First time to watch a video of yours all the way through, I really liked it, and your down to Earth style of explaining, I did subscribe, FYI the little mistakes just make you more natural presenter, don't change a thing
"If you've ever taken a six pound rifle and added 14 pounds of accessories to it, hit that like button." Really enjoyed the old format review. Thanks for producing great content.
I was a 320 gunner in my first unit... As S6 in an ADA BN. Long story short, they call it an M320, because it feels like 320lbs taped to the end of your rifle.
I think it’s funny how for decades people have brutally shit on the M4 and M16 acting like it’s the worst turd in the history of rifles but now that it’s possibly on its way out people are acting like it’s the best gun ever made and all the hate is now transferring to the XM7.
Ironically with the M5 we are kind of going backwards. 5.56 is the best in terms of weight to capacity and fire and maneuver tactics rely on volume of fire. The Army even said it is redirecting tactics to more mobile hit and run tactics, so reducing capacity of the service rifle is like the worst decision if that's actually the direction they plan to go. As a DMR though, the M5 is ideal.
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj To play devil's advocate for the XM7: you must understand it as a package with the XM157 "smart" optic. I think the better way to understand it, is effectively "with the smart scope, every man is not only a rifleman but a DMR." You can definitely make the argument that the XM157 could've just been retrofitted to existing 5.56 rifles but the 6.8x51 lets you take full advantage of the XM7's capabilities to hit further and defeat near-peer adversary body armor. I think that this is kind of an even more aggressive application behind the M27 IAR's paper justification (in practice the M27 "replacing" the M249 was a paper excuse to get a new rifle). Whether this justifies the tradeoff in weight/fire volume/recoil: who knows. But I don't see existing 5.56/5.45/5.8 platforms becoming "obsolete" while gunpowder weapons are still not obsolete.
mmmm I believe my current stable of rifles are better than the M4A1. I shoot sub MOA, my SPR barrels are either haavy and strong or super light depending on what I choose to run, I have much better (comfy and light, speedy) free-float rails which takes away the problem of the fixed sight blocking the optic when doing high holds etc etc etc
@@robertmao9390 Yeah, that's why I see it more as a DMR replacement rather than a service rifle replacement. In fire and maneuver most of the rounds you fire are not going to hit the enemy purposely as the greatest expense of ammunition is in gaining fire supremacy which involves shooting so if the enemy exposes themselves from cover they will get hit. So the benefit of armor penetration is completely lost when most of that ammo is going to hit dirt and is just a glorified noisemaker. The military was heading into good direction with the M249 select fire trigger packs (as semi auto cadence has a longer duration and same fixing potential as a short burst), but now with heavier and bulkier ammo we are kind of ignoring lessons learned.
I wish I could have just 1 percent of both of your guys’s knowledge and shooting ability! Lol. You and garand thumb need to do a collaboration video!!!
I qualified on an M16 once upon a time, carried one for a little while. Fast forward a few years, and I'm a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and I am assigned an M4. Had an M203 and later an M320 attached, but there was always my M4. Best 20 years of my life. Airborne! All the Way! Let's Go!
When I was in the Army, I used an M16 in basic, then immediately got put on 240B in my unit. I used the 240b on back to back deployments. Of course when you get your stripes they take your machine gun away. It took me a bit to get used to the M4. The weight and operation on the move are of course completely different. My first tic after the switch I found myself reaching for my Beretta when entering a close quarters area (tight hallways in a cramped Baghdad apartment complex), and I had to think to realize what I was doing because my muscle memory response had been programmed over years. I spent a week doing movement drills, and practicing ready actions with my joes to firmly break the habit. I learned to love my M4 in the end, and it is my standard for judging rifles.
