Friday, March 25, 2011

Some U.S. Army Individual Weapons

Mission: “deter and, if necessary, repel adversaries by enabling individuals and small units to engage targets with accurate, lethal indirect fire.”


M-4 Carbine

The M-4 Carbine was introduced to the United States Army in 1997.  It is a compact version of the M16A2 rifle and it has a collapsible stock, flat-top upper receiver accessory rail, and a detachable handle/rear aperture site assembly.  This weapon allows soldiers to operate in close quarters and engage targets at extended ranges with precision.  
Caliber: 5.56mm
Weight: 7.5lbs with sling and 1 magazine
Max. Effective Range: 500-600m



M-9 Pistol

       The M-9 Pistol entered the Army 7 years earlier than the M-4 in 1990 and is the primary sidearm of the United States military.  Replacing the .45 caliber, the M-9 is a semi-automatic, single-action/double-action pistol.  It has a 15 round staggered magazine with a reversible magazine release button that can be on the right or left side depending on the dominant hand on the shooter.  
Caliber: 9mm
Length: 217mm
Barrel length: 125mm
Weight: 2.6lbs fully loaded
Range: 50m



M-16 Rifle

The M-16 Rifle entered the Army much earlier in 1964.  It is a lightweight, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine fed rifle that can be either semi-automatic or automatic fire.  The 4 variations are the M-16A1, M-16A2, M-16A3, and the M-16A4.  The M-16A2 uses improvements made on sight, pistol, grip, stock, and combat effectiveness.  Accuracy of this rifle is enhanced through a better muzzle compensator, 3-round burst control, a heavier barrel, and heavier ammo.  The only difference on the A3 is that it doesn’t have burst control but does use a removable carrying handle mounted to the Picatinny Rail for better optics.  A4 is only different from the M-16A2 in that is also has the carrying handle and Picatinny Rail. 
Caliber: 5.56mm
Weight: 8.8lbs with sling and 1 magazine
Range: 550m to 800m

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