RetroFed
PugJesus
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SSTFThe original issued M16 and the way in which it was issued did horrendous damage to the reputation of the design. Despite the most glaring issues being almost immediately fixed by the XM16E1 and then the M16A1, the perception became deep rooted and difficult to shake.
Soldiers instinctively trust a beefier looking bullet, and the heft and wood stock of a AK would have been more familiar in the 1960s than some “gee whiz plastic fantastic” gun pushed by those damned nerd engineers. “7.62mm is a Proper Manly caliber. Not some dinky varmint caliber- my dang ol’ .22 at home for shootin’ squirrels is the same caliber!”
When the logic from Project SALVO got repeated in a game of telephone among Joes it resulted in the misconception that 5.56mm was designed to be intentionally less lethal than preceding U.S. service rifles. That’s wrong, but try explaining statistics to an infantryman.
Such rumors and perceptions were so deeply rooted that even into the 2000s you could find soldiers confidently repeating them.
Add in the natural grass is always greener on the other side factor, and the appeal of Kalashnikov’s super-submachinegun are obvious.
Soldiers instinctively trust a beefier looking bullet and the heft and wood stock would have been more familiar in the 1960s than some “gee whiz plastic fantastic” gun pushed by those damned nerd engineers. “7.62mm is a Proper Manly caliber. Not some dinky varmint caliber- my dang ol’ .22 at home for shootin’ squirrels is the same caliber!”
lmao, that was in-large-part my grandfather’s complaint about the gun. I remember being into firearms a bit and asking him the specifics of his opinion, and it was very much along the lines of “It felt delicate in my hands, like it would snap like a toy, and fired a dinky little cartridge.”
Even though I was a little smartass just going into college, between the thrill of getting some of my grandfather’s war stories, and that bickering about nerd shit with someone who had to deal with the real-world conditions, whether rightly or wrongly perceived by them, was a bit of a dick move, I wisely kept my mouth shut about my own opinions on the 5.56. :p
He was an artilleryman and by his own admission only fired his M16 a handful of times - usually not in clear combat conditions (he said boar was a welcome change from C-rations, lmao).
5.56mm was so terrible that the Soviets adopted 5.45mm as their standard issue caliber within ten years of seeing it in action.
Explanation: Due to the general design excellence of the Soviet AKM, and a variety of problems with the early releases of the American M16 rifle*, US troops in the Vietnam War are recorded as having sometimes preferred the AKM (something NOT sanctioned by regulations) for combat. This creates… logistical issues, and in the low-visibility conditions of jungle warfare, often friendly-fire issues as well, since the sound of an AKM firing is distinctly differently from an M16.
It must be enemy fire if it’s an AKM, right?
It fucking should be, but hey, no one ever said war was simple…
My grandfather, a Vietnam vet, held a lifelong dislike of the M16, and spoke highly of the AKM, though he never ‘swapped out’ his own firearm.
*included, but not limited to, poor maintenance instructions issued to poorly trained recruits, susceptibility to jamming in the harsh elements of the wet and muddy Vietnamese jungles, a round that had trouble maintaining accuracy and power through dense jungle foliage, and a general distrust of the lightweight M16 by soldiers used to more ‘sturdy’ and heavy firearms.
The opinions of soldiers can be valuable, but at the same time they often have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. They often have speculation dressed as anecdotes dressed as facts, and civilians often have no clue how to identify that much less a way or will to disagree. “You weren’t there, man.” is a powerful way to end a debate even if it doesn’t resolve logical issues with speculation-anecdote-facts.
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Explanation: Due to the general design excellence of the Soviet AKM, and a variety of problems with the early releases of the American M16 rifle*, US troops in the Vietnam War are recorded as having sometimes preferred the AKM (something NOT sanctioned by regulations) for combat. This creates… logistical issues, and in the low-visibility conditions of jungle warfare, often friendly-fire issues as well, since the sound of an AKM firing is distinctly differently from an M16.
It must be enemy fire if it’s an AKM, right?
It fucking should be, but hey, no one ever said war was simple…
My grandfather, a Vietnam vet, held a lifelong dislike of the M16, and spoke highly of the AKM, though he never ‘swapped out’ his own firearm.
*included, but not limited to, poor maintenance instructions issued to poorly trained recruits, susceptibility to jamming in the harsh elements of the wet and muddy Vietnamese jungles, a round that had trouble maintaining accuracy and power through dense jungle foliage, and a general distrust of the lightweight M16 by soldiers used to more ‘sturdy’ and heavy firearms.