Man how long were you on the gun - I spent most my time in weapons squad but only about a year as a gunner - assistant gunner team leaders have m4s - weapons squad leader m4, Gustav gunner has an m4. Usually they keep a fast joe on the gun, not some specialist with a deployment and 3 years in
@@nickhagedorn3002 Longer than most. First tour, got it immediately. During the first six month turn around went to the unit armorer course, 1SG grabbed me after that. He was using our commo sgt as his driver, so he used me as his gunner, and I pulled a lot of double duty for the CO as well who was using our company quartermaster, as his driver, and the TOC nco (An E6) as his gunner. Boarded and promoted during the second tour. Got back into a squad at around the one year mark. (Second deployment was about 19 months). This was still early days, and the Army was shitting itself because they didn't have enough 12Bs because of Clinton's draw downs. I was in a Combat Engineer battalion. By the book each squad was supposed to have 12+ men. Most of ours had eight or nine. The A&O platoon was at 5-6 guys per squad. Around the time I got promoted the points needed to hit E5 dropped by around two hundred points because the Army was realizing they didn't have enough NCOs to deal with all the Joe's they needed to bring in. Fun times. I think there are around 12,000 combat engineers now. In 2001 it was closer to 3,500-4,000. The numbers tripled between 03-06 if I remember correctly.
Heck yeah. Thank you for your service. I truly mean that especially since my dad was a 82nd paratrooper served in Panama and Desert storm. I'm making my AR 15 into a m4a1 clone look alike . And got a Beretta 92a1 to go with the GWOT m4 love that time period of how kit and guns looked.
Infantry marine here. The new M27's that have been pushed are absolutely worth their own video as well. They punch out just a little bit further but the gas piston blowback makes cleaning much easier. Great video!
Im glad to see this style of commentary again Garand Thumb. as an OG follower, I miss the gear videos like this. Still a fan of all the goofy shit you guys do out in the field as well but this just hits home. Thank you.
@@warrenharrison9490 I like this format for the weapons/gear reviews, I like the outdoor open area format for the multiple person videos covering concepts, such as the deadly in the mountains etc.
Former Army armorer and now currently DoD contractor at NTC. Met a sniper team with a HK417 a couple days ago. This was the first time seeing a HK417 (used to seeing them with M2010 or M110). I hope you make a video on the HK417 in the future.
If I may ask, why does he indicate the green tip is awful ammo? I thought it was Armour piercing, sort of? Why would in not be useful in our next SHTF where vehicles may come into play? TY in advance.
@MrCobb-rq8iv regular ammo will go through vehicles, and green tip has horrible terminal(inside the body) ballistics, ie does not cause nearly as much damage as is expected. Civilian stuff like 77 grain otms are *far* better for range ballistics, theyre more accurate, longer range and work better out of shorter barrels, and far better for terminal ballistics
@@MrCobb-rq8ivall we used is 62 grain green tip in Iraq and I have zero complaints about its performance, as mentioned I'm sure some of the hotter civilian rounds are more superior, but saying they suck is a stretch.
@@MrCobb-rq8iv When it was adopted it had inconsistent terminal ballistics. The older M193 would reliably fragment and tumble (out of the 20'' M16A1 & A2 barrel). M855 would sometimes "icepick" through unarmored targets. This was noticed and reported in the battle of Mogadishu. Turns out the issue was largely caused by the angle at which the projectile entered a target. M855A1 (as well as stop-gap ammo adopted by the Marines) were designed to tumble more reliably, despite the angle of entry at the target. Hope that helps!
Charlie is missed. But I bet I'm not alone in saying it's good to see Mike get back to the roots of his success! I've missed these "stand alone weapon review" vids 😁👍
@@Epsilon-18 the entire comment. The AR that most people have is well past the M4, the M4 came relatively late in the ARs life, and its popularity took off before the M4. Most people arent rocking 14.5 carbines either.
Mike, I just wanted to say. The tacticool stuff is awesome, but everyone genuinely appreciates the thought and effort that goes into every single one of these videos. Your work ethic shines through man. Thank you
First of all, it was a great experience to enjoy an old school style Garand Thumb video. Your newer content is fantastic, but we’ll always hold a special place in our hearts for your classic reviews Mike. The M4A1 changed and matured dramatically within the first few years that I had been in. In my time I’ve been fortunate enough to be issued variants of the M4 all the way from the standard M4A1, the Block II (the superior M4), to the URG-I. Every single iteration has been just an excellent piece of American engineering and has really been of the best military implements I’ve seen. I think you spoke perfectly to it’s prowess and it’s overall legacy within the DOD. The M4 will always hold the special place in my heart as my favorite weapon. Keep up the great content Mike! You’ve done some great things for the 2A community.
