Robert357 and SavageT - guys those are some interesting tales from the link Robert provided.
I have wondered why these problems always seem to surface in sandy climates. I am reminded that the P08 Luger was turned down by the military after horse soldiers testing them in the desert over lubricated them and they jammed consistently as a result. The instruction manuals said not to lubricate them - go figger.
With the problem of the CLP attracting dirt, and the fairly close tolerances in the M-16s 9 lug bolt (if that's what it still uses) I can understand where the problems would come from. I forget what we used in RVN with the first run of 16s, but I still have a bunch of that stuff home and use it as general purpose lube. I still recall that if you properly maintained your 16 it would work - caliber didn't do too well but the rifle would function. You had to keep that chamber clean and the bolt free of debris or you got skunked. Unbfortunately, they got dirty quickly and required frequent cleaning.
I know our 16s are accurate, but so are many other battle rifles, and I just don't understand why the Pentagon continually repeats the mistakes of the past. The Ak always seemed to be 'handier' and even when rusted shut could be kicked open into full working order with a boot heel. The 7.62 round seemed to hit harder, too. I don't know, I believe in American made products and had hoped the 3rd generation of 16s were more reliable than ours were, but I think we should be able to do better for our troops. Just another dos centavos. Mikey.
