standard on all LMT rifles. This lower receiver is not a moment too soon, LMT now offers the most advanced upper receiver in the industry with the most advanced lower in the industry.

The receiver extension is part of the PDW system. Even being significantly shorter (2.75 inches) the receiver extension still has six positions as well as a drain hole. When the stock is fully extended it extends a total of three inches. The stock itself is a modified version of the famous LMT SOPMOD stock. The stock has been cut down and has eliminated the battery tubes. There is no rubber end plate to cut down on the overall length. The stock has two sockets, 1 on each side for a detachable sling swivel.

Not only does LMT offer this stock assembly on a complete rifle, they will be offering the subcompact PDW stock as an upgrade kit to mount on any lower receiver. Unlike the other sub-compact stocks on the market, there is no proprietary bolt carrier group. You just drop the weight pack in the back of your existing bolt carrier group. No special tools are needed for assembly. Just use a standard receiver extension nut wrench. LMT cut down on proprietary parts as much as possible. The same barrel extension plate and nut are used. The conversion kit will consist of the receiver extension, stock, buffer, action spring and carrier weight pack. The kit has an MSRP of $420.

LMT conceived the PDW to be ideal for VIP protection as well as military and law enforcement agencies in need of a smaller profile and increased maneuverability but with the accuracy and reliability of the AR-design. With a suppressor, the 300 Blackout/Whisper cartridge would rival any 9mm SMG on the market. The design was executed with a major emphasis on standard components with a combat system LMT has sold in over 35 countries.

The only product tested with the PDW was an Aimpoint Mod T-1 2MOA red dot scope. This is a miniature and lightweight optic ideally suited for such a small rifle. The site offers 1x magnification and the operating principal is a Reflex Collimator sight with an LED. The peak wavelength is 650± 10nm. The sight is night vision compatible and has a clear aperture of 20mm. The sight is powered by a CR123 battery with 5 years; 50,000 hrs of continuous use on position 8. The length of the sight is 2 7/16 inches in length with a diameter of 1 9/16 inches. The weight is just 3 ounces. The sight housing is manufactured from high strength aluminum and is anodized black. The LMT back up sights co-witness through the optic without issue.

The rifle was tested with a number of magazines to check for the compatibility with the new magazine well. The PDW was tested with Magpul Gen 3, Lancer AWM, Surefire 60 round, X-Products 50 round, Ultimag, Hera Arms, GI aluminum, Bulgarian IK-510, Hexmag and Elite Tactical systems. All magazines were loaded with the Mitusa USA Magazine Pump loader. When loading multiple magazines, it can get hard on the fingers. The magazine pump makes loading simple and easy. This author has been testing this loader for better than a year and loaded well over 10,000 rounds.

The LMT PDS was tested with several types of ammunition to ensure the short gas system with new buffer, action spring, bolt carrier weight and receiver extension worked properly. Ammunition was provided by Black Hills Ammunition, ZQI and HSM (Hunting Shack Ammunition). The Black Hills ammunition was 100 rounds of their .223 Rem 55gr FMJ new production ammunition as well as 50 rounds of their 5.56mm 77gr OTM (Mk262 Mod1). The 77gr is perhaps the most accurate factory loaded ammunition in the industry and most sought after load in SOCOM. The ZQI ammunition is manufactured by MKE in Turkey. It is 5.56x45mm NATO (62gr FMJ with penetrator core). This ammunition is quite popular and is competitively priced. There were a total of 100 rounds fired. The HSM ammunition is manufactured in Montana and they are known for high quality ammunition. They offer a large selection of loads in numerous calibers. This is new ammunition loaded to 5.56x45mm NATO specifications with the 62gr FMJ with steel penetrator core. The ammunition was loaded in Winchester primed military brass.

The PDW was tested on a 25 and 50 yard range. This is the basic close quarter battle distance. Anytime you have a short barrel you will get a large muzzle blast, the PDW was no exception. However it was not overpowering. The small size really made this weapon maneuverable. Much more so than a 14.5 inch rifle. For anyone mounted in a vehicle, this would be heaven sent. Many manufactures have gone with shorter barrels. LMT decided against this. The 10.5 is the shortest barrel you would want to go without sacrificing excessive terminal performance/penetration as well as reliability. Shorter barrels require shorter gas systems. This is hard on the components of the rifle due to higher cyclic rate and port pressures. LMT is very familiar with this issue due to Karl Lewis being the designer of the SOCCOM Mk18 10.5 inch barrel. Much research and development went into getting this reliable in all conditions.

During test firing, there were no malfunctions of any kind with either ammunition or magazines. LMT does not release a product until it has been thoroughly tested. The PDW functions as advertised and fits the roles for which it was designed. Now whether you are military or law enforcement, you have a new option for a super compact M4-type rifle. For commercial customers, they can get the exact same weapon in a semi-auto only configuration with either the standard Defender 2000 or MARS-LS lower receiver. Providing they get the proper NFA paperwork and tax stamp they can have the 10.5 inch barrel. Also, any of the mentioned customers can purchase the conversion kit and retrofit their existing rifle with the stock kit. It will function with any barrel length and most any bolt carrier variation as long as it is manufactured to mil-specifications. LMT continues to be on the leading edge of AR product development and we always look forward to seeing what Karl Lewis will come up with next.

In the ever popular world of the AR-15, there are endless variations for just about any purpose you could imagine. The AR15 has become America’s rifle and is used from everything from competition, target shooting, hunting and self defense. According to federal law, the barrel must be a minimum of 16 inches. Normal barrel lengths are 16, 18 and 20 inches. However, there has always been the segment of the market who like the short barrels. These are 7.5, 8.5, 10.5, 11.5 and 14.5 inches. Normally, these are restricted. First by Federal law, you must apply with an ATF Form 1, get local law enforcement approval and pay the $200 tax stamp or have a NFA trust and go through the same type of registration and tax. You also have state law to comply with. If you are in a state such as New York, they are illegal regardless of Federal approval. For those who do not want to go through the ATF paperwork, there is another option, the AR pistol. This enables the shooter to get their desired short barrel (under 16 in) legally but there is a catch. The weapon cannot have a stock. The average AR pistol will have a modified receiver extension that will not accept a buttstock and usually have a 7.5 or 10.5 inch barrel. Normal calibers are 5.56mm or 300 Blackout. They can also be found in 7.62x39mm and some companies even make pistols in 7.62x51mm (.308 Win).