@@nextcaesargaming5469well the blueprints are out there I think people will just keep making the guns and the ammo. new production akm variants will always be made
15:45 I will give a deeper explanation of what was happening. In the late 1960s the Military came up with an inspection standard for a new type of barrel steel designated 4150CMV. This was a hardened mixture called chromoly vanadium alloy. The inspection standard was MIL-B-11595(updated to E) The reason they needed this standard is because When 4150CMV is heated to greater than 1100 degrees the vanadium molecules COULD separate. It will cause micro-fractures. If those micro-fractures link together they form chains, if one of the chains connects the bore to the outside, you have a pipe bomb. So in 1988 when that steel was being specified for the full auto version of the M16 platform the Military made sure the inspection was updated to limit or stop that from happening. It worked until, as always, people stopped doing the inspection and just pencil whipped the check box. They just assumed the steel was good because it had always been good. A few barrels would pop here and there and the Military always said it was due to over-heating and melting the barrel. Then a group of SEALS had an M4 blow up after just 3 magazines. They had come back from Lunch, started their training again and in minutes the Sailor was being rushed to medical. There was a huge investigation and the Military basically called the SEALS a bunch of liars. They "tested" an M16 and M4 showing both 14" and 20" barrels melted at the same temp at about 600+ rounds (I think it was the inspection is still on line to look it up). Case closed there is no way you can melt a barrel in 3 magazines. The inspection noted ...MICRO-FRACTURES in the barrel. It was determined that poorly manufactured steel had a major issue. Once these micro-fractures form as the weapon cools, then heats up again the chains will form, very very quickly. Just getting normal hot along with pressure forces open the chains to link together... boom. A behind the scenes shit-storm started when the SEALS refused to back down on the incident. The Military did a secret test of the other M4s in that shipment and found poorly manufactured barrels. An entire year of M4 deliveries were requested to be turned in for administration purpose and those rifles were never seen again. The same time frame saw the Military training manual decrease the full auto fire rate for training and a second chromoly vanadium alloy inspection point was added. This is one reason why you never ever want a cheap 4150CMV barrel. You are better off with a non-CMV if you dont have a top of the line CMV barrel in your AR. Sure very few are gonna heat that thing up, but why have a CMV in the first place then? To look cool?
@Gyrfalcon312i honestly imagined an entire movie with this story as i read through it. corrupt government officials trying to bury it, the SEAL guys’ families being threatened, a great american hero movie
Reminds one of the problems with the Mark 14 torpedo in World War 2. Bureaucratic incompetence and a refusal to listen to reports from the field meant we had the worst naval torpedo of the Second World War for half the war. It wasn't until later in 1943 that they forced through tests in Hawaii and finally determined the problem in the torpedo. They made mods to the existing torpedos and came out with new models, but it was not uncommon for a sub to go out on missions and have mostly all duds. Ultimately it was also found that the torpedo was never tested because the service wanted to save money between the wars. It was all the fault of Naval Ordinance.
The M4A1 has always been my favorite gun and go to gun in shooters. Seeing it in all the SOCOM games and CoD campaigns fully decked out with the suppressor, nade launcher, red dot and lasers was always so much cooler than the other guns. Wanted to get my hands on an actual Colt civilian M4A1 but they stopped production and prices immediately skyrocketed so I had to settle on an off-brand.
This is not a video game discussion 🤣.... All jokes aside, don't get hung up on the size of rounds, shot placement is everything, you have to shoot something vital no matter if it's a pistol or a 7.62 rifle.
My (Infantry) battalion received the M4s and replaced the M16A4 in 2003-2004 in their run-up to their first Afghanistan deployment. They did so much shooting in that 13 month deployment that when I arrived in 2006 as a replacement after their redeployment leave, my M4/M203 had a worn out M4 extractor AND worn out M203 firing pin. Had to wait for months to get the whole thing back from the armorers. Carried the M4 through 2x 15 month Iraq deployments and honestly never had any other issues with it, as long as I cleaned it properly.
