Comments by "" (@charlesmartin1121) on "How the M4 Evolved and Could Stay in Service till 2040" video.

Modifications to the direct gas impingement system have greatly improved the reliability of the M4 (and even the Mk18). These chiefly center on the bolt carrier group. That said still love the HK416.
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The M4 was the wrong weapon for Afghanistan. But that was not the weapon's fault as it was primarily designed for 300 meter engagements. An AR style 7.62mmx51mm based rifle (16" barrel) would have been a better choice.
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@m1a1abrams3 No. I meant HK416 (MR556 for the civilian version). Colt got all over Heckler & Koch for originally calling their weapon the HK M4.
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@acoustic296 Go up to a Marine and tell him his M27 (derived from the HK416) is trash. Let me know if you have any teeth left afterwards.
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@LuvBorderCollies Nothing 5.56mmx45 should have been used in Afghanistan. It's 7.62mmx51 country. Not even the Mk262 round could cut it there.
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@well-blazeredman6187 L129A1. Great weapon.
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@Brimwald As a guess the Marines think of themselves as riflemen, and maybe the 14.5 inch barrel was just too short, even though some of them had used the M4 in combat.
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@charlesm.2756 Yeah I have heard the same thing. Grand Thumb has done a really good job on his channel of breaking down the pluses and minuses of modern DI versus piston on the short barreled AR platform. And putting aside their relative qualities in the 2000-2010 time period, the main advantages of a piston gun is just as you said automatic fire and suppressed operation. Even Larry Vickers, one of the originators of what became the HK416, agreed with that conclusion.
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@bnolsen Let me also say that solutions to make the M4 (and even shorter Mk18) more reliable have been available since 2005. The mid-length gas system is a relative late comer to the game. The first solution was reengineering the bolt carrier group, of which the LMT is the best example https://youtu.be/026BNp0_2T8 This was following by more robust buffer tube springs. These two changes greatly enhanced reliability in the shorter barreled systems.
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@xkavarsmith9322 The AR-10 or one of it’s many variants (SR-25, LMT308, OBR) would have been an excellent option with a 16 inch barrel. Combined with a decent 8-10 power optic, it would have given every rifleman in the squad (not just the DM) the ability to reach out to half a mile (800 meters). However, it was still compact enough to still get the job done up close in confined spaces.
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@josephrogers8213 Gotta go with Nightforce variable.
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@krisrhebergen Are you a Marine?
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@rogermcbadlad2812 The guy at SmallArmsSolutions says he and Jeff Hoffman (owner of Black Hills Ammunition) were plinging targets at a 1,000 yards using a Mk12 (18" match barrel) with Mk262 ammunition. Check it out at 11:12 on this video: https://youtu.be/BMVvVL9QeC4
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@charlesm.2756 I may have commented rashly, as the M4 would work well for troops fighting in the so-called verdant or agricultural zones in Afghanistan, especially if it involved a lot of house clearing missions. Optimally we should have left the close in fighting to the Afghan Security Forces, as they had the legitimacy to be in those environs which we did not. Our role should have mostly been provision of overwatch to the ANA, using long range precision small arms. As for caliber comparisons, please check this video out: https://youtu.be/jH7Q2oG-rW0
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@rogermcbadlad2812 He knows a shit ton about modern military small arms. Though warning if you are an M14 fan he will make you cry in your cereal.
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@rogermcbadlad2812 Agree.
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@bnolsen Good enough is a relative term. It is less salient how reliable your weapon is if it cannot penetrate the body armor of an advanced opponent or in another scenario it gives an insurgent enemy a significant range advantage over you and your team. The Army is finally making the M4 more reliable. About time. Now how about looking at giving it better ammunition (=a new caliber).
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@sluggak1363 I wish those US units assigned to the mountainous areas of Afghanistan had been assigned Mk17’s to go along with the Mk48’s the regular infantry received as an expedient system.
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