M16 Documentary on History Channel Tonight!

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - M16 Documentary on History Channel Tonight!

Posted: 8/13/2003 3:53:05 AM EDT

Looks like a pretty in depth documentary on the M16 weapon tonight on the History Channel starting at 8pm EST. Followed by "Bullet Proof" at 9pm.
www.historychannel.com/global/listings/listings.jsp?NetwCode=THC

The M-16
The most powerful assault rifle ever used in combat, the M-16 became the symbol of our lost war--Vietnam--and can easily be called America's most unloved gun. Yet, 30 years after its introduction, it stands as a potent icon of U.S. military strength worldwide. We'll explain how it almost ended up on the scrap heap! TV

Posted: 8/13/2003 5:22:15 AM EDT

[#1]

Thanks for the heads up.

"The most powerful assault rifle ever used in combat"

I just hope the writers of the documentary are more intelligent and informed than the guy who wrote the ad for the show.

Posted: 8/13/2003 8:54:02 AM EDT

[#2]

I have seen it before, but definitely worth seeing again. I am going to tape it this time.

Posted: 8/13/2003 8:57:02 AM EDT

[#3]

I am going to tape it this time.

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Roger Dat!

Posted: 8/13/2003 9:22:22 AM EDT

[#4]

....and at 6 p.m. "Winchesters", and 10 p.m. "Bullets"....all kinds of good, solid family entertainment on the big "H" tonight. Guess the lawn waits 'til tomorrow.

Posted: 8/13/2003 10:08:38 AM EDT

[#5]

Of course after hearing the narrator call it the AR-16 during the last Sniper special I am slightly wary, but I do love the History Channel.

I generally switch between History, Science, and Discovery. If I could pay $20/mo and just get all those discovery-type channels I'd do it.

Health, Wings, Science, History, HistoryI, Times, and Discovery channel. What more do you need?

Posted: 8/13/2003 10:52:47 AM EDT

[#6]

Thanks! I just set my DVR to record it while I'm slaving away at work! Thank the sweet baby Jesus for digital cable recorders! [:D]

Posted: 8/13/2003 11:33:22 AM EDT

[#7]

It also comes on at midnight.

Posted: 8/13/2003 11:43:05 AM EDT

[#8]

Thanks for the reminder - tape will be rolling at my house too. I really need to get one of those newfangled DVR thingy's. I already have DirecTV. Gotta do it one of these days, after SEBR and Gunstock are done with me anyway....

Posted: 8/13/2003 11:45:09 AM EDT

[#9]

DANG IT!! And I just gave up my cable to save some money. Who do I pay to mail me a copy of this? [;)]

Posted: 8/13/2003 1:54:31 PM EDT

[#10]

set it on my PVR, yeah i seen that one where they called it the AR-16 i think it was superguns or something, but then they referred to it as an ar-15 two minutes later.

Posted: 8/13/2003 7:17:06 PM EDT

[#11]

In the bullets program did anyone catch a guy say "45 milimeter" when talking about the multibarreled pistol? Maybe I'm just nit-pickin but thats a pretty serious screwup.

Posted: 8/13/2003 7:21:20 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
In the bullets program did anyone catch a guy say "45 milimeter" when talking about the multibarreled pistol? Maybe I'm just nit-pickin but thats a pretty serious screwup.

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lol...glad you heard it too, thought i was imagining things [:p]

Posted: 8/13/2003 7:43:25 PM EDT

[#13]

I don't have cable either, and Mr Satellite can't beam TV through my side of the building.Dammit!

Posted: 8/13/2003 7:57:58 PM EDT

[#14]

Health, Wings, Science, History, HistoryI, Times, and Discovery channel. What more do you need?

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Add Fox News and SciFi (to watch SG1) and yer all set.

Posted: 8/13/2003 8:27:54 PM EDT

[#15]

i missed the one on bullets. watching the one on the m16 now tho

Posted: 8/13/2003 10:14:22 PM EDT

[#16]

Anyone catch the clip of the Shrike upper? I think I'm in love!

Posted: 8/13/2003 10:14:37 PM EDT

[#17]

You know at the begining of the bullets show they had footage of, dun-dun-daaaaa, the shrike being fired.

Posted: 8/14/2003 3:24:57 AM EDT

[#18]

A quote from one of the "expert" talking heads on Modern Marvels "The M-16" ... "The only people using the AK47 are revolutionaries who can't afford an M-16". Talk about politically motivated crap.

Posted: 8/14/2003 6:23:05 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
A quote from one of the "expert" talking heads on Modern Marvels "The M-16" ... "The only people using the AK47 are revolutionaries who can't afford an M-16". Talk about politically motivated crap.

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There were several inaccuracies - William C Davis is not the former Chief of the Small Arms Branch: He WORKED for the chief of the small arms branch (my dad). I think the guy you're talking about was the journalist. He's a huge MacNamara fan. It's OK though since they let Davis and Atwater debunk him.

Posted: 8/14/2003 6:24:15 AM EDT

[#20]

Another "expert" stated that the full-auto feature was designed to compensate for the inaccurate marksmanship of the soldiers. No discussion of suppressive fire in an environment where the enemy was often hidden by vegetation and did not present a target. Or rapid close-quarters fighting where aimed fire on multiple attackers would be slow enough to get you killed. This was after the comment about the lack of firepower (actually, rate of fire) of the M-1 Garand when dealing with Chinese human-wave attacks during the Korean War. I enjoyed most of the show, but would have liked to have seen some of the comments double-checked by someone with some first hand military experience.

Did anyone else catch the comment during the "Bullets" show that the army would be completely converted to Tungsten-based bullets by 2008? This might make it easier for Congress critters to ban lead ammunition for civilians.

Posted: 8/14/2003 7:18:15 AM EDT

[#21]

screw tungsten, did you see that bullet the one company made, it was a buncha bonded metals, if the bullet hit metal is remained solid punching a hole like armor piercing bullets, if it hit warm tissue it exploded 360 degrees causing massive soft tissue damage without the risk of overpenatration, the little demostration was pretty cool.

Posted: 8/14/2003 8:43:47 AM EDT

[#22]

The bonded metal bullet was indeed pretty sweet.

Being quite new to the whole AR community i do have two major complaints about the show though-

1. they never mentioned how(or why) the AR that was created by Armalite was produced by(and with) the colt name on it.

2. nothing was mentioned about the charging handle being moved from the top of the carry handle position to the rear.

The answers may have slipped by me but being the total technical nut that I am the documantary left me wanting more insight than what was offered.

Posted: 8/14/2003 9:23:27 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
In the bullets program did anyone catch a guy say "45 milimeter" when talking about the multibarreled pistol? Maybe I'm just nit-pickin but thats a pretty serious screwup.

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Sheesh, I totally caught that. I was chuckling to myself, wondering how they let that slip by. Try to imagine, a handgun firing a 45 millimeter bullet. That's a big gun! I was glued to the TV all night, thanks to that channel. I got up once, and only to talk to a friend about going shooting today
Devin

Posted: 8/14/2003 10:22:19 AM EDT

[#24]

Here is a link to the Blended-Metal bullet website:

http://www.lemasltd.com/1Shot/FactorFiction.htm

LEO and Military only, unfortunately, since it has armour piercing capabilities. I would think that they could tweak the design of this bullet to create one that would offer FMJ-style penetration and be civilian legal.