Dave Hardy posts about an Army Times news article that talks about Delta Force’s new rifle, the H&K 416, and highlights the army’s reluctance to replace the M16. For a while there was a lot of talk in the military about replacing the standard small arm, but that appears to be off the table for now.
It seemed the M16/M4 would be around a bit longer when they killed the H&K XM8, largely because they included a proprietary optics mount that would have also necessitated that the military switch out all its optics. I think SOCOM has adopted the FN SCAR for special forces, and I guess Delta is using the HK416 now.
The problem I have with H&K building our next generation rifle is that they have basically said there will be no semi-auto versions of them for civilians. FN is working on a civilianized version of the SCAR.
It’s bad enough I can’t get an M16/M4 inexpensively. It would be a real shame, if for the first time in American history, civilians can’t shoot the same type of rifle our soldiers do.
They featured the HK 416 on a recent episode of Futureweapons, actually. I was summarily impressed, especially the part when immediately after running through several hundred rounds, the H&K employee pops the rifle open, and pulls the bolt out with his bare hands.
The gas system directs the gas away from the bolt, keeping it cool to the touch even after hundreds of rounds. So cool it hurt.
why the hell the us military will not adopt this h&k 416 rifle that has no problems with sand and water and even mud while the men and women in uniform are dying in the fields of sand in iraq and afganistan with m16 rifles that are reportedly getting jammed due to sand! the military brass are being a bunch of morons! they wont even adopt the new bulletproof vest called “dragon skin” or adopt the israeli anti rpg systems for our tanks and troop carriers called “trophy”. hell they wont even adopt the new caliber 6.8 spc to replace the nato round of 5.56mm. and the 6.8 has enormous gains over 5.56mm.
can somebody please explain this phonemona to me!?!
The M16/M4 are fine if you keep them well maintained. The stoner platform’s reputation for being unreliable is largely undeserved, and come about from the Vietnam era, when they were issued without cleaning kits. Chris Byrne has a great history of it here.
As for Dragon Skin, it was rejected because it failed testing.
If a rifle has to be cleaned 2-3 times a day to work reliably, it’s not really suitable for combat use.
What I don’t get is why the replacement for the M16/M4 needs to be a modified M16/M4. Why is the Army so completely enamored with the M16 design?
As for Dragon Skin, I question the accuracy of testing done by the people currently responsible for making its primary competitor. Also, that 7.62×51 armor-piercing round that Dragon Skin supposedly failed to stop? It’ll go right through the Interceptor with ceramic plates like a hot knife through butter, too. This is a round designed to pierce the skin of armored personnel carriers; of course body armor won’t stop it.
I don’t know where your getting your information. Delta, which is of course a T-1 unit uses everything and anything that runs. The 416 and 417 are nothing more than simple gas piston operation system. Sure, they run coller than direct impingement systems, but an AR maintained properly with adequate CLP and decent mags will run for 5000 rounds without the need to lube the mage. Assuming the soldier has lubricated the bolt and carrier properly.
I don’t see the need to spend any extra money a weapon system due to the fact that most PFC’s don’t know any better than run their rifles dry as a bone in austere conditons.
Keep an appropriate kit of “must haves” in your personal amorers kit and you’ll fight the good fight just fine without having to opt for H&K’s newest rifle.
Don’t get me wrong, H&K is superp at their work, but I’v not found any M4’s simply crapping out in the box if maintained as instructed. Depot level maintenance in some cases,but there’s alway’s another M4 to pick up if your’s goes on the fritz.
… For whoever said that the m16a2 is pefectly fine…. Obviously hasnt had to go to war with one. The amount of maintenance it requires to remain fully functional is insane. I’ve had my rifle cleaner then the virgin Mary, and within twenty rounds of ammunition, had a bolt over-ride and two double feeds.
Now tell me that if you were deployed and were recieving fire, and you were trying to lay suppressive fire… You wouldnt wish that you were carrying something that your dad carried in vietnam, and still bottomed out on him as well?
… For whoever said that the m16a2 is pefectly fine…. Obviously hasnt had to go to war with one. The amount of maintenance it requires to remain fully functional is insane. I’ve had my rifle cleaner then the virgin Mary, and within twenty rounds of ammunition, had a bolt over-ride and two double feeds.
Now tell me that if you were deployed and were recieving fire, and you were trying to lay suppressive fire… You wouldnt wish that you weren’t carrying something that your dad carried in vietnam, and still bottomed out on him as well?
And all that crap on future weapons? hardly any of us in the service ever see any of that. ever. It oohs and ahhs us just as much. And brings up the question all over again? why arent WE, the ones fighting for this county, provided the best thats out there.
The principle behind the HK-416 gas piston system is not NEW or UNIQUE!
When you get a chance, check out the gas piston system used in the SKS-45 made by the Soviet Union in 1945!
It was a two piston system, however the same principle applies; the gas from the semi-automatic feed is released and the actual piston that controls the bolt assembly NEVER comes in contact with gas from the rounds.
The user of the weapon could fire that weapon all day without the weapon jamming and never have to be concerned with the bolt assembly OVERHEATING or the second piston fouling from the residue of the gases!
If the weapon user wanted to clean the residue from the 1st piston after a great deal of firing, then all the weapon user would have to do was release the latch to the 1st piston and its tube, quickly clean just those two items, place them back on the weapon and continue firing until they had a chance to field strip the entire weapon and clean it since
none of that stuff ever reaches the second piston.
“Everything OLD is NEW again”
Obviously, there are sufficient jamming problems with the M-16/AR-15 to warrant investigating a new system. My AR-15 jammed early in its life. I could not fix it and took it to a gunsmith. It has done well since being cleaned and lubricated, but I’m not giving it the rugged use and treatment demanded of it by a soldier. If I am going into battle I want something in which I can have supreme confidence with minimal fuss. It seems we need a weapon with M-16 accuracy and AK-47 durability and reliability. If such a weapon now exists in the H&K 416, I say switch to it.
1. The Time is right to replaced the old Colt M-16 Rifle & it ammo too! Agreed!!! The New product is better Gun too. Its Quality is metal is better Shape too! It”s Call the Germam Mfg Product is (H&K-Model -416 ia a better Gun: for combat Mission in the future times of battles wars do accured in the future too. The M-16 Colt rifle will jammed up in Desert wars were sand doom are in Arabs Nations are irridic uprising Incidents turns into Wars of conflicts into:War Battles too!! true!!! The Colt Rifle M-16 Should be replaced imimeadly as soon as possable & itt”s all the Ammo as well too! We are going to (6.8 Rifle Caliber Bullets too. Agreed!!!!!! The gun needs to be replaced now is the old M-16 Rifle is Ammo is 5.56 Caliber to needs Replaceed now as soion as Passable too! agreed!!!!