If there ever was a child born of controversy, it’s the M16.Almost half a century after its inception, it still is. The M16(originally called the AR-15) is a child of the late Eugene

Stoner, then-chief engineer for Armalite, a division of FairchildAircraft. The AR-15 was essentially a scaled-down version ofStoner’s AR-10.

A small quantity of AR-15 rifles was delivered to Ft. Benningfor test and evaluation against the M14 on 31 March 1958. In asimulation of combat environments, the M16 proved to be threetimes as reliable as the M14. But General Maxwell Taylor, theArmy Chief of Staff, vetoed any further CONARC developmentof the AR-15 in favor of continued procurement of the M14.Fairchild, disenchanted with the AR-15 program, sold the entireAR-15 package to Colt in December 1959.

The AR-15 was tested in Vietnam by the Defense Departmentin the summer of 1962, under the code-name Project AGILE.The AGILE report was more than enthusiastic, as great claimswere made for the caliber .223 cartridge’s killing power, and theimproved handling, reliability, durability and ease of mainte-nance over the M14. A favorable cost-effectiveness report fol-lowed from the DOD Comptroller’s Office.

The anti-M14 group now had an alternative to rally around. Anumber of Pentagon agencies entered the fray and began com-paring the AR-15 and M14. A comparative evaluation between

the two rifles was held at Aberdeen Proving Ground late in 1962.The results were ambivalent.

A comparative lethality and wound ballistics test at EdgewoodArsenal stated that the earlier Project AGILE report of the .223’skilling power was a gross exaggeration. The official Army reply toSecretary of Defense McNamara’s order for the comparativeexamination of the two rifle systems flatly concluded that “…onlythe M14 is acceptable for general use in the U.S. Army…”

But too much evidence pointed to an opposite conclusion. AnArmy Inspector-General’s investigation decided that the Army hadrigged some of the tests against the AR-15. As a consequence,McNamara terminated procurement of the M14 rifle on 23January 1963 and announced a “one-time buy” of 85,000 AR-15rifles for the Army and 19,000 for the Air Force. An entirely newweapon system called SPIW (Special Purpose Infantry Weapon),firing small-caliber cartridges using steel-flechette, multiple pro-jectiles imbedded in plastic sabots, was believed to be at hand.

SPIW never materialized, and intensification of the war by1965 caused General Westmoreland to request the M16A1 riflefor all ground combat elements in Vietnam. Procurement wasaccomplished by August 1966. In December of that year, theU.S. Army type-classified the M16A1 rifle and it replaced all .30cal. rifles in its inventory, except those eventually retained foruse as sniper rifles.

By the spring of 1967, Colt’s bed of roses started to rot asreports of widespread malfunctions in combat began to appear ina mainstream media hungry for every tainted tidbit about the warin Vietnam. The press gleefully printed melodramatic letters sup-posedly written by GIs whose comrades had fallen dead next totheir jammed M16s.

There were real problems. Foremost was the change in mid-stream from a cartridge using an IMR propellant to a ball pow-der. Innuendos of intrigue were leveled against the powder man-ufacturer, Olin Winchester. In truth, ball propellants generallyburn cooler than extruded IMR-type powders, extending barrellife. This no small consideration for modern, lightweight assaultrifles with selective-fire capability.

The M16 upper and lower receiver bodies are fabricatedfrom T6 aluminum, not steel, which is a far superior heatreservoir. The tradeoff—and there always is one—is thatball propellants generate more carbon residue which, ofcourse, accelerates fouling of the gas system. And, “there’sthe rub,” as Shakespeare’s Hamlet would say, since theM16’s gas system has been subjected to unending criticismfrom day one.

The LWRC Short-Stroke Gas Piston system provides aworthwhile improvement in reduced fouling and reliabili-ty over the direct impingement gas system of the M16.

After firing a round, the projectile passes through the gas port,permitting gas to flow back through a stainless steel gas tube anda so-called bolt carrier key into the hollow interior of the boltcarrier. This is usually referred to as a direct impingement gassystem. As the carrier moves rearward, a cam slot cut into thecarrier turns the bolt’s cam pin, which causes the bolt to rotateclockwise, freeing the eight locking lugs from their abutments inthe barrel extension. The carrier’s momentum draws the boltrearward at a slightly reduced velocity.