The short barrels (7.5 to 10.5) have different operating dynamics than the longer barrels. Much of it has to do with the distance from the chamber to gas port and the gas port to muzzle. The short barrels, for example the 7.5 inch has an extremely short distance of both. The distance from the gas port to muzzle creates the dwell time in which the gas is introduced to the operating system (piston external or direct gas) to the time the system depressurizes when the bullet leaves the barrel and enters the atmosphere. With a rifle length system in direct gas, the longer gas system plus longer dwell time enables the cartridge case ample time to contract to be easily extracted from the chamber. With the shorter system, the pressures remain much higher and the cartridge case is still contains high residual pressure when the bolt begins the unlocking and extraction process. This causes the extractor to work much harder. Along with this is a higher cyclic rate. To compensate for the short dwell time of pistol barrels caused by the short gas port to muzzle distance, the gas port must be larger to allow more gas in to reliably cycle the action. The external piston having the piston chamber and operating rod located in the gas block is more effective and reliable than the direct gas that causes gas to be funneled from the gas block, back into the gas tube and into the bolt carrier where the expansion chamber is. To run the direct gas system properly more time is needed from the gas block to the muzzle to keep the system pressurized until unlocking of the bolt occurs. The other major issue with using direct gas system on such short barrels is the time pressure curve of the propellant itself. The direct gas system was designed for a 20 inch barrel. The propellant has pretty much fully burned by the time it reaches the gas port providing the peak pressure at the time the gas is introduced into the gas port. With the short 7.5 to 10.5 inch barrel the propellant has not fully burned, this results in two issues. First being a significantly lower port pressure to operate the mechanism as well as unburnt propellant being introduced to the upper receiver via the gas tube fouling the mechanism. This leads to the external piston advantage. First no fouling introduced to the mechanism and; second, the expansion chamber is right at the port making use of the pressure’s highest point. Both systems require much more gas to be able to operate. They just do it a little different.

SIG first offered the AR pistols with the traditional direct gas impingement, the SIG M400 pistol. This was offered in a 11.5 inch barrel starting in 2011. This was basically the SIG M400 PDW with a modified receiver extension that would not accept a stock, qualifying the rifle as now a pistol.

In 2013 SIG offered a new product to their AR pistol line up, the SIG Brace. This attached to the pistol and offered increased stability. There is a sleeve that your firing arm goes through and is secured by a large Velcro strip. What this does is stabilize the pistol with the shooters arm preventing the rear of the pistol from moving. This certainly increased accuracy over a pistol without it. In 2013, the ATF approved the SIG Brace and it not only was sold on SIG pistols but sold as an upgrade kit. Not long after the product was introduced a large controversy was opened up pertaining to the legality of the SIG Brace. People were putting the SIG Brace up against their shoulder and firing the weapon. By using it in this form, the SIG Brace becomes a stock and the classification of the weapon changes from that of a pistol to a short barreled rifle. If the SIG Brace is used as designed, as just that, a brace, the assembly is legal but by using it another way it is illegal. The SIG Brace is provided the letter of approval from the ATF dated November 26, 2012. This controversy is well beyond the scope of this article but was necessary to mention due to the test and evaluation pistol being equipped with one. It is safe to say when the brace is used properly; the accuracy of the pistol is significantly increased. Other options are just a round receiver extension and others have attachments to work as cheek welds but do not have anything that could be used for a stock.

The SIG 516 pistol (P515G2-7B-PSB) is for all intents and purposes the SIG 516 PDW with a stock modification. The telescopic stock is removed and replaced with the SB15 Stabilizing Brace (SIG Brace). Starting with the lower receiver, the receiver extension is standard Mil-Spec length but modified to only accept the SIG Brace. No stock can be attached to the receiver extension. The buffer is an H2 containing two Tungsten weights and one steel weight. The lower receiver is manufactured from 7075 T6 aircraft grade aluminum and has been improved with two Quick Detach sling sockets on either side of the lower receiver behind the rear takedown pin. The safety is ambidextrous and proprietary to SIG as well. The safety is much larger and easier to manipulate even with the thickest of gloves. The pistol grip is SIGs proprietary grip with a storage compartment in the bottom of it. It has gripping grooves on the front and rear as well as a grainy texture on the sides to make it anti-slip. The trigger mechanism is a standard semi-auto only Mil-Spec trigger group that broke at 7 3/4 pounds. The bolt catch has a new profile that replaces the lower portion with an elongated lever that is much easier to actuate. It is also easier to use with heavy gloves. Located on the left side of the lower receiver is a easy to use ambidextrous magazine release button. One interesting thing noted on the lower receiver is the front of the receiver has a more A1 type pivot pin support rather than the A2-type reinforced pivot pin area. The trigger guard is the standard winter trigger guard which can be disengaged for use with winter gloves. On the rear of the inside of the lower receiver is a spring loaded detent which prevents wiggling between the upper and lower receiver.

The upper receiver is also manufactured from a 7075 T6 aircraft grade aluminum forging. The upper is proprietary to SIG. The handguard has an interlocking tab with the front top of the upper receiver. The upper has a forward assist assembly, fired cartridge case deflector as well as a ejection port dust cover. The receiver has a Mil-Std-1913 rail that is continuous from the rear of the upper receiver, to the top of the handguard as well as the top of the gas block.

The barrel is a hammer forged 7.5 inch barrel. The barrel has 6 lands and grooves with a 1 turn in 7 inch twist. Pinned to the barrel is the gas block which contains the four position gas valve. The valve is adjustable by depressing a spring loaded detent on the face of the gas block. Under adverse conditions the valve may be rotated by inserting a cartridge tip through the valve and rotating it. If there is difficulty with the detent, the base of a cartridge case can be used to depress the detent. The operating rod assembly includes the piston, operating rod spring, operating rod, piston spring retainer and spacer.

The handguard is proprietary and has quad Mil-Std-1913. It is a two part hand guard. There are two quick detach sockets, one on the front of the handguard on both right and left sides.

At the same time this firearm arrived, so did a new magazine from Daniel Defense. There are several polymer magazines on the market. Some good and some, well let’s just say they are not ones to bet the farm on. Polymer magazines not made properly will have feed lips spread causing the top cartridge to pop out with the slightest tap due to the polymer being too soft or the feed lips break due to the polymer being too hard. The most outstanding feature of the Daniel Defense magazine is that it holds 32 rounds instead of the standard 30 rounds. When fully loaded, the magazine inserts into the magazine well without any difficulty at all. The yellow high visibility follower is of an anti-tilt design. The magazine is manufactured from a proprietary carbon fiber reinforced polymer and as of this writing is only offered in black. There are textured surfaces for enhanced grip. The magazine will accept a US GI stripper clip loader. There are no sharp edges and there is a hoop on the bottom if one wants to attach 550 cord or some other rope-type to assist in easy removal from the magazine pouch. All that is required to disassemble the magazine for cleaning is a 5.56mm cartridge tip or suitable tool. Daniel Defense advertises the magazine to function with 300 Blackout ammunition as well.

The SIG 516 Pistol was tested with a variety of magazines to determine compatibility. This included the previously mentioned Daniel Defense magazine plus the Magpul Gen 3 PMag, Lancer AWM, Aluminum GI, Hex Mag, Ultimag Surefire 60 round magazine. In total 300 rounds were test fired through the SIG 516 pistol. Test firing was 200 rounds of ZQI Ammunition 5.56x45mm NATO (62gr FMJ with penetrator). This ammunition is manufactured by MKE in Turkey. This appears to be Mil-Spec ammunition and is very reasonably priced in today’s market. The additional 100 rounds was provided by HSM out of Stevensville, Montana. HSM does not make components but assembles ammunition in house. HSM is well known for high quality ammunition and this test verified that. The HSM load was 5.56x45mm 62gr FMJ. The brass is brand new production Winchester 5.56mm primed cartridge cases.

