Good Lord... I'm waiting on one of the geezers here to start telling how the Trapdoor Springfield was no match against the Spanish Mauser at San Juan Hill. None of that ancient history chit has anything to do with an M4 as used today.
In my erarlier post above, referencing the trapdoor/Mauser, all I was referring to was the historically crooked procurement system. We, the US were still trying to make the trapdoor relevant in 1886, when the Lebel changed military history. The Springfield cartel would not have the trapdoor pried from their hands for another 15 years while EVERY power in the world (even South America for chrissake) was equipping with repeaters. The bad rep of the M16 circa 1964-65 was earned by the M16...not by me. Yes, the M4 is probably one of the best mil small arm in the world...but it took some grunt bodies, and a lot of years to get there to the M4. Was the 5.56 the wonder berries in desert warfare? I don't think so, but I was not there. And while I'm at it, all the state of the art schidt that makes the M4 great...can be bolted on almost any platform except the AK's.