There is no primary extraction and the extractor withdraws thecartridge from the chamber. The spring-loaded, bump-type ejec-tor emerges from the left side of the breech face and rotates theempty case, after it has cleared the chamber, around the extrac-tor claw and out the ejection port of the upper receiver body. Thebolt carrier assembly continues rearward, compressing the recoilspring and cocking the hammer.

The buffer and recoil spring return the carrier and a freshround is stripped from the magazine. All forward bolt motionstops after the round is chambered. The carrier continues forwardto contact the rear face of the barrel extension and its cam slotturns the cam pin, which in turn rotates the bolt and its lugs anti-clockwise into the locked position.

The M16’s trigger mechanism is based upon that of the .30 M1Garand. The direct impingement gas system was taken from theSwedish Ljungman AG42(B) rifle. This method of operation wasalso used in the French Model 49 series of rifles prior to beingduplicated by Eugene Stoner in the AR-15.

This method of operation has been subjected to a great deal ofcriticism. While the bolt carrier key can be cleaned by the oper-ator, usually by means of a tobacco pipe cleaner, the stainlesssteel gas tube cannot be successfully maintained by a soldier inthe field, and its replacement requires special tools and training.As the original 20-inch barrel has been compressed to 14.5 inch-es in the M4 configuration so popular with Coalition troops in

the Middle East, the problems associated with this portion of theM16 system have increased.

Reducing the length of the gas tube shortens the gas pressurecurve and increases the potential for bolt bounce and firing outof battery, short-stroking, feeding malfunctions, increased wearon the reciprocating components because of faster cyclic ratesand a greater recoil impulse. Many of these problems can bereduced or eliminated by use of a short-stroke gas piston methodof operation.

SHOTGUN NEWS was recently sent an upper receiver usingthis latter method of operation for test and evaluation by LWRC,Inc. (Dept. SGN, 7200-G Fullerton Road, Springfield, Va. 22150;phone: 703-455-8650; fax: 703-455-8654; website: www.lwrifles.com; e-mail: info@lwrifles.com).

The LWRC gas system is similar to that of the World-War-II-era German G43 rifle, which, in turn was patterned after that ofthe Soviet SVT40 Tokarev rifle. The LWRC system uses a fixedpiston (called by LWRC the “nozzle”) and a reciprocating cylin-der, which they refer to as the “piston cup.”

The nozzle is fixed to a low-profile gas block. The nozzlehas a collar and is ribbed with integral rings. The piston cupslides over the nozzle. Using a hollow piston cup instead ofa solid piston reduces the reciprocating mass. In addition,the nozzle scrapes carbon fouling from the inside of the pis-ton cup with each firing cycle, blowing the fouling out ofvent holes. LWRC suggests taking the piston assembly apartand soaking it in copper solvent every 2,500 to 5,000 rounds,although it will continue to function reliably much longerthan that.

While in recoil, the cup floats on the venting gas while recip-rocating, thus making a complete disconnect with the barrelassembly. The collar on the nozzle is 6/10ths of an inch long.One hundred percent of the energy of the tapped gas is used topropel the operating rod to impinge against the carrier.

It hits the carrier key with a sharp hammer blow during a veryshort stroke to overcome the operating group’s mass and all asso-ciated springs and allow inertia to propel the reciprocating com-

ponents through their cycle. The piston spring is stout and rec-tangular and ensures that the piston cup does not move off thenozzle’s collar until enough energy is collected. The stroke offthe collar occurs in this 6/10ths of an inch.

After the piston cup has passed the collar, the carrier groupunlocks and moves through its cycle. Venting of the propellantgases is a staged event, so the gases are not released in a single“dump” at the end of the recoil stroke. As a consequence, use ofa sound suppressor or higher energy impulse ammunition doesnot alter the piston stroke.

To access your gas piston, simply remove the upper poly-mer hand guard of the weapon. In the case of the SRT upperreceiver sent to SGN for test and evaluation; remove the toprail portion of the Accessory Rail Modular—Rifle (ARM-R).This is a return-to-zero removable top that is pushed on tohigh tensile steel retaining pins and under the angled railclamp by two captive pusher screws that are designed to beturned finger tight only.