Due to this being a pistol, the range was 25 yards. The pistol experienced no malfunctions at all during firing. Being fired as a pistol, there was little resistance to assist in recoil but the pistol worked perfectly. The pistol was fired with iron sights. As expected the muzzle blast was significant. The pistol was fired using the SIG Brace. This author had some difficulty shooting with the SIG brace. Off hand, all shot were within the center of a police standard silhouette target. Shot groups did tighten up with the SIG brace removed and resting the front of the pistol on a rest. Perhaps the best way found to shoot the pistol with the best accuracy was to use a tight sling and push outward on the pistol with your cheek on the tube to allow proper eye alignment. The best results were obtained with this method. The one disturbing thing found was the enormous muzzle flash. This would surely light up a dark room. The pistol could have benefited from a Vortex flash suppressor. However these are modification the end user would make, not the manufacturer.

Final thought on the 516 pistol is that it is a well built and reliable weapon system. Although not a precision weapon, the pistol does show merits as a sort range home defense weapon. With it being as short as it is, it is easily maneuverable in small spaces such as those found in a home defense environment. Using a proper laser sight and perhaps a flashlight would make it even more suitable. The front and rear sight should immediately be replaced with a dot sight. Holding the weapon like a pistol did show difficulty in using iron sights. When a DI Optical DCL23 was installed, the accuracy increased and the pistol was much easier to use. With practice, one can get very effective with this firearm.

The Global War on Terrorism has shown some very interesting trends in small arms for the United States. The full size M16-series rifle has for the most part taken a back seat to the lighter and more compact M4 carbine. There is no doubt that the shorter carbine is easier to maneuver in and out of vehicles and is better for close quarter battle. There is always an exception to the rule and that is the Marine Corps. They have chosen to keep the full size battle rifle and have limited use of the M4 carbine. By tradition the Corps has always been prideful of their marksmanship skills and the 20” barrel provides additional range where their skills can truly shine.

The M16A4 (NSN 1005-01-383-2872) was a direct descendent of the advancements of the M4 carbine. The Marines were the driving force for the M16A2. To go along with their tradition of marksmanship the complex rear sight, adjustable for windage and elevation, was developed. Oddly enough, this sight was quite expensive and the Marines were the only branch that ever trained on its use and shot far enough to make it beneficial. The Army shot basically to 400 yards and that was it while the Marines shoot out to 600 yards. The Marines were also responsible for the infamous 3-round burst mechanism which would haunt the American serviceman until the more recent M4 Product Improvement Program where the burst was finally removed and the automatic setting restored. The burst mechanism has truly been mind boggling. The M16 was developed during the war in Vietnam to significantly increase the firepower on the individual level and to match the firepower of the intermediate caliber AK47. It did just that. Then the M16A2 comes along and now the firepower on the individual level was reduced. The US government was the only customer Colt had ever order a rifle with a BURST setting. Export rifles were most always shipped with the automatic configuration.

In the interim was the ACR or Advanced Combat Rifle program where the US government was looking for a potential replacement for the M16A2 rifle. The most significant goal was to increase hit probability. The Colt entry would use a flat top upper receiver which you could use iron sights provided on a removable carrying handle or mount an optic directly to the receiver and have the optic in line with the shooter’s eye. Mounting an optic on a fixed carrying handle was quite uncomfortable due to how heigh the optic sat on the carrying handle. However this dovetail had some inherit flaws. First the slots in the dovetail were extremely thin. In fact, Richard Swan stuck a pencil through the slot into the inside of the receiver! Second was the stop notches were rounded at the bottom. These issues were not corrected on the ACR but would be addressed on the Mil-Std-1913 rail.

The flat top upper receiver of the M4 with the Mil-Std-1913 rail was truly a game changer and offered an epic degree of adaptability to the M4. Prior to 9/11, almost all rifles in the US arsenal were fixed sight battle rifles. The Canadian Army was the first to pioneer the standardized flat top upper receiver for general military use. They developed their own “Weaver Rail dovetail” for mounting optics. The Canadians moved forward with their ELCAN optics and became the first nation in the world to give every soldier a magnified optic. This also took advantage of the inherent accuracy of the M16 weapons platform. The new family of Canadian weapons created were the C7A1 and the C8A1 family of rifles. US military developments were to follow. It was found that the Weaver rails, although good were not uniform. What was needed was a standardized dovetail which would be accurate and durable. The same man who assisted the Canadians with their flat top rail would go on to help the American government. Mr. Richard Swan of ARMS, Inc is the father of the Mil-Std-1913 rail. When broken down, the Mil-Std-1913 rail has basically three inventors. First is the actual upper receiver with a dovetail, this was designed by Henry Tatro at Colt in the 1970’s. The dovetail itself was designed by Weaver. The final standardized dovetail was done by Richard Swan. Oddly enough the rail is referred to by many as the “Picatinny Rail” named after the Picatinny Arsenal. Picatinny Arsenal had nothing to do with the design of the rail, they were just the project manager. The XM4 would be developed with a standard M16A2 fixed carrying handle with the fully adjustable rear sight for windage and elevation but the final M4 would use the new Mil-Std-1913 flat top upper receiver.

Colt would go on to adapt the M16A2 to the flat top configuration. The prototype was the M16A2E4 which would be type-classified the M16A4. Government drawing number 12973001 and Colt model number R0945. The stop notches on the rail would be changed to a much more durable and reliable square configuration. Unlike all previous designs by anybody, the rail now had final standardized dimensions. Now mounts could be uniformly made to mate with the dovetail. We now have the Mil-Std-1913 rail. The rifles were provided with a detachable carrying handle with the fully adjustable A2 sights. Due to the available dimensions, the rear sight could only be calibrated to 600 meters instead of 800 meters.

The M16A4 as of July 29, 1997 has officially replaced the M16A2 as the standard issue combat rifle for the United States Army and Marine Corps. They will no longer procure any M16A2 (fixed carrying handle) rifles. Colt’s Manufacturing Company, Inc was awarded a contract (DAAE20-98-C-0119) for $6,371,568 to supply the U.S. Government with just over 32,000 M16A4 rifles and was completed and the M16A4 rifles were delivered in the spring of 2001. Colt has manufactured numerous M16A4 rifles for the United States Government but the vast majority of M16A4 rifles have been manufactured by FNMI.

Initial rifles were produced with standard A2-style handguards and removable carrying handles. The rifle retained the BURST setting of the M16A2. With the exception of the upper receiver and detachable carrying handle all other components of the M16A4 remained compatible with the M16A2. With the adoption of the SOPMOD accessories for the M4, the M16A4 would follow. The round handguards would be replaced with the Knight’s Armament M5 Rail Adapter System. This enabled the M16A4 to do several things. It provided quad Mil-Std-1913 rails. This permitted the attachment of flashlights, lasers, vertical pistol grip as well as night vision to name a few. The infrared laser would become very effective with the use of night vision. The bottom rail could be removed enabling the attachment of an M203 grenade launcher. New grenade launcher sights were designed to attach to the left or right rail to enable the use of optics on the rifle. The detachable carrying handle would go on to be replaced by the Matech back up iron sight which was small and compact. The sight is adjustable for windage and elevation. If the optic was to fail, the rear sight could be engaged and the soldier could shoot with iron sights. Depending on the optic, it may co-witness with the iron sights or it may need to be removed.

