American automatic carbine M4A1 was defective

The US Army is having problems with the M4A1 automatic carbines (machine guns), which have proven to be unsafe. The servicemen found that their weapon can involuntarily shoot when switching firing mode, reports "Warspot" with reference to the magazine Popular Mechanics.

The problem was first discovered in March 2018 of the year when an American soldier videotaped in a shooting practice as his M4A1 fired without touching the trigger. He tried to switch the firing mode from semi-automatic to automatic and at that time the carbine spontaneously fired a shot. It is also reported that a month later a similar case occurred with M4A1, but already produced by another company, and again a spontaneous shot occurred when the fire mode was switched to semi-automatic mode.

It should be recalled that M4A1 is an upgraded version of the M4 automatic carbine, which replaced the M16 rifle and its modifications, it is produced by two companies - Colt and FN. The detected problem was detected in carbines of both manufacturers.

To identify this problem, almost 9000 units of M4A1 were tested, of which 10% were with the above defect. Since it is impossible to test all 259 000 machine guns M4А1, the soldiers issued special instructions to help identify the defect.

Comments

[NF68]

Anything can happen.

[Alex-a832]

God forbid such "all" with our weapons. And with M4, I agree, hi-tac ...

[helmi8]

Quote: Alex-a832

God forbid such "all" with our weapons.

I don’t know how on tanks, but on the Mi-8MT the forehead PKT when opening the receiver cover in the presence of tape often gave a shot

[Magic archer]

But on YouTube, the video about her is so laudable !!! Accurate, convenient, and blah blah blah! But the tough operation could not stand it. However, nothing new

[Maz]

Choto Kalash does not happen

[Mik13]

Quote: Maz

Choto Kalash does not happen

At Ak-74, the USM axis often fall out. In the company on 100 people who are actively running with weapons, 1-2 machines with this problem were constantly.
Assault rifles, if anything, are still issued by the USSR, but not shot to the state of trash. Let's just say quite functional.

[ARES623]

Quote: Mik13

In a company for 100 people, which actively runs with weapons, 1-2 automatic machines with this problem were constantly present.

During the five years of service in the training center, I have never met anyone like this. Here the barrel of the SVD was bent by the BMP conveyor, they lost the shutter due to carelessness from the AK (temporarily). But so that AK spontaneously litter parts - never ...

[Sergey ippon]

on svd trunk is gentle, when jumping from bmp unsuccessfully manejo bent down

[newcomer]

Well, for a birth defect in an Amersky gun! high shoot each other. and so, I did not understand the conclusions of the testers, because if there is one defect in one carbine from two different companies, then you need to ask the designer of the inventor, well, I think so.

[bouncyhunter]

I have never been a fan of American weapons, but this news takes me to the critics section. Problems fitting parts during assembly?

[newcomer]

I can’t say specifically, until I’ll “blush” with my hands, but there may be a mistake in programming the machine turning the parts.

[karelia molot]

The options are actually a bunch. Triggering of USM parts, poor fitting ... If a karamultuk is shit, then it can stink from anything.

[Paranoid50]

Now we know what the “forgot and shoot” system looks like.

[voyaka uh]

It is irrelevant in our country. Automatic fire is not permitted.
We shoot single in two.
At the landing brigade, M4 remained.

[Urri]

This is because you are not yet at war. . When the real boom begins, they will start scorching in the white light, like a penny, without asking for charters and permits. Especially the ladies-c

[Pimply]

Quote: Urri

This is because you are not yet at war. When the real kipesh begins, they will burn into a white light, like a penny, without asking for statutes and permits. Especially babtsy-c

Just because we fight. It was determined how much that in the 1972 war of the year about 15000 cartridges were spent for each destroyed enemy. Too much. That went into the course of a single story shooting. Better control over the situation, higher accuracy, less consumption of ammunition.

[Mih1974]

This is how you need to be a moron that would measure the victory not in the "dead / saved", but in the "spent cartridges" . Yes, the one who dared to blather like tacos should be put in a trench, given three cartridges for three meshes and forced to hit targets under "course fire" and explosive packets on the command, and if it misses at least once, SHOOT !! What would I ass assed what it means to save ammo.
The point is not that - single shooting more precisely and “automatic fire for the most part past the target”, but that in a real battle there can be anything and “cutting off the line” can sometimes literally save lives.

[Pimply]

Quote: Mih1974

This is how you need to be a moron that would measure the victory not in the "dead / saved", but in the "spent cartridges"

Carry nonsense. Helpless and nursery. Each war carries after itself hundreds and thousands of conclusions in different directions. This is one of them. 15000 on a destroyed enemy is a lot. By all measures: financial, temporary, logistic. Everything else that you mention there is only for surging up for ponte.