With the cover installed, the unit is as strong or strongerthan any one-piece rail on the market with zero movement ofthe top rail. No re-zero of optics or the iron sights is requiredafter removal and reinstallation the top rail portion of theARM-R.

One of the issues associated with a piston is that kinetic ener-gy is applied to the bolt carrier off axis. That means the steel car-rier could tilt and wear on the aluminum receiver. LWRC uses aproprietary bolt carrier (but standard bolt) in which a special car-rier key is used.

The carrier key is made from a billet of ARAMAT (a materialused in the fabrication of jet engine turbine blades). ARAMAT isimpact resistant and does not peen or bend as other alloys do. Itis completely hardened, not just casehardened. LWRC has dove-tailed the carrier to accept this solid key. No forces are applied tothe carrier key screws. The screws are there to prevent lateralmovement only.

To prevent carrier tilt, LWRC has designed a slight downwardangle on the carrier key—toward the operating rod to re-vector

the delivered kinetic energy to the carrier sothat it moves straight back in the receiverinstead of tilting. The carrier is also stabi-lized by a boss of increased diameter on itsback.

The carrier is devoid of gas vent holes asno gas passes through it. The carriers arephosphate-finished and then coated withDupont Teflon so the weapon may be rundevoid of any lubricant. The inside of thereceivers are coated with Sandstrom finishlike the exterior of the original M16A1,which allows the carrier to travel smoothly.

This SRT (Special Rifle—Teams) upperreceiver has a stepped 14.5-inch barrel forattaching an M203 40mm grenade launcher.Both the chamber and barrel are chromelined. The six-groove rifling has a 1:7 right-hand twist. An M16A2 flash suppressor wasattached to the muzzle. It’s similar to the

The short-stroke gas piston system used by LWRC borrowsheavily from the World-War-II-era Soviet SVT40 Tokarev rifle(top) and the subsequent German G43 (bottom).

This M16A2 with LWRC SRT upper receiver is in M4 con-figuration except for the buttstock. It’s equipped with anEOTech Model 553 sight and SureFire vertical foregrip.

original M16A1 birdcage-type, except that the sixth port on thebottom was deleted to reduce muzzle climb slightly during burst-fire and diminish position disclosure when firing from the proneposition in dusty, arid region environments. The flash signatureremains the same.

The handguard is equipped with full-length MIL-STD-1913rail interfaces at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. The top rail interface hasindex numbers from “T1” forward to “T12” in the rearmost railnotches. The rail interfaces have removable rubber guards as cur-rently used by the U.S. Army in the Middle East. I attached thisupper receiver to a Colt M16A2 selective-fire lower receiver.

Vertical foregrips are popular with Coalition troops serving inthe Middle East. Without doubt, combining the advantages of avertical foregrip with a flashlight designed for combat is themost attractive alternative of all. Since they introduced their firstflashlight in 1987, SureFire (Dept. SGN, 18300 Mount BaldyCircle, Fountain Valley, Calif. 92708-6122; phone: 800-828-8809; fax: 714-545-9537; website: www.surefire.com) has cometo totally dominate the field of combat flashlights.

The SureFire Millennium Vertical Foregrip System is on theground, in combat, with Coalition forces in both Iraq andAfghanistan. I installed a Millennium M910A Vertical ForegripWeaponLight on the LWRC, Inc. SRT upper receiver’s 6 o’clockrail interface.

The M910A attaches to the MIL-STD-1913 rail interface bymeans of a built-in dual thumbscrew mount. Two lamp assem-blies are included. The high-output MN10 lamp assembly pro-vides 125 lumens of light for one hour of runtime. The ultrahigh-output MN11 lamp assembly offers 225 lumens with a run-time of 20 minutes. The “A” model Millennium features a stan-dard 1.625-inch bezel. The “AB” model is equipped with a 2.5-inch TurboHead reflector.

