Thread: Some history of the M16 and how GM helped.
View Single Post
 
Old 09-21-2012, 06:59 PM
wheelgun28's Avatar
wheelgun28 wheelgun28 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: SW CT
Posts: 2,419
Likes: 2,535
Liked 3,024 Times in 950 Posts
Default
The designer was Stoner, Eugene Stoner. Not a big deal but just want to be accurate.

Eugene Stoner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Another story is that the original M-16 didnt have proper cleaning kits and that the troops were not trained in cleaning and maintaining a direct impingement rifle. As the prior guns were all piston operated.




Quote:
Originally Posted by mwtdvm View Post
IIRC Steiner designed his weapon system with a certain brand of DuPont powder and a certain cyclic rate of fire. McNamara and his clan that he brought with him from GM to the DOD decided that some of the production steps Steiner specified were not needed and changed the rate of fire. Then DuPont quit making the powder and the replacement Winchester-Olin ball powder was responsible for the jamming rather than the gun's construction.

I find it ironic that a problem caused by the GM whiz kids changing the specs had to be fixed by a GM plant. Now the big question, how much did these "cost savings" actually cost in troops KIA and the $$ cost to the American taxpayer?
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post: