I was issued an M16 in 1972 without the deflector bump, it was still basically the first model but with the bird cage flash hider instead of the three fingered vine catcher. They told us to button our shirts all the way up to keep brass from going down them but I never bothered and never had an issue with that.
Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery.
Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
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