As was our Engineering battalion, (12B) felt bad for the Marines still packing the M16A4, I had a M16 with the 203. Always amazing to hear everyone say that the M4 was standard issue early in GWOT, it wasn't. I got out in 04 and we were just getting ACOGs
@jw5297 I didn't see many Marines with the A4. The ones who did have it were Recon or something like that- a lot of them were toting the A2 musket and that made me shake my head. Lol
As someone who got out of the military back in the mud 80s. This is a very interesting video. So much changed with the old m16 platform that we used back then. Of course anyone who is in the firearms world will see changes to the platform. But it's great to hear an in depth history of the changes. Thanks for the great history lesson!
Hands down the best rifle you can buy for doing it all. So much marketing has gone into larger calibers and shorter barrels, but you can do a lot with 14.5 / 16" and the 5.56 reigns supreme still.
Would you take this rifle with 556 over this rifle with a 762 round? I’m still trying to figure out what one to get and I keep going back and forth and it’s annoying lol
Especially if you go to the 77OTM rounds. For all the talk of "5.56 replacement" cartridges, high BC 5.56 rounds basically meet or exceed a lot of them, and for less money than wildcat rounds.
@@davidortman1872 For general purpose self-defense I choose 5.56. It has plenty of lethality, is light recoiling, effective to about 300 yards (more or less depending on barrel length and round variant). Most violent encounters are close range and mele distance (within 15 yards). And more often bad people operate in groups. Having a greater round capacity of the 5.56 with options for 77g OTM and other premium rounds are assets. I do like having a 308 option for greater lethality at range and better barrier penetration. It depends on what situation you are in.
As a circa 1994 to 1999 Marine I was extremely jealous that M4s got optical sights. Being born and raised on iron sights and qualifying expert 4 years out of 5 I feel like I missed out on easy mode. Then I think about the cleaning and upkeep and was happy about my old school rifle.
The "cleaning and upkeep" of an ACOG? You mean hitting the glass with compressed air or wiping it with a cloth when it gets dirty sounds like too much?
@@Anoneemus_Noenayme tell me you were never in the military without telling me you were never in the military... P.S. of course he's still here. We weren't at war in 1994.
If you've ever been so hyped for a Garand Thumb video that you broke numerous traffic laws to get home to watch the video, go ahead and hit that like button.
Mike, I'm really glad you're going back to this content. I'm a big fan of the longer overview videos of modern combat weapons. Do you think you could do a video on the M16A4, comparing it to the M4 and covering the attempted modernization with the A5 system? I've always been interested in it, and I'm sure with your connections you could bring some more knowledge to the concept. I hope you go back to doing the tactics videos as well. On that side, I think a video on civilian support weapons, like battle rifles, DMRs, and binary triggers, would be a good topic to cover.
Best part of getting in during the mid 2000’s was seeing all the upgrades and things for this. Going from the m16 to a m4 and then the m27 was cool. Lots of things were bad like the PEQ-18 m203 sight or the peq-16. But still cool to have used and be apart of a generation that brought ideas and changes for this in now.
I enjoy all your videos. I am an ex army reservist (Australia) who is having a go at writing a novel, so your precision and detail is really appreciated. Also that manscape ad had me laughing for a while. Excellent. Really excellent. also on a serious note, you've been through a lot, so I wish you and your family very good health, happiness and a well deserved peace.
God I missed this style of video. The block II m4 video is one of my favorites because of the simple presentation and great information, bring backdrop videos back
The intro with him shooting…. I never realized how accurate SOCOM US Navy Seals (PS2) got the sound PERFECT. Sorry that nostalgia hit me hard. Great video.
I recall seeing other infantry units being issued the Tavor and micro-Tavor when I was a paratrooper in the IDF (Tavor was just starting to become mainstream back then), and I thanked my lucky stars that we got to stick with the ol’ faithful M4A1. Best service rifle by far.
From what i've heard, M4's are still extremely popular in Israel....the authorities might be trying to phase them out, but alot of the end-users don't wanna part with them. 🙂
@@corkydukeII5898 exactly correct. Ten years after I finished my service, and many units are still using them. They're also pretty much the universal weapon in the reserves, even if one used a Tavor in their active duty.