The M910A is equipped with five separate switches: two pres-sure-sensitive momentary activation pads to control the mainbattle light—one on each side of the vertical foregrip forambidextrous operation, a constant on/off switch at the rear ofthe light housing, a system disable switch at the base of the ver-tical foregrip to lock the system in the OFF position, and a third,smaller momentary switch at the rear of the grip assembly tocontrol two low-output LED lamps. The LED lamps are designedfor deployment whenever there is arequirement for a very smallamount of light, such as for stealthnavigation or nighttime breachingoperations.

The Millennium uses three lithi-um 123 3-volt batteries with a 10-year shelf life. The housing is fab-ricated from Nitrolon, a non-con-ductive, impact-resistant, aramidglass-filled polymer. The lens win-dow is made of Pyrex with a shock-isolated aluminum bezel featuringa hard-anodized finish.

The flawless white beam isalways in focus and is brightenough to temporarily blind anopponent. The secondary LED nav-igation lights on the unit sent to us

are blue (which shows up blood), butwhite and red are also available. TheMillennium M910A Vertical ForegripWeaponLight sells for $616. I considerthis to be at the highest possible level oftruly professional combat equipment.It’s an essential accouterment for themodern battlefield rifle and receives myrecommendation without reservationsof any kind.

Collapsible buttstocks look “profes-sional.” There are some applications,such as within vehicles, where theirpotential for compressing the M16’senvelope can be of benefit. However,they just do not provide the degree ofstability that a fixed stock does. Toobtain as stable a firing platform as pos-sible, there is almost no scenario inwhich I would not select the excellentM16A2 buttstock.

The A2 buttstock is 5/8-inch longerthan that of the M16A1 and this increased length-of-pull wasdetermined to be ideal by the Human Engineering Laboratory atAberdeen Proving Ground. Fabricated from foam-filled, high-impact plastic designed to resist fracture from launching riflegrenades, the A2 buttplate is deeply checkered to improve reten-tion in the shoulder pocket.

There are dozens of different pistol grips that can be installedon the AR-15/M16. I prefer the Model BG-16 Battlegrip manu-factured by TangoDown (Dept. SGN, 884 North Fair OaksAvenue, Pasadena, Calif. 91103, website: www.tangodowwn-llc.com). The Battlegrip, available in either black or tan, comescomplete with anti-rattle foam battery spacers, stainless steelDry-Lok fastener, grip installation tool and complete instruc-tions.

The salient feature of this grip is its ability to store twoAimpoint-type power cells in addition to two AA or 123 lithiumbatteries all in a water- and dust-resistant cavity, sealed by aneasy-to-access cover. This is an important attribute as so many ofthe devices now attached to the M16 require batteries, whichalways fail at the wrong time.

The LWRC SRT sent to us for test and evaluation was equippedwith folding iron sights manufactured by Troy Industries, Inc.(Dept. SGN, 17 Main Street, Lee, Mass. 01238-0308; phone: 413-243-9315; fax: 413-383-0339; website: www.troyind.com; e-mail:info@troyind.com). This Folding Battle Sight Set is available inUSSOCOM flat dark earth and black and carries a manufactur-er’s suggested retail price of $250, including a front sight adjust-ment tool.

When attached to a MIL-STD-1913 rail interface and folded,the profile is only .460". The post front sight has protective earsand can be adjusted for elevation zero with a fired cartridge case.The rear sight, calibrated for M855 ammunition, has dual same-plane apertures: .197" for 0 to 200 meters and .070" for 300 to800 meters.

The stainless steel cross locking is easy to use and remains upand zeroed under the most extreme battlefield conditions. Tofold, simply press the release button located on the left side ofeach sight. These robust combat sights are in use by Coalitiontroops in the Middle East and have been well received.

Red-dot sights are very popular. They provide rapid target

acquisition and more than adequate accuracy at ranges less than100 meters. And, in fact, no matter what the terrain, the averagedistance to contact with the enemy is less than 100 metersthroughout the world. I learned this in Angola in the mid-1980swhen I interviewed South West African Defense Force platoonleaders who were at that time engaged in heavy combat withSWAPO terrorists.

They informed me that even in the relatively open landscapeencountered in South West Africa (now Namibia) and Angola,their troops rarely fired at enemy personnel at distances greaterthan 100 meters. And, so too today in both Iraq and Afghanistanwhere rapid acquisition red-dot-type sights of one type or anoth-er are found on most of the M4 rifles fielded by Coalition troops.

