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Date submitted July,1998 The End of an Era From the Quantico Sentry of 10 July 1998 "You're up!' the coach called to the Marine sitting behind the firing line. He had the usual attire for a member of the Marine Corps Rifle Team: two sweatshirts under a thick padded shooting jacket. He placed the thick leather shooting glove over his left hand and used a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead, brought on by this days 95 degree heat. His cover and sweat band fit tightly, further raising the temperature. It didn't matter though. This Marine was a machine, capable of firing a well-aimed round out of a properly maintained rifle, no matter what the conditions. He firmly grabbed the butt of his weapon, a modified M-16A2 service rifle, and shoved it into his shoulder, ready to fire, confident of his weapon's ability." "Just recently the rifle team's 23 shooters switched from the M-14 rifle to the more accurate M-16A2. A typical M-16 can hold nine minutes of angle, which means it can hold a group of shots within a 27-inch circle on the target at 300 yards. Compared to the M-14's one minute or less of angle, that's not very accurate. However, with the modifications made to the weapons by the team's armorers, the M-16 can hold a half minute of angle, or keep all the shots within 1 1/2 inches at 300 yards. The modifications to 50 National Match M-16 rifles were done by hand by the armorers. Each rifle took two days to finish, mostly due to the drying times of the resins used. However, an assembly line method was used to finish several rifles at once. The armorers said they liked the trade. "The change was really a lot harder for the shooters to make than it was for us," said one of the team's armorer. "The weapon really doesn't need many after market parts, and it doesn't really ever break. The change from the M-14 to the M-16 can be difficult for a shooter," said an armorer. "The M-16 has a shorter sight alignment, about nine inches less, so if the weapon moves, it makes a larger difference on where the round lands. It's a much less forgiving weapon than the M-14." The new National Competition M-16 has a heavier barrel. Flow tubes are used under the hand guards with the swing swivel attached to reduce vibrations that happen when a tight sling is wrapped around the arm. Front sight posts are shaved to give a tighter target. Weights are added in the hand guards and the butt stock. Ron Smith rear sights are used for greater accuracy. The new rifle also has loose spaces filled to reduce rattle and a much lighter trigger. These changes add up to a better weapon, but the weapon's only as good as the shooter. "A lot of these guys have really adapted well to the new weapon," said an armorer. "They're really bringing in some great scores. It was hard to switch for all of us, we had a lot of luck with the 'fourteens." The Marines luck has run a little dry in the past few years where interservice rifle championship matches are concerned. The Army Rifle Team, did very well compared to the Marines. The Army Team had switched to the M-16 five years ago. "It will be interesting to see what happens at the championships in two weeks, " said an armorer. "I really think this time we're gonna bite back, and hard." Submitted by: Ed Rolita, LtCol, USMC (Ret)
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