Literally there are hundreds of optics that can be mounted on the rifle. The most common is the Trijicon ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) TA31RCO – A4 (NSN: 1240 – 01 – 525 -1648). The A4 on the end indicates bullet drop compensator calibrated for the 20 inch barrel. This is standard issue on the US Marines M16A4 rifles. This is a 4x32mm optic which is powered both by a tritium lamp as well as a fiber optic on top of the scope. Batteries are not required increasing the desirability of this optic. The tritium lamp illuminates the reticle in total darkness while the fiber optic self-adjusts light intensity during daylight according to ambient light conditions. This also allows the shooter to keep both eyes open while engaging targets and maintaining maximum situational awareness. There is a bullet drop compensator built in for the 62gr M855 round. The body of the optic is manufactured from a 7075 T6 aluminum forging, the same as the rifle receivers. The ACOG is attached by a thumbscrew adapter to mount to the Mil-Std-1913 rail. Also available is a killFLASH® Anti-Reflection Devise. This covers the front of the optic to eliminate lens reflection which could reveal one’s location. The ACOG was first used by SOCOM in the SOPMOD Block I Accessory kit. Here the sight gained an excellent reputation for durability and reliability. This optic has been updated and improved over the years resulting in the TA31RCO-A4 and TA31RCO-M4 optics being procured today.

Other popular optics are the M68 Comp2 reflex sight designed by Aimpoint. After 18 months of grueling testing, the Army in 1997 awarded Aimpoint the world’s first military contract for a red dot sight. The current issue is the CompM4 which uses a single AA battery. Aimpoint claims 8 years continuous use from a single AA battery. The intensity of the dot is controlled by a rotary switch on the rear of the optic. There are two models. The early Comp4 has the activation switch and battery compartment on the top right of the optic. The Comp4S (M68CCO) has relocated the switch/battery compartment to the lower right of the optic. The Comp4/4S are night vision (3rd generation) compatible. There are 7 night vision compatible and 9 standard settings of brightness of the dot. The dot is 2-MOA in size. With the standard mounting system, the optic is co-witness with the iron sights. In other words, if the optic was to fail, you may engage your back up sights and you will be able to see the sights through the lens of the optic. To add to the versatility of the Comp4 series, Aimpoint makes a 3x magnifier which mounts behind the sight. The mount allows for pivoting of the magnifier. If you are in a CQB environment you have the 3x magnifier disengaged. Once you need extended range you engage the magnifier and you have a longer range optic.

Another popular accessory is the Specter Gear CST 3-point tactical sling. The sling is 1.25 inches wide and fully ambidextrous. It can be got with a Emergency Release Buckle. This sling does quite a few unique things. The transitional release buckle allows the sling to be quickly extended to allow slack so the rifle can be transitioned from one side to the other. The rifle can be made to hang out of the way from any position of the body and drawn up quickly when needed. Models are also made for the rifle with the M203 as well as the M4 carbine. Another accessory often added is a magazine pouch that sits on the side of the stock. It holds one 30 round magazine. It can be mounted either to the right or the left side, whichever way the sling is installed on the rifle.

In late 2002, after testing, the United States Marine Corps passed over the M4 and M4A1 carbine for the M16A4. According to the Marine Corps this decision was based on reliability. The last week of October, 2002 FNMI received a contract from the Marines for 4,264 M16A4 rifles with a later contract for an additional 27,000 rifles. All Marine Corps M16A4 are equipped with the M5 Rail Adapter System (RAS) for installation of SOPMOD Kit components such as ACOG Reflex Sight as well as the ACOG Day Optical Sight.

As of this writing, both the Army and Marines have procured the M16A4. However, the Army has procured on a very limited basis in favor of the M4 carbine. The Marines continue to procure the M16A4 as its main rifle. This goes back quite some time. During the Army’s XM8 program, the Marines said they would not procure XM8 rifles in favor of the M16A4. They are very pleased with it.

Commercial Versions of the M16A4

Like all military rifles or military equipment for that matter there are always commercial demands. In this case, many companies make a M16A4 rifle in semi-automatic only configuration. But everybody wants the real deal, from the manufacturers who make the rifles for the government. Now they have it with the Colt AR-15A4 and the FN15.

Colt Defense has always been primarily a defense contractor manufacturing weapons for military use. In the 1992-1994 time period, Colt put out its first flat top rifle, the Sporter Competition HBAR Range Selected (R6700CH) which was a 20 inch heavy barrel with no bayonet lug. This was just before the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994. Since then, there were post ban match target series rifle but none of them were of the exact specification of the M16A4. With the sunset of the ban, Colt kept in place the post ban configurations of their commercial rifles due to the fact there were several states which still had bans in effect. Also Colt was doing little in the commercial market due to wartime production of the M4. The Law Enforcement weapons were all of the carbine variations. Colt was producing very little in the area of standard rifles.

In January of 2014 the first commercial M16A4 rifles left Colt, these rifles are called the AR-15A4. This is significant in two ways. First, Colt started using the AR-15 designation on commercial rifles since the late 1980’s. Secondly, they introduced their M16A4 to the commercial market. The decision was greatly based on customer requests. Many Colt customers had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan having used rifles in both the A2 and A4 configuration. So Colt felt it would be important to go back and make an up-to-date commercial rifle configuration that featured a government profile barrel as well as flat top upper receiver.

The Colt AR-15A4 for all intents and purposes is an M16A4 with a semi-automatic only trigger group (semi-auto only lower). It comes with the standard round handguards and detachable carrying handle. Why bare bones? Simply you cannot make everyone happy. Everybody likes their own flavor of stock, rail system, back-up sight, trigger and optic. It is wiser for Colt to provide the basic model and save the customer the money from purchasing additional equipment that the customer will change out anyway. Colt does offer some enhancements over the standard design. The AR-15A4 comes with extended feed ramps. Although not necessary for reliability, it assists in feeding certain types of projectiles without damaging them. Also the rifle comes with an ambidextrous safety and a PMag instead of the aluminum GI magazine. The PMag is a great enhancement in durability and reliability over the aluminum magazine. Also models are offered with Magpul MOE fixed stock, pistol grip, rear sight and handguards in flat dark earth colors. There will be others limited editions offered in various colors. Hopefully one will include a GI model with an M5 RAS and Matech BUIS!

The FN15 Rifle

As previously stated the vast majority of M16A4 rifles were produced by FNMI. Up until January of 2014, FN has never manufactured a semi-auto only rifle of this family of weapons. This leads up to many complicated issues. The TDP does not allow FNMI to use it for any purpose other than making government guns. The FNMI commercial rifles are not made with the government data enabling FNMI to enter the commercial market with the FN15. They offer both a 20 inch barrel rifle and a 16 inch carbine. The FN15 rifles are built in Colombia, SC but on different production lines than their US Government M16A4 rifles and M4 carbines. Recently FNMI was awarded the contract to produce M4 carbines from the US government. Colt Defense had produced as a sole source for the US Government up until this time. After the sole source contract was completed the government put the M4 out for competitive bidding. First the contract was won by Remington. Colt Defense challenged the contract for price issues, it was found the price Remington quoted did not include the royalty Colt gets and the competition was opened up again. When the bidding was done, FNMI took the contract from both
Remington and Colt.

