C-BS had a hilarious "expose" of the M-16 on tonight's evening news, and here's some of the silly tale, as well as a link to their website where you can click into more nonsense:
CBS) "As American troop casualties in Iraq continue to mount, concern is growing they may be outgunned. That includes new questions about the stopping power of the ammunition that is used by the standard-issue M-16 rifle.
Shortly after the U.N. headquarters was bombed in Baghdad in August 2003, a Special Forces unit went to Ramadi to capture those responsible.
In a fierce exchange of gunfire, one insurgent was hit seven times by 5.56 mm bullets, reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian. It took a shot to the head with a pistol to finally bring him down. But before he died, he killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded seven more.
"The lack of the lethality of that bullet has caused United States soldiers to die," says Maj. Anthony Milavic.
Milavic is a retired Marine major who saw three tours of duty in Vietnam. He says the small-caliber 5.56, essentially a .22-caliber civilian bullet, is far better suited for shooting squirrels than the enemy, and contends that urban warfare in Iraq demands a bigger bullet. "A bullet that knocks the man down with one shot," he says. "And keeps him down."
In last week's Marine Corps Times, a squad leader said his Marines carried and used "found" enemy AK-47s because that weapon's 7.62 mm bullets packed "more stopping power."
Bruce Jones is a mechanical engineer who helped design artillery, rifles and pistols for the Marines.
"I saw the tests that clearly showed how miserable the bullets really were in performance," he says. "But that's what we're arming our troops with. It's horrible, you know, it's unconscionable."
To demonstrate to CBS News, Jones fired the larger-caliber 7.62 bullet fired by AK-47s used by insurgents in Iraq into a block of glycerin. The hole cavity is 50 percent or more larger than that of the 5.56."
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Sheesh where do I begin...
The AK-47 fires the 7.63 X 39 bullet. 123 grains, FMJ, @ 2300 fps. This is about what you'd expect from a medium-loaded .357 Magnum carbine. Nothing to sneeze at, but not a 30.06 or .308.
The rifle that CBS tested was a bolt action 7.62 X 51. This round is 147 grains and exits the muzzle at 2800 fps.
The military version is 5.56 mm's not the civilian. The ".22" this detweiler was referring to is the .223 round that is used by most civvy variations of the rifle, and is of lower SAAMI specs regarding chamber pressure. Do NOT fire 5.56 mm bullets from a weapon designed for .223.
They confused their NATO 7.62 with the Russian 7.62, tested the wrong bullet to compare to the 5.56 mm, and there is so very much else wrong I find it difficult to continue without creating a doctoral thesis on the subject.
The M-16 IS inadequate, but NOT chopped liver. A NATO 7.62 rifle WOULD be preferrable, but we get into the weight/recoil dilemna and that means small shooters get boo-boo's so the Pentagon stays with the 5.56.
But here's the funniest thing. This is the SAME M-16/AR-type rifle that the media has been portraying as a killer-assault-weapon of staggering proportions, but now their own investigation "proves" it to be nothing more than a varmint gun.
So will they STOP referring to civilian-owned AR clones as such, or conveniently disremember when it comes time to scream about ASSAULT WEAPONS ON THE STREETS!!!
Bottom Line Time: Yes, the M-16 does need a serious overhaul, but I've been saying that for close to 40 years. A larger, faster bullet is necessary, and while we're never going back to the M-14, something along the lines of a sub-7 mm round is what will probably win the day when all is said and done. Remember now, we've got to convince NATO as well, and their little people aren't going to like big and mean rifles any better than ours, so we're looking at a Super-16 at best.
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