In my personal opinion, the very best of all those available isthe EOTech HOLOgraphic Weapon Sight (HWS) manufacturedby L3 Communications EoTech (Dept. SGN, 3600 Green Court,Suite 400, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48105-1570; phone: 734-741-8868;

A stepped 14.5-inch barrel allows attachment of an M203 40mm grenade launcher.Both the chamber and barrel are chrome-lined. An M16A2 flash suppressor was fitted.

When folded, the profile of the Troy Industries BattleSights is only .460". The post front sight has protectiveears and can easily be adjusted for elevation zero.

The Troy Industries rear battle sight is calibrated for M855ammunition and has dual same-plane apertures: .197" for 0 to 200 meters and .070" for 300 to 800 meters.

The handguard is equipped with full-length MIL-STD-1913 rail interfaces at 12, 3,6 and 9 o’clock. The rail interfaces have removable rubber guards for comfort.

fax: 734-741-8221; e-mail: john.bailey@L-3com.com; website:www.L-3Com.com/Eotech).

Just introduced is the long awaited Model 553 MilitaryHOLOgraphic Weapon Sight (HWS—order code: 553.A65/1).Developed in conjunction with and standardized by the USSpecial Operations Command (USSOCOM) as its 1X weaponoptic for close quarter, urban combat zones, the M553 Militaryincorporates a number of new features required within the SOP-MOD Block 2 program.

These important new features include two quick-release throwlevers on the left side for instant attachment as designed andmanufactured by Atlantic Research Marketing Systems, Inc.(Dept. SGN, ARMS, Inc., 230 West Center Street, West

Bridgewater, Mass. 02379; phone: 508-584-7816; fax: 508-588-8045; website: www.armsmounts.com).

These throw levers are intended for interface with a MIL-STD-1913 rail system. The M553 HWS is powered by two 123lithium batteries, permitting cross application with other elec-tronic gear, such as the SureFire Millennium M910A VerticalForegrip WeaponLight. Battery life is 1,100 continuous hours atthe M553 HWS’s nominal setting of 12.

Other new features include 66 feet (2 atmospheres) of watersubmersibility and a unique battery cap tether to avoid loss in thefield. It also has a 7mm (quarter-inch) raised base to provide theoperator with a consistent cheek weld with all other standardizedoptics. The Model 553 is available with either a black or FlatDark Earth finish and this anodized finish has been beefed-up tomeet Type III, Hardcoat anodization standards. Without doubt,this is the best EOTech unit of all. It is destined for total domi-nance of the rapid-acquisition-sight market.

The EOTech HOLOgraphic Weapon Sight is a transmission-type hologram and thus projects what appears to be an illumi-nated reticle pattern directly on the target. Yet no forward light isactually projected.

To me, the HWS’s most important feature is the operator’sability to acquire the target without regard to a cheek weld orconsistent alignment of the shooter’s eye, the sight’s reticle pat-tern and the target. No matter how you move your head and eyeabout, the reticle pattern will always remain in exactly the sameplace on the target.

This is an incredibly important phenomenon, especially whenrapid and accurate target acquisition under stress becomes liter-ally a matter of life and death during a gunfight.

Mud or other obstructions do not affect the operator’s abilityto effectively see the reticle pattern and engage targets, even ifthe display window is almost completely covered. The heads-updisplay window is 3/8-inch thick, with three panes of glass bond-ed together to form a shatterproof laminate. The two outsidepanes have an anti-reflective coating.

The Model 553 HWS sent to SGN for test and evaluation wasequipped with the standard reticle, which is a two-dimensionalring (65 moa in diameter) with tick marks and a center 1 moadot. Custom reticles are available. The exit aperture is 45º.

After adjustment of elevation and windage zero, you sim-ply look through the sight assembly’s window; place the ret-icle image on the target, and fire. The eye relief on theModel 550 HDS is an incredible 1 inch to infinity. Both theelevation and windage adjustments are in half-moa clickincrements.

In a tactical environment the operator’s peripheral vision isalmost unlimited and up to 50% on each side of the target.That’s because there is no tube, the reticle window remainsclose to the eye, and the large reticle pattern neither covers upnor obscures the target. As no light is cast upon the target,there is no signature to compromise the operator’s position.