The FN15 rifles marking differ from the military rifle. For instance the FN logo is laser etched on the right side of the magazine well. The barrel has proof marks but uses they stylized FN logo instead of the military marking. The barrel has button cut rifling with a 1 turn in 7 inch twist and is chrome plated bore and chamber. The barrel extension has M4-style feed ramps cut. Significant attention was made to make the rifle look as close as possible to the government rifle. The rifle is marked manufactured by FNH USA out of Fredericksburg, VA.

Like the Colt, the FN15 is bare bones allowing for the customer to customize as per their taste. The rifle comes with the removable carrying handle as well as round handguards. The quality is what one would come to expect from FNMI.

The commercial market demands the same as the military gear. Now one can procure commercial versions of both the M16A4 and M4 carbine by the two most prolific manufacturers for the U.S. government, Colt and FN. All the returning veterans wish to procure the closest to the same weapon they carried in Iraq and Afghanistan from the manufacturers they trusted with their life. The AR15-series rifle is truly the “grown mans erector set”. You take a bare bones rifle and build what your individual flavor is. The M16A4 rifle is not going anywhere, you can expect to see it in all of the US areas of conflict for many years to come. Now Colt and FN are allowing that historical weapon in the commercial market for those who will appreciate the significance of it.

The trend of external piston operated AR-type rifles seems to be in a descending period. They do not appear to have the flair they did 10 years ago. The AR-type rifle was not designed for this operating system. It was designed as an in-line construction, direct gas impingement rifle. The main difference is how the gas is introduced. The AR-family was designed to have the gas directed into the bolt carrier where the piston chamber is made up between the back of the bolt and back of the carrier giving it a perfectly centered drive rearward. When utilizing an external piston the bottom of the rear location of the carrier is tilted downward when it enters the receiver extension due to the off center strike of the operating rod on the top of the bolt carrier, creating the common “carrier tilt” issues. Other issues include the receiver damage of the cam locking cut inside the upper receiver where the cam pin cuts into the receiver. The end result is adapting a weapon, which is not designed for that operating system, and the designer must develop solutions to overcome these new problems. If you want an external piston gun, why not design it that way?? The first true reconciliation of this problem was Robert Faxon with his ARAK-21. A complete redesign of the upper receiver that will fit on an AR lower receiver that eliminates all the problems of converting an AR upper to the wrong operating system! The receiver is a long stroke piston which has a bolt carrier that rides in rails in the upper receiver keeping it properly aligned so there are no carrier tilt issues, utilizing an internal action spring while maintaining the strong multi-locking lug bolt.

In 2012, Sig Sauer was approached by an undisclosed special operations unit with a requirement for a 300 Blackout rifle that would function with both sub and supersonic ammunition as well as when suppressed. According to Chris Sirois, then Design/Engineering lead on the program for Sig “The goals of the MCX program were set by the customer. There were several design review meetings with the customer to agree on design performance.” Yes, you heard all this correctly, the MCX was designed from the ground up to be chambered in 300 Blackout and then later adapted to 5.56x45mm. All design, research and development was done at the USA subsidiary in Exeter, New Hampshire. The first prototypes of the MCX were tested in late 2012.

The lower receiver of the rifle is very similar to that of an M4 carbine with several changes. The lower receiver is manufactured from a 7075 T6 aircraft grade aluminum forging. The magazine utilized for both 300 Blackout as well as 5.56x45mm it the standard GI M16/M4 aluminum magazine. According to Chris Sirois, they tested numerous magazines for reliability. They settled on the standard US GI magazine with second preference for the Lancer AWM magazines. The lower receiver is equipped with an ambidextrous magazine release. There is a magazine release button located right beneath the bolt catch on the left side of the receiver. The magazine release button on the right side is at least twice the size of a standard AR, making it much easier to actuate. The bolt catch is modified as well and easier to actuate. The lower portion is extended upward and .790 inches to the left making it easier to actuate with and without gloves. The safely/selector is ambidextrous and very high profile. This is one of the finest this author has seen, it is easily actuated with and without gloves. The right arm is held in place by a spring pin. The trigger group is standard AR-type mil-spec trigger group. This can be semi-auto only or select fire. The test and evaluation rifle is semi-automatic only. The trigger on this particular rifle was on the high end at 8 1/2 pounds. The trigger guard is oversized and part of the receiver. The pistol grip is an ergonomic Sig design used on many of their different rifles. There is a door on the base of the grip permitting storage. The rear of the receiver has quick detachable sling mount sockets on both the right and left sides. The magazine well is flared and beveled.

Due to the use of a recoil mechanism inside the upper receiver, there is no need for a receiver extension. The rear of the receiver is solid. On the back is a Mil-Std-1913 rail segment to which one of five stock options will attach. The standard stock is a side folding fixed stock (folds to left side). The second is a telescopic stock similar to that of the H&K MP5. This is a 3-position telescopic stock which is slightly shorter than the standard side folding stock. The rear of the stock has both right and left side quick-detachable sling mount sockets. There is also a sling swivel located on the face of the stock’s mount to the receiver. Sig also offers a proprietary side-folding telescopic stock as well as a telescopic Mil-Spec tube which will permit any standard stock to be installed. The last is a pistol stock which can be had with and without the Sig Brace.

The charging handle is proprietary to the MXC design. It is ambidextrous and easy to grab on either side. It is also made from 7075 T6 aircraft grade aluminum.

The upper receiver is quite interesting. The receiver is one piece and manufactured from an extrusion of 7075 T6 aircraft aluminum. There are several unique features. The receiver does have a forward assist and a fired cartridge case deflector as well as an ejection port dust cover. Inside of the receiver are two rails that the bolt carrier group rides on which keep it centered when the bolt moves rearward, similar to that of an AK. This is normal in any external piston operated rifle such as the AK, FAL, H&K G36 and AR18 to just name a few. Added to the receiver is a steel reinforced cam path guard which keeps the cam pin from damaging the receiver. The top rail is continuous. There are both long and short aluminum handguards that slide along a rail in the top rail on the receiver. The handguard is locked in place by a tab that slides into a slot on the upper receiver and is held in place by the front pivot pin.

Most importantly, the upper receiver has a quick change barrel option. By loosening two T27 Torx screws, the two barrel clamps (screws are captive), the barrel assembly is pulled from the receiver. The barrels all have an adjustable gas valve which permits normal and suppressed settings. There is an open slot in the end of the rail on the upper receiver permitting easy access to this tilting valve.

The barrel is easily changed out at the user level with only the need for a torque wrench (60 in lbs). As of this writing the 300 Blackout is offered in 9- and 16-inches in length (1/6 twist, RH). The 5.56x45mm is available in 11.5- and 16-inches (1/6 twist, RH) and the 7.62x39mm is available in 11.5- and 16-inches (1/9.5 twist, RH). For caliber conversion, the same bolt and same magazine are used for the 5.56x45mm and 300 Blackout calibers. The 7.62x39mm requires a new bolt and different magazine. All barrels are topped off with Sig’s proprietary three-prong flash suppressor that will fit any of Sig’s new sound suppressors. The barrel assembly consists of the barrel, barrel extension, gas block, piston, gas valve and flash suppressor. Unlike most current external piston designs, the MCX does not use any gas rings on the piston to seal up the expansion chamber. According to Chris Sirois “Because of the short barrel lengths and having to tap gas earlier on the barrel, the gasses are much hotter and pressures higher and gas rings could not withstand much firing. We had to develop a ringless system which in the end created a much more durable gas system.”