@@roc5291 I think it just depends on your experience. For a soldier who has only ever been exposed to the Tavor, they might prefer it just based on a lack of wider experience. I've used both (but mostly M4), and can say, without a doubt, that the M4 is superior. The Tavor has some cool features, and the micro-version is pretty useful for turning corners in an urban combat setting, but it's not nearly as robust or well-rounded as the M4 is.
In Afghan as an infantry Marine, I was issued (2005) an M16A4 with IRON SIGHTS. Only the LT and Plt Sgts received an M4 with an ACOG. Lol. I actually like the M16A4, just wish it had an adjustable stock while it was issued as the length of pull was just a tad too long with gear on.
Epic. Missed this format. Love the new format, but this is perfect for this rifle. Nice. How the hell we ended up with the 80 while this was being fielded on the other side of the pond is completely beyond me man.
@ryannolfe9051 within 300 meters its fucking debilitating. Marines shoot at 500 meters routinely and at such ranges the critical killing mechanisms are not there. The velocity is low and its basically shooting someone with 22wmr
@kane357lynch that's my point. Only they would say that even at close ranges, insurgents would keep fighting after being shot multiple times because they were so doped up.
I felt my age when he referred to everything that was basically "standard" on my M4 during GWOT as "old" (grip, buttstock, EO Tech, mags, ACOG, M203)... and I'm not even 40 yet. Guess I'm off to get my senior discounts.
Literally 7:34 The statement "military grade means made by the lowest bidder" holds some truth, but I don't think it fully recognizes how the military essentially sets the standard what's usable in combat. An M4A1 with an M68 CCO (or ACOG) is an incredibly reliable and easy-to-use system.
In basic I had a clapped-out M16. Still shot expert with it and the only malfunctions was using simunition. Had a beat up M4A1 when I got to 4ID with a M68. Much comfier. Right before deployment we got issued brand spanking new M4’s. I literally took it out of the packing bag and cleaned the cosmoline off it. Iron sights until we got in country and was issued a 512 EoTech and PEQ15. I abused the ever loving crap out of that platform, in a good way. Never let me down for 15 months in Sadar city. What an amazing platform and truly a testament to when good engineering meets the needs of an ever changing world.
3:49 _”Here on Garand Thumb… we do a lot of dry fire…”_ Would *love* a video demonstrating a dry fire practice session. How to progress? How to make those range gains?
It's crazy to me (but sadly not) that there was a solution for some of the M4's reliability problems but it took around 10 years to procure the right components. This was during my service as well. But then, it was the same thing with the piece of crap magazines from the Vietnam-era that we were issued. About a fifth of the ones in our Troop didn't work (they'd cause feeding jams and/or not seat properly). Yet trying to get new magazines for our weapons required us to spend our own cash in 2005-2009 (the years during which I deployed). Meanwhile, in the Pentagon, they were paying $45 a pop for toilet seat covers. Russia is far from the only military that's mired in inefficiency and corruption. Ours might not be as blatantly on display, but in my eyes it's still at an unacceptable level. Priority should go to getting warfighters the equipment that they need to fight, survive and win. Not to staff officers sitting in DC.
Same with the M9s. Started sending magazines, and replacement parts to my buddies still in Afghanistan before the withdrawal. Medics often carry the M-9. Of course a lot of guys carry an M9 along with their long arms Parts wear out. Especially since they've been in service since 1986. There was also an issue with magazines that were issued that were not made by Beretta,
"it has seen so much action over the last 22 years and we'll probably see more action in the future as the world continues to crumble" so subtle yet so funny and terribly true all at the same time lol love this dude
The Colt M16 rifle platform has been used since 1963. First used (to my knowledge) during our nonsensical involvement in Vietnam. That's exactly 60 years. Putting this into perspective, it was used 2 years before my mom was born and my grandma was 18 years old. She's now 78. 😳. Although talk around DC has been to replace the m4 with newer tech, this rifle is still being actively used for war, military training, and home defense in 2023. Love live Colt Manufacturing ❤
@acdrz125 They need to innovate for sure. But as far as the military contracts they lost basically all of them no? They earned that, and especially after having daid they weren't going to pay any mind to the civilian market, earning the hate. 😅
As a Marine 0311 from 99-03 era. I heard about the M4 rolling into the infantry….i don’t even think I saw one out at Camp Lejeune. M16A2 was my cuddle buddy, my SAW was my rust buddy! 💯🇺🇸 Great video
As a rear echelon soldier I was thrilled to get the m4 on my 2nd deployment as a massive weight change from the m16a4 I got on my 1st deployment. Thanks for the review and the small dose of nostalgia remembering my time in service and all the great people I worked with
Every time I have had a wild hair and built out a "contemporary" AR, I have always found my way back to the M4 blueprint. I owe that in small part to my upbringing in the military, but largely attribute it to the Garand Thumb influence.