Glint screens (sometimes referred to as Anti-ReflectionDevices) are not necessary.

The Model 553 HWS has 20 levels of brightness adjustmentin the normal visual spectrum. When the sight is turned on, thebrightness level is automatically set at the factory to level 12.There is also an auto shutdown mode and the unit will automat-ically shut itself off eight hours after the last push-button controlhas been pressed. The user can also program the HWS for a four-hour shutdown mode. As the batteries run down, the reticlebrightness will remain at the set intensity and then shut downabruptly.

Overall, AK47/AKM magazines have outperformed M16/AR-15 magazines for almost half a century. We have tested and arefavorably impressed with the 20- and 30-round M16/AR-15magazines distributed by Brownells, Inc. (Dept. SGN, 200 SouthFront Street, Montezuma, Iowa 50171-9989; phone: 800-741-0015; fax: 800-264-3068; website: www.brownells.com) andcarrying their logo on the floorplate.

Both the 20- and 30-round magazine bodies are curved andthus use the same MIL-STD green plastic follower. The maga-zine bodies are MIL-STD hard-coat anodized with a dry-lubecoating. They’re available with either chrome silicon or stainlesssteel follower springs. While not MIL-STD at this time, I preferthe chrome silicon follower spring as it doesn’t continue to takea set and thus can be stored with a full load of rounds.

With either type of follower spring and in either capacity theBrownells magazines have a manufacturers’ suggested retailprice of $17.95. In general, I much prefer 20-round M16/AR-15magazines for a number of reasons. They are less cumbersomewhen shooting off a bench or in the prone position. In addition,I feel that they promote fire discipline, as operators with lessammunition in the well are not as likely to draw so deeply fromit and thus program themselves to more conservative fire tech-niques, which almost always yield greater hit probability.

In my opinion, the so-called Giles Sling is one of the very bestcombat slings available. Designed by Giles Stock, a retired ser-geant and SWAT team armorer for the Phoenix PoliceDepartment, it is manufactured by, and available from, TheWilderness (Dept. SGN, Wilderness Plaza, 1608 West Hatcher,Phoenix, Ariz. 85021; phone: 602-242-4945 or toll free 800-775-5650; fax: 602-242-8260; email: orders@thewilderness.com;website: www.thewilderness.com).

Because of the MIL-STD-1913 rail system, a so-called “Tri-Glide”-type forend attachment was mounted on the left-side rail at9 o’clock. This version of the Giles Sling costs $46. The Tri-Glideforend attachment was interfaced to the MIL-STD-1913 rail bymeans of the excellent GG&G (Dept. SGN, 3602 East 42ndStravenue, Tucson, Ariz. 85713; phone: 520-748-7167 or toll free800-380-2540; fax: 520-748-7583; website: www.gggaz.com)“Sling Thing” for dovetails, which costs $35.

Fabricated from heavy, 1.25-inch, black, coyote or foliagegreen (US Army ACU) nylon webbing with 1.25-inch Delrin

The TangoDown Battlegrip comes complete with anti-rattle foam battery spacers, stainless steel Dry-Lok fas-tener, grip installation tool and complete instructions.

Just introduced is the new EOTech Model 553 Military HOLOgraphic Weapon Sight thatincorporates a number of new features required within the SOPMOD Block 2 program.

The SureFire Millennium Vertical ForegripSystem is popular with Coalition troops.Combining a vertical foregrip with a flash-light is the most attractive alternative.

buckles, the sling is stitched with heavy polyester thread, whichis more sun-resistant than nylon thread. Available for theM14/M1A, Armalite series, Steyr AUG, Colt M16/AR-15 series,Ruger Mini-14, Heckler & Koch rifles and the Benelli andRemington Model 1187 and 870 shotguns, the Giles Sling is alsocustom-made for other shoulder-mounted weapons, which mustbe fitted in the shop.

It can be used as a carry, shooting or hands-free sling (in themanner of the H&K combat carrying sling). Most important, theGiles Sling permits the operator correctly and safely to transi-tion to his service sidearm in a combat environment.

