Compromise is the slow death of inspiration. The AR-15, the most successful weapon system fielded by the US Army, has had its performance and characteristics compromised for nearly 50 years of its service life. First, the IMR (improved military rifle) powder that was specified by Eugene Stoner was replaced by GI (government issue) all-purpose dirty-burning powder, which almost killed the AR-15.
Then the barrel was shortened to take the innovative .223 round from a manstopper to a laughing stock. The 55-grain 5.56mm round was built for a 20-inch, 1-in-12-inch twist barrel but with newer and shorter barrels, a heavier bullet with a tighter twist was needed to keep the performance adequate. With the steady diet of MOUT (military operations on urban terrain), our warriors became commuter soldiers with cars, Hummers, SUVs, Strykers and Bradleys routinely carpooling them to the bad guys’ front doors, so the long rifle had to morph into the carbine.
Once again compromise left our guys with a smaller weapon that did not provide one-shot stopping power, had poor mid-range ballistic performance with a vicious blast. It worked but it performed marginally adequate without outstanding traits. Why couldn’t a small weapon be made without compromise, no second place performanc
Compromise is the slow death of inspiration. The AR-15, the most successful weapon system fielded by the US Army, has had its performance and characteristics compromised for nearly 50 years of its service life. First, the IMR (improved military rifle) powder that was specified by Eugene Stoner was replaced by GI (government issue) all-purpose dirty-burning powder, which almost killed the AR-15.
Then the barrel was shortened to take the innovative .223 round from a manstopper to a laughing stock. The 55-grain 5.56mm round was built for a 20-inch, 1-in-12-inch twist barrel but with newer and shorter barrels, a heavier bullet with a tighter twist was needed to keep the performance adequate. With the steady diet of MOUT (military operations on urban terrain), our warriors became commuter soldiers with cars, Hummers, SUVs, Strykers and Bradleys routinely carpooling them to the bad guys’ front doors, so the long rifle had to morph into the carbine.
Once again compromise left our guys with a smaller weapon that did not provide one-shot stopping power, had poor mid-range ballistic performance with a vicious blast. It worked but it performed marginally adequate without outstanding traits. Why couldn’t a small weapon be made without compromise, no second place performance and usable for CQB (close quarter battle) and defense work?
That’s what Reed Knight thought too. When the Pentagon issued a Statement of Work that defined the parameters of what the government was looking for in a personal defense weapon, Reed saw an opportunity to excel. The statement noted the various deficiencies with the current MP5 and M4 CQB weapons that they did not have the needed lethality, range and penetration with disproportionate recoil and dependent on the right ammo.
e and usable for CQB (close quarter battle) and defense work?
That’s what Reed Knight thought too. When the Pentagon issued a Statement of Work that defined the parameters of what the government was looking for in a personal defense weapon, Reed saw an opportunity to excel. The statement noted the various deficiencies with the current MP5 and M4 CQB weapons that they did not have the needed lethality, range and penetration with disproportionate recoil and dependent on the right ammo.
