By the time you get all that stuff mounted, the rifle will be so top-heavy and unbalanced that it will sure need that huge bipod!
Amazing how it works out almost like it was planned that way?
Shiny stuff is never functional for military weapons.
Which is why the scope isn't shiny. It's matte and colored a distinct light brown that looks [GASP!] strangely similar to the color of the ground visible behind it. Again, it's almost as if they planned it that way...
All these silly rail things and desire to bolt gizmos onto weapons! It just makes them heavier, bulkier, and fragile.
It does make them heavier and bulkier, and a to degree, more fragile. But it doesn't "just" make them such things. These things are combat multipliers. By necessity, they are going to be put on any rifle taken into combat today. If the government decided to adopt your precious Enfield, it would still have these things on it.
When you're cursing the lack of field of view, the lack of depth perception, the monochromic green, the weight on your head, and yet another thing to carry batteries for, it's easy to hate the PVS-14. When you then realize that it is pitch black outside, but you can still see well enough to identify facial expressions on an enemy over a hundred yards away, long before he can see you or even knows you're there, you suddenly realize you hate the thing, but it works. And for as long as it works, it's worth the weight, the two dimensional, limited field of view, the batteries, and the risk it will break. Same thing with the PEQ-2. It's a little bulky and kind of a PITA to sight in, but having the option of an infrared laser that is going to put a dot directly where the bullet is going to go regardless of cheek weld, shoulder weld, or shooting position, you think--this is pretty cool. And when you kick down the door of a dark house and emerge on the other side in a dark room, the inhabitants tend to like it, eventually if not at the time, if you take the time to splash 125 lumens of white light in their faces and identify them as unarmed civilians rather than dusting the room with automatic rifle fire, even if they are temporarily blinded and confused by it when it occurs.
These things are combat multipliers. It means they multiply the effect a unit has in combat. Any rifle the US goes into battle with is going to have them. This is a good thing. For as long as the disgruntled goat farmers we are fighting only have your Enfields, they will continue to give us an advantage that will keep us alive by allowing us to kill them when we get on target faster and more precise than them and are often able to see them better than they see us.
Of all the issue pieces of gear available to the modern Marine infantryman, the RCO was distinguished as the greatest increase in firepower available to the Marine since the inception of the M1 Garand. That would be Rifleman Combat Optic, a 4x version of the Trijicon ACOG equipped with a dual illumination system and a built in BDC/rangefinder. It comes equipped as standard issue on all M16A4 rifles issued in the fleet. It is so rugged, it is the only piece of gear I never saw a Marine break. So rugged, in fact, that the Marines don't even issue rear sights on their rifles any more. They aren't needed. So while this gear can fail, most of it is far from fragile. And even if it fails, it can be quickly removed, which means at worst, the soldier is only as poorly equipped as the person he's fighting.
Weight is still an infantryman's nemesis. Most are quick to shed every ounce of weight they feel they can part with and still remain effective. So even against orders, none of these things would make it outside the wire if the soldiers carrying it didn't feel like it was worth the weight.
