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Posted: 1/13/2009 2:36:34 PM EDT
| We all know that the final version of the M16a1 had the buttstock which had the compartment for the cleaning kit. I was wondering if during the 70's and 80's if earlier rifles that had the solid buttstock were normally retrofitted with the newer stocks or did they just not bother. For example would someone in the Army or USMC in the early 80's have been issued an M16a1 with a solid buttstock? |
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It has long been my opinion that the solid butt A1s were pulled early in their service life (hence so many surviving minty-but-issued solid butts) and replaced with the trapdoor A1s. After the shitstorm about poor maintenance/lack of cleaning equipment causing malfs, the military wanted to make damn sure the troops had the tools to keep their rifle serviceable.
I freely confess that that this is speculative, tho' it does make sense. For all that, it may well be a solid butt or two may have remained in service. I had an M-16 in basic with no FA/solid butt IIRC, but all the A1s in my old guard outfit were traps. Moon |
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Quoted:
It has long been my opinion that the solid butt A1s were pulled early in their service life (hence so many surviving minty-but-issued solid butts) and replaced with the trapdoor A1s. After the shitstorm about poor maintenance/lack of cleaning equipment causing malfs, the military wanted to make damn sure the troops had the tools to keep their rifle serviceable. I freely confess that that this is speculative, tho' it does make sense. For all that, it may well be a solid butt or two may have remained in service. I had an M-16 in basic with no FA/solid butt IIRC, but all the A1s in my old guard outfit were traps. Moon Logical. And most likely the case. |
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