keep in mind vast majority of very odd guns Mike has reviewed were not his personal, but leased for review, yoinked from buddies to shoot a video and stuff like that. which is why I second your decision, it'd be cool to know what papa flannel really packs around
You got to just love the differences between units when new equipment comes out. I served in the National Guard from 2000-2006 When I went to basic I used the M16A2 and used the old LCII suspenders for my belt but when I got to my unit they still used the M16A1 (with a block from going full auto)(wasn't updated to the A2 till 2002) and the enhanced load bearing vest.
God i remember the day my dad was deployed to Iraq back in 03 he let me hold his M4. Even for a 13 year old it felt so damn ergonomic and light. Made me an AR fanboy for life. Edit: Thanks for the like Mike!
The M4 was so solid that unreliability wasn't even something you thought about. The gun not working due to something the shooter did not do, never happened. When buying my first guns, proven reliability and reputation was my top priority. Thats when I realized that the M4 I was issued, I never had a doubg that when I pulled the trigger, it wouldnt go boom, as long as I did everything correct. Thinking back on my military career, Ive never had an issue out side of jamming from excessive carbon/dirt (my fault not cleaning the weapon for about a week) or round not seated correctly in the magazine (also my fault for rushing/not paying attention when filling mags). Im sure ammo quality also played a big part. I know people say green tips are junk, but the thousands and thousands of green tips I shot over 20 years, Ive never had ammunition issue
@@tappajaav M855 ammo (standard US 5.56 ammo) has a green tip. It's what most US military end up carrying on duty, and it's commonly available for civilian purchase. It's got a "steel penetrator" in the round that can help with punching through some obstacles, although the round itself isn't actually armor piercing. It's just a decent and semi cheap ammo.
I did some consulting that lead to working with the chief engineer for the M4 around 15years ago. One thing I found was that using a crush washer behind the flash hider on SOCOM barrels had the potential to seriously degrade the accuracy. They still met the max limit for mil-spec though.
@@Mjdeben On a test sample of one, I fired a brand new barrel with no muzzle device attached, shooting an old lot of Federal Gold Metal match 69 gr BTHP. Accuracy was 1.25-1.5 moa. Then I installed an A2 flash hider with a crush washer, and properly timed it. Accuracy dropped to 3 + moa.
The M4 is pretty much my "if I could only have one" rifle. And, yup...had an M16A2 with irons in Boot and was the first class in MCT to get the new A4 with ACOGs (or "RCOs" as we called them for whatever reason) on them...seriously, I got a fresh out of the box, still covered in oil M16A4. Which was awesome. lol In the fleet, the only way to get an M4 was to be short or be a female...which made no sense beyond the fact that the M4 was the only one with adjustable LoP. I got to play with them because I was a unit range coach. Was never a PT super-stud, but I can shoot. 😎
I love the intro! I can’t get enough. I wish there was a whole movie based on some real sh!t you have done or seen. It’s such a heart pounding rush watching the intros. What a hero and asset you have been in the world. I hope you took out as many enemy combatants as you possibly could while in service like those cardboard targets you’ve taken out. Great job sir!
Man when I first joined the marines boot camp and my first unit was still using M16s only the short people who were dragging the barrels on the floor while walking were issued M4s we were so jealous of them lmao it wasn’t until I got to my second unit that everyone was issued M4s I even got the red dot for the M203 issued to me which was pretty cool for that time lol
I got a brand new M4A1 right before I deployed to Afghanistan. I even had to strip off the cosmoline. I added a B5 Bravo stock, BCM short vertical fore-grip, QD sling point, and Vickers padded sling. It was perfect. I loved that thing.
