Weapons failed US troops during Afghan firefight

[Neon Knight Anubis]

FWIW has anyone reviewed the ARES Shrike?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiVoEL5Z4Go&NR=1

The Ares Defense Shrike 5.56 is an air cooled, dual-feed weapon that fires the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. The Shrike 5.56 can be supplied as a complete weapon.

The music is the new S*** , will it make a difference???

I wonder if they are trying to advertise to the Marines for their IAR program, while they have already given contracts to FNH, Colt and HK for trial prototypes I guess its never really too late to leave an impression.


On a side note, I swear I think I've heard that song more in the past few months than I have since (looks through CD collection)......2003. 

[brannigans]

I talked to my son who returned from Iraq about 6 weeks ago.  He carried a Colt m-4 so I asked him why he thought the M-249 and the M-4s failed.   He believed that probably the men in the platoon had not been doing their weapons upkeep adequately.
The fine dust impregnates everything.  If the weapon is not correctly cleaned, daily, the system will gum up and fail.  He said the no M-4 should fail after 12 magazines fired in a 30 minute time period.  That is only 12 rounds per minute. 

A second reason he believe the weapons may have failed was damaged magazines.   Many of the magazines he used were in very poor shape.

This poster has a good suggestion.

I don't see war time conditions but I do have customers that go through cases of ammo as fast as they can.  When I see problems it's magazines, magazines and magazines. 

[fightingquaker13]

I guess this is my bottom line feeling on the issue. Its time to design a new rifle from the ground up. Screw improving existing platforms and adapting this and that. Screw searching for the perfect caliber for the same platform. Put a bunch of smart guys in a room. Grunts, gunsmiths, science guys. Give them three parameters.
1 realiabilty under extreme conditions with minimumal maintainence and maximum simplicity (Glock being the model here)
2 adequate knokdown power and still relatively light weight
3 +/- 3 moa at 300 yards.
Then give them a blank sheet of paper and as much money as they need, and a mandate to come up with something new. Thats the way we did it in WWII. The Pentegon foots the bill, directly or indirectly, says here's what we need, impress us. There is no reason to use an almost fifty year old rifle as our MBR. Come up with a new concept. We have done this before, and its a lot cheaper and more useful than the new air superiorty fighter jet (Which we will fly against who? When?).
FQ13

[MikeBjerum]

I guess this is my bottom line feeling on the issue. Its time to design a new rifle from the ground up. Screw improving existing platforms and adapting this and that. Screw searching for the perfect caliber for the same platform. Put a bunch of smart guys in a room. Grunts, gunsmiths, science guys. Give them three parameters.
1 realiabilty under extreme conditions with minimumal maintainence and maximum simplicity (Glock being the model here)
2 adequate knokdown power and still relatively light weight
3 +/- 3 moa at 300 yards.
Then give them a blank sheet of paper and as much money as they need, and a mandate to come up with something new. Thats the way we did it in WWII. The Pentegon foots the bill, directly or indirectly, says here's what we need, impress us. There is no reason to use an almost fifty year old rifle as our MBR. Come up with a new concept. We have done this before, and its a lot cheaper and more useful than the new air superiorty fighter jet (Which we will fly against who? When?).
FQ13

Due to my extensive military resume I was only going to read this thread and not comment.  For the same reason I will not state my full thoughts on this event.  However, in response to Mr. FQ's idea of how to develop something new I refer you to Mr. Bane's opening comments on Shooting Gallery last night:  The finest and best weapons were not developed by committee.  They were developed by single individuals.  He referred to many fine guns of history, and then they began the report from Barrett.

How many here remember the pictures that used to circulate, I mean back in the 60"s and 70's prior to internet of a cow, a car or a anything designed by a committee and how screwed up it was?  How many of you have experienced the saying "death by committee?"

Let our free enterprise system work, and we will have fine weapons like the 1911, the Garand and  the Barrett!  Turn it into a government run committee and you will see a public circle jerk and a weapon that make AR haters scream for the return of the AR.

[Badgersmilk]

Talk like that will surely lead to the apointment of a "Defense Czar" of some sort in bama's efforts to destroy all free thinking and enterprise.   

[Sponsor]