By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com July 9, 2010 For quite some time, now, DefenseReview (DR) has been publishing information on just how reliable the direct-gas-impingement (DGI) select-fire Colt M4/M4A1 Carbine/SBR (Short Barreled Rifle) and semi-auto AR-15 carbine/SBR can be if they’re properly set up/sprung and lubricated (and even if they’re not properly lubricated). We have retired U.S. …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com June 2, 2010 In their ongoing efforts to upgrade/improve and/or replace the Colt SOPMOD M4/M4A1 Carbine with the “Next Carbine”, the U.S. Army Contracting Command just issued a sources sought notice/solicitation (Solicitation Number: W15QKN-10-X-0455) on May 27, 2010 requesting information on potential weapon capabilities for an “Individual Carbine” as part of a “market …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com On January 22, 2010, during the last day of SHOT Show 2010, coincidentally, the U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC), Joint Munitions and Lethality (JM&L) Contracting Center issued a Sources Sought Notice/Solicitation for “market survey” for a drop-in Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS)/Non-Developmental Item (NDI) “modification kit” (i.e. performance upgrade kit) for “improvements to the M4 …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com All photos contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are copyrighted. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. The photos were shot with a Canon PowerShot S90 10-megapixel digital camera (still camera with video capability). February 2, 2010 Colt Defense just introduced its new Colt Tactical line of semi-auto-only tactical …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com May 20, 2009 According to Army Times magazine, The 75th Ranger Regiment is scheduled to battle test the Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) very soon. The Rangers will reportedly be taking 600 FN SCAR rifle/carbine/subcarbine/SBR (Short-Barreled Rifle) weapons packages into battle, but DefenseReview doesn’t know how many of these are the …

By Michael Pannone This article is the follow-up to the author’s first article on the subject, titled "M4/M4A1 Carbine Reliability Issues: Why They Occur, and Why They’re Our Fault!". March 15, 2009 If your Explorer gets a flat does that mean "Fords are unreliable"? If you put bad fuel in your Tundra does that mean "Toyotas run crappy"? Stay with …

Why M4's have reliability issues…and why it's our fault! By Michael Pannone December 24, 2008 I fired 15,000 rounds through a semi-automatic M4/M4A1-type direct-gas-impingement (DGI) carbine in 31 weeks without a single malfunction attributable to anything except bad ammunition or bad magazines, with a grand total of 9 malfunctions. The least number of rounds fired between cleanings was 960 rounds, …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com November 24, 2008 Updated on May 6, 2009 Ever since he won the presidential election, the press has been following President-Elect Barack Obama around Chicago like a bunch of hungry (and annoying) puppies. Whether he’s going to his transition office in the Kluczynski Federal Building in the Loop (dowtown Chicago professional district, …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com Perhaps the single most exciting thing that happened at NDIA International Infantry & Joint Services Small Arms Systems Symposium 2008–away from the firing range, of course–was a confrontation between Jim Battaglini (Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James R. Battaglini) of Colt Defense and U.S. Air Force Col. Robert Mattes, the director of …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com May 1, 2008 Last month (April), DefenseReview received a link to an entertaining FN SCAR Mk16 MOD 0 (CQC config) a.k.a. FN SCAR-Light a.k.a. FN SCAR-L select-fire SBR/subcarbine firing demonstration video via email from a contact of ours at FNH USA. The shooter in the video fires 2-round full-auto bursts, a 30-round …