Same. I got lucky and got the m4, everyone else got m16. At the time I think only nco+ or certain mos get m4s. Cant imagine carrying m16 around all day lol
@@billlam7756It isn't too bad. Remember, the M16a4 was around before we were allowed to have a lot of cool/useful accessories, so it was still probably lighter than the kitted out M4A1.
31:40 Maybe you covered it, and i just missed it, but for those who refuse to be gouged by the likes of Magpul and the others, just partially open the bottom plate of the magazine, tie a knot in some 550 cord, feed it through the hole in the bottom plate, and then secure the cord at the bottom of the magazine. You can make the loop as big or as small as you want, so various environments can be managed (shooting gloves, no gloves, cold weather gloves, wtvr).
I was super excited to be issued my first M4A1. My excitement quickly faded the first time I went to the range and discovered the short sight radius made hitting the 300 MUCH more difficult lol
Depends on what 5.56 and what distance. The research shows consistently that green tip doesn't shatter under 2500 FPS. The M4 only has about 100m before it hits that velocity. M855A1 is fine, though.
Peak Dad advice right there Mike. Thanks for all you do to the community and for inspiring young men to be all they can, especially in a world that is stacked against them.
M4A1: I once hit an insurgent from 400 yards and killed him dead. Springfield rifle-musket: Well, I hit the front man in formation then it proceeded to pass through everyone behind him transferring body and uniform bits until stopping in the fourth. They all died from their wounds or infection. M4A1: Ugh, that's gross grandpa.
I was 18 years old, Medical Specialist with the 4th Combat Support Hospital at Ft. McClellan, Anniston, Alabama. We were always in training setting up our hospital, tearing it down, setting it up… My favorite thing was being assigned with another medic to cover the Firing Range. Our unit consisted of all levels of medical personnel and we were all issued M16. When covering the Firing Range we would pick up our Ambulance and head over and pick up our issued M16 and when the Basic trainees were done, we would grab magazines and went to town. I grew up in the Central Valley in California, lots of country space to shoot our 22s. I loved the M16 rifle. My 3 years active duty with the 4th CSH was the best job I ever had. The closest I get to shooting a M16 now is taking the controller from my kid while he is playing, “Call of duty”. Thanks for these well informed videos. Your description is well done. Your own knowledge and research work is exceptional.
Ahhh my M4A1. With an ACOG, PEQ-2 and a SureFire. All 5-50 Corded to the weapon. Swinging that thing around in foreign houses in a foreign land far far away. 19 years old. 🇺🇸 Those were the days.
The M16A2 I was issued in basic was ancient and couldn't cycle blanks. It would sometimes double feed, stovepipe, occasionally have cycle failures. The M4A1s I got issued were all great (even a converted one), rarely any issues outside of crap range ammo misfires and the rare stovepipe. Maybe one double feed.
It's really hard to see this being completely replaced with the new XM7 from Sig. That new rifle may have a place in certain situations and very specific theaters, but the M4 variants have had 60 years of refinement, and the reality is small arms technology has not had significant leaps since the 1940s. The basic operating principles and projectiles aren't that different, and the M4 is the pinnacle of decades of tinkering with marginal improvements. It's just too useful, easy, familiar, and good at what it does to bother replacing it at large scale.
convergent evolution, until a level of tech is reached, after which any further gains are marginal at best, to not practical. the AR-15 thus far is about as perfect a rifle as there is overall. there is room for improvement, but only very minor (like more ergonomically optimized and located ambidextrous controls). It's just nearly impossible to achieve a significant improvement over the M4A1 as there isn't enough left to improve, that couldn't be applied to the M4A1 itself (like a different barrel/chamber).
Kinda digging the dadstache. The M4 is such a long standing weapon, both in games and in real life. I'd put it almost on the same tier as the M1 Garand.
Man I missed these types of grand thumb videos love the new ones but just Mike telling us about gear or weapons in-front of a black wall is nostalgic lol.
@@almostontimehero5415Most Garand Thumb viewers are gun owners, the dude is just making a joke. I want an M4A1 clone so bad, but I don’t know where to get one.