[Black_Vatnik]

15 thousand is such a bad statistic?
During the Second World War, there were more than 20 thousand ammunition per corpse, and this at a time when all the armies of the world had semi-automatic weapons and rifles as their main small arms. In Vietnam, the Americans spent, if my memory serves me, about 50000 thousand for one poor Vietnamese in slippers. Statistics, of course, my aunt is not grateful.
You can of course bring the statistics to the ideal 1 shell = 1 enemy corpse, only, I think, this shell will cost as much as the floor of an intermediate carriage to the machine gun.

[Sergey ippon]

not even so, to press, to press down - while the shuttles go to positions.
I think this is because of stupid training -type practical shooting.
Our specialists believe that this is wrong.

[voyaka uh]

In order not to burst bursts in white light (this is a nuisance -
cartridges suddenly run out in the midst of "boiling") we have long
and banned this nonsense. Other people shoot bursts -
machine gunners. They also have a special tool - a machine gun, and a lot of tapes.
A soldier gets used to shoot always, as taught, if the exercises are intense and
with live ammunition.

[burigaz2010]

Comrade Voyak, I understand that you have a professional army, but imagine that half of the fighters are draftees! He had never seen a gun in his life!

[Pimply]

Quote: burigaz2010

Comrade Voyak, I understand that you have a professional army, but imagine that half of the fighters are draftees! He had never seen a gun in his life!

In Israel, the conscription army. All that you have described is a question of learning. Then the more queues can not shoot.

[Sergey ippon]

at the shooting range and the range of beauty!
but in battle, especially on a short one, it’s only a turn, albeit short, but bursts.

[karelia molot]

As in that joke: one defect - the scapula is absent)

[Doliva63]

Quote: voyaka uh

It is irrelevant in our country. Automatic fire is not permitted.
We shoot single in two.
At the landing brigade, M4 remained.

In the SA, when performing the control shooting exercises for a single shot, they either reduced the mark on the score, or finally set the “failure” - I forgot it already, but I remember that they taught me to make a turn of 2 rounds. That is, you shoot the same 2, but if so, you can solder the broader line, without being distracted by the fire translator. Looks like an Israeli soldier is not up to it yet

[voyaka uh]

Where do we go ...

[Doliva63]

Quote: voyaka uh

Where do we go ...

How - where? To the homeland. They will forgive you
There was such a case in ZABVVO when a repatriate from the Federal Republic of Germany, who served in their army, was drafted into the army. He was quietly fired, and the special officers and military commissars got pretty well. So nothing threatens you

[Tank hard]

Quote: voyaka uh

Where do we go ..

And you can’t prove anything to some ...
I remember how back in 1990, in the graduating class, we passed mandatory military training. and even then the instructors explained to us that it is not worth shooting bursts, it is better to single-handedly, the queue is only for rare cases, and cartridges must be protected. Stupid instructors must have come across to us ...

[Doliva63]

Quote: Tank Hard

Quote: voyaka uh

Where do we go ..

And you can’t prove anything to some ...
I remember how back in 1990, in the graduating class, we passed mandatory military training. and even then the instructors explained to us that it is not worth shooting bursts, it is better to single-handedly, the queue is only for rare cases, and cartridges must be protected. Stupid instructors must have come across to us ...

Graduation class and army are two different things. Then the comrade clearly said - for a single shot in the army they take off a point. Believe it, just like that? I myself am for accurate shooting, but combined arms tactics are like a law of nature, alas!

[Tank hard]

Quote: Doliva63

Graduation class and army are two different things.

This is not to dispute.

[faterdom]

For each single, a point. Except the last cartridge. If there is one left, even the American Ranger will not fire a queue in any way.

[Doliva63]

Quote: faterdom

For each single, a point. Except the last cartridge. If there is one left, even the American Ranger will not fire a queue in any way.

About the latter - this is understandable. Thanks for reminding me

[Svarog51]

Hello Valentine

About the latter - this is understandable. Thanks for reminding me

What are you up to? What minor moods?
Z.Y. Take a look at the mail. And the way you went into the search, you won’t catch you.

[Note 2]

Only, dear friend, if you shoot successively by pressing the trigger twice as our friend voyaka means, shooting will be more accurate than with a fully automatic machine! And no one reduced anything for a single shot.

