From Aviation Week's Ares Blog
Army Fields New, Better M4, M16 Magazine
Posted by Paul McLeary at 12/15/2009 9:37 AM CST
The Army has begun fielding 500,000 of a projected 7 million new 5.56mm 30-round Improved Magazines for the service’s fleet of M16 and M4 weapons that PEO Soldier says will deliver “a significant increase in reliability for the battle-tested M16 and M4 weapons systems…the Improved Magazine effectively reduces the risk of magazine-related stoppages by more than 50 percent compared to the older magazine variants."
LTC Chris Lehner, Product Manager Individual Weapons explains on the PEO Web site that the system has a heavier, more corrosion resistant spring, and “along with a new follower design that does not tilt inside the casing” makes it a more durable system overall. The new follower also “incorporates an extended rear leg and modified bullet protrusion for improved round stacking and orientation. The self-leveling/anti-tilt follower minimizes jamming while a wider spring coil profile creates even force distribution. The performance gains have not added weight or cost to the magazines.”
They have a computer model of how the new system works here:
http://vimeo.com/8195436
Army Fields New, Better M4, M16 Magazine
Posted by Paul McLeary at 12/15/2009 9:37 AM CST
The Army has begun fielding 500,000 of a projected 7 million new 5.56mm 30-round Improved Magazines for the service’s fleet of M16 and M4 weapons that PEO Soldier says will deliver “a significant increase in reliability for the battle-tested M16 and M4 weapons systems…the Improved Magazine effectively reduces the risk of magazine-related stoppages by more than 50 percent compared to the older magazine variants."
LTC Chris Lehner, Product Manager Individual Weapons explains on the PEO Web site that the system has a heavier, more corrosion resistant spring, and “along with a new follower design that does not tilt inside the casing” makes it a more durable system overall. The new follower also “incorporates an extended rear leg and modified bullet protrusion for improved round stacking and orientation. The self-leveling/anti-tilt follower minimizes jamming while a wider spring coil profile creates even force distribution. The performance gains have not added weight or cost to the magazines.”
They have a computer model of how the new system works here:
http://vimeo.com/8195436
