The Army’s been unhappy with the M4 carbine for some time. This shorter version of the M16 rifle was introduced as an alternative for use by special ops personnel, and has been used quite a bit in the urban environments of Iraq.

Some ground communities, including special operations forces, have begun to sideline the M4 in favor of newer, gas-piston operated variants such as the Heckler & Koch-manufactured 416 and the FNH-built Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle, or SCAR

In a routine acquisition notice March 23, a U.S. Special Forces battalion based in Okinawa announced that it is buying 84 upper receiver assemblies for the HK416 to modify their M4 carbines. The M4 fires using a system that redirects gas from the expended round to eject it and reload another. The 416 and SCAR use a gas-operated piston that physically pushes the bolt back to eject the round and load another.

Carbon buildup from the M4's gas system has plagued the rifle for years, resulting in some close calls with Soldiers in combat whose rifles jammed at critical moments.

It is beyond ironic that the M4 is now plagued with a problem similar to that experienced when the M16 was first fielded. A combination of inside-the-system antipathy to Eugene Stoner’s revolutionary operating system and a refusal by DuPont to modify their powder manufacturing led to misapplication of the M16, aggravated by a failure to supply cleaning kits and the proper lubricant to troops at first. There were a lot of instances of fouling and cartridge cases torn on extraction, resulting in dead troops.

The Army rushed to supply cleaning kits and a better lubricant (LSA) which solved one problem, but DuPont remained intransigent. Then some bright spark (probably a sergeant) asked the obvious question: Why aren’t our chambers and barrels chromed, like the AK47?

And now, 40 years later, we’re facing the exact same issue. Again.

And some outside commentary on the subject:

If somebody wanted to really help the US Army, they would do something about those God awful M4 carbines that American troops are forced to endure.

This is a recurring theme in this blog, and I'm returning to it again because of yet more new information that sheds light on the problem with the Army's standard-issue weapon for close-in fighting -- which is exactly the kind of combat that is raging in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

In a routine acquisition notice (see this link), a US Special Forces battalion based in Okinawa announced that it is buying 84 barrels for the Heckler & Koch HK416 assault rifle.

The HK barrels will be used to replace the barrels on their own M4s.

Why? Here's what the notice says:

The 416 barrel "allows soldiers to replace the existing M4 upper receiver with an HK proprietary gas system that does not introduce propellant gases and the associated carbon fouling back into the weapon's interior. This reduces operator cleaning time, and increases the reliability of the M4 Carbine, particularly in an environment in which sand and dust are prevalent. The elimination of the gas tube ... means that the M4 will function normally even if the weapon is fired full of water without first being drained. There isn't another company that offers these features in their products. It is a practical, versatile system."

Translation: the M4 barrel is so unreliable that special operations forces units need to swap it out with a barrel from a different gun -- and one that actually works in real combat conditions.

It’s reasonable to expect special operators to look for the best they can possibly find; small units that are generally not supported in the same way as line units have always been allowed a bit more latitude in their equipment acquisition. But if special operators like Delta and SF are having problems with the M4 and don’t want it, it’s for sure the line troops are also unhappy.

Here’s a very radical suggestion for Department of the Army: Why not staff your infantry weapon acquisition teams with infantrymen, rather than Engineer and Artillery officers? And if you’d like to get really radical, put some E6’s and E7’s in there, too. I would respectfully suggest that Ordnance colonels may not be the best choice, either.

I think it was Packard that sold a lot of vehicles with the motto “Ask the man who owns one.”