@@almostontimehero5415 Relax, you’re not watching the History channel here. If you’ve paid attention, you’ll see that Garand Thumb has made videos from guns that were famously in video games such as COD, Halo, etc. Not even he takes his content as seriously as you do
Ahh yes.. the M4A1. Definitely one of my favs! I am working on a 'cloner' M4A1 build atm. I do have a DD M4A1 RIS III that I picked up some months back.. but, it's just not quite the same.. Awesome rifle, but.. yeah.
I loved this weapon so much, I bought the FN15 Patrol for civilian use exclusively sold at the BX/PX. Of course I’ll never get the exact configuration when I was active duty and it’s not an Automatic but still incredibly reliable.
In the army, even some SEAL operatives say that they didn't or don't use full auto in their rifles, full auto jobs are designed to SAW and LMG. Maybe it is fun at a firing range but in combat at long distances is some inadequate
@@hernanarauz1610 In combat, I never saw anyone fire an M4 in anything but semi-auto. Burst was fun at the range, but wasn't applicable at the distances we engaged at in Iraq. I think a lot of the fully auto shit came from Hollywood. After Vietnam and their "mad minutes", it wasn't really a thing.
Someone a hundred years from now is gonna be walking around on Garand's land and wonder, "Where the hell did all this brass come from? What battle happened here?
In basic in 2017 we had M4 lowers with M4A1 internals and uppers, at our station we were issued the full M4A1s I love the rifle I don't recall ever having a malfunction with live ammo only blanks. However there are some issues I didn't like as a taller guy the forend was too short for my liking as I like having my arm as close to the tip as safely possible and the rails were really sharp they'd dig into your thumb webbing even in gloves. As Mechanized Infantry it was nice when cramped up though and in the field you could cuddle up with it in your sleep system. I'm not sure of other units or MOS but we were allowed accessorizing within limits and if we had any gucci'd out gear we were chastised if we didn't use it at every opportunity. I had a cheapo foregrip with a spring loaded bipod inside, even that though felt like a huge deal to me. A lot better than using the mag as a monopod. I didn't serve long but I liked it enough to get a tattoo of one. Thanks for the video.
We need a review of the Colt RO727 M16A2 Carbine next. The RO727 (which is basically identical to the XM4 besides the castle nut, four position extension, and double heat shield handguards) was really the bridge between the modern M4/M4A1 carbine and retro carry handle rifles.
I recently did a xm4/720 build and love it. Such an iconic carbine. My build is now basically a mix of retro and modern. A xm4a1 if you will.....shes a vibe.
I really do hope the Sig Spear is everything it COULD be for the military. That being said, I do feel as if 50 years from now, we’re all going to look back and realize just how lucky we were to have such a weapon system. It’s one of the only examples I can think of that started off universally hated to, 60 years later, universally loved. From the OG M16 and all of it’s evolutionary decedents to this carbine. So modular. So ahead of it’s time. It’s the rifle that time itself simply can’t find a great way to kill. The civilian AR-15 sales in the US is testament to this. Very grateful for this system keeping company with the folks for the last half century.
I was pretty surprised by the accuracy of the C7A3s I’ve used for work. I shot a 2 inch group at 100m under far from ideal conditions and I’m no crack shot. Really speaks to the inherent accuracy of the AR platform with regular military ammo.
Excellent video ; very informative. I had an M16A1. The grenadier versions with the M203 were a lot of fun. Probably not as effective with those 55 grain pills and 1 in 12 twist barrels.
Hey GarandThumb, could you do another gear and setup series in the future? With the new mag pouches and plate carrier from your Daddy, a new generation of Tegris belts with the Ferro concepts Bison and GBRS belts, the Blue Force gear CHLK/GRID and the Axl Eclipse belt, DM Mech belt and HRT ARC belt, the market has changed yet again. Also plate carriers from DFNDR to Agilite, UHMWPE plates from Dayton to ShotStop Duritium, even helmets like the new Avon ULW and Ceradyne IHPS. Pants and combat tops by UF Pro vs Crye, shooting glasses Oakley vs Gatorz vs HuntersHD.
