M4 Toruture test

[Colorado Osprey]

I'm not sure if you've seen this video:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/...****-test.html

The interesting thing from my perspective is at round 911 it quit full auto fire.. . it appears that the gas tube melted after the hand guards caught fire. But the weapon still fires by hand cycling the action.

That's reliability in my book... it still can function as a weapon!

[steveopia]

Wow. That's a pretty neat video. Makes me want to get an AR again.

[mikedubs]

Interesting how the ROF slows drastically after 4:00 down to 500-600 RPM. Why is that? Drooping gas tube?; filthy and plugged gas tube?

[Colorado Osprey]

Interesting how the ROF slows drastically after 4:00 down to 500-600 RPM. Why is that? Drooping gas tube?; filthy and plugged gas tube?

You can see the flash from under (through) the hand guard so I'm guessing a ruptured gas tube.

[StagLefty]

That was definitely a torture test !!!

[Hoser]

Now thats not fair. We all know that piston guns are the way of the future and DI guns are junk.

[gcrookston]

Now thats not fair. We all know that piston guns are the way of the future and DI guns are junk.

I agree, the results of field testing were a mistake and the HK416 program really is the answer to that problem that was solved 45 years ago. HK just wasn't able to explain the definition of "no improvement over current" and that little small blurb about the their new piston guns experiencing slightly more failures than those old worn out DI guns during evaluation in dirty conditions...

Go figure.

[Colorado Osprey]

Sorry, I'm not a piston kinda guy. From the decrease in accuracy created by the piston I'll stick with DI.

It takes 900 shots in under 5 minutes to create a problem and the weapon still works if need be it has about the same cyclic rate as a bolt action.

Anybody who tries to use an M4 or M16 as a SAW needs to rethink how they are protecting themselves. Also, what a waste of ammo. The SAW is meant to shoot like that. The M4 was never intended to see that kind of rate of fire for so long. Heck it was more than a combat load of ammo so the military never intended for it to happen either!

I think the piston solves a problem that never was a problem... to me they just aren't worth the extra $$. BTW I have been using the DI for over 20 years. Never a problem related to the DI in a real world senerio or in training. This covers about 10 weapons and about 50,000 rounds.

[steveopia]

From the decrease in accuracy created by the piston I'll stick with DI.

Roughly how much accuracy is lost with the piston? I'm sure that's an open ended question to an extent but I know nothing about it either way really.

[palepainter]

I could live with that performance.