This one ISN'T Photoshopped...

[Phantom Warrior]

You've all seen those funny gun pics where someone takes a Glock or an AR and Photoshops in everything but the kitchen sink as a joke. Usually w/ a thought-provoking caption like "This'll make Swinestein crap her pants."

Well, check out this webpage and you can see my issue M-16. And I can tell you it is definitely not Photoshopped. I'm just hoping I don't have to actually drag that thing around Iraq. _I_ would be happy with a stock M-16, the 203, and a leaf sight for the 203. But what I want doesn't matter too much.

And for you safety-minded types, if you look at the last picture you can CLEARLY see that I didn't load the M203 to make a dramatic shot.

Note: Some of the commentary is a little elementary. It's geared towards my family members (i.e. my mom) who are not gunnies. They support guns, they just aren't up on the minutia. Don't be insulted.

 

[walking arsenal]

You'd darn well better be able to assault all of iraq at once with all the junk you've got bolted on it.

Obviously the army doesnt operate under the KISS principle.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

You'd darn well better be able to assault all of iraq at once with all the junk you've got bolted on it.

Obviously the army doesnt operate under the KISS principle.

You mean, obviously SGM * doesn't...

 

[Owen]

Your scope isn't zero power, it's one power. Zero power would mean everything you look at through the scope would seem infinitely far away.

 

[walking arsenal]

Whatever.

 

[trickyasafox]

well maybe it does make everything seem infinately far away, some of us need a challenge

 

[mons meg]

Has the SGM actually been in combat?

 

[NMshooter]

Nothing on that rifle is extra.

Particularly if you have to fight at night, which is likely.

Do not know how well the CCO works with NVGs, but I do know that irons are not compatible.

Would be a bit handier if it was an M-4A1 though...

How many rounds of 40mm you pack?

 

[KriegHund]

SO they actually DO use all that crap...amazing...

And was that a box of front grips in the second pick of your rfile? (in the lower right)

 

[el44vaquero]

looks heavy

 

[taliv]

look at the bright side... you're sure not going to feel any recoil


still, you're missing a bipod, verticle foregrip, a few extra BUIS, etc. who knows? your unit may become famous for turning the m16 into a crew-served weapon.

 

[Warren]

Good luck going through doors or into and out of vehicles.

I can very easily imagine you catching a doorjamb with all the extra width you have there.

So how much ammo load are you giving up to carry all this stuff?

 

[carebear]

That 203 sight looks pretty keen. It's got the laser and then rudimentary irons on top?

So much for Sgt. Carberry's near-mythical 40 mike-mike leet skillz.

 

[Jeff White]

Some people would complain if you hung them with a new rope

From Phantom Warrior's webpage:

And the answer is that that IS a lot of stuff to put on a weapon. A LOT. I really don't want it all. But the sergeant major that runs S-3 has very specific ideas about what gear he wants on his soldiers' weapons. And, as anyone who has been in the Army knows, you don't argue with a sergeant major unless your collar is a lot heavier than mine is. (For those of you not familiar w/ Army rank, Sergeant Major is the highest enlisted rank you can achieve. Usually someone with 20+ years in the Army.)

So you work in the S-3 shop and you've got all those goodies? That's great, but I have to wonder if the guys in the rifle companies are that well equipped. I sent my son who is a team leader in a rifle company in Iraq an extra SureFire weapons light I had laying around because they ran out of them.....But guys who work in the S-3 shop have them..I see the Army hasn't changed much since I retired .

How come your SGM makes you keep the carry handle on your weapon? The CCO will hold zero much better mounted on the upper receiver rail then it will on the M5 RAS.

I've got no personal experience with the AN/PSQ-18, but I haven't heard anything good about them from anyone who used them.

Oh well I see fighting the SGM mafia hasnt changed either....Outside of the PSQ-18 you've got some good kit there. And it doesn't weigh all that much, 6.2 oz for the M68 CCO, 3.5 oz for the QR mount, 5.78 oz for the AN/PAQ-4 with 2 AA batteries.

A couple suggestions, try to give the carry handle back to your armorer and mount the M68 on the receiver and have the armorer remove your front sling swivel. He should have done that when they gave you the M203. It could swing down and interfere with cocking the M203.

Good hunting....

