Colt M4
From Gory Storm
| Weapon | |
| Colt M4 | |
|---|---|
| Ammunition Type: 5.56x45mm NATO | |
| Magazine Size: 30 Round Magazine | |
| Type: Carbine Assault Rifle | |
| custom(?): No | |
Contents |
[edit] M4
Both the M4 and M4A1 carbines fire 5.56 x 45 mm NATO ammunition and are gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire firearms with a telescoping stock. A fixed stock can also be fitted, but this is not a common practice in the U.S. military.
As with many carbines, the M4 is handy and more convenient to carry than a full-length rifle. While this makes it a candidate for non-infantry troops (vehicle crews, clerks and staff officers), it also makes it ideal for close quarters combat (CQC), and airborne and special operations. It has been adopted by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is the preferred weapon of the U.S. Army Special Forces. Malaysia purchased M4 Carbine service rifles to replace the Steyr AUG service rifles in its armed forces in 2006.
[edit] M4A1
The M4A1 carbine is a variant of the basic M4 carbine intended for special operations use. The M4A1 can be found in use by many U.S. military units, including the Delta Force, U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Army Rangers, and the U.S. Marine Corps' Radio Reconnaissance Platoons and Force Reconnaissance companies. The M4A1 Carbine is specially favored by counter-terrorist and special forces units for close quarters combat because of the carbine's compactness and firepower. These features are also very useful in urban warfare. Although the M4 does not have as great an effective range as the longer M16, many military analysts consider engagement with a non-specialized small arm above a range of 300 meters to be unnecessary. It is effective at ranges of 150 meters or less. It has a maximum effective range of about 400 meters.
In the last few years, M4A1 carbines have been refit or received straight from factory with barrels with a thicker profile under the handguard. This is for a variety of reasons such as heat dissipation during full-auto and accuracy as a byproduct of barrel weight. These heavier barrel weapons are also fitted with a heavier buffer known as the H2. Out of three sliding weights inside the buffer, the H2 possesses two tungsten weights and one steel weight, versus the standard H buffer, which uses one tungsten weight and two steel weights. These weapons, known by Colt as the Model 921HB (for Heavy Barrel), have also been designated M4A1, and as far as the government is concerned the M4A1 represents both the 921 and 921HB.
[edit] Other Info
The M4 was developed and produced for the United States government by Colt Firearms, which has an exclusive contract to produce the M4 family of weapons through 2009; however, a number of other manufacturers offer M4-like firearms. The M4, along with the M16A4, has mostly replaced M16 and M16A2 firearms; the U.S. Air Force, for example, plans to transition completely to the M4 Carbine. The M4 has also replaced the M3A1 submachine gun that remained in service (mostly with tank crews). The M4 is similar to much earlier compact M16 versions, such as the 1960s-era XM177 family, though unlike them it is not intended to fire the earlier M193/6 ball ammunition.
M4 with M203A1 and M68 Close Combat OpticThe M4/M4A1 5.56 mm Carbine is a gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire, shoulder-fired weapon with a telescoping stock. A shortened variant of the M16A2 rifle with a 36 cm barrel, the M4 provides the individual soldier operating in close quarters the capability to engage targets at extended range with accurate, lethal fire. The original M4 Carbine has semi-automatic and three-round burst fire modes, while the M4A1 has "semi" and "full auto", with no three-round burst. The M4 Carbine achieves over 80% commonality with the M16A2 rifle and was intended to replace the M3 .45 ACP submachine guns and selected M9 pistols and M16 rifle series with most Army units. (This plan was thought to be changed with the development of the XM29 OICW and the XM8 carbine. However, both projects were cancelled.) The M4 Carbine is also capable of mounting the M203 grenade launcher.
Some features compared to a full-length M16A2 rifle include:
- Compact size
- Shorter barrel
- Telescoping buttstock
- Selective fully automatic rather than 3-round bursts (M4A1 only)
However, there have been some criticisms of the carbine, such as lower muzzle velocities and louder report due to the shorter barrel, additional stress on parts because of the shorter gas system, and a tendency to overheat faster than the M16A2.
M4 with M203A1 grenade launcher and leaf sight attachedLike all the variants of the M16 assault rifle, the M4 Carbine and the M4A1 Carbine can be fitted with many accessories, such as night vision devices, laser pointers, telescopic sights, bipods, the M203 grenade launcher and the XM26 LSS shotgun, and anything else compatible with a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail.
Other common accessories include the AN/PEQ-2, Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG), and M68 Aimpoint. EOTech holographic weapon sights are to be part of the SOPMOD II package. Visible and IR (infrared) lights of various manufacturers are also commonly attached using various mounting methods.
The M4 is used with a blank-firing attachment (BFA) when using blank rounds; without the BFA it does not cycle.
Troops armed with M4 Carbines prepare to enter a house on a combat patrol in February 2006 in Tal Afar, Iraq. The 2nd and 4th soldiers from the right have M203 grenade launchers attachedAn April 2002 presentation by the Natick Soldier Center presented by LTC Charlie Dean and SFC Sam Newland reported on lessons learned from M4 use in Afghanistan (such as use during Operation Anaconda):
- 34% of soldiers reported that their M4's handguards rattle and become excessively hot when firing.
- 15% reported that they had troubles zeroing the M68 reflex sight.
- 35% added barber brushes and 24% added dental picks to their cleaning kits.
Soldiers reported the following malfunctions:
- 20% reported double-feeding.
- 15% reported feeding jams.
- 13% reported that feeding problems were due to magazines.
- 89% of soldiers reported confidence in the weapon.
- 20% were dissatisfied with its ease of maintenance.
Soldiers requested the following changes:
- 55% requested the firearm be made lighter
- 20% requested a larger magazine