The bolt carrier group consists of the bolt carrier, bolt assembly, operating rod, two spring rods, spring guide, spring plate, cam pin, firing pin and firing pin retainer pin. Looking at the bolt you would think it was proprietary but it is not, it is a standard AR15 bolt. The one provided has the rear turned down due to it not needing gas rings. If you need a quick replacement, you can put any mil spec bolt in and it will work properly. The two recoil springs are good for all three calibers the rifle is chambered for. The bolt carrier group is disassembled without any special tools. The spring guides pop out from the spring plate, they are lifted out of the slot in the plate. Then the recoil springs are slid out. The rods are then pulled out through the spring guide. Then the bolt disassembles like a standard AR15. Slide out the firing pin retainer pin, drop the firing pin out from the back of the carrier and then rotate the cam pin 1/4 turn and lift out of the bolt carrier. The bolt is then pulled out the front of the carrier. With the firing pin retainer pin, push the extractor pin inward to remove and then lift the extractor out of the bolt.

According to Chris Sirois, the MXC has approximately 40% parts commonality with the M4, which is important for customers who already may use the M4. It is far less of a logistical burden for parts. During the development Sig encountered two major issues. According to Chris Sirois “The two most challenging problems that we faced were finding the correct barrel twist rates to meet all accuracy requirements in all required bullet type and overcoming the bolt carrier bounce without the standard AR/M4 type buffer system”. The bolt carrier bounce is the real secret to the success of the MCX rifle. Few rifles out there chambered in the 300 Blackout cartridge will reliably cycle a subsonic round without a sound suppressor. The Sig MCX will. This is in why the gas port on the barrel is much closer than the standard carbine length gas system. The cyclic rate of the 5.56mm is around 800-950 rounds per minute with proper gas valve setting in both non suppressed and suppressed modes. The 300 Blackout cyclic rate ranged from 780 to 1100 rounds per minute. According to Chris Sirois “The requirement was to be able to run anything from subsonic unsuppressed to supersonic suppressed in either valve setting”.

The test and evaluation rifle was the Sig MCX Patrol rifle with a 5.56mm barrel. It came with a manual, 1 aluminum 30 round magazine, folding backup sights and magazine well block for safe storage. Ordered along with the rifle was the 300 Blackout conversion barrel. The barrel is all that is needed. The same magazine and bolt carrier group are used. A 7.62x39mm barrel was requested but was unavailable as of this writing. The fit and finish was superb which is what you would come to expect from Sig. It had the “AR” feel to it but it clearly was not.

Just about the time the rifle arrived, so did some of the new Sig Elite Performance Ammunition in 300 Blackout. These are a match grade ammunition. The first load is a supersonic load. It is a 125gr open tip match projectile with a muzzle velocity of 2200 feet per second and 1343 foot pounds of energy. The second load fired a 220gr open tip match projectile at 1000 feet per second muzzle velocity with 488 foot pounds of energy. There were three boxes of each fired. Along with that was Black Hills Ammunition 300 Blackout 125gr open tip match projectile with a muzzle velocity of 2200 feet per second and a muzzle energy of 1343 foot pounds. For the 5.56mm ammunition, 300 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition .223 Rem 55gr full metal jacket and 100 rounds of ZQI (Merkel) 5.56x45mm 62gr SS109 full metal jacket with steel penetrator core.

When firing the 300 Blackout, the EOTech Model 300™ Blackout was used. This is a non-magnified holographic sight specifically designated for the super and subsonic Blackout loads. The XPS2 offers a two dot ballistic drop reticle that allows the shooter to zero either subsonic or supersonic rounds in the same reticle pattern. There are two 1 MOA aiming dots. The top aiming dot, with a 16-inch barrel and 110gr supersonic round should be zeroed at 100 yards and the second dot will be point of aim at 300 yards. With a 16-inch barrel and 220gr subsonic round, the top dot should be zeroed at 50 yards and the second dot will be the point of aim at 150 yards. The sight is powered by a CR123 battery that has a 600 continuous hour life at nominal setting 12 at room temperature. The sight has an MSRP of $549. Also mounted to the rifle is an EOTech G33™ 3x magnifier mounted on a tilting mount. This has an MSRP of $589. For testing the 5.56mm barrel, an Elcan Specter DR 1x/4x was used. There is a lever with two positions, forward is 1x and rearward is 4x. This is a crystal clear mid range optic which is mounted with an ARMS throw lever mount.

First up was the 5.56x45mm variation. A total of 400 rounds were fired with no malfunctions of any sort. The range was limited to 50 yards due to some Texas flooding! At this limited range all groups were sub 1-inch. Both the Black Hills and ZQI ammunition were military grade ball rounds. The rifle was tested with various magazines for compatibility. These magazines included PMag, Lancer AWM, CProducts Defense steel, Hera, Hexmag, HK steel/plastic, ETS and D&H Tactical to name a few. There were no issues at all, the rifle functioned perfectly with all that was tested.

The barrel was swapped out to the 300 Blackout. A total of 380 rounds were fired with no malfunctions of any sort. GI aluminum, PMags and Lancer AWM, and a D&H Tactical 300 Blackout magazines were used. No feeding issues with any. There were 40 rounds of Sig Supersonic and 40 rounds of Sig Subsonic fired. The Supersonic was fired at 100 yards with an average group of 1 1/2 inches at 100 yards. The subsonic was fired at 50 yards and averaged just about an inch. Additionally there were 300 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition 300 Whisper 125gr OTM. This ammunition shot just over an inch at 50 yards. The rifle was placed in a Hyscore Black Gun ® Machine Rest. This took the human error out of it! I am sure this rest had a lot to do with the excellent performance of the rifle.

Also offered is an upgrade kit that may turn a standard AR15 lower receiver into a host for the MCX upper. The MCX upper receiver will just drop on any standard Mil-Spec lower receiver. You may even use your current stock assembly on the lower. However if you want to go to the side folding stock options designed for the MCK you may procure a adapter that fits onto the rear of the lower receiver which provides the Mil-Std-1913 rail needed to attach the MCX stock options.

The MCX has been adopted by U.K. Counter-Terrorism Police not to mention numerous other agencies and Special Forces units. The rifle is still rather new compared to its competition. It would be safe to say that the MCX is in a league all of its own. The stock modularity and barrel modularity make this perhaps one of the most mission adaptable assault rifles in the world. It has been heavily tested by Sig and is over-the-beach capable. The quality is second to none, what one would expect from Sig. Not to mention it is 100% American designed, tested and made right in Exeter, New Hampshire. The design team was made up of some of the finest engineers in the industry who have many years designing advanced military rifles. Sig has gone from primarily being known for handgun development to becoming an industry leader in advanced assault rifle and submachine development. Their MPX 9mm SMG is the most significant SMG since the MP5 but that is another story. The last few years have shown Sig diversifying their product line and will without a doubt be offering new and innovative updates to the MCX system and who knows what else!