Jeff

 

[chopinbloc]

when you get in theater, take off everything you won't need for the mission at hand. you would have to have some exceptionally retarded leadership for them to disallow your modification of the weapon to suit your needs. i have seen a lot of troops with non-standard weapon set ups. some add stuff, some take stuff off. if you will be kicking in doors and searching buildings, the 203 might want to come off. if not, the flashlight should probably come off. unfortunately, you may need most of that stuff, depending on your mission. my weapon - a plain jane m16a2 - was box stock when issued except for a crappy uncle mike's three point which promply broke and was replace with a blackhawk three point sling. i added the trijicon reflex II that i bought for my ar-15 and a buttstock mag pouch as well. i also keep a couple batteries for my surefire in the pistol grip with 100mph tape. the fact is that some of that stuff is very useful and some is superfluous but you don't really know what you'll need until you start working in country. hopefully, you won't need anything. good luck and stay safe.

 

[jeffrice6]

Phantom Warrior

Off topic, I just want to say how much I ( as well as others ) appreciate and respect you and your fellow brothers/sisters in arms. Your courage and selfless contribution make us all so very proud. Stay safe, stay low, and take care.

 

[Lebben-B]

As Chopinbloc said, a lot of the toys on your weapon will come off once you get into theater, based on what your day to day battle rhythm is like. To really take advantage of that 20" barrel, you might want to see if you can scrounge a mini-ACOG and replace the M68 with it.

It looks like your S3 SGM is a gear head. Talk to him about replacing the standard buttstock and buffer tube/extension with a collapsible buttstock from an M4. This'll ease the length issue of the rifle somewhat. Remember to emphasize the "Cool guy" factor to him.

Mike

 

[armoredman]

If I was kicking in doors, I might want the 203, especially with a flechette or buckshot round in it - or did they quit making those?

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I really liked the view down the barrels. It reminded me of the pics of Al Gore in Vietnam where he was (supposedly) shown bent over and looking down the barrel of his own rifle while in the field.

 

[Rembrandt]

.....be more useful by attaching a Swiss Army knife......(not the cheesy 8-10 function job, but the really big one with nasal hair trimmers)

 

[Mossyrock]

Here's a suggestion.... Next time you are down in the arms room, take a moment to look at the sign on the door that tells you that the arms room is a restricted area, and photography of, in and around it is prohibited under Section 21 of the Internal Security Act of 1950 and is punishable under the UCMJ and Title 10, US Code.

Oh, and you may want to take a look at your webpage from the standpoint of OPSEC. Just a thought from an old, broke-down, retired CI Warrant and current DoD Security Specialist......

 

[roo_ster]

More Anal-Retentive 190-11 Questions

Question:

I see old-style weapon racks, the ones with the left & right-hand bars that come on down. So, how does your armorer secure those racks when closing the Arms Room, considering all the tacticool gadgets on the rifles? I would hope that, when command discipline inspector come around that common sense prevails with the inspector...though I have never actually see one of them be persuaded by such. Add-on gadgetry is a nightmare for physical security compliance.

Also, getting the proper front-sling mount is a GOOD IDEA.

Mossyrock:
Likely, the armorer is a broke 11-series, not a log or CI guy & doesn't know any better. BTDT. There is a good chance all the required signage is not up and the armorer is clueless. He'll be lucky to have a copy of 190-11 on hand. Even if the signage is up, Pvt Snuffy might not understand the implications. "Restricted means no Chicoms in the arms room!"

IMO, I would remove the images & replace with images not taken in the arms room. Nobody wants to go to jail, now, do we, PW?

As far as OPSEC, you are correct that CI would not view it kindly. From a common sense perspective, it hardly matters, since we kind of expect our hooahs to have the tacticool doo-dads. But, (like I said) common sense has nothing to do with most regs and the attitudes of CI & inspectors. Now, if he was displaying any of the black items stored in the Arms Room...

 

[TheEgg]

Oh, and you may want to take a look at your webpage from the standpoint of OPSEC. Just a thought from an old, broke-down, retired CI Warrant and current DoD Security Specialist......

"Just" a civilian here but -- don't you think that anyone with any interest at all, including every Jihadists nut-job out there, does not ALREADY have intimate knowledge of all this stuff?

And Phantom Warrior -- thanks for your service, and make sure that someone doesn't sneak up behind you and bash you in the head with a rock while you are trying to decide which trigger to pull.

J/K !!!

 

[roo_ster]

The Egg:

Common sense has nuthin' to do with it. Relying on common sense will get you some time in Ft Leavenworth's less hospitible accomodations.

 

[TheEgg]

Well, I wasn't commenting on the military rules and regs - I know nothing about that, thank goodness! Although I have heard that common sense is not too common there -- but that is a universal condition, not limited to the military.

My point was simply that Phantom Warrior had certainly NOT compromised any kind of secure information! But if he has to pull the pictures to CYA, he certainly should!