Been around the M16 since 1968. I am of the opinion Stoner got more right with his version than the Marine Corps fixed with the A2. In RVN it was a 6.5 pound rifle that would let you hit a man about as far as you had any business shooting at one. Back then M193 ball from a 20 inch barrel made some gruesome holes too. Now an M4 comes within ounces of weighing as much as an M1 Garand and the short barrel works against ammo the depends on velocity foremost for its effectiveness.
Despite all that, the deadliest thing in an infantry squad is the push to talk switch on the radio. You should not shoot anyone you can get someone else to shoot for you. Fire that rifle and you immediately announce to all that you are there. Call in indirect fire and any survivors will be left to puzzle out who, if any one, saw them and called it in, and where they could possibly be.
For the most part, I was pleased with the terminal effects of M377 canister.
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