Hornady TAPOur test and evaluation of the LWRC short-stroke gas

piston system was conducted using ammunition providedby Hornady Mfg. Co. (Dept. SGN, P.O. Box 1848, GrandIsland, Nebr. 68802-1848; phone: 800-338-3220; website:www.hornady. com). We used three different loads ofHornady’s TAP (Tactical Application Police) .223 Rem.ammunition, which was specifically designed for lawenforcement tactical applications. When fired off the benchwith a scope of high magnification, all three of these loadswill punch half-moa five-shot groups into paper at 100yards.

My advice would be to use the heaviest bullet (up to 77grains) that can be stabilized through flight to the target withthis caliber. The barrel’s very fast 1:7 twist permits you to doso with considerable effectiveness.

The 60-grain TAP (part #83286) is a polymer-tipped spitzerflat base bullet with a ballistic coefficient of .265. This bulletoffers high velocity in medium length (14.5-inch or longer)barrels with NATO chambers. It provides rapid expansion,high fragmentation and low retained weight. This bullet willbegin to fragment in a sheetrock wall, but still has significantretained velocity, weight and penetration in ballistic gelatin.

I especially like the 75-grain TAP (part #80265), which is amatch-grade bullet that is Hornady’s heaviest TAP offering in5.56x45mm NATO. It demonstrates rapid expansion andexcellent fragmentation. It provides deeper penetration thanthe 55- and 60-grain bullets, yet penetrates less than mostpolice handgun service rounds. It penetrates glass with mini-mal deflection due to its retained weight. This bullet exhibitsminimal breakup on sheetrock, retaining most of its weightand penetration. The ballistic coefficient of this boattail hol-low point is .390.

The most specialized Hornady round we tested was the 60-grain TAP Barrier (part #8375), a protected-point spitzer witha ballistic coefficient of .245. This projectile was originallydesigned for use in nuclear power plant security. The bullet

penetrates steel fire doors to deliver terminal results onthe other side.

TAP Barrier ammunition maintains structural integritythrough barriers while still offering expansion in soft tis-sue. For tactical applications that require both barrier pen-etration and expansion in human targets, this projectileprovides the ultimate answer to an ugly question.

The caliber 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge has beenthe subject of a great deal of criticism. However, at themost common distances at which contact with theenemy occurs, 100 meters and less, this cartridge can bequite effective. The performance generated by5.56x45mm NATO ammunition is primarily a conse-quence of bullet fragmentation. As long as this FMJbullet travels point-forward its wound track remainssmall and there is little tissue damage. However, afterfrom 2 to 6 inches of penetration, both the M193(Vietnam era) and M855 (current) projectiles will yawto 90º, flatten and break apart at the cannelure (crimp-ing groove).

The bullet point remains as a flattened triangular sec-tion, retaining about 60% of the original bullet weightand penetrating about 13 inches in soft tissue. That por-tion to the rear of the cannelure breaks into numerousfragments that penetrate up to 3 inches radially awayfrom the main wound track.

These multiple fragments perforate and weaken tis-sue. Tissue between two perforations is often complete-ly detached when subsequently subjected to the suddenstretch of temporary cavitation. Weakened tissue maybe split by stretch that would otherwise be absorbed bythe tissue’s elasticity.

It’s important to note that there’s a direct correlationbetween the 5.56x45mm bullet’s velocity and the fragmenta-tion pattern. At a range of 100 meters, the M193/M855 bulletgenerally breaks into two large fragments. At ranges morethan 200 meters, the bullet flattens somewhat and only a fewsmall fragments squeeze out of the base. Thus, if theM193/M855 bullet passes through an arm or leg without strik-ing bone and before it yaws and fragments, the damage willbe minimal.

LWRCLWRC is a firearms manufacturer and defense contractor.

LWRC is an acronym for Leitner-Wise Rifle Company; althoughthe company is undergoing a name change to reflect the fact thatthe founder and namesake of the company no longer have anyaffiliation with the company. The company will retain theacronym LWRC.

LWRC started in 1999 and generally was an R&D “skunkworks” and small manufacturer but now has moved to full-fledged manufacturing in its plant in Springfield, Va., after man-agement reorganization in early 2006. Jesse Gomez and DarrenMellors of Grenadier Precision folded into LWRC and formedcompletely new management along with the new CEO, PatrickBryan.