The AR being the most popular rifle in the country, the market is without a doubt a multi-billion dollar industry. Any number of companies have come out of the woodwork producing new/advanced components, rifles and their quality and concepts go from outstanding to absolute garbage. With having so many companies in the game you are bound to come up with some real innovation. Most of this started in the late 1990’s to the early 2000’s. Before the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban the semi-auto market was rather low and unpopular. Primarily Colt was the manufacturer of the AR-platform of rifles. With the ban “sunset” in 2004 the weapon system took off. The lead dog, or should I say horse, Colt was set on military contracts and their commercial rifles went by the wayside, enabling a whole new market for those interested and the rest is history.

In 1994, a former staff writer from Gun World magazine and also a former Knight’s Armament employee by the name of Eric Kincel co-founded Micro-tech knives and lead a small arms division called Unitech Research, Inc. Due to litigations with Knight’s Armament the company was dissolved. Then in 2001 a new company was formed by the name of VLTOR. The company was later bought out by aerospace contractor Abrams Airborne Mfg, Inc (in 2004).

The first true VLTOR product commenced in 2001 and continues as of 2015 to be their most coveted product line, the Modstock. After seeing pictures of the Colt Advanced Combat Rifle, Kincel looked at the triangular shaped stock design. He felt this was a very comfortable stock, much more so than the traditional, thinner Mil-Spec stock. The design of the VLTOR Modstock commenced. The Modstock was widely used for quite a few years until additional improvements were to be made. Now named VLTOR IMOD it has two side panels which each have a waterproof tube which can be used to store batteries (3 CR123 or 2 AA batteries per tube) or anything else that would fit. The butt of the stock has a rubber anti-slip buttpad with a rolled/ angled buttpad with wide traction area. Like the traditional stock there are mounting apparatus for a standard cloth sling and additionally there are ambi quick disconnect swivel sockets. The stock is made from a very strong proprietary polymer which is impervious to the elements. This stock will fit on any mil-spec receiver extension and is also offered in commercial configuration. This stock has been put on many OEM firearms. The Colt SCAR rifles as well as the production LE901 series come standard with this stock. Another variation of the IMOD stock is of a Clubfoot design. The foot of the stock is squared off and not as angular as the standard version. The design of the stock is so you can grab the face of it with the non-shooting hand for more control with use of scoped weapons. VLTOR also produces another stock called the EMOD. This is slightly longer (1.5-inches) and has a larger battery storage compartment that has a door that closes and locks in place. The design of the stock is so you can grab the face of it with the non shooting hand for more control with use of scoped weapons. VLTOR offers both stock assemblies and a VLTOR manufactured receiver extension which has the stock positions numbered on the top. Due to a witness hole in the top of the IMOD/EMOD stock, the user will be able to see what position the stock is in. Either of the buttstocks can be purchased separately or in a “kit” version that will include the stock, receiver extension, spring/buffer kit, lock plate and lock nut.

In the 2010 time frame, VLTOR embarked on a new program to deal with an issue every rifleman armed with a fixed stock (M16A2, M16A4, MK12 MOD 0/1) dealt with. The fixed stock rifles were designed on the original M16/M16A1 rifle in the days prior to the use of body armor. The modern soldier has extremely bulky body armor. Also, most soldiers are equipped with optics. This additional bulk on the soldiers shoulder plus the modern optics cause an issue with hindering the soldiers ability to achieve proper eye relief resulting in the soldiers having to put the stock on top of the shooter shoulder. This is a very unstable interface between the shooter’s eye and the optic. Another way around this, the soldier will move the stock off the shoulder/body armor all together and place it on the bicep, along with a body rotation of the weak side forward. This causes additional issues including weapon reliability due to the movement in the body absorb recoil energy the weapon needs to cycle. On carbines, the use of adjustable telescopic stocks cures these issues. The M4 carbine for instance has 4 positions to choose from. The rifles, not so much. To deal with this issue there have been attempts to put standard carbine receiver extensions on rifles with little success. Due to the operating dynamics of the rifle length gas system issues have come up with cyclic rate and bolt carrier bounce.

VLTOR set off to find a solution to this problem and that resulted in the A5 stock system (with EMOD Stock) that was designed as a complete integrated system to offer length of pull adjustability, an enhanced interface with modern body armor and optics without decreasing the reliability of the M16 weapon system by retaining the spring rate and cycle timing of the fixed buttstock. The A5 system optimizes the cycle timing of the 14.5” barreled variants of the carbine family by returning to the spring rate of the fixed stock. The M16A2/M16A4 with the A5 System has a length with stock collapsed of 37 3/8” and fully extended 41 1/8”. The EMOD stock is slightly wider and longer than the standard M4 stock with a noticeable negative pitch of -5 degrees at the top with a decrease to -15 at the toe of the stock. The rubber butt plate is removable resulting in making the stock ½-inch shorter. The stock features two removable battery storage components which hold 4 CR123 or 3 AA batteries. There is a side compartment as well in the clubfoot area that holds two additional CR123 batteries. The Clubfoot and Butterfly Latch design allows the shooter to use the weak hand to steady and hold the stock into the shoulder when using the bipod, improvised rest, or brace without inadvertently releasing the stock latch. The A5 receiver extension has 7 positions rather than the conventional M4 which has 4 positions. The buffer is a midlength buffer with a standard rifle action spring. The internal weights of the A5 buffer, spring rate and cycle timing are balanced to equal or exceed the reliability of the M16 family of rifles with the fixed stock. Third party testing has shown carrier bounce is virtually eliminated with the A5 stock system.

During the research for this article, the author assembled a complete rifle using as much VLTOR equipment as possible. From stock to muzzle is a very good example of the enhanced VLTOR products. Starting at the rear of the rifle, the rifle is equipped with the A5 stock system. However the IMOD stock was selected due to its smaller profile and the author’s preference of the stock latch.

VLTOR got into the lower receiver business in 2009. The lower receiver used on the demo rifle is completely VLTOR and is offered for sale as product number VRA-RA5. The lower receiver is manufactured by VLTOR from a forging of 7075 T6 aircraft grade aluminum. There are a couple enhancements over the standard Mil-Spec receiver. First is the oversized magazine release button. Well over twice the size as the standard magazine release button with slip resistant checkering on the face of the button. This lower receiver is not compatible with the standard magazine release button. On the front of the magazine well are grip enhancing cuts. The receiver is hard coat anodized as per military specifications. On the rear of the receiver is the A5 receiver extension assembly. The receiver extension end plate has been replaced with the VLTOR side Saddle sling plate (Proprietary to the VLTOR lower receiver) which puts a quick detach socket on the left, right and rear of the receiver. The lower receiver assembly came with a standard A2 pistol grip. It was replaced with a Magpul MIAD pistol grip. The safety was a conventional safety but was replaced with a Battle Arms Development ambidextrous safety. The trigger which came with the VLTOR lower receiver assembly was the standard Mil-Spec trigger group. At the same time as this lower arrived, so did the Geissele 2 Stage (G2S). The total weight of the trigger pull is 4.5 pounds. The first stage is 2.5 pounds and the second broke at 2 pounds.

