Lube your AR

P0WERWAGON

P0WERWAGON

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stolen from another forum. interesting read. since i don't plan on operating in dusty areas, i have always run my gun wet. i guess i knew something all along. :)

Heavy lubrication shown to improve M16, M4 effectiveness

By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 16, 2007 17:34:05 EDT

Army weapons officials might have found a way to improve the M16 family’s performance in the desert.

“Dust chamber” tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., last year show that M16 rifles and M4 carbines perform dramatically better when the weapon’s bolt assembly is heavily lubricated.

During each phase of the two-part “system assessment” at Army Test and Evaluation Command, testers fired 60,000 rounds through 10 weapon samples of each model.

Treated with light lubrication, new M16A4s and M4s, performed poorly in the extreme dust and sand conditions of the test, according to a January report from ATEC.

But when testers applied a heavy coat of lubrication to the weapons, the test results showed a “significant improvement.”

Out of the 60,000 rounds fired in each phase, the M4 stoppage-rate dropped from 9,836 with light lubrication to 678 with heavy lubrication.

The M16A4 stoppage-rate dropped from 2,124 with light lubrication to 507 with heavy lubrication, results show.

For years, Army weapons officials have preached to soldiers to virtues of applying a light coat of lubrication during weapons maintenance.

But the test results reinforce a recent change in weapons maintenance guidance Army units are practicing in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Col. Carl Lipsit, project manager for Soldier Weapons.

At the request of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., the Army will conduct a similar dust-chamber test in August, pitting the M4 against the Heckler and Koch 416, the H&K XM8 and FNH USA’s Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle.

All of the participating weapons will be treated with a heavy coat of lubrication during the test, Lipsit said.
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Hmm, the US Military manuals I've read have previously been recomending the opposite of this. I think one of the USMC M16 manuals in particular said that excess oil in dusty environments led to abrassion and excess wear, and should thus be avoided. :eek:
 
At the request of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., the Army will conduct a similar dust-chamber test in August, pitting the M4 against the Heckler and Koch 416, the H&K XM8 and FNH USA’s Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle.
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I'd like to hear the results from these tests too!

KFB
 
Matt_P said:
the ar15 needs to be replaced SOOO badly...
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I would bet a LARGE overwhelming majority of actual COMBAT USERS would strongly disagree.

It might not be the IDEAL weapon in a sand rich environment, but it's a long way from needing to be replaced 'sooooo badly'.

Also - replace it with what? An AK? All modern combat weapons will experience issues with dusty dirty conditions. None are immune to fine dust and sand gumming up the works.
 
I do wonder how they got that many stoppages though, did they pour sand into the action? That seems like a lot more stoppages then just firing in dusty conditions.
 
Odd with the 38 soldiers in my platoon I cannot remeber a single stoppage except with the C9s in the entire 6 months in A'stan and the lead up training. I could most likely count on 1 hand the stoppages I've had with a C7 or C8 .
Of course the armchair experts here have spoken ,I guess we will trade in out C7s for something more reliable :rolleyes:
 
Reaper said:
Odd with the 38 soldiers in my platoon I cannot remeber a single stoppage except with the C9s in the entire 6 months in A'stan and the lead up training. I could most likely count on 1 hand the stoppages I've had with a C7 or C8 .
Of course the armchair experts here have spoken ,I guess we will trade in out C7s for something more reliable :rolleyes:
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I've heard good things about the sharpened stick. 100% reliable, never any stoppages!

:onCrack:
 
canucklehead said:
I would bet a LARGE overwhelming majority of actual COMBAT USERS would strongly disagree.

It might not be the IDEAL weapon in a sand rich environment, but it's a long way from needing to be replaced 'sooooo badly'.

Also - replace it with what? An AK? All modern combat weapons will experience issues with dusty dirty conditions. None are immune to fine dust and sand gumming up the works.
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Give me a break.

Yeah AR's look good and they've been in every cool action movie from the 80s but can you honestly say they perform well in anything but ideal conditions?

And by "perform well" I mean operate with few enough malfunctions and low enough maintenance to be able to rely on when crazy #######s are trying to kill you.
 
Matt_P said:
Give me a break.

Yeah AR's look good and they've been in every cool action movie from the 80s but can you honestly say they perform well in anything but ideal conditions?

And by "perform well" I mean operate with few enough malfunctions and low enough maintenance to be able to rely on when crazy a**holes are trying to kill you.
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They do everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan and several hundred other places from the jungle to the arctic, you are in the wrong place to make blanket statements like that without backing it up. Or is this just you vast experience talking ?:rolleyes:
 
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