LWRC is currently a contender in the US Marine CorpsInfantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) Solicitation along with FabriqueNationale and General Dynamics. IAR is a program developedto replace the SAW (M249) at the squad level with a light auto-matic rifle harkening back to the Browning BAR concept.

Essentially IAR is a light automatic rifle that the squad rifle-man can use for all the duties of a standard rifleman with theadded capability of providing light automatic fire support whenrequired.

ConclusionsWhile the number of rounds fired through the LWRC SRT

upper receiver sent to SHOTGUN NEWS for test and evaluationwas limited to only a thousand of the assorted Hornady TAPammunition described above, there were no functional problemsof any kind in either the semiautomatic or full-auto modes. Therecoil impulse appeared to be slightly less than that usually expe-rienced with M16-type rifles using a direct impingement gas sys-tem. The rifle’s accuracy potential was not affected.

Upon disassembly, the amount of fouling observed was mini-mal. I intend to leave this short-stroke gas piston upper receiverattached to my personal M16A2 lower receiver as I have noreservations about it whatsoever and feel that it is a worthwhileand significant improvement. I recommend it highly. The LWRCSRT upper receiver supplied to us complete except for the emer-gency iron sights carries a manufacturer’s suggested retail priceof $1,645.

Brownells’ new 20- and 30-round M16/AR-15 magazines arecurved and available with either chrome silicon or stainlesssteel follower springs. They have been big sellers.

LWRC SRT Upper Receiver SpecificationsCaliber: 5.56x45mm NATO (also available in caliber 6.8x43mm SPC and .499 LWRC).Method of operation: Short-stroke gas piston; rotary bolt with eight locking lugs; fires from the closed bolt position

in both semiautomatic and full-auto modes.Cyclic rate: 700-900 rpm.Barrel: Six-groove with a 1:7 right-hand twistBarrel length: 14.5 inches—available for use with registered Title II firearms only (other barrel lengths

available)—stepped for installation of the M203 40mm grenade launcher.Sights: Post front sight with protective ears that can be adjusted for elevation zero with a fired

cartridge case. The rear sight, calibrated for M855 ammunition, has dual same-plane apertures: .197" for 0 to 200 meters and .070" for 300 to 800 meters. Folding-type,designed for installation on MIL-STD-1913 rail interfaces.

Finish: Aluminum components—Type III Hardcoat black anodized; barrel—black polycoat over phosphate.Manufacturer: LWRC, Inc., Dept. SGN, 7200-G Fullerton Road, Springfield, Va. 22150; phone:

703-455-8650; fax: 703-455-8654; website: www.lwrifles.com; e-mail: info@lwrifles.com.T&E summary: Outstanding reliability with minimal fouling, worthwhile improvement and highly recommended.MSRP: $1,645.Ammunition: Hornady Mfg. Co., Dept. SGN, P.O. Box 1848, Grand Island, Nebr. 68802-1848;

phone: 800-338-3220; website: www.hornady.com.Holographic optical sight: L3 Communications EoTech, Dept. SGN, 3600 Green Court, Suite 400,

Ann Arbor, Mich. 48105-1570; phone: 734-741-8868; fax: 734-741-8221; e-mail: john.bailey@L-3com.com; website: www.L-3Com.com/Eotech.

Magazines: Brownells, Inc., Dept. SGN, 200 South Front Street, Montezuma, Iowa 50171-9989; phone: 800-741-0015; fax: 800-264-3068; website: www.brownells.com.

Folding iron sights: Troy Industries, Inc., Dept. SGN, 17 Main Street, Lee, Mass. 01238-0308; phone: 413-243-9315; fax: 413-383-0339; website: www.troyind.com; e-mail: info@troyind.com.

Giles Sling: The Wilderness, Dept. SGN, Wilderness Plaza, 1608 West Hatcher, Phoenix, Ariz. 85021;phone: 602-242-4945 or toll free 800-775-5650; fax: 602-242-8260; email: orders@thewilderness.com; website: www.thewilderness.com.

Pistol grip: TangoDown, Dept. SGN, 884 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, Calif. 91103, website: www.tangodowwnllc.com.