The upper receiver is the 9-inch VLTOR VIS (Versatile Interface Structure)-KM Polylithic upper receiver with slimline profile. The KeyMod variations went into production in 2012. This 21.4 ounce upper receiver assembly appears to be monolithic but in fact is three pieces. In 2007 the original VIS was introduced. The upper receiver is similar to the MIR (forward assist, ejection port cover and fired cartridge case deflector) manufactured by VLTOR. The handguard is manufactured from an extrusion. The handguard and receiver are bonded together by a “Molten Salt Dip Brazing”. The handguard has quad Mil-Std-1913 rails. Ones at 12:00, 3:00 and 9:00 and a removable lower handguard which provides a 6:00 rail. It is held into the receiver by two locking levers, not a slip ring or a screw. All VIS system have M4-type extended feed ramps and any Mil-Spec barrel may be installed with an extended barrel extension. The KM stands for Key mod and the 9 is for 9-inches in length. The rifle build used a midlength gas system. The inside diameter is 1.03 inches. With the proper barrel, with the lower handguard removed the upper is M203 compatible. The VIS will use any standard Mil-Spec barrel but the barrel nut must be the one provided. The barrel nut wrench is provided and is meant for a single use. The KeyMod rail segments are offered in 2-, 4- and 6-inches in length as well as KeyMod Slimline grip panels. The VIS Polylithic upper with quad rails is available with and without the forward assist.

The barrel chosen is a Centurion Arms 16-inch mid-length gas system chrome hammer forged barrel. This is an incredibly accurate barrel. Debate continues between hammer forged versus button cut barrels. Both are excellent. This author’s experience is that hammer forged barrels have a longer service life but button cut barrels prove to have better precision accuracy. The precision accuracy really does not pertain to a combat rifle, the shooter would never see it unless he had a proper scope, ammo and a bench rest. But this is a personal choice, you cannot go wrong with either. The mid-length gas system provides more dwell time for the cartridge case, making extraction easier. The front sight base is the VLTOR VST front sight tower. There are two models. The first and most common are the clamp on and the other requires drilling and pinning. The one chosen was the one requiring drilling and pinning. The front sight folds and is engaged by lifting it into potions. The front sight post is square but is not adjusted via spring loaded plunger and rotated. This post is more like an AK in that you rotate it by a press-fit screw. When folded, there is a Mil-Std-1913 rail. There are two additional options. With and without quick detachment sockets. The one used has the ambi quick detach sockets for installing a sling swivel. The muzzle device chosen is the VLTOR VC Flash Hider. There are two offered, an A1 and a closed bottom A2 version. This rifle is equipped with the A1 version. The rear sight is the VLTOR folding rear sight, This has dual long and short range apertures and is adjustable for windage only.

The charging handle chosen was the VLTOR BCM-GFH ambidextrous Gunfighter. These charging handle debuted in late 2009. VLTOR partnered with Bravo Company on this product. It is designed, manufactured and patented with VLTOR but they have a licensing agreement with Bravo Company to sell them. This is an extremely smooth and comfortable charging handle whether you are left or right handed. The right and left latches are easy to get to and easy to hold onto. VLTOR does offer a standard charging handle (right handed shooter) and one with an extended latch.

The bolt carrier group chosen is the POF-USA Enhanced direct gas bolt carrier group. The NP3 plated carrier group has three major design improvements. First the bolt carrier is one piece. The steel gas key screws into the face of the “tombstone” of the carrier and is pinned in place. There are basically two places you get gas loss in a direct gas rifle. One is the front sight base and the second is the carrier key. If the carrier keys were to break, the carbon seal is broken between the carrier key and the bolt carrier; gas leaks and the rifle will short stroke. The POF carrier design completely eliminates the possibility of gas loss through the bolt carrier. The second major improvement is the use of the POF NP3 coated Roller Cam. The standard cam is square in shape. Some have the edges rounded, others do not. This scrapes along the inside of the upper receiver which will cause wear on the aluminum receiver. This happens anytime two pieces of metal scrape and one is harder than the other. The roller cam eliminates the steel edges scraping the inside of the receiver, drastically reducing internal wear. This is even more prevalent in piston operated rifles. You will see a cut in the inside of the upper receiver just behind the cam notch. This is prevented for the most part with Roller Cam. The third major improvement is the material the bolt is manufactured from 9310 steel which is a 7% improvement over Carpenter 158 steel (Mil-Spec). The extractor has enhanced geometry for better support of the extractor.

This rifle was tested with 500 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition- .223 Rem 55gr Full Metal Jacket ammunition. There were no malfunctions of any sort. The lower receiver was tested for magazine compatibility as well. More than 15 different types of magazines were tested including Magpul, Lancer, USGI, Hexmag, Hera Arms, Ultimag, CProducts Defense, HK poly & steel, Mission First Tactical, Tangodown, Surefire and Troy to name a few. No malfunctions of any sort.

Another very popular product is the MUR (Modular Upper Receiver). In fact this product is used on several high tier OEM rifles such as Noveske. This upper is manufactured from a 7075 T6 aircraft grade forging. It is stress relieved, heat treated, aged twice and cryogenic treated. The receiver is precision machined and then finished off by hand. As per mil-spec the bore is coated with dry film lubricant over the anodizing. Two models are offered, the MUR-1A which has the forward assist assembly and the MUR-1S which excludes the forward assist.

The CAS-V was originally developed for the Navy EOD for MK18 Mod0 and M4 carbines. This is a drop-in rail system that can go on any Mil-Spec rifle with a flattop upper receiver and a delta ring assembly. The rail is free floating and M203 grenade launcher compatible. The lower shield is removable permitting installation of the grenade launcher. It adds less than 1 pound to the overall weight of the rifle. Made from aircraft grade aluminum the rear of the CAS-V piggy-backs on the upper receiver and is held in by two screws. The top rail is a ridged, continuous rail section along the top rail. There are two quick detach mounting sockets on both right and left sides. The CAS-V is offered in models which are removable rail segments as well as KeyMod.

Through the years another product this author has used regularly is their receiver extension end plates/lock plates. The SASE end plates are offered in two configurations. The first it the SASE HK-style hook. There is a hoop on one side. The lock pin can be placed on either side so the hoop can be on the left of right side. There is also a even larger hoop model of this. The third model is one for a cloth sling. These fit any Mil-Spec receiver.

In 2008, VLTOR began offering complete rifles. They started off with a 14.5-inch barrel with a MUR-1A upper and CAS-V handguard. In their current catalog they offer ten different variations. Standard carbine, short barrel as well as pistol variations. They also offer customizable rifles to military and law enforcement customers.

VLTOR has always been on the leading edge of high tier product development. They have several military contracts for various components. The products in this article are just the ones they make on the AR-platform alone. They also make components for the FN SCAR rifles, M14/M1A and AK. They even produce a sound suppressor for an AK74. Every year VLTOR delivers new innovative products to the industry and enjoy contracts from all parts of the industry. This author has used their stock assemblies on many builds that have been featured for several years in SAR. We cannot wait to see what 2016 brings.