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 4, 2008 So far, DefenseReview has covered the Colt SCW (Sub-Compact Weapon), Colt APC (Advanced Piston Carbine) and Colt AHC (Advanced Hybrid Carbine), but those aren’t the only newly-developed weapons in Colt Defense’s bag of tricks. If you’re interested in an upgraded/modernized version of the standard, direct-gas-impingement (DGI) Colt M4A1 Carbine, …

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 January 4, 2008 DefenseReview has received an interesting PowerPoint brief on the recent M4 Carbine "Extreme Dust Test" (Fall 2007 test) that we published info on recently, as well as some info/results from the preceding extreme dust test earlier in the year (2007). The brief came in from one of our professional …

By Charlie Cutshaw For those of you who may have been on another planet for the past three or four years, our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are having serious reliability issues with the M16 rifle and M4 Carbine, especially the latter. The basic problems with the M16 and M4 are nothing new. M16 reliability issues date to the mid-1960s …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com December 17, 2007 This article was updated on 12/19/07 and 5/15/09. Ya’ know that Colt M4 Carbine vs. Heckler & Koch (HK) HK416 vs. FN MK16 SCAR-Light (SCAR-L) vs. HK XM8 LAR extreme dust conditions reliability test that the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Center (ATEC) at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Md. was conducting? …

By David Crane defrev@gmail.com All photographic images contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and they are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. All photos were shot with a 7.2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot digital camera (Model #: DSC-P150). Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) had a number of interesting items at their booth at SHOT Show …

by David Crane david at defensereview.com DefenseReview has received a short video clip from Vltor Weapon Systems that shows their VIS-1 monolithic-type (one-piece) carbine-length upper receiver/Mil-Std-1913 rail system attached to an M4/M4A1 Carbine-config select-fire lower receiver and being run on full-auto at an outdoor range. The weapon is outfitted with a Vltor Carbine/collabsible Modstock, EOTech 552 HWS/HDS (Holographic Weapon Sight/HOLOgraphic Diffraction …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Back in October, DefenseReview reported on the Cavalry Arms CAV-15 MKVII polymer lower receiver for AR-15/M16 rifles. Well, Calvalry Arms Corporation also makes AR15 buttstock adapter systems/M1913 Picatinny rail optics mounting platforms for the Remington 870 shotgun (pump-action) and Mossberg 590 shotgun (pump-action) that allow the operator to attach an AR-15/M16/M4/M4A1/CAR-15 telescoping/retractable stock. The adapter system …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com If you decide to check out the TangoDown vertical foregrip, you might also want to take a quick look at Buffer Technologies’ BATTLEGRIP, which they’ve designed specifically for AR-15/M16 series rifles and M4/M4A1 carbines. The BATTLEGRIP is an ergonomic, highly durable "rubberized" pistol grip/battery storage system that can simultaneously store two Aimpoint CompM2-type batteries AND two …