Ever wonder why they have so many MBR modifications?

[Redlg155]

Sometimes I wonder why our "new" weapon systems have gone through all these modifications just to make them work "better" when it seemed that back in the "old" days we had weapons that worked without having to go through umpteen revisions and modifications.

I know the M16 series has been through a a good amount and is still "evolving".

The British SA-80 has been through an ungodly amount of mods.

I'm not sure on how many mods the FAL and L1A1s have had.

I would think the Ak47 and the M14s rate right up there with the fewest amount of mods.

Looking at the site britainincanada.org, they stated the following for the original SA-80

"A lot of the reliability issues go back to moving the goal posts. The requirement in 1973 was that the weapon had to fire 120 rounds in 24 hours."

Ya gotta be kidding me, right?

Now after the upgrade by HK they state

The performance target for the longer-barrelled Light Support Weapon (LSW) was 960 rounds in 36 minutes without a stoppage. "There are very few automatic weapons around that can meet that battlefield mission. The modified LSW did.The test for the Individual Weapon (IW), with its shorter barrel, was 150 rounds in eight minutes and 40 seconds without a stoppage. The IW met the challenge."

It took them from 1973 to 2002 to finally get things to work better?

Is it the thinking of modern weapons designers? Did the politicians take over weapon selection?

I wonder..can our SAW meet that criteria or will it also have to go back to the drawing board?


Good Shooting
RED

 

[Wakal]

Follow the money. Look at the the number of general officers to just seem to fall into vice-presidencies at various defense contractors...



Alex

 

[Bostonterrier97]

The M1 Garand underwent a few modifications after its adoption. The main one being a change in the Gas System away from the Gas Trap. Other modifications included the addition of a small ridge on the receiver to prevent 7th round ejections, a change in the rear sights to prevent them from losing their zero.

The M14 also underwent a few modifications, the removal of the selector switch, reaming out the flash hider to a larger diameter to prevent the bullet from touching it, the adoption of fiberglass stocks to replace the wooden stocks.

Come to think of it, other service rifles that underwent modifications were the 1903 Springfield, and the Trapdoor Springfield (rear sights were improved in 1884).

Other countries modified their old service rifles as well, such as Great Britain's Lee Enfield,

Germany modified its Mauser rifles to a great extent since their adoption.

As for the modifications to the M16...they still have a long way to go in making it more reliable and effective.

Interestingly, the rifle now weighs in about as much as an M14 and is less effective.