[Awaz]

It all comes from complicating weapons. Everyone wants to get more dough from the buyer. But, by love, they won’t leave it that way and bring it to a healthy state. It is unlikely that this carbine is very different from the M 16 internals. The disadvantage is most likely caused by the short-sightedness of some dumb "engineer" who added some kind of a little stick to the working system.
However, they are Americans, and they may not even fix the device, but write a new instruction for use, having taken advanced training courses among personnel, for rather big money from the budget)))
This weapon will already pose a danger to us, if you suddenly manage to take a miracle from a dead or not very green cat

[Xscorpion]

Quote: newbie

I can’t say specifically, until I’ll “blush” with my hands, but there may be a mistake in programming the machine turning the parts.

We had to “wiggle” our hands in August 08, a lot of this “good” fell into our hands. There were a lot of involuntary shots, even with a simple reload, when you attach a new store and when the shutter frame was released, shots occurred, maybe this was due to the fire translator, which stood in automatic mode. Then they didn’t get into it, the new toy was interesting, light and accurate, on the base of the artillery brigade in Gori many ceiling lights were shot on the territory of them when they said to darken some corners, many carried around with them for the second ox, along with Kalash, but reloaded this miracle weapon exclusively with the barrel up. Then I had to surrender everything

[Pimply]

Quote: Xscorpion

Accusation of 08 had to be done in August, a lot of this “good” came into the hands. There were a lot of involuntary shots, even with a simple recharge, when you added a new store and when the bolt was released, there were shots, maybe it was connected with the translator of fire, which stood on automatic mode.

Bushmasters were supplied to Georgia, their quality was below average. For some reason, the original M-ka was not inclined to such problems.

[HMR333]

automatic of the future, even do not need to pull the trigger; it had to be done this way)))

[Kerensky]

I would begin to sin on selective assembly - all the details "float" in the tolerances, and there it’s already how the card will lie down.

[voyaka uh]

The Americans do not have selective assembly in their rifles.
We checked: we can mix the parts, assemble and everyone will shoot.

[Kerensky]

We checked: we can mix the parts, assemble and everyone will shoot.

So in the Russian Empire took rifles. Dismantled "to the screw", mixed ..... But here

The Americans do not have selective assembly in their rifles.

If there is no selective assembly, but there are tolerances, then the crossbow may well turn out. Well, any company tries to minimize the percentage of marriage. Including the extension of tolerances, up to the cries of the military representative.

[bunta]

Quote: voyaka uh

We checked: we can mix the parts, assemble and everyone will shoot.

It is possible and possible, only in the manual for some reason this is categorically not recommended.

[faterdom]

Our hackers also need to attach such a special feature to Abrams: so that when transferring the type of fire from a machine gun to a gun, a warning shot is fired anywhere.

[Xscorpion]

Quote: Pimply

Quote: Xscorpion

Accusation of 08 had to be done in August, a lot of this “good” came into the hands. There were a lot of involuntary shots, even with a simple recharge, when you added a new store and when the bolt was released, there were shots, maybe it was connected with the translator of fire, which stood on automatic mode.

Bushmasters were supplied to Georgia, their quality was below average. For some reason, the original M-ka was not inclined to such problems.

I have not heard about this. Not in terms of Bushmasters, but in terms of the fact that they were delivered there. Photo is possible? Maybe I have some other Bushmaster in mind? What I was holding in my hands was M4A1 for sure, but the build quality and claims to the manufacturer.

[Note 2]

According to experts, something similar with weapons of this type was true before, it was about heating the chamber with intensive automatic firing and as a result of spontaneous ignition of the powder charge. Due to the fact that the Bushmaster allegedly supplied the Georgians during their attack on Abkhazia when our peacekeepers died nonsense because this raw rifle is intended exclusively for the civilian market. So someone writes there that the axes allegedly fell out of the AK 74 when it was worn intensively, also complete nonsense the ravine is just raving. Even with broken holes for these axes, this is impossible due to the good fixation by other parts of the USM. Parts of the M 4 really have a more accurate manufacturing and lower tolerances than AK but this affects, oddly enough, the reliability of the M4 itself and with intensive use it to delays in firing due to the fact that soot which falls into the receiver can block the bolt group. To do this, the M4 has a special handle on the right side for releasing the shutter to the front position.

[kunstkammer]

Quote: voyaka uh

It is irrelevant in our country. Automatic fire is not permitted.
We shoot single in two.
At the landing brigade, M4 remained.

but the cartridges themselves fall out of the store

[bunta]

Quote: voyaka uh

It is irrelevant in our country. Automatic fire is not permitted.

Hemorrhoid enema is also